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Our day began, as many responsible adult days do, with the ever-thrilling adventure of annual doctor visits. Susan and I met our new physician for our yearly wellness check—always an interesting experience when both sides are quietly wondering, “What are we going to find today?” Thankfully, everything checked out just fine, with a little back-and-forth conversation to keep things interesting and remind us we’re not quite as young as we used to be—but not as bad off as we feared either.
We rolled back into the RV right at 0930, and in what can only be described as a minor miracle in RV travel time, we were on the road by 1013. That alone deserved a small celebration.
Rudy, Beata, and Henna took the lead, guiding our little caravan eastbound on I-40 with our sights set on Sky City Hotel and Casino at Exit 102. The plan was simple—always a dangerous phrase in RV life. Two stops before leaving the interstate: a quick driver exchange in Gus da Bus, followed by a refuel in Milan, NM. Smooth. Organized. Predictable.
Or so we thought.
The first stop went according to plan… mostly. As I stepped out of the coach, I was greeted not by the peaceful hum of travel, but by smoke curling up from Rudy’s Jeep’s rear tire. Now, smoke is one of those things you never want to see coming from anything you own—especially when you’re far from home and towing your life behind you.
After giving things time to cool down (and giving our nerves a moment to do the same), we took a closer look. That’s when we noticed the tire sitting at an angle that no tire should ever consider adopting. It was clear—we had reached one of those crossroads moments.
The kind where the road splits not just geographically, but logistically.
Instead of continuing on with us, Rudy and Beata made the call to head into Gallup to find a park and, more importantly, a trustworthy automotive shop. It’s never easy splitting up mid-journey, especially when the circumstances aren’t exactly ideal. But after sharing a cup of coffee and a brownie—because all major decisions should involve chocolate—we said our goodbyes and pointed our rig eastward.
Our next stop was the Petro station in Milan. Simple plan: refuel and keep rolling. Can you say… OUCH? Let’s just say the fuel pump reminded us that traveling freedom still comes with a price tag—and it’s not getting any smaller.
Through it all, one lesson stood tall above the rest: always be prepared for the unexpected. In RV life, the unexpected isn’t a possibility—it’s part of the itinerary.
We finally pulled into Sky City around 4:30 New Mexico time, grateful to have made it safely, even if the day didn’t quite follow the script we had written that morning.
And Rudy and Beata?
Well, they’re currently weighing their options—quite literally—trying to decide which direction to go next, knowing a new (or at least new-to-them) axle is in their future. It’s one of those situations where there’s no easy answer, just the next right step.
Stay tuned… because if there’s one thing we’ve learned, the story is never over—it just takes a detour.
Susan, Tilly, me and like always Dakota over-seeing us
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