Learning on the Road

With such short prep time with the Travato we are learning as we go. We're also trying to catch up to our planned itinerary, so the first 3 days is mostly driving - about 350 miles/day. After that we'll average about 120 miles per day, which means more time for adventures. 

The first day was an uneventful trip to Lubbock to visit Elena's mom. We spent our first night in the van on the street in front of her house. We had to pull a couple of manuals out, but we got everything working and slept well. It was unusually warm and humid in Lubbock, but the Volta battery system kept the A/C running at night, and we only dropped to 70% capacity by morning. After just an hour of driving the next day, we were at 100% again.

We've made two fuel stops. We've now purchased as much gas as I used the entire past nine months with my Prius. Granted, I wasn't driving much over the past year. The Travato has averaged about 15.5 mpg for the first two tanks, but we were climbing in elevation and running the A/C. The current tank is averaging 18.0 mpg.

We've been avoiding interstates and taking less busy roads. We've only been on interstates about 60 miles out of our first 700. It's much more relaxing. Near Tolar, NM, we stopped for a lunch break. We opened the door and at least 100 flies zipped into the camper. *swat* New Mexico needs to work on their welcoming committee. *swat* We chased out as many as we could and spent the rest of the drive slapping *swat* at flies with a towel. Our next purchase will be a flyswatter. *swat*

A few highlights of the day were:

• Maximilian Sunflowers in a large undisturbed area near Muleshoe, TX
• The turnoff to Bovina, TX (we didn't go, but you can read about it HERE)
• Not taking the left turn at Albuquerque, despite my thorough knowledge of Bugs Bunny cartoons

We had no preset reservations for the night, but found a great campground in Bernalillo, NM. The regular sites were full, but because of our battery, we got a spot in the dry camping area. It has a nice picnic pavilion, water, and showers - for $18. There are only two campers here, so it's very quiet and private - and right on the bank of the Rio Grande looking across at Sandia Peak. The other couple are full time camper van people who also spend time in Africa running a wildlife protection nonprofit. 

As we got ready to close up for the night the rear door wouldn't close properly. After a quick shot of WD-40 Dry Lube and we were repaired and closed up for the night!

Our campsite looking across the Rio Grande at Sandia Peak

Elena and Bebop at the Rio Grande