We've made it to Flagstaff. The R5 crew left Saturday morning at 9:10 AM and arrived in Little Rock around 7'sh, just enough time to pitch the tent.
I freaked out, was lost and overwhelmed with trying to get everything done. Exhausted from not enough and fitfull sleep. Resa was the rock that got us on track and why I love her!
We did have an issue with the cargo carrier attached to our hitch. It appears that the Eurovan's exhaust is not designed like trucks. The muffler points directly at the carrier and accordingly baked our cooler for 10 hours. This blistered the bottom and created a split. This will not work as we have another 14+ days of driving with the cooler in the carrier. After conferring with our triage specialists (parents many thanks) we looked for a solution at the 24 hour Walmart. Ahh, Resa found an aluminum oil drip pan that is almost a perfect fit! Problem solved. Ron is no longer a freak boy.
Rory bounced off the tent walls - OMG! She finally crashed and Resa was able to pass out.
Sunday, September 27
Break down the the tent, pack up the car and back on the road by 9:30 AM. Well rested and ready for a long day of driving to Amarillo.
Made ok time but worried that we'll be arriving after dark. 600 miles might be a bit ambitious for our young crew. We make a decision to skip Amarillo and drive on to Albuquerque, New Mexico and find a hotel on the fly. We stop for dinner at Denny's, what is a road trip without this stop? We believe this will let us take our time on Monday, see a few sites and get to Flagstaff without the hard push.
Will post more....
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
In The Beginning
We (the entire R5 crew) have begun efforts to reduce the complexities in our lives. This will cross all aspects of lives; income, home, gifts, travel, toys....etc.
Why? We found ourselves running around in circles consuming everything that our consumption based economy offered to us. We have learned that consumption for the sake of consumption is not fun, adds more stress and heightens expectations based on making more money. I'm not saying money is not helpful, just that we were too focused on spending it and creating levels of financial dependencies requiring more input of money on a recurring basis.
What next? We have begun cutting cords (contracts, money flow) with the shackles of entangling financial reliances. Our plan is to sell everything - I mean everything - to provide a much simpler cost of living model that will free out time to focus on experiencing life with our children.
How? By understanding a simple question yet complex want from my youngest son, "Daddy is it Playday today?" That question has driven home one simple fact that I accept is unaltering - my children will grow and up. Now is the best time to build the bonds and share the memories that will last forever. So what if my 'career' stalls, falters or is irrevocably altered. When I reflect on the time we'll invest in each other for the next 5-10 years I will understand what this time is really about.
So follow along if you like as WE go against the current of societies expectations and follow the beat of our own music. I'll share, unfiltered (Ok, it is my perspective) the process and experience.
Look for my next post about our plans for the following weeks and months as we plan our new lifestyle, keep in touch with friends, make new friends and learn a lot about ourselves, each other and this large world we live on/in.
Why? We found ourselves running around in circles consuming everything that our consumption based economy offered to us. We have learned that consumption for the sake of consumption is not fun, adds more stress and heightens expectations based on making more money. I'm not saying money is not helpful, just that we were too focused on spending it and creating levels of financial dependencies requiring more input of money on a recurring basis.
What next? We have begun cutting cords (contracts, money flow) with the shackles of entangling financial reliances. Our plan is to sell everything - I mean everything - to provide a much simpler cost of living model that will free out time to focus on experiencing life with our children.
How? By understanding a simple question yet complex want from my youngest son, "Daddy is it Playday today?" That question has driven home one simple fact that I accept is unaltering - my children will grow and up. Now is the best time to build the bonds and share the memories that will last forever. So what if my 'career' stalls, falters or is irrevocably altered. When I reflect on the time we'll invest in each other for the next 5-10 years I will understand what this time is really about.
So follow along if you like as WE go against the current of societies expectations and follow the beat of our own music. I'll share, unfiltered (Ok, it is my perspective) the process and experience.
Look for my next post about our plans for the following weeks and months as we plan our new lifestyle, keep in touch with friends, make new friends and learn a lot about ourselves, each other and this large world we live on/in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
