It’s been quite a while since I posted anything, so I thought I’d fill in the timeline a little. The primary reason I haven’t posted anything is due to the fact that I was up to my neck in trying to get the house emptied out. As with so many things I undertake, it was a much bigger job than I anticipated. As I stated previously, although moving is always hard, trying to get rid of almost everything you own is harder.
The secondhand furniture store arrived with two trucks on August 29th and virtually emptied the house of almost all of the large things and even some of the home décor items. Once they were all loaded up, the owner handed me a check and off they went. I was left with things like a washer and dryer, mattresses, plants, a couple of filing cabinets and the two desks in my office. And I was relegated to a hotel for the remainder of my stay in Bozeman.
My pickup was baking in the sun down at Barb’s house in Phoenix, so I had reserved a 15-foot U-Haul truck for the following day to be able to dispose of everything that was left. During one summer in my college years, I worked for a moving and storage company and put all of that knowledge and skills to good use as I loaded up the truck with the appliances, mattresses, etc. In any case, I made trips to various places – Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill and the dump.
I had planned to finish things up and leave for Washington for my bike ride in the San Juan islands but life has a way of laughing at whatever plans you make. I came down with some type of upper respiratory virus as I was working on the house and felt worse and worse. Two days before I was due to leave, I didn’t feel like I could ride my bicycle around the block, let alone over hill and dale day after day in Washington so I pulled the plug on the ride. It was already paid for, and I was well beyond the refund date so it was a painful decision, but I really had no choice. I went to an urgent care clinic, and they gave me some antibiotics and it helped a bit, but I was just feeling pretty exhausted.
I finally got the house cleaned out and had my neighbor help me load the Harley onto the U-Haul motorcycle trailer to get ready for the drive to Phoenix – again! On Thursday, Sept 7th I hitched up the trailer, loaded my bicycle onto the bike rack and with the car packed to the gills, headed south. I had planned to take three days driving down to Barb’s just because I was pulling the trailer and I was exhausted.
Given the rough roads we encountered three weeks earlier between Henderson, NV and Phoenix, I decided to try a different route through Page, AZ near Lake Powell. On the second day, about 15 miles south of Beaver, UT, I turned off of I-15 and headed off to Page. It turns out that it was a great decision. In general, the roads were better, the scenery was better, there was less traffic and it was just a lot easier drive. I still encountered a few rough patches but, by and large, it was a much better drive. And I got to see a part of the country I’d not seen before!!
When I arrived in Phoenix (actually Chandler is where Barb lives), it was a balmy 112 degrees or so! I got the Harley offloaded in short order (although Barb had to put of towel on the seat because it was so hot!!) and put it away in the garage. After a break in the nice, air-conditioned house, we finally got the trailer returned and the car offloaded. I was absolutely exhausted and spent most of the rest of the day parked on the sofa having all of the personality of an amoeba!
Yesterday, I did absolutely nothing and today I’m starting to feel more like a human being. I have started making ‘to do’ lists as I adapt to my new temporary life in Phoenix. Barb keeps telling me it will cool down which it slowly seems to be doing. The morning temps next week will be in the 70’s so that is a good indication.
As I get settled in, we will be turning our attention to getting ready for our trip back to Portugal in November to find a place to lease. Once that is done, we will submit our application for our long-term visas and let that process play out. It is our hope that in about 6 months or so, we will be moved or in the process of moving to our new place in Portugal.
I never thought in a million years that I would be living in Phoenix but here I am. Fortunately, I have lived in many different places during my life and have adapted pretty well to wherever I’ve ended up. I’ve already found the nearest Starbucks and we’ve joined a nearby gym. As soon as it cools down a bit, I’ll hit the roads on my bicycle to do some exploring and take the Harley out as well. The adventure continues!