Every two or three weeks, I make that trip into Surprise (if the weather is cold) or to Prescott (if the weather is hot) for major supplies. At the very least, this includes two stops, Costco and Wal-Mart. Yes, the cost is more to drive 120-mile round trip to either big town than to drive the 20-mile round trip into Wickenburg but I always take in to account the “Yes! I’m escaping for the day” factor. With gasoline within sniffing distance of $4/gallon either direction, I can still justify the trip. Just getting away from the heat of the desert (Prescott) is more uplifting than the supplies.
Even if you’re not a Costco member, you can take advantage of their lunch offerings. While they have many selections, my favorite is the polish sausage and soda for $1.64. The sausage is at least 8 inches long so it’s no slouch and you get your own drink so it is basically unending. You can even have sauerkraut on the sausage if you like. It is delicious, filling, and you certainly cannot beat the price.
The other thing is that while you eat, you can watch the people. As RVers, you know how much fun this can be. I give my sausage sandwich a good douse of mustard and relish and on my last visit, I was behind a gentleman who was preparing his sandwich with condiments when a small boy edged in right ahead of me. The boy couldn’t reach the handles to receive what he required. The gentleman kindly helped the little boy get everything he needed. I later saw him sitting alone so I know he was just being helpful. I lost track of the boy but I’m sure he was with his mother somewhere in the myriad of tables and was dealing with a passel of other kids.
Well, it was a small thing, and I know that all of you do those small, thoughtful things probably a dozen times every day, but it makes my heart feel good when I see it. There are way too many sad, bad happenings in this world of ours, but if we observe our fellow man for a few minutes once upon a shopping trip, or otherwise, we will see that there are still good deeds done quietly and softly and without fanfare.
A Mom was passing by surrounded by several walking-sized Rug Rats but what caught my attention was the huge pile of groceries she had gathered for her clan and sitting on top of it all was a baby Rug Rat of less than a year. He was dressed only in a diaper and I could only surmise that the pile of clothes next to him meant that he had experienced a mishap. He wasn’t concerned and neither was anyone else. He was perched on top of an enormous bag of dogfood like he was king of his world…and I guess he was.
I followed the twists and turns of Highway #89 returning from Prescott and nobody was chewing on my bumper so I thoroughly enjoyed each tight curve on this magnificent drive. A storm entertained me enough that I was compelled to park in one of the pull-off places, listen to the rumbling thunder, and watch the clouds and lightning as a rare summer storm rained its way through the mountains. I have probably driven that road 500 times but its beauty never fails to fascinate me. I hope you’re taking the time to watch where you are going. God Bless until next week.
Winter in the Wilderness, the first e-book novel published by Minshall, and the fourth edition of RVing Alaska and Canada are available through Amazon.com.
At 45, Widow Minshall began 20 years of solo full-time RVing throughout Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Sharlene canoed the Yukon, mushed sled dogs, worked a dude ranch, visited Hudson Bay polar bears, and lived six months on a Mexican beach. She lectured at Life on Wheels, published six RV-related books and wrote a novel, “Winter in the Wilderness.”
Leave a Reply