Rainy day questions.

Just as a precaution last night, I pulled in the slide-outs since there was a tornado watch that was to last until 5:00 in the morning.  Thankfully, the tornadoes did not materialize, but it was a pretty rainy day today.  I spent most of the day indoors doing chores, so it wasn’t exactly an exciting day.

 

Lila left a comment on last night’s post that posed four questions.  They are really some universal questions for RVers, so I thought I’d give my response to them tonight.  I’d be interested to hear what the rest of you think; especially about the first three questions.  (The few pictures I’ll post were taken over the past week or so.)

 

1.  DO YOU GET LONESOME?  I really can’t say that I do.  With all the technology available to us today, it is not difficult to stay in touch with family and friends.  That being said, there are times for me when communicating with Emma just doesn’t seem fulfilling enough.    If I’m volunteering, I go strike up a conversation with fellow volunteers.  I usually also spend some time working the visitor’s center, so have plenty of contact with other folks.  I guess I’m just a person that has been comfortable with alone time.  I’m happy in my own skin, and don’t need the constant interaction with other people.  That’s not to say that I don’t miss sharing some of my experiences with another special person.  I think that’s the biggest downer of traveling alone.  But, I’d rather have the experience alone than not have it at all!

(The non-mated “teenage” cranes find each other and hang out together during mating season.)

2.  DO YOU GET SCARED?  I must admit that I have been scared 3 times in the last five years.  The first time was in 2008 when the rig literally got blown off of the road with a huge wind gust in Arizona.  How I didn’t crap my pants, I’ll never know!   I did get off of the road as soon as possible, and checked into the ROOT 66 RV park before 11:00 a.m.  What a joint that was! 

 

The second time was last May when road debris caused a blowout on the toad in the middle of a bad section of Kansas City.  Thanks goodness for a good Samaritan that came to my rescue.  And the third time was last October when the alarms starting going off in the middle of nowhere of Eastern Oregon indicating my engine was in dire overheating straights.  I ended up spending my first night ever in a truck stop, and was towed the next morning 100 miles to Boise, Idaho.  All my scary situations had to do with driving the rig.  Normal day to day life and traveling has not been scary for me.  I don’t have a pair of men’s boots that I place outside the rig; Emma doesn’t intimidate anyone; and I know enough to head out of a place I’m not comfortable with.  I do not carry a gun.  I don’t think it’s necessary.  I’m careful, but do not live in fear.

(Eight youngsters are presently traveling together, and can be seen next to I-10!)

 

3.  DO THE HIGH GAS PRICES EFFECT YOUR TRAVEL?  So far, not really.  I don’t constantly travel, but rather spend about three months at a refuge before I move on.  I usually take about a month to get to another assignment.  My travel months are more expensive than my volunteer months, but it’s a schedule that’s good for me.  I enjoy visiting an area in depth, and you need time to do that.  My entertainment needs are geared more toward enjoying wildlife which is less expensive than other pursuits.  Thank goodness for digital cameras!  I couldn’t afford that hobby before digital.

 

4.  HOW DO YOU GET TO VOLUNTEER, AND DO YOU GET TO STAY FOR FREE?  I apply for volunteers jobs just like you would a paying job.  I have used Workamper News and Volunteer.gov too, along with state park websites to find positions.  As time has gone by, I have leaned toward picking an area I would like to visit, and then contacting National Wildlife Refuges in the area to see if they have RV volunteer positions available.  Since I’ve volunteered at eight NWRs, one National Monument, one state fish hatchery, and four state parks, I have somewhat of a network to fall back upon. 

I guess you could say that I get to stay at a location for free.  However, as a solo, I generally put in about 32hrs/week volunteering, so I don’t really think of it as being free.    I think this is about the longest post I’ve ever made, so I had better end it now!

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy