On March 6, 2020 my hubby, myself and our two dogs took off in our truck pulling a 30′ trailer for what was to be a month long book tour from Washington State to Arizona. We took back roads both to avoid the strong EMFs and traffic that are on major highways, besides fulfilling the desire for new experiences in our lives, as you never know what new and exciting things you may see or that happen when you take the road less traveled.
We took our time, enjoying the slow drive. We had made it to Mammoth Lakes, California on Monday when I got a text from my sister who lives in Tucson saying that the large Tucson Festival of Books (the main reason for the trip) had been cancelled due to over 100 authors backing out. This was before the mandatory order of no large groups was given. At that point we decided it best to turn around and head back home.
While staying at Summer Lake Hot Springs in southern Oregon, I was asked to speak to the students at the local school in the little town of Paisley. The students were super and it was a wonderful experience for me. They even treated us to dinner at the one and only restaurant in town. Due to a freak snowstorm that blew into central Oregon, we were instructed to head over the mountains as the roads we were going to take were treacherous with ice. We made it to Sisters Oregon in the Cascades when the snowstorm became blizzard-like. After telling Danny that I was too terrified to pull a 30′ trailer over the pass in this weather, he too became convinced that we needed to try to find a place to stay. Thankfully, there was a nice RV park a couple miles back that took us in. That night our water pump and pipes froze and the starter went out in our truck.
Oh the adventures I have on road trips! Eventually we were able to get on the road again and made it home safe and still healthy.
I have spent the past week trying to catch up on life. For those of you who have read my first book, you know it is about a road trip during a summer heatwave. Well, this most recent road trip has given me new material for my next novel, taking place on a winter road trip this time.
Here are a few photos from the trip.
May you all stay healthy and happy during this time of crisis.
