Arizona to New Mexico

I have wandered into New Mexico today.  A couple of short updates.

Ford Trucks Aren’t for Short People

I put in 227 miles today.  it’s the longest stretch I’ve taken to date.  Overall, it went well.  I don’t think I’ll push much beyond that.

For further explanation: I’m short.  The motorhome chassis is a Ford E450.  And it assumes you’re not super short.  The driver seats are TOO DAMN HIGH!  As in, I lowered the seat all the way, AND I pushed it as forward as I can and I still can’t touch the floor.  They make pedal extenders, but it won’t solve the issue of me being too short to rest my foot on the floor.

What this means is my driving situation is a little uncomfortable.  I did figure out how to set my seat so I can sort of lean my foot against the console wall and let it “rest”.  I can reach and slam the brakes fine.  It’s just annoying because I can’t rest my heel on the floor.  So after a while, my ankle aches, and not long after that my knee aches.  I can’t run cruise control because I need to carefully control the RV speed, so I’m actively accelerating/letting off the pedal as I go, especially when it’s windy.

On top of that, I’m pretty sure my seat is so far forward the airbags will kill me in an accident.

So, 227 miles is about the point where I’m done.  Everything aches and I’m over it.  That said, I did it.  Boom.

Spot Needs Poo Breaks

Or more accurately, Spot needs a litter box available.  Most of my hops have been so short, Spot kind of hunkers down and naps.  That said, he is a Road Kitty and is used to having a catbox available.  The problem is I have to shut the bathroom door while I drive, which in turn blocks the litter box (in the shower).

Today he was over it all and had to go, and he couldn’t get to his cat box, so somewhere around 2 hours into the trip, he walked calmly to the RV entry door and pooed on the step.  I had to pull over, clean it up, air out the RV, then let him and Salem have some litterbox time.  Now that they’re both getting used to the driving bits, I’m going to have to find a good place for the litterbox while I drive.

New Mexico is Beautiful

I wouldn’t want to live here, but let me just tell you: Somewhere on the outer edges of Arizona, near the New Mexico border, I went over a hill and just saw these super colorful mesas.  The entire experience was highlighted by a fresh rain that had passed, so the sky was blue, the mesas were sharply colored, and the entire place was clear and beautiful.  I’ve only been this way once, and it was super late at night and I couldn’t see anything.  This time I saw it as it should be seen.  It’s dry.  It’s empty.  But it sure looks nice early morning after rain.