Here I go! Here I come? Where can I go now?

[rvpopeye]

Stern's post is good stuff (as always).
I'm not sure what your mechanical comfort level is.
One easy check you can do is the antifreeze level , but do it before you start out , on a cool engine.
Going slower and using lower gear going up the hills should help some too.
Traveling in the cooler parts of the day will ease some of the heat. For you and the engine.
I 20 will be less hilly for you and just take it easy when you get to the ROCKIES .

Too funny with kitty not complaining about the cool water bath !
If you don't already have one , get a harness and leash so kitty can enjoy your shade breaks too.
Most of 'em won't like it at first but will get better as they channel their "inner dog" !

Happy Trails To You ..........................

 

[pamerica]

Thanks Popeye. Heading out now. The campsites route has 119 miles on I-20. To 65 north and 22 and 78 West at cetera eventually ending up on 40. I don't even care if I have to stay at motels at this point when it is so hot. I think stopping in New Mexico to cool off is a good idea. But who knows.

And thanks to Stern, I didn't even think about Overdrive. Yes it was.

 

[rvpopeye]

Ahhhhhh , let us know how the engine temp does today !

Also check weather.com (the weather channel) and weather.gov for conditions(and temperatures) ahead.
If you want to change your route anytime for whatever reason (the world's biggest whatever , or maybe a day digging for diamonds ) the freecampsites site will recalculate a new route for you.....

And as you now know ,the tribe will happily give you places to look for a stay or check out as you go along.
If you see Elvis anywhere we'll want to know right away !!!!!

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Sounds like you've already received some great advice so with that, I wish you luck on your travels today, you, your van, and your cat will be in cooler temps before you know it.

 

[mayble]

I second the suggestion to get kitty accustomed to harness and leash, or even a pet stroller.  Then you'd be able to take her into PetSmart and other stores that welcome pets, and suck up their air conditioning for an hour or so in the hottest part of the day

 

[pamerica]

A quick update to all you kind folks. I just crossed into Mississippi on I 22. All is well thanks to y'all.

No problem with heat in the engine going 55 mph, not in overdrive and not using air conditioning.. That's not so bad because I have those Wing windows and it is quite comfortable actually.  

Don't know how much further I will go today but everything is fine.. thanks for being here for me. And I will definitely know who to bug with any other problems.  :heart:

The cat is used to a harness but he is cautious about new places and people so I'm not sure about taking him out right now. Thanks for caring about him, too.

 

[rvpopeye]

It's great when you find your rig problems aren't problems at all.
Going slower allows you to see more of the scenery too !
I like to go about 250 miles a day , it keeps down road fatigue and sometimes way less if I see something to check out.
I also stopped driving all night cuz you don't see anything but the exit signs and stopped if the wind or storms were making it hard to drive...

(One of the things that really bugged me with touring was we always had to rush to the next show without stopping to enjoy the great things that were out there .
It was kind of a feeling like I was wasting the trip and missing all the good stuff ,,,,and I was !
Lots of times I would find out about something really cool that I had passed right by and might never pass that way again. )

 

[akrvbob]

Here are reviews of the New Mexico State Parks written by one of the forum members. He does discuss the cell signal at most of them. It seems like it might be a perfect way for you to get started in your new life. You'll have people and comforts around and it's a pretty great deal

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/adventure/review-of-the-new-mexico-state-parks-pass/
Bob

 

[Txjaybird]

Hello,  I've lived in TX and AL while driving older Pickups and Vans without AC.  Some things that have helped me stay cool are....cotton bandanas'  cut into 2 triangles then wet with cold water/wring out and fold up one to tie  across forehead and the other to tie loosely around neck.  Get a small spray bottle filled with water to spray on face, head, arms and legs if wearing shorts. 

 I have a chihuahua who loves the word GO.  A couple of times I have let the heat sneak up on us when out running errands. 

 Queenie wears a harness and I cool her down by washing her face with a very damp cool bandanna and then wipe her down with it, wet/wring  it out again and weave it thru the back of her harness.  She gets some funny looks because she hangs out the window like a big hound dog wearing a "wonder dog" bandanna cape.  Since it's been so hot here in AL we just go out early mornings or at night. 

 Queenie is a "hot mess" the last thing I tell her when I get out of the truck is "Don't eat anyone while I'm gone"  the people at the truck stop have picnic tables out front  for breaks/smoking and they crack up because when I tell her this she turns her head sideways like she's thinking about it.  She was a Rottweiler in her last life & still has the attitude.

I hope you and cat and van all have a cooler and safe trip.  

                            JEWELLANN

 

[pamerica]

Thanks Popeye, Bob and Tjaybird. All rested up and starting today by crossing the Mississippi. Yippee!

 

[ArtW]

 I have a chihuahua who loves the word GO.  

I have a Border Collie (well, sometimes) who is the same, you can't even spell the word without Buddy gets exited
then if you can't take him you have to see those sad, pleading eyes as you tell him good bye

 

[pamerica]

Almost there.  
Hi.  I am spending the day at a little RV park off Route 40 about 200 miles east of Amarillo.  It is 101 degrees and feels like 108 they say.  I plan to leave around 3 or 4 a.m. to get a few hours of driving in before it gets hot again.

I suppose I will be in New Mexico by the next day.  Oh boy. I still feel a little intimidated by the whole process and unsure of how all this actually works.
I know I'll get it together soon enough but until then I wonder what..

Maybe I will follow the big truck routes so I can spend days looking around nice cool areas and going back "home" to truck stops to sleep and work online.

I also need to buckle down and finally do some work.   Luckily I have a little income, not a lot as explained previously but okay, and plan to do some writing, which I hope will eventually be profitable.

I looked at some of those New Mexico state parks.  Maybe I will get comfortable enough to do that.  The price certainly is right.

I guess my main concern is amenities and necessary items.  Like water, dump station, propane, food and even power. Internet.  And being alone in the dark, like a little kid.

I really want to do everything solar where possible at some point.

I bought an extra marine battery, cables and inverter, and when we hooked it up to the starter battery, the new battery sparked so bad that the terminal even got a little melted or something.  

I would also like to buy one of those portable solar panels to charge that battery, but where will I have Amazon deliver it?  And will I be able to figure out what to do with it?

I am still very very happy that I am doing this. I just have a lot of things I need to learn here. Okay I guess enough babbling for right now.

I have already been having a wonderful Adventure since starting out Sunday night. I've met a number of real nice people and seen some real pretty places.
I am excited to see what tomorrow brings.

 

[skyl4rk]

Good for you! You are one or two days from high elevation camps with temperatures in the 80s instead of 100s. Head for the mountains and take a break, you deserve it after crossing the plains.

The campgrounds between Las Vegas and Sante Fe are your closest place to cool off.

https://freecampsites.net/#!Las+Vegas,+NM,+United+States

 

[pamerica]

Skyl4rk... that is exactly what I was wondering - where are the closest places to cool off. Thank you.

 

[cyndi]

NM's rest areas, on the interstates, have small 3-sided dwellings, with roofs for shade and a picnic table. NM allows you to spend 24 hours there. I've spent a lot of nights in NM rest areas, very comfortably.

 

[pamerica]

Thanks cyndi.  That sounds nice.

 

[skyl4rk]

You may get a headache or flu like symptoms at higher elevations. It can last a few days. Just take it easy.

 

[pamerica]

Made it to New Mexico today.  Overnighting at Tucumcari.  Decisions, decisions. Do I go to a state park? Do I continue on to Flagstaff? At least I got this far.  Tomorrow is another day, as they say.  I just don't know what to do, but so far so good.  This has been a very beautiful ride.

 

[pamerica]

State Parks to start.  Thanks, Bob, for the heads up.  I read your friend's reviews, and Googled which New Mexico State Parks have good Verizon coverage, and selected from there, too.

Thanks also to all you wonderful folks who have come along with me on the trip out here.  You made it easy for me, I learned a lot, and I wasn't alone.  

Next up are the mechanical and other threads.  Solar, cooking, everything, I guess.  This is great.

Over and out for now.  THANK YOU!

 

[rvpopeye]

Bob camp to the north , Flag camp to the west........the decisions are getting fewer as the temps get lower.
Don't go too fast you might miss something amazing !

Your journey isn't over , just begun....
You probably would have put on the same mileage if you stayed home just in small circles !