Community on the Road

Six couples, including us, made plans to hang out in Lubbock, TX following the Habitat for Humanity hangout in Hobbs, NM. These gatherings of several RVers, that are generally active in the Escapees hangout program, have become known as “not-a-hangout hangouts”. We’ve spent a lot of time with Rob & Laura and some time with Mike & Terri. Along with those four, Mark & Sandy and Peter & TJ were with us in Chiefland, FL for most of last winter. Chris and Jenny were at our very first hangout in Tucson, AZ and we got to know them a lot better during the hangout in Hobbs and will spend Christmas with them in a few weeks. We were looking forward to a week of great company and much needed R&R (especially for Rob & Laura – hosts of the Hobbs hangout).

The first obstacle for Dan was to get the RV from Hobbs to Lubbock without Amy’s help. Amy was in Maine for our nephew’s wedding and had arranged to fly back into Lubbock so Dan could pick her up there instead of Hobbs. Chris was a big help in performing the light check before departing Hobbs and served as caravan leader as Dan followed him and Jenny to Lubbock. Once Dan arrived at the RV park in Lubbock, TJ helped him back into our site. Peter and TJ pull a 40′ 5th wheel with an F350 just like we do so she knew exactly what to do. Parking went smoothly and Dan’s first “solo” move went smoothly. Amy’s return flight from Bangor was not as smooth. Instead of joining us that evening, Amy had to stay an extra night in Bangor and wouldn’t be in Lubbock until the following evening.

The first evening in Lubbock was spent visiting Two Docs Brewery and participating in the evening’s trivia contest. Our team of eleven aging baby boomers held our own against the numerous teams of young recent college grads and grad students. We held the lead until the 4th of 5 rounds and ended up coming in second. We all felt this was pretty good, considering the contest went on well past our bedtimes ;-).

The next day we spent the afternoon visiting the Silent Wings Museum to learn about the glider program of WWII. This was pretty interesting. The brave men that took on these assignments were not expected to make it. The odds of just surviving the landing of these air crafts was not very good.

Amy’s flight was to land around 6:00 pm and the group suggested we all go out to dinner once she landed. Dan picked her up at the airport and we met everyone else at a local Mexican restaurant. Everyone was glad to see Amy and she was glad to finally be back with the group. Fifteen hours of travel while wearing a mask for the entire trip was not something she wants to do again anytime soon.

TJ, short for Therese, is a traveling yoga instructor and she graciously volunteered to lead us all in yoga each morning. After our Wednesday morning session, the plan for the afternoon was to check out the Buddy Holly museum.

Buddy Holly was a Lubbock native and his music career was cut short at just 18 months when he was killed in a plane crash at the age of 22. Even though his career was so short-lived, he had influenced many musicians that followed, including Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles, who picked their name as homage to Buddy Holly and the Crickets.

That evening was declared to be ladies night out so all the women in the group went to a local establishment to try Chiltons, a vodka based drink that originated in Lubbock. Not to be outdone, the guys all headed off to the local branch of the World of Beer to sample some cold ones. By all reports, everyone had a great time.

Rob & Laura and Peter & TJ were leaving on Friday so Thursday was our last day with all of us. Mark & Sandy are accomplished pizza makers and had volunteered to make pizza for everyone. We took over the shared area of the RV park, complete with a nice grill and picnic tables and spent the afternoon eating pizza, drinking beer, and enjoying each others company. The weather was perfect and the pizza was diverse and delicious. A perfect day.

With a third of the crew gone and the rest of us planning to leave on Monday, the weekend became a time f0r errands. One final group gathering was planned for Sunday afternoon. We reconvened at the shared area and once again utilized the RV park’s grill to cook a community dinner. Everyone brought their own meats to grill and something to pass around and share. Dan volunteered to man the grill and we all had another wonderful afternoon sharing food and enjoying each others company.

It is the people you meet along the way and the efforts you make to be together that makes this lifestyle special. We enjoy the organized events like the Habitat build and other hangouts. We enjoy our time alone exploring our national parks and other attractions (stay tuned for the next post on Big Bend National Park). The intimate meetups with members of your extended RVing family are truly special. We look forward to a few more intimate meetups before our New Years hangout in San Antonio. Life on the road ain’t too bad.