APRIL 6, 2023
Staying at various campgrounds, as well as boondocking throughout Arizona from October 10, 2022 to April 6, 2023. Attempting to dodge winter weather such as snow, sleet, ice, high windstorms, dust storms and cold temperatures. As other full-time and temporary no-mad travelers, who dwell in motorhomes, travel trailers, tents, vans, etc. from various U.S. States, British Columbia, and the United Kingdom.
Mid-October 2022 to April 2023, most of us had and continued to deal with unusual chilly days and nights during our stay in parts of Arizona, which was very usual to say the least, and were looking forward to returning home sooner rather than later usual in the month of April. However, we were caught off guard by the above weather conditions. As well as fierce winds, fires, heavy rains, floods, and mud slides in various parts of Arizona.
Shortly after many of us had determined what date might be the perfect time to start our return journey home, reports of tornadoes began to surface which were traveling from the north, west and east, heading south. Now, the question on all of our minds were how to plan out-of-the-way-routes beyond or skirting predicted tornado areas to escape these dangerous storms. It was turning out to be a crap shoot, as we listened to radios and watched television trying to determine when to make a dash for our home states.
I decided to leave Hi Jolly, the 14-day free day stay Boondocking campground on April 6th. As a result, I left Quartzsite Arizona at 7:30am arriving in Phoenix around 9:00am. My trip went pretty well until I took I-10 East. Two hours later I was pretty much standing on my brakes trying to bring my motorhome to an unexpected quick stop because traffic was at a standstill and people were out of their vehicles on the shoulder of the highway. In between our slow crawl, stop, wait then crawl again up the highway. I opened my google app and asked: “What happened on I-10 East in Tucson Arizona?” Reply was: Single vehicle crash with multiple casualties. Interstate -10 is closed near Tangerine Road”.
I had no idea where Tangerine Road was, nor did I know upon finally seeing highway cones blocking further travel up I-10, the name of the small town I was being directed to enter by local police officers. As directed, I swung off the highway, took the short exit. Then swung across an empty side road to park on an open dirt field. “This is home for tonight, I will figure it out tomorrow, I said.” as I left the driver seat of my vehicle for the nearby couch. I asked Google, “What is my location?” I discovered I was in Marana Arizona.
I microwaved my dinner, fed the dog, and took him out to potty. Secured my motorhome and went to bed. Other travelers who didn’t know another route from this small city or a back road to get around the accident did the same.
The next morning a check of Google app indicated the deadly crash was the result of a rollover. The driver a 78-year-old male, and two female passengers, 81 and 69-years old were thrown from a 2005 Dodge Ram and rolled over by the truck. I didn’t know any of these people, but my heart ached, and I felt sad for the pain these victims’ families would endure for years. After breakfast, I begin my long journey home to South Dakota again.
This time, my GPS would not cooperate at all. It would not acknowledge the route I wanted to take. I had never traveled any of the many counties and backroads this GPS put me on. Nor had I ever traveled through Albuquerque, high mountains or peaks thought-out Colorado which never seemed to end. I was exhausted and only wanted to reach my home state. Often there were no rest areas, gas stations, or road shoulders to pull off the highway onto. So, I had to just keep rolling and pray service station signs were mounted high enough to recognize these stops prior to my motorhome running out of gas.
This was not a happy trip. It was identical to the trip from hell my girlfriend and I took from South Dakota to Why, Arizona on October 4, 2022 because of a GPS problem. So, I told myself. “This is your second trip through hell; the only thing that is different is, you haven’t had a water pump blowout. Thank you, God, there’s no problem with my motorhome, I said. Arriving in Sioux Falls on April 9th.