But let's try to make it sound interesting. I have the advantage here because Monday was a holiday and so already covered in the previous post. So, I only have four days to spice up. The disadvantage is that I was still in a lot of pain from skiing, so the days were pretty slow-moving, to be safe.

For some backstory, we developed a rock chip in our windshield some time ago. We have also been experiencing the intense radiant heating capabilities of the sun in such arid environment as Arizona offers, and would like to do something about it. 3M manufactures an infrared-blocking thin film product that applies like window tint but doesn't significantly change visible light transmission. In other words, it's nearly clear. We wanted to have the film installed professionally, but we also wanted to ensure the rock chip would not form a crack that would propagate and warrant throwing away the windshield along with the newly-installed film. So step one was to have the chip addressed by Safelite. They chip away at it a little bit further to make it a more uniform bowl-shaped chip, and to remove any loose fragments of glass. Then, it is filled with a clear epoxy and made flat. The whole process took only about twenty minutes. The tiny chip is still visible, but the hope is that it will not get any larger or split. We will monitor it for a few weeks before getting the window film installed, as a precaution.

Another minor issue we've faced is related to our greywater tank and plumbing. In general, the drainpipe is mostly-straight shot all the way to the back of the van. It enters the greywater tank on the driver's side at the rear of the tank, towards the bottom. The point is that if the tank is full, and if we turn towards the right and apply the brakes, the momentum of the water can push it up the shower drain. Twice this has happened. Our interim solution is to dump the greywater more frequently so it doesn't get full, utilizing only about half the capacity. But we also ordered a check valve online to install in the drainpipe so water can't flow back up into our shower. This week, the valve arrived. It looks like this and will be installed this weekend.

Wednesday morning we woke under a blanket of snow. It means a few extra minutes before work to get the snow brushed off the van. And it usually means water on the floor from our shoes and Loki's feet each time we get back inside. That's just part of van life. At least the flooring material is waterproof. I went to urgent care this day to get some sort of pain relief more powerful than the ibuprofen we had in the van. After that excursion, Loki and I parked the van and worked on editing video for our YouTube channel. When we got Mandy from work, she cooked us up some delicious comfort food in the form of cheeseburgers. But these were on homemade sourdough bread, with caramelized onion and bacon-pepper jam. And they were SO. GOOD.

Tuesday was not super interesting. Loki and I dropped off Mandy at work, and then we took a couple hour ride down to Phoenix. We spent pretty much the entire day at the Mercedes-Benz dealer in North Scottsdale. It was time for its first oil change and the rest of "Service A" at 20,000 miles. I think the bulk of the work is fluids-checking and other inspection points. But we also had a small stack of recall notices to address. The team there handled everything all in one day, which was fantastic. It was a long day for us, but Loki was pleased to be welcome inside the lobby and found himself a nice cushiony chair to sleep in for most of it.

Thursday we had a little bit of a mishap on the way to drop Mandy off at work. The grey water tank, which we knew was mostly full, backed up into the shower and spilled out onto the floor. It was a result of specific driving conditions, I think a right turn while braking; because of the way the plumbing is arranged. So that was the project of the day. After drop-off, I cleaned up the floor and dumped the grey water tank. I ordered a check valve for the drain pipe immediately after, and we made a note to ensure we don't let the tank get over half full until it's installed.

With the plumbing issue resolved as much as it could be at the time, I set to work figuring out plans for the weekend. This is something of a process which we're still ironing out. But we're definitely improving and getting more efficient. There's a lot of points to consider! First, we have a list of destinations recommended by friends and family, as well as places we want to see. There's a lot of overlap there, which is good. Then, there's weather to consider; will it be too hot or too cold? Any rain or high winds? Some destinations, like lakes, for example, we want to visit when it's hot on purpose. For swimming. The desert spots we want to visit when it's cooler, because the desert can get incredibly, unforgivably hot. Then, we have to consider where exactly we'll stay at a given destination. Is there a place to park for free, or should we get a campsite? Do we need reservations? Is there anything available? Then we have to consider the route. Can we get there in one shot on a Friday after work, or is it better to break it up? Can we pair it with another destination that's on the way, and do a two-for-one deal? All of that stuff is the figuring. Then, there's also prep work. Like ensuring the grey tank is empty, in case we don't see anywhere to dump it. Fill the fresh water tanks, in case we don't pass any fill stations. Make sure the fuel tank is full. Get groceries for the weekend. Even though we're ostensibly "ready to go", there's still a lot to be done.

This took us Thursday and Friday to complete, but we came up with a solid plan we were excited to execute. We'll tell you all about it in the next one!

At least it's back to the grind for one of us. Mandy started her temporary contract position for the VA Medical Center in Prescott, Arizona. During her working days, Loki and Rob will be adventuring in and around the town. On weekends, we'll all be exploring various parts of Arizona. Remember that we have to leave Prescott National Forest lands to satisfy the stay limits within the national forest. Since the adventures will be on a bit smaller scale, it probably makes sense to condense a week into each post here, rather than a day per post. Hopefully that's okay with you all. These posts have fallen quite far behind real time, so this will help to catch you guys back up to present day. Or at least a bit closer.

Day one of work for Mandy, and we already have a pretty well-established morning routine. We get up, take showers, eat breakfast, make the bed and raise it to the ceiling, feed Loki, take him for a walk, then drive Mandy to work. We drove through the security gate which was a little awkward because she didn't have an ID, we didn't have a parking permit, we have a pet which isn't allowed, and so on. We were allowed through, but we decided right then that in the future, we'd just park outside the gate and she could walk in. Mandy put on her brave face and set off to work. Loki and I left to run some errands. We got groceries, opened up a mailbox so we could receive mail and packages. Real exciting stuff. Eventually, we returned to our campsite and set out to hike to Goldwater Lake, which is about 3.5 miles away from the campground. Somewhere around the halfway mark, Loki started dragging behind, so I took it as a sign to turn back so I could avoid having to carry his 85lbs all the way back. Because that was just not going to happen. Back at camp, we relaxed in the sun for a while until it was time to pick up Mandy. Back at camp, we decided to grill a BBQ chicken pizza over our campfire. The gluten-free dough, which was all we could find at the grocery store, was a little difficult to work with, but the pizza came out awesome anyways. We devoured it, and spent the rest of the night cleaning up and relaxing by the dying fire before heading to bed.

Loki made sure we were awake around 4:00am or so. He heard coyotes, and he just wanted to verify that we heard them, too. We appreciate him keeping us safe, though. The coyotes don't have a key, so they can't get to us in the van. He was very alert, so it took some coaxing to get him to go back to sleep so we could do the same.

The sunrise in Sedona was b-e-a-YOU-tiful! Right in front of where we parked was the most scenic U-haul location we've ever seen. Which isn't saying anything at all. Usually they're not much to look at. But Sedona U-haul has got it going on. We finally had a little time to kill, so we just walked around the town a bit with Loki. It's just so pretty! Even though it was pretty chilly, we didn't even care. It was awesome to be outside walking around in the fresh air and sunshine.

Eventually, the cold did start to gnaw at us a little, so we circled back home. Once there, we made a couple breakfast sandwiches and ate them. After we ate and cleaned up, we made a big climb out of Sedona, through a zillion switchbacks, towards Flagstaff. Once we were in Flagstaff, we continued climbing even more. "You're going to drive all the way up the mountain and there will be none left to ski," Mandy said. Well, she was wrong. At Snowbowl, the driveway is a long climb uphill, but there's plenty of mountain left to ski at the top. The thing about skiing is that you need snow to do it, and the snow only likes to hang out at the top. She doesn't ski, so she just doesn't know.

From about 9:30am, when I started, until about 10:30am, the mountain was solid ice. As soon as the sun started to shine on the surface, everything softened up and it was perfect. It's a steep hill, pretty much all over, so it was a little dicey in the beginning there. Once the crust broke up, I was a lot more comfortable, and pushed myself to make a few passes through the moguls. I had a wicked good time playing all over the mountain until mid-afternoon when my legs started to get a little crampy. I forgot to stretch them out in the morning, so it's my own fault. I called it a day sometime after 2:00, and I was fine with that. It was a solid day of non-stop riding.

The base had fantastic weather. We almost called it "hot". It was deep into the "warm" territory, to be sure. I took my time cleaning off all my gear as I put everything away. And we didn't freeze during it. We even had the doors of the van wide open. You just can't do that in New England. Loki hung out on the ground outside the van, which is one of his favorite activities. It was awesome. Once everything was packed up, we headed back into Flagstaff. Although the mountain is technically IN Flagstaff, it's pretty remote. We took the van for another wash, this time doing a much better job than in Tennessee. Then, we went to REI.

We had some gift cards from Christmas to spend, and we had a need for some chairs that we could use outside the van. We had chairs, for years, actually. But when we moved into the van, we drew the line, and they ended up on the wrong side thereof. We never loved those chairs. We just accepted them, because we'd had them for so long. But it was finally time to shop for replacements, which was exciting. We trialed pretty much every chair they had available in the store. A lot of them we had to assemble first, but the store doesn't mind. And Loki got to come in, too, so we could take our time, and not worry about if he was okay outside in the van. Big shoutout to REI for being awesome. We decided to get one Nemo Stargaze chair, because Rob really liked it, and Mandy wasn't sure. She wants to use it for a time before deciding.

Leaving Flagstaff and heading towards our temporary-final destination of Prescott takes you along highway 17S. The surface of the highway is terrible, so we stopped to adjust the shocks a bit softer. Along the way, Mandy rerouted us towards Camp Verde, because the overnight temperature was forecast to be about 11 degrees warmer. And we didn't have to be in Prescott the next day. We were finally beginning to understand just how much impact we would allow weather to have on our travels. It's not that we have to avoid the cold and snow and rain and misery, but if we're this mobile, why not be comfortable? We stopped at Clear Creek Campground, and found the perfect site nestled in a corner. We paid for the night, and then we cooked chicken tacos for dinner. After dinner, we used our new chair for its intended purpose, and we stared at the night sky for a while. It was very clear here, with almost no light pollution from nearby towns. It was a perfect way to end an awesome day.

Overnight in Tucumcari, NM was very cold. We wondered aloud if we should have just stayed in New England. The temperature was officially 6F, but the weather app said it feels like -9F. C O L D. As soon as Loki peed, we hit the road. We were not in the mood for more cold weather. That defeats the whole purpose of this trip.
We drove straight through, more or less, from Tucumcari, NM to Sedona, AZ. We stopped for fuel and, since I had to pay inside, these chips (below) caught my eye. I thought they'd be spicier than they actually were. But they were tasty nonetheless. Always go for the shady-looking packaging. Sometimes you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The 8-ish hour drive through to Sedona was mostly uneventful. We were contented just watching the outside temperature gauge slowly climb. And we were happy to know that we were done with long driving days; our ultimate, temporary destination just an hour and a half ride away. The scenery slowly grew more and more interesting as we left the flat, open expanses of the greater panhandle and eastern New Mexico behind us. There was undulating elevation. And cacti! We learned that "cactuses" is also proper English. We also learned that there is no Welcome To Arizona sign. Or we just missed it. Other than that, the ride was boring in a good way.

We stopped for the night at the Elks Lodge in Sedona, AZ. They have a handful of RV sites that are open to the public. It was a lot easier than trying to find an open site on BLM land, since we arrived to Sedona after dark. It's tough to try to find a site after the sun has gone down. The Elks Lodge was simple, and they didn't even have us check in or pay until the following morning!

We awoke in Oklahoma. It was a little cold, and a little wet, but it wasn't terrible. Just across the highway from the casino where we stayed, we topped up on fuel. Then we hopped back on 40W. We found it odd how much the price of fuel can vary at any given exit on this highway. There are typically at least two stations at a given exit, and the prices can be 20 cents or more difference, per gallon of fuel across the highway. It's odd.

 It was overcast, but dry on the highway. So, we went as swiftly as we could to cover as much ground as possible before it started to get sloppy. We were expecting snow at any moment. We stopped at a rest area to try changing some shock settings around and see how the ride quality was impacted. We made them a bit stiffer, and found it much more comfortable inside. But while we did that, we noticed that the rest areas in Oklahoma were so trashy. Literally, there was trash all over the ground. And graffiti. Like, low quality graffiti. It certainly wasn't artful. All the more reason to keep moving.

We got all the way to Texas before we saw any snow. Now, we're accustomed to New England weather. When there's a 20mph wind, it's what we call a fairly windy day. We notice it, but it's not anything really insane. When there are gusts up to 30-40mph, we start to expect some minor tree damage, usually. So, when we saw that there were 10-15mph winds accompanying this snow storm, we didn't think much of it. Just glossed over that part. As you know, we were heading west on 40. It's not pin-straight, but it's a pretty straight route for the most part. And in the panhandle of Texas, it's across pretty barren terrain, with no trees to act as a windbreak. The winds were coming from the north, so our passenger's side. Pretty regularly. In fact, the wind was so constant and significant, that we could see about 10-15 degrees difference in the temperatures inside our tires from the passenger's side to the driver's. Since the wind was pushing the van towards the driver's side, those tires were carrying more weight, and thus heated up quite a bit more. It was not concerning, but it was interesting to see.

At 75mph, it is a battle with nature to keep the van between the lines. Passing trucks is exhausting because the north wind becomes a pulling force into the trailer due to the low pressure area between vehicles. Then you have to be ready to jerk the wheel back when you get to the cab of the big rig, because there's that side wind again. Once the snow started to fall it was just one continuous drift for miles and miles. We've never seen such a long snow drift. It's trippy if you stare at it a while. Feels like you're in a dream.

But here's the thing: that was really it for adverse conditions on the highway. A wind from the side and a visual effect over the pavement. A very thin film started to accumulate only in the middle parts, in a few small areas. But where the tires go, the pavement remained dry. And yet, we lost count of how many cars went off the road. It was mayhem. I put the van in 4WD after a stop for brisket lunch at Tyler's in Amarillo. That brisket was top notch. You all should go there and get it. Anyway, in 4WD and keeping it slow, around 60mph, mainly because of uncertainty around how the conditions would change because it's unfamiliar territory. In hindsight, we probably didn't need 4WD at all. But it's everything we own so we wanted to be cautious. And I thought maybe there was some legitimacy to all these people losing control. But it was really simple for us to stay on the pavement and right side up so who knows.