After what seemed like months of planning and preparation (in reality it was just one month) embarkation day had finally arrived. Of course we ended up leaving three hours later then we planned, such is life.
For our first overnight stay on our big trip we decided to cancel our reservation at the KOA in Barstow, instead opting for the parking lot of a Flying J gas station, about 7 hours into our journey (I know what your’e thinking, we really know how to treat ourselves right!). Among other places, most truck stop gas stations allow overnight stays in their parking lots. Some even have designated parking spots for RVs. With the help of the aptly named ‘RV Parky’ app we were able to read reviews of these types of free overnight spots. You’ll be happy to know that this particular Flying J received 4 out of 5 stars with reviewers mentioning things like “loud but safe”. We were sold!
Those reviews were spot on. The parking was flat, plentiful, and safe (due to the well lit parking lot and 24/7 traffic). Was it noisy? YES IT WAS!
Unlike normal travelers who would just have picked up and left first thing in the morning, we still had work and school. After waking up, we fixed a nice leisurely parking lot breakfast* and started with our respective work. The kids logging into their remote classes over Zoom, while Lana and I proceeded to work as if it were any other day (albeit in an RV in a Flying J parking lot).
This may deserve a post in and of itself, but for now I’ll be brief. This was all possible due to a cellular router with an unlimited/unthrottled (or so they say) ATT data plan. On that first day we had a pretty good signal which allowed everyone to work just fine. The kids even got to watch some YouTube TV via the Amazon Fire Stick which was also hooked up to the router.
We did have to run the generator to power the AC and keep the house batteries charged up.
After we were all done with work and school it was time to hit the road again, now on our way to a campground in the Grand Canyon National Park.
*Very similar to a standard breakfast, only done so in a parking lot.
“*Very similar to a standard breakfast, only done so in a parking lot.”
That sounds a lot more fun than a standard breakfast! Love this blog!
Thanks Maria!
If you want my Truck Stop Taco recipe (or if you don’t want it), here it is –
1 Flour tortilla
1 packet mayonaise
2 packets relish
2 packets ketchup
1 packet mustard
1 packet chopped onion if available
Tear open all your packets and squeeze into the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half to smear everything around, then lay it open-face in the microwave for 30 seconds. Take it out and if they have nacho cheese, give a squirt of that and then fold closed and enjoy.
Gabe, you should have your own cooking show. You can call it, “Can you keep it down!”