Campgrounds and Calendars

Overall Map of our Journey

Chat GPT, "Make me a one year itinerary of an RV trip around the US starting and ending in Tucson, AZ, June 14, 2025 using the following rules:  Travel no more than 200 miles per day; Stay at each campsite at least 2 nights*; No travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays;  Hit the following waypoints en route; Suggest boondocking sites but stay at a high rated RV Campsite every 2 weeks or so."  

Later: "Add National Parks and Points of interest along the route, put calendar dates and days in a grid format."

And again: "Map this route with waypoints."

That start was informative giving a bird's eye view of timelines, distances, RV parks, National parks.  Allowed me to ponder and imagine the overall trip.  

Attended the Arizona Airstream Club rally in Wilcox, AZ and learned a ton from those who venture.  Downloaded RV Life Trip Wizard and Steve, who happened to be be going earlier and in the opposite direction, kindly shared his itinerary along the Pacific coast which I used more or less in reverse.

In order to ensure campsites at the most popular places, we have to reserve up to 6 months in advance.  This varies by Nation (Canada, US), State and Province, from 6 months, 4 months, 12 weeks, etc.  and many have releases at different times (e.g. 6 months, and some sites held until 4 days prior to allow more spontaneous travel).  

The most dauting experience: Banff National Park in Alberta.  The website reservations for the entire summer season opened on one day.  I happened to be in an in person leadership meeting and was (trying to be) discretely logged in on my personal laptop.  I excused myself from the meeting at 2 minutes before 8 and the website stated we would be randomly queued up, those that joined after 8 would be added at the end.  At 8 o'clock on the button, the website churned and told me I was queued up at number 15,358!!!  And that it would take approximately 30 minutes to get to me.  Thirty minutes to go through 15k people!  Wow.  I had perhaps 60 tabs open on my tiny laptop and needed to reference the dates on Trip Wizard--I started to sweat with panic when I couldn't initially find my way back to the reservation tab to input the dates. I finally got there completing the reservation, Alhamdulillah!

One other illustration: I needed a double slot for friends to join us outside of Vancouver.  There were few doubles, and on a whim, as this time I was at home, I had both my work laptop and my personal laptop teed up, this time at 07:00. I tested 2 minutes before and no go. So I waited for the 0:700 alarm I set to go off and immediately clicked "reserve" on both campsites exactly simultaneously.  Was beat on one but won a site on the work laptop. The competition is fierce sometimes!

On Trip Wizard, then, I put together the itinerary (and can download to my google calendar) but I kept a separate listing on my phone/google calendar for reservation days and review before I go to bed to be ready.  I used the total trip cost for each location to identify the date.  For example, If the site can be reserved on April 21, it will appear to cost $421.  It would enhance trip wizard to add a field for reservation day. Once I have the reservation, I lock the date, and the app knows not to move it and alerts if we do something inconsistent.

When fully retired, I would be inclined to go where the wind blows, but for this inaugural trip, I need to know where I will be to get set up to work, thus the diligent plan. 

Joyce will be my Saathi for most of the trip, but she'll need her breaks, so have arranged to swap her out with a son, or brother for parts of the trip.  For example, Sean will join from Boulder CO to Jackson Hole WY.  A family friend is in Boulder and will pick up Sean, camp with us, and take Joyce with her.  My brother Paul joins from Jackson Hole to Glacier National Park and can also work remote! 

Our waypoints include dear friends we have met over the years in different locations and situations.  First stop is Whiteriver, AZ, my first Family Practice job where dear friends I trained and practiced with reside.  Then a dear friend in Colorado.  Our overall itinerary is here for those interested.

By the skin of my neck

My parathyroids won't slow down so we had to take (almost) all of them out. 3 1/2 of 4 small glands in the neck, near the thyroid gland, like 1 cm polka dots on the four corners of a bow tie.  They overproduced when I had progressive kidney failure and were supposed to cut down activity after my transplant nearly 6 years ago.  I had already planned most of my trip when my Nephrologist referred my to an Endocrine surgeon, the highly recommended Dr. Saha.  A last minute cancellation allowed me to proceed today, so after testing, imaging and a plan I took a shower last night, slept in newly washed sheets and pajamas, brushed my teeth and gargled and Joyce and I drove 10 minutes to the University hospital. There I brushed my teeth and gargled again, bathed again with sani-wipes.  Folks, I am now at the pinnacle of cleanliness as I begin my journey into the wilderness!

The same day surgery department runs like a clock.  I saw at least 10 personnel checking on everything.  Dr. Saha closely inspected my neck to pick out the perfect wrinkle from the among the many she could choose to hide my scar. 

It took a tiny bit longer because over the years my polka dots drifted like drops of melted ice cream lower off the bow tie by a centimeter or so, but she found and removed all but 1/2 of one and the blood test showed the expected decrease in parathyroid hormone (PTH) that was causing my osteoporosis.  I'll take extra calcium for the next two weeks to protect against a too rapid drop in calcium, and then start on an osteoporosis medication in 3 months.  Or did she say weeks?--even doctors struggle to retain all the information on our conditions!

My throat is moderately sore but I can eat, and my next is a bit swollen and sore but I can move it around as predicted by my doctor.  I took my clinic day tomorrow off because I didn't want to see patients if I didn't feel well. Thus, my last in person visits were last Thursday at least until Late October.  

There is an astounding amount of preparation for my planned trip.  In some ways the planning and anticipation are part of the excitement.  In addition to my own body, I brought the airstream into the LazyDays RV service department for inspection last week and found a recall on the hubs.  Hopefully they can get the parts in and I can start packing (and cleaning) it as planned!  I wanted to start off strong.  The truck is going in tomorrow.  

We are going to my British niece's wedding in Leeds and will be in UK for 2 weeks, so hopefully all the essentials will be done by Launch day June 14! Will the clock run out?

AIrstream Dream

HUMSAFAR

My AIrstream Dream is approaching.  I capitalize the 'I' because AI helped draft my first itinerary and made it easier to visualize what I was trying to do. I've been blessed with a career that matches my passion with my strengths and with dear and talented colleagues who share my values and care for me and one another.  My bosses have been some of the kindest and smartest people I know.  My current boss was very supportive of this dream when I approached him and helped me work through the details with the CEO to allow me to work remotely and part time and to continue what I love, albeit devoting fewer hours 24 from previous 40, 50,+ per week.

I am very active.  I cycle 4 miles to work most days, walk with my wife, Joyce, every day, hike on weekends, and do a bit of yoga.  But I do not take my health for granted.  Due to an autoimmune condition, my kidneys slowly deteriorated to the point where I was living on a 10th of a kidney (eGFR of 9) after 30 years following diagnosis. Coming from  big and loving family, I had offers of living donors from my siblings and when it was time, I received a beautiful gift of life from my oldest sister, Sue in 2019. My "Donate Life" vanity plates on my Ford F-150 show "GOTSUZ" in gratitude.  The transplant surgeon told me to not expect to feel better, just to feel the same after surgery so as not to be disappointed, but wow, I felt so much better once the surgical recovery period was over.  Much more energy and folks said my color was so much better. Over time, other health concerns happened--reminders of my mortality and frailty.

I'd worked full time my entire career as a Family Physician and, later, Physician Executive in Medical Informatics.  I have three adult children: a teacher/artist daughter, an arborist/artist/musician son, and a physics grad student/musician son.  I've always wanted them to love the outdoors and they do.  Sometimes I think I went to far when I hear of their Mountain biking down Death Road in Bolivia, climbing El Capitan, Ice climbing and paragliding in the Andes.  Hearing about it after the event is easier on my heart! I wanted to spend more 'down time" with them, and with members of my and Joyce's family.

During Covid, Joyce and I rented Travel Trailers and went camping in our beautiful state of Arizona or sometimes in adjoining Utah and Colorado.  For a friend's wedding in Oregon, we rented a Camper Van to take our time and drive across the state.  We loved it!  Our pop up tent trailer we had for decades since our youngest son's birth, was stolen (twice actually--a story for another time). 

I read a NYT article about the Airstream Office--a travel trailer built for remote workers.  That got me thinking!...  I hadn't much thought of an Airstream.  My daughter once said, "Dad you should buy an airstream!" I responded, "who wants to camp in a Bud Light can?"  We stayed at a close friend's house in Show Low.  They were out of town but we were headed there to visit old friends we used to work with. They had a small Airstream in the barn and we took a peek--wow! The sheer engineering captured my physics major heart! Could I arrange to spend an extended time in nature and still do the work I love?

I researched rigs and rented a few more.  Joyce wanted a camper van that she could drive, but I wanted a trailer that would allow me to work and allow her to explore on my workdays.  RV Trader had a mechanism to alert me to when something I was looking for was available.  In my case, a late model 25 ft twin bed Airstream with a back hatch for capturing mountain and ocean breezes.  I watched the market for over a year.  Some were available far away.  One day, a near perfect match showed up in my Southern Arizona back yard (and my truck broke down thwarting a planned trip) and the deal was done. Many of the rigs were being sold after seldom being used.  A not uncommon story was buying them late in life and one party getting ill prior to takeoff.  We haven't taken off yet, so that could still happen to us!  But this further resolved my plan to get outdoors while I still had strength (and balance, flexibility, eyesight, endurance, and reflexes)! Wish me luck!