The Last Tango

Our plan was to move into The Tango, spend a few nights shake down / test camp at the Thousand Trails Palm Springs since we haven’t actually used the camper since February 2011, then to Hope, AZ with the parents (and to visit the Winnebago!) for a bit, Sedona for a couple nights and then a week in Santa Barbara before dropping The Tango in storage in Banning while we’re back on the coast for a long weekend with Super Friend Beth towards the end of April. We hadn’t figured out May, but planned to be in Oregon before Memorial Day weekend where we’d sell The Tango, move into The Bago and buy a tow car. But then you know what they say about the best laid plans? And you’d think that after all the plan changing that has happened since we even started talking about this, I (Jaime) would know better than to expect plans to not change. Anyway, here’s what actually happened.

Friday, April 1^st, was my last day of work. After work, we sold the Mazda. Saturday, we drove to Palm Springs to hang with Mom. Monday was the big day. We moved into The Tango in 97 degree heat (praise The Generator) and late afternoon, carefully, slowly, very slowly towed to Thousand Trails where we set up in a nice spot, cranked the AC, and went for a swim in the murky pool with the other retirees. I kind of liked being the youngest in the room (pool). And then Tuesday, Scott announces that we’re way over-weight, that the Land Cruiser can’t tow The Tango, that we have too much stuff, that it’s not safe. So we unpacked at least half of our stuff from The Tango and schlepped it back to Palm Springs. Wednesday, we watched Survivor in standard definition (something tells me that we will be upgrading The Bago TV situation soon). Thursday, we (Scott) hitched up and were on the road before 10:30 to Hope, Arizona. Used our first Xcapees discount at Desert Palms RV Resort. $17 + tax / night. Friday, while we’re out to dinner, Crosby pukes all over the bed. Late night laundry room visit. Yay. Happy 1st week FUNemployment anniversary. Sunday, we’d exhausted our discount days at Desert Palms, so moved to Ramblin Roads RV Resort.

Again, the plan was to stay a few days, but we’re still here. The park is nearly empty, quiet and very much reminds us of Baja – desert, Palm Trees, cacti, Spanish. All that’s missing is the Sea of Cortez. Crosby is settling into RV life, still barks at everything that moves (he’s really popular with the RV set) and loves his off-leash walks on the BLM trail near the campground. We’re eating well and our parents are taking great care of us. And it’s been encouraging, comforting even, to hear from their friends how much we’re going to love this lifestyle. 

The Tango is still heavy for the Land Cruiser. We’ve decided it isn’t safe to tow over the mountains to Oregon. Sedona and Santa Barbara canceled. The parents have some room for most of our stuff to hitch a ride to Oregon in The Bago. We’ll move out of The Tango next week, sell it and hang out in Palm Springs. Not the worst way to spend April and May, just not what we planned. Something tells me that I’m going to have to get used to that…