Connecticut to California: ROAD TRIP!

We folks, we’re back on the interstate. This marks my FIFTH Coast to Coast road trip (Hazel’s 4th). And our NINTH cross country road trip. So we’re rolling out in style. AKA we’re pulling our home on wheels this time.

I mean… nothing says NOMAD living like #rvlife, right?

Well. I packed my life in storage. I bought a new car (#DaisyMaeJames) and she’s a beast! She’s in charge of hauling our new life out west. Ready. Set. Goooo!

In true Nattie & Hazel Nut’s Adventure fashion… we hit hiccups. Like immediately. I was TERRIFIED at driving the rig home. The rig then died immediately. Daisy Mae blew a fuse and every dealer said #notit in terms of causing the problem. So we problem solved. I got the rig back to the dealer, we checked out several things and found that it was in fact the Land Rover dealer who knew nothing about the fuses. Daisy Mae blew a fuse. Luckily the boys at the RV dealer took pitty and hooked a girl up. Next up, we flew mom’s husband out with her to drive the rig. Mark’s driven a bus through Vegas… So I figured he could handle the pull of the rig better than me. Which he did. But with both of them on a time crunch… and me so NOT on a time crunch, my relaxing trip was quickly becoming a unnerving stress magnet of a trip.

The first day was a mix of alarms, warning check lights, and missed turns. Mark had to do a pseudo U TURN with my rig. Oh my gosh. I think I can still feel my ulcer forming when I think back to those days. Ugh.

But we made it out of New England. Without hitting anything. And will being able to fill up with gas. Yasss!

Part of my hope from this trip was to enjoy the countryside I have been blowing by as we drove through. I did get to enjoy more of it than if I was driving. Because when I’m driving all I do is check my mirrors and the road, grip the wheel and hold my breath. Probably not the best combination for hauling. Or driving in general.

When we stopped in New Tripoli, PA. I wasn’t with it enough to snag a few photos. But I was able to find a few flaws. Like the fresh water tank’s valve was open. Leaving our water behind at the site rather than in our rig. Or the fact that I can’t apparently cap my gas tank when I’m flummoxed. The KOA was great. And a fun little place I’d like to test out again someday.

Day two brought us to the Shenandoah National Forest in Virginia. The forest was beautiful.. the KOA was slightly under construction, but had a little trail for us to follow. And because I was in better spirits… and trying to destress from someone else driving my car, the sway that comes with hauling Reggie, losing leveling blocks due to compartments not being closed and locked, AND just moving in general…I took Hazel for lots of walks. Probably wasn’t the best for her given her lameness. 😬

Day 3 brought us to the Smoky Mountains of TN. While we didn’t actually go INTO the Smokies as I’d hoped for. My day trippin didn’t happen. But we did get a pull thru site, and had a little fun with the decor on site. We also found a place to replace my lost items luckily. But we weren’t able to keep a fire given the moist environment. This site was a bit of a disappointment for my cross country living it up vibes I was going for.

But we made do. And we pulled out early in effort to get our tails moving. With a pit stop on our way out for the photo shoot.

Day 4 brought us to the Georgia side of Lookout Mountain. Being that we had time to kill… and my hope of hitting up my friends from TN wasn’t coming to fruition… I took Madre and Mark to Rock City. Tourism Traps like this one our my jam. But, like everything else, it’s changed since my first visit.

For instance. WHERE did all the gnomes go?? They were creeper beyond measure, but man were they a part of the parks charm.

Nothing beats these views though. 😍

If you are ever in this area. GO. Ruby falls is great, but thanks to the pandemic and my mother’s health in mind I voted to skip this attraction. Same goes for Raccoon Mountain. All great things, but recommended during non-pandemic times as they are inclosed caverns.

If you find yourself needing an RV park new Lookout Mountain, GA. Here’s a great KOA. We were able to get our laundry done. Have a fire. Enjoy some peaceful quiet time. And pull out super early to get on the road.

Day 5 brought us barreling down the road to Shreveport, LA. Thanks to the current hurricane weather tracking (which we missed by the way! Thankfully!) this KOA was BUSY. It also was a far cry from our eastern parks. But a preview into what western parks were going to be like. More people, less space. It was still an easy find and a decent priced park.

Day 6 had us traveling through Texas. So in effort to make the most of the miles, and honor my mom’s request of one night in a hotel… we stayed in a hotel in Texas. This one was thankfully better than the last few hotels in Texas Hazel & I got to experience on previous trips. 😬

And thankfully my creatures were definitely settling into travel life. They are experts by this point.

Over the years I’ve learned that both need their space. I made Fi a cat condo from Hazel’s old crate. By this point in our journey she typically starts using the litter tray… And sometimes she’ll eat. Mostly she sleeps, watches the road, and lounges. This time because I was sitting next to her she meowed as if pleading to be let out. Sorry love. Not happening.

Hazel gets the boot of the SUV. Somehow her space always ends up being crowded. But as time went by we were able to clear out more of her space for her. She typically snoozes the miles away. But she’s up and alert whenever we slow, stop, or she hears the blinkers going signaling an exit.

Day 7 we made it to Tucson, AZ. This KOA was the most expensive site so far. It was also one of the more equipped and one of the more popular. However, by this point I was beyond over the road trip. So was everyone else really. I was also over the lack of regard for face masks, social distancing, or covid prevention that increased the further we went form New England.

Day 8 we reached our final destination. Pismo Beach, Ca. We parked the rig at Le Sage RV Rivera just off the Pismo Beach/Grover Beach beach. While my reservation was message up, I was able to park in the overflow area.

As dog friendly as the SLO area is. RV parks in this park of the state are less dog friendly. Probably in part because dog owners in the area are HORRIBLE at cleaning up after their dog’s messes. As my family owns a home in the area, I can fully say that weekenders with dogs wreck the sidewalks, garden plots, and sandy areas. It’s disappointing to say the least.

But on the bright side…. Hazel Nut & I got in our daily fix for sunsets, wandered the sandy shores, and ate mexican food like it was going out of style. It felt great to be back along these family shores.