Escaping Illinois Snowmaggedon and Learning to Adapt

The trouble with buying a motorhome in January is that you can’t de-winterize to check systems. Does the water heater work? The refrigerator? The air conditioner? Water pump? We have been trying to load the drawers, line the cabinet drawers, make beds, and organize while slipping on the icy driveway and running the space heaters inside. So, when we heard the Illinois forecast for 10 days of below-freezing temperatures and 8-16 inches of snow, we decided to “get outa Dodge” and headed south. 

For anyone who knows Mark, you understand that he is not at all impulsive. Leaving on a trip without a clear destination and lacking reservations is not his style. Mark is the read-the-manual, order-the-state-guidebooks, and plan-months-ahead type. I love that he is smiling through his stress and embracing this uncertainty with grace. For three days, he has been checking the weather app for updates on overnight temperatures everywhere from Dallas to Atlanta. It appears that Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama are supposed to have some of the best temperatures for the next week. So, that is where our trip will begin.

But, our first hiccup happened before we pulled out of the driveway! Our son’s family has Covid, so we will be within one hour of them for a week and won’t be able to hug any of them. And so we smile and adapt. Then we get out on the road only to see that the expected 1/2 inch of rain for the area has changed to 3-4 inches. Adapt again. Who needs a plan anyway? 

Then to top it all off, I made one night’s reservation at Fern Lake Campground in Paducah, KY and the next night through Harvest Hosts in Cullman, AL. No, the second night is not at a regular campground. No, there will not be full hookups. No, I have never met the people who are sharing their space with us. Adapt, adapt, adapt.

So, farewell, Illinois! Hello, warmer climates. We will be back when the snow has melted off the roads.