Upon a Recommendation

Surreptitiously, I eased the RV onto the highway. I kept a keen gaze for signs of the popo. The last thing I wanted...or needed...was a ticket for the expired plates.

I did need to do laundry, however. I pulled into the laundry lot and did a several-point maneuver to get the RV parked in a tight space. If I'd parked on the street, I'd be open season for a ticket due to my expired plates being on a public roadway. On private land (the laundromat), they couldn't touch me.

While loading clothes, I engaged in small talk with Tawny. She, her husband, and kids moved from Texas to Kanab. He'd been a truck driver, so he saw lots of places. Kanab is where he wanted to raise the family.

She asked about me, and I gave her the brief history since 2016 and leaving a good job as a professor, and selling my things, and moving to Colorado not knowing what to expect, and buying the RV, and traveling, and working, and how I was trying to get to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, but have expired plates.

"You're a Utah resident. Just go to the Kanab DMV," she said.

I felt deflated and hopeful all at once. Part of me wanted to make that reckless run to Jacob Lake on expired plates just to see if I could make it through Freedonia. The sensible part of me recognized that the woman spoke common sense. I'd eventually have to renew. Why not get it over with today?

So, after fluffing and folding my clothes, I got back in the Godspeed and headed to the Kanab DMV.

Now I'm a legal begal.

Likewise, I headed to the new job, which came to me as a recommendation from a Havasu friend. "You'll love it," he had said. "Being at altitude, the summer temps are cooler, and the boss is good to work for."

Needing to jump right into another job and to beat the heat, this sounded like an excellent opportunity.

Since the job with start until mid-May, I still have a little bit of time off. I go back to teaching online on May 8, and this job starts a week later. Perfect!

Except...when I got to where I needed to go, I was met with a road-closed sign.

Uh oh.

It took a little bit of time to contact the boss and get the passcode for the gate. Then, I headed towards the new job.

A few things I noticed right away include the cooler air, my shortness of breath, and the now. I'm at around 8500' as far as I can tell.

This is only the first leg of the journey. Next, I have to get the van up here from Havasu.

Stay tuned...