Day One, of Sorts

It's hard to say when this adventure started. Was it April 17th, the day we closed the sale of our home in Austin, Texas? We have been living in this trailer ever since. Or was it May 19th, the day Rex drove away from Austin, headed toward Dallas and leaving me in Austin to finish some last-minute tasks?  Or was it May 21, the day we left Dallas together, but not before we lost a wheel on the trailer? That day certainly felt real.

These dates are great candidates, but we are counting today, June 19th, as our first real day on the road.  Once we drove away from my parents' farm in Northeast Nebraska this morning at 9 a.m., our two-month prep session was over. We didn't get the air conditioner in the front of the trailer fixed, so we will learn how to live without it--or figure out how to repair it on the road, with almost no tools or shop space. We hate this over-sized love seat in our living area, but a slightly uncomfortable couch rates as a first-world problem. We don't fully understand how the refrigerator automatically switches between propane and electricity, but it seems to work without us being in-the-know.


So off we go, as we must, because we must get started. Yes, even during this extended experiment in full-time travel we cannot escape deadlines. At least this one is mostly self-imposed. We could have easily stayed in Nebraska--or Kansas, or Austin--for much, much longer, because there were so many things left undone and catching up that did not happen and things left unsaid. And believe me: We were often tempted to put this day off.  But its hubris to think that we can do all we wish, and it would be cowardly to keep putting this off.  Onward!

This photo sums up the day.  I took it about 7 miles west of Gordon, Nebraska.  We are staying in Gordon tonight, and plan to be in Wyoming tomorrow.

Sheridan County, Nebraska