First Fall

I’m currently experiencing my first fall since hitting the road in a van. I missed the last three years of them. During the first, I was driving Route 66, and had already left the areas where trees change color. The following year, I was already in Quartzsite. Last year, realizing that it’s too hot to be in Quartzsite this early, I was first in Flagstaff with pine trees that don’t change color, then in Sierra Vista visiting Wayne, back in the desert. Six months after arriving in the Ozarks of Arkansas, I’m seeing the leaves change color for the first time since 2020.

Temperatures are starting to drop. Summer is finally over, though it lingered here until quite recently. Last night dropped to a low of 42º, which was warmer than our predicted frost warning. When I woke up, the van was 55º inside, and a fast blast from the diesel heater made it comfortable quickly. The van isn’t nearly as well insulated as a house, and I didn’t design it to withstand the temperatures colder than this that I’ll be encountering, but the heater should be powerful enough to keep up. It had barely broken 50º outside when I had to turn the heater off as the inside temperature soared through the 70s, even on its lowest setting.

We’ve been starting to take some motorcycle rides to take in the colorful scenery. Melissa has also been riding her KLR more and more, gaining experience and conquering sections of the road back to paved roads that she had previously struggled with. The MSF course teaches nothing about riding dirt roads, so I’m having to do that myself as best I can. She’s making great progress, but the increasingly short days are now holding us back somewhat. The temperature drops quickly once the sun is down, and Melissa’s jacket doesn’t have a liner to keep her warm. It’s also harder to read the road surface in the dark. But we’re doing what we can. She’s even ridden enough lately to get her engine out of its break-in period.

Even though it’s been a month since my last real update, I have nothing else to report. We’ve just been working, riding, and enjoying life. It does feel a little bit weird to not be making my way toward Arizona at this time of year, but I’m going to stick it out here. The thought process that led me to follow Melissa home this past spring remains true. I’d rather be with her than traveling alone like I used to. Although we do have a short trip to Texas coming up next month, which should be fun.