Hey everyone! Our 2020 Big Adventure is underway and what a day we've had fresh out of the gate! First of all, whomever that guy Murphy is, I'm not a big fan of his law. And secondly, remember to always have a Plan B.
Thank goodness I spent the better part of adulthood in the military so I am good with organizing, packing, logistical situations, and knowing how to pivot when things go array.
Regardless, we managed to get everything done, loaded, and in working order and we hit the road and have made our first stop just outside of Abilene, Texas. The trip here was uneventful except for a must do stop in Llano for some good old fashion Texas Bar-Be-Que. Cooper's is well know in these parts and was excellent. Like many other restaurants figuring out a way to do business during Covid, they put up plexiglass dividers on the picnic tables and have you order food outside and then pay inside and take a seat. We opted to do take out and got our food and ate in the truck. It was De-lish!
We also opted to listen to a book on our way out and I got first choice (after a hard fought Rock, Paper, Scissors match) and first up was Rob Lowe's Autobiography titled, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends." I've read many reports from critics praising his writing ability along with his storytelling acumen and I'm a fan so I thought it would be interesting to hear about his life. Thus far, it's quite good, entertaining, and both the hubs and I are enjoying his tale. If you've a mind to, download it from Audible for your next road trip. You'll be glad you did.
Berkeley did great in her new back seat riding position. The Pet Car Seat allows her to sit high enough so that she can look out the window and any dog lover knows how important that is to a doggie.
It installs around the back of the seat, under the headrest, and then also has a carabiner to fasten onto her collar so that in the event of sudden stops, she won't go flying out of it. I love this little girl like a child so her safety was paramount to us making this trip and this Car Pet Booster Seat fits the bill. Of course, when I go looking for such a thing, I go to Amazon. They really do have just about anything.
The fabulous hubs set up our table and chairs so that after we got done getting dinner prepared we would be ready to sit outside, relax, and have a glass of wine. When enjoying said glass of wine one needs a table to set it on and thus, we picked up a camping table from Amazon. The folding camping table is perfect for this type of situation. It folds up to fit almost anywhere so bringing it along is a breeze. And I can't say enough about these chairs. They are awesome for so many reasons, the least of which is that they are rockers. And yes, it's not lost on me that two over 55 year olds are camping with a couple of rocking chairs in tow. :) The ones that we brought are a couple that we picked up at Jazz Fest a couple years ago but I found some eerily similar on ....wait for it.....Amazon. I will link them HERE.
Berkeley also has her own little doggie corral that we brought to keep her safe from other critters while we enjoy the out-of-doors. (You can probably see it in the above photo)
She, like most dogs, wants to be where we are so having a safe place where she can be outside with us and all the while Momma doesn't have to fret every second about snakes, or what she found on the ground to eat, or about her wandering off. I am able to relax and she is able to enjoy mother nature.
For dinner, we busted out the Instapot. Man oh man, what a tremendously great item to have in your camping equipment kitchen. It takes NO TIME to cook so many things, but tonight we did Sausage & Chicken Jambalaya.
It's got 14 ingredients, a 10 minute prep time, a 15 minute cook time, and waa-laa, you've got Jambalaya. It was amazing.
After dinner, we adjourned to the rocking chairs and enjoyed a fantastic 2017 Croix Zinfandel and chatted about life, the 2020 that wasn't, and all things married life together brings.
My husband has been looking forward to this first big RV Trip for many, many, years, long before meeting and marrying a former soldier slash wanna be fashion influencer so this is a biggie for him. He retired in 2019 and we actually had a tentative 90 day trip planned for 2020 traveling over to California by way of New Mexico and Arizona, and then making our way up the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping along the way and enjoying all the awesomeness that California offers, finally ending up in Seattle where his brother lives. But, Covid happened, and California shut back down again a few weeks ago, and so, we had to Plan B it. So, Colorado it is. And our journey begins.
Until tomorrow.
Cheers Friends! XOXO.
