Sylvia's RV Journey

Its about the one year anniversary since I bought the "Sylver Gypsy." I returned home from my 7 month cross country journey in mid October, 2018. So I have been eager....no, I mean... "itching" to get back out on the road. To the point where I have an obsession about it. What a better way to celebrate an anniversary than by going on a trip, right? My friend, Eileen, and I took a trip towards Yuma, AZ, where I had some dental work done in Los Algodones (Molar City) Mexico. I went there in February to have an implant, and knew I had to wait at least 6 months for the crown. I am now, the proud owner of a brand new zirconia tooth....finally!!! The border crossing went well, however it was only 1/2 manned, with agents, so it was about a 45 minute wait through the line. With a quick stop for some Tequila, and a taco lunch, we made it through in great shape, and without issues. We spent some time rock hounding, and were directed to a remote area, on a 6.4 mile dirt road...

As I head home from Holbrook, Arizona, I made a quick stop in Winslow Arizona. And yes "I was standin' on the corner in Winslow, Arizona." For a Wednesday morning, in October, there was a surprising number of people doing the same thing: taking photos. I headed south on Route 87 near Payson, and took the back roads to get to I-17. I went through some open plains, and on into the deep forest for many miles. It was such raw untouched beauty, and I also uncountered patches of melting snow! It seems surreal to be home. I am one lucky girl. After 7 months to the day, I have returned to home-sweet-home in Cave Creek, Arizona. I've had months of adventure, experiences, and challenges, that have crossed the range, as I travelled through 1/2 of the USA. I drove through 25 states. I drove over 17,000 miles. That is more than the equivilant of 3 round trips from Arizona to my home town of Rochester, New York. I feel such a satisfied sence of accomplishment, and complete joy tha...

I wish I could say that the drone of highway traffic noise had a way of lulling me to sleep, but unfortunately it doesn't. Sigh. I also knew that I'd have to get up pretty early to make my way to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. So I hit the road at 5 a.m. and the traffic wasn't too backed up, as we all were shuffled into the $15 parking lot. From there we walked to the $10 admissions gate. It was about 5:45 by the time I got into this site, and decided to have breakfast, another $11. It's probably the first time ever that I've spent $36 before 6 a.m. Little by little the balloons started filling up, and before you know it, there were literally dozens, no hundreds, of balloons in the air with thousands of people on the ground. It was almost overwhelming as they were literally within arm's reach blowing up in every direction. There were really happy, colorful and interesting designs and characters such as Star Wars theme Yoda, Darth Vader, ...