The world has changed immeasurably in the past few weeks with the pandemic spread of the coronavirus. Every day new unprecedented major decisions are taken by local, national, and international leaders in efforts to control the expansion of this deadly virus. Everyone is being asked to do the right thing to curtail the advancement of Covid-19. And so, many friends and family members who follow our adventures have been asking about how Betty & I are coping, and what our immediate plans are. Do we plan to head for Winnipeg or shelter in place?
On the one hand, the U.S. and Canadian governments are discouraging travel, because most known cases are currently travel-related. And on the other snowbirds like us are encouraged to make a beeline back to Canada, in case the border becomes closed. As it stands, all discretionary travel is banned or limited, and some travel health insurance providers are warning that coverage may soon be ended. We have Manitoba Health and CAA coverage, but will it last if we do not immediately return to the province?
For us, our motorhome is our home, and provides the best opportunity to safely “shelter in place”. We have been staying in the Arizona desert for the past four months, and there are few better places to practice social distancing, if that is what is required. We are fairly self-contained, with our own kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom, and as a general rule are already camped at least forty feet from our nearest neighbours.
Also, at the end of March and beginning of April, winter hasn’t left Winnipeg yet, and our motorhome would need to be winterized with antifreeze to prevent the plumbing from freezing and bursting. It would still be too cold to live safely or comfortably in our home, even if the local campgrounds were open, which I don’t believe is the case.
Yes, we have four grown children in Winnipeg with their own homes, but how easy is it to self-quarantine in someone else’s home, especially where grandchildren are involved?
So under the circumstances, what is the right thing?
Our original plan saw us heading into California for a leisurely, scenic drive through Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojavi Desert, Death Valley, Sequoia National Park, and Yosemite National Park, before heading east past Lake Tahoe, Reno, Nevada, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Mount Rushmore, among other attractions on that route. We would not be back in Winnipeg until we knew the snow was gone.
As new information is presented, we have literally changed our travel plans daily in the past week or so. About two weeks ago I was headed out to dump our black & grey tanks, and fill up with fresh water. But when I pushed the button to retract our living-room slide, nothing happened. With the able assistance of a number of kind neighbours, we discovered that the slide-out motor had broken loose from its mounting bracket. I searched on-line for a replacement motor, to no avail. One of our neighbours was able to remove the motor, and another manually cranked in our living room. Yet another neighbour supplied us with water, and offered to pump out our holding tanks, if necessary. But once we were mobile again, I performed the original task and took the motor to a machine shop in Yuma for welding.
The day before yesterday Betty & I said good-bye to Quartzsite and our great neighbours, and turned south toward Yuma, Arizona. Just before Yuma is another BLM campground, on the California side of the Colorado River, where we spent a quiet night. Known as Imperial Dam, we were finally able to add state #38 to our sticker map, before heading to C & C Machine Shop in Yuma yesterday.
Manuel and his great staff at C & C did a fabulous job of repairing the motor, and welding a plate under one of our holding tanks, which had been sagging. He also found some of our lithium battery cables to be loose, and tightened them before sending us safely on our way.
Tonight we are at the Painted Rock Petroglyph campground, west of Tucson, where we had stayed on a prior trip.
Given all of the current information, the answer to the question in the title is: We are headed to Winnipeg! Right now our plan is to take a fairly direct route through Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, before heading up through Denver, Colorado, and over to Nebraska, South and North Dakota, and back into Canada. We expect to cross into Canada by the end of March, and will need to sort out living arrangements along the way.
Obviously, Betty & I aren’t the only ones trying to make sense of this crisis. The grocery stores visited this week are out of toilet paper and other basics, as some people feel the need to horde. While some states have announced the closure of campgrounds and even highway rest areas, we hope that gas stations and other essential travel services will remain available during this most interesting leg of our adventure.
While it’s not what any of us planned, Betty & I hope that we all can stay safe and roll with the punches, whether you shelter in place or head for home. Regardless of what comes our way, keep your chin up and wash your hands!
Cheers!
