Mesa, Arizona: Workamper Job Fair

We belong to an organization called Workampers which helps connect prospective employers and employees. Workampers especially caters to people who travel a lot or those who are looking for only temporary or seasonal work, people like us who live and travel full time in their RV. A couple of times a year Workampers sponsors a two day job fair with seminars and workshops and employer booths. One of the job fairs was scheduled in Mesa, Arizona on January 29-30, and since we were heading west anyway to spend a couple of months in Sacramento, we decided to pass through Mesa on the way and attend the job fair. (And since Mesa is adjacent to Phoenix, we would be able to visit the capital of Arizona while there, and check that off our list.) The job fair was a good experience; we were able to meet the authors of books we have read on RV’ing, and we picked up good tips for not only workamping, but living this life style in general. No matter how much you think you know or have experienced, there is always something else to learn. The employers ranged from Disneyworld in Florida, to Sequoia National Parks, and everything in between. We decided not to apply for anything this time around, but we got good information for the future.

Little did we know when we made plans to be in the Phoenix area that so many other things were also going on that week. First of all there was a PGA golf tournament in Scottsdale that drew thousands of spectators. Then there was the Super Bowl in Glendale, which drew many more thousands of people. Our RV Park in Mesa was called Green Acres, which is really funny because the location is in the middle of a very busy 4-lane road going right through town, no fields or farms or pastures to be seen! However, our space (which looked like the only one available – thank goodness we made reservations!) had a tangelo tree growing on it and we were invited to pick and enjoy as much as we wanted. The tangelos were sweet and juicy, and we ended up juicing about a gallon’s worth while we were there. One day during the job fair we walked to downtown Mesa for lunch and found a delightful display of sculptures up and down Main Street. The downtown area was very small, but delightful with fun shops, the street art, benches, and outdoor cafes. The weather was nice, so we lunched outside and came back later to take pictures of the many sculptures.

Next Stop: Phoenix (Capital Tour)
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Taos Ski Trip

We left Mission on January 16, to slowly move west, planning to end up in Sacramento for a couple of months beginning mid-February. Since we aren’t on a strict schedule, we decided to make a couple of side trips along the way. Our first stop was back to Bernalillo, New Mexico (right next to Albuquerque) to position ourselves for a trip to Taos Ski Valley for a two day ski trip. Taos Ski Valley is about 125 miles from Albuquerque, but at 10,000 plus elevation, nowhere we wanted to take our 5th wheel. Bernalillo sits at about 5000 feet, and was cold enough! We had a couple of mornings down into the mid teens, and the highs no more than the mid 40’s. This was quite shocking, after spending six weeks in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas with highs mostly in the 70’s and 80’s! So, we left the 5th wheel in Bernalillo, and drove to Taos Ski Valley for a mini ski vacation. The place we stayed was a Bed & Breakfast of sorts called Austing Haus, a charming chalet-like lodge located just about a mile from the ski resort. (I’ve included a picture of Austin Haus with this post.) We arrived on a Tuesday night following a few days of fresh snowfall. Wednesday was bright and sunny, very cold (low at zero, high only 24), and a perfect day for skiing. We hit the slopes at 9:30 and skied until 3:00 with only a couple of breaks for coffee and lunch. We had tentatively planned to ski Thursday as well, but it started snowing overnight, and Dan twisted his knee skiing some bumps, so we decided to call it done after the one day. We did a little shopping in the ski village, and headed back to Bernalillo. Dan had been to Taos Ski Valley several years ago, but this was my first trip. This was somewhere he really wanted to return to and was excited about sharing the experience with me. Although the trip was brief, it was fun and well worth the effort.

Next stop: Mesa, Arizona!

Mission: Accomplished!

Anyone who happens to be reading this probably already knows that Dan and I are full time RV’ers, which by definition, means we travel full time. Granted, we’ve only been doing this for 5 months, but I am already recognizing certain patterns, an ebb and flow to this lifestyle. For most of my life there have been long stretches of time between moves to new places. Eighteen years in one house growing up, and then after brief moves when first leaving home, 5 to 10 year stretches between moves. And, most of my life has been spent in one town – Sacramento. So, I really didn’t know what I would feel when embarking on a way of life that has us pulling up roots every month or so. What I have found is the transitions are hard.

First I thought it was just the arriving. That’s hard because you don’t know the town, the stores, the people, what there is to do, and what is the area code, for heaven’s sake? Are you driving on freeways, highways, expressways, or business roads? And what is an F.M. road? (Found out that means “Farm to Market”). And pulling into an RV Park and a town for the first time always makes me apprehensive. I can’t always tell if the vibes are good. Is it a “nice” town? A safe RV Park? Will there be noise at night? Will I be able to take my runs without being chased by dogs? But then I discovered leaving is also hard.

Depending on how long you stay somewhere, you may have just learned all those things I mentioned above, and then its time to move on. Or, you may have developed some friendships that will be difficult to leave behind. Apprehension of another kind sets in. Where will we end up each night as we travel to our new destination? Will the truck and trailer be okay on the road? Is everything road-ready? Thinking about packing everything back up for traveling can also be overwhelming, as you have most likely become fairly spread-out during a several week stay somewhere. And there is something just sort of sad about leaving a place that you have called “home”, even if only for a while.

We are leaving Mission in two days. I’m not sure if we will ever be back, there is so much to see, so many places to go. We don’t want to establish a pattern of returning to the same place each year as many folks do. Maybe in a few years when we become weary of the road; when we find a place that seems too good to be true, and want to settle down there. But for now, we are “On the Road Again”, and I recognize why I am feeling a little blue, a little gloomy. I know this is the transition period, the Traveling Blues, and is only a launching point to our next new adventure.