Drat !
See, this is why I seldom make plans. When I looked at the weather report last night, everything looked fine, especially the wind. But checking the weather report first thing this morning, suddenly, the winds had sprung up and, by lunch, were going to be blowing over 30 miles an hour. Since I'll be on I-10 heading west, the winds will be blowing east, giving me a tough headwind most of the way to Tombstone. So I moseyed over to the Iron Ranger, stuffed four dollars for electricity into its ever-expanding belly, walked back home, and made myself a cup of coffee... No stress, no strain, no self-inflicted pain.
Traveling in the West, the wind is often a companion that RVers have a love-hate relationship with….. mostly hate. There are extremely rare times when I have a tailwind, which is wonderful since the Lance camper has a rather large flat tail, and tailwinds can push me along at an amazing clip. My ride smooths out; I’m surrounded by silence, and my diesel engine barely sips it’s rather expensive fuel. Unfortunately, a tailwind for an RVer is as rare as a thank-you note from the IRS.
Most of the time, the wind comes from the side or the front, either of which has its problems. A headwind is not too bad to drive in, but my fuel mileage will drop precipitously, and the only thing I can do on the interstates is slow down to 65 and spend more on fuel.
Headwinds were a bigger problem when I was towing the Arctic Fox, but side winds would make me pull over and park for the night quicker than anything else. I've heard stories of RVs blowing over in the wind, and I never wanted to take the chance, so I would pull into the first Walmart I came to and make myself at home.
The Lance is not as troublesome as the Arctic Fox fifth wheel, but side winds cause the truck to wander around because there's not as much weight on the front tires. Even though I'm pretty certain I can safely get to where I'm going, I live a lifestyle that gives me the freedom to come and go as I please. There's no place I need to be, so I can travel whenever I want to, which is much less stressful than when I have to.
Theboondork
The hookup campground.
The offices and visitor center at the City of Rocks State Park.
The view from my campsite and the boulder field across the road.