We have been living in and pulling our travel trailer for five weeks now. Almost every day, in my mind, I evaluate the decision to make this trip. We began in Littleton, Colorado, then traveled to Oceanside, California, and then up to Chico, California. Then back down to San Diego, and tonight we are in Phoenix, Arizona. In all we have traveled just over 2,000 miles. Traveling this way has significant advantages for us and some disadvantages as well. Here are some of the highs and lows of pulling and living in a travel trailer.
UPSIDES
Every night we come home to our own bed. It isn’t the most comfortable, and we may get a new mattress before we are finished, but it feels like home instead of a different bed every night. We really like waking up in the morning and having coffee knowing we don’t have to go to the lobby of a hotel or worry about waking up people we are staying with. The trailer is small, but we do like having something that feels like home.
They seem to like sleeping in their own beds as well
Traveling this way allows us to travel with our two dogs. I have no idea how we could have them with us if we traveled any other way. (When we visit people, they always stay “home” in the trailer. We don’t want to inflict their enthusiasm on our friends.) It is possible that my relationship with Willy Nelson and Waylon is an indication of something that is psychologically wrong with me. Seriously, I am not sure it is normal. But I do love them and find great comfort having them with me.
I like listening to books and podcasts while we travel. We listened to a most interesting podcast on our drive across the desert about rats (Must be Rats on the Brain). The story was in three acts, and act two was a story about a man who had pet rats. At one point he decided he had to get rid of the rats if he wanted a girlfriend, but as much as he wanted a girlfriend he couldn’t bear to part with his rats. I really identified with this guy. My love is for dogs, his is for his rats, but as he described his relationship with his pets, it isn’t much different than mine with Willy Nelson and Waylon. I think a lot about whether this relationship with animals is what makes me human, created in the image of God, or if I am afflicted with a mental disorder. Seriously, what is really going on here?
My Roof Patch
Pulling, setting up, and fixing the trailer has given me a great sense of accomplishment. Since traveling I have taken apart two doors and door frames and rebuilt them. They work better and are stronger than new. I also put a patch on the roof. It is true I put a 2-foot hole in it which was a low point, but I am quite proud of the patch I put on it. In the next couple of days I have an appointment to have professionals put a permanent patch on it. I am not very good at backing up with the trailer, and pulling it through traffic has been stressful, but when it is over there is a sense of accomplishment.
Enjoying a weather delay
I am enjoying the unexpected weather delays. We canceled one day of travel on our way to California and delayed our move to Arizona for three days because of high wind warnings. I decided before we began this trip that I would not pull the trailer in the wind or severe storms. When our movement is delayed there is nothing to do but be still and enjoy a quiet time of reading, walking, and being still. I think this is good for my soul, but I also feel like it is God giving me permission to be still. I am sure if I had better mental health, I wouldn’t need this permission, but I really feel like I need to be doing something unless circumstances make it impossible.
DOWNSIDES
It is expensive. It is possible this is more expensive than driving and staying in hotels. The campgrounds are a lot less expensive than hotels, but my truck only gets twelve to fourteen miles a gallon and in California I was paying close to six dollars a gallon. It also takes longer than it would in a car. I tried going 325 miles one day, and that was too much. Traveling 175 – 200 miles is much better. Traveling this way is not efficient. I enjoy going slow and spending unhurried time with Debbie, but it just doesn’t seem like the American way.
We never get into a routine. Just about the time we learn the traffic patterns, the location of our nearest grocery store, gym, and dog park, it is time to move. I know that routines are part of mental health and I understand why. It is disturbing to the soul to always be figuring things out again.
CONCLUSION
I know that taking a break from ministry, and traveling to see friends and alumni, was a good idea. The jury is still out on whether doing it with a 30-foot travel trailer was a good idea or not. But for the time being we will press on. We will be parked in Phoenix for the next 30 days. We have scheduled 29 meetings during our time here, and I am sure we’ll add a couple more, and are looking forward to every one of them.
