Time warp

Time moves funny when you’re full-time living in an RV. This is especially true when we are on the move.  It feels like I enter a time-warp every time we do… It couldn't have been only XX days since we were YY?!  It’s hard to wrap my head around the time- location shift (Especially when you put time-zone changes in there too. Most times I don’t even try to figure out distances!) I know Morgan has the same difficulty I do. He has a lot of trouble remembering the places we were at after a few days. Lily has a much better sense of place and time. 

Five days ago I was in Calgary, in a snowstorm, shoveling out at least a foot of snow from my friend’s driveway and then later watching as my plane was de-iced before take-off back to Las Vegas. It felt like I was leaving home and going home at the same time. 

Four days ago I enjoyed the sun and warmth at Lake Mead. It was so nice to wear capris and sandals again. (LOL. I have to laugh. For someone who was so adamantly against going to Vegas, this is the first location we've been to that is pulling me back. But that may just be the fact that it’s also the first place that’s been warm in ages!)

Three days ago we drove into Arizona. The temperature dropped considerably, the wind picked up just a bit and suddenly Christmas decorations and lights were in evidence. Good thing I hadn't put away my winter jacket yet!

I’m glad our day at the Grand Canyon turned out to be reasonably nice (needed a sweater/ long sleeve shirt & lighter jacket) without any wind. 

Yesterday we drove east into light rain, winds and chilly temps (high of 8 C). When we stopped for lunch in the trailer before going up to see Meteor Crater I turned on the furnaces. I haven’t had to do that since northern BC! (they’re usually off for traveling) Warmer jackets, and even mittens were pulled out for our walk outside along the crater rim. After visiting the crater (which is quite interesting, btw), we retraced our drive back to Flagstaff and then headed south, looking for somewhere a bit warmer. Our original goal was Phoenix, but the scenery outside our truck window beckoned us to take a closer look. So we stopped about 60 miles short of the city, not too far from Mayer. (Note: as further evidence of the time warp effect, I started writing this paragraph “Two days ago” until I realized my timeline didn't sync and I couldn't figure out it was “Wednesday” until I stared at my watch!)

Montezuma Well

Today, we managed to escape the rain for much of the day, heading back north, about 30 minutes driving time, to check out Montezuma Well and Montezuma Castle National Monument. Tonight, the region is getting its first real solid rain in over two months (hey look, our drought breaking ability is still here!). I can’t imagine this rain in Las Vegas, but the forecast says it’s going to be there too, which doesn't mesh with the image of cloudless blue skies and bright sun that’s in my memory.  

Montezuma castle - 5 stories tall, and way up in the cliff

Maybe that’s part of why I feel like I’m in a time-warp every time we shift locations. I get a snapshot of a place that is completely time-dependent. I know it doesn't always look or feel like the image that’s in my head, but in that moment my experience of a place encompasses and defines it. Each time we have shifted we have changed not only location, but weather, sights, sounds and each place’s unique “feel”. Where we are tonight is so different from where I was five days ago or four days ago, or even yesterday that any amount of time might have passed and I wouldn't really know it!

And yet, I don’t really mind this feeling. It’s also a Wow! Look how far we've come and how much we've seen! kind of feeling. It emphasizes the sense of adventure and fuels the desire to explore further. It hammers home just how big and diverse North America is and how much there is to see, which really is a big part of why decided to set off on this life-shifting trip! Tomorrow we shall continue to mess with the space-time continuum and head to Phoenix. Until next time...