Covid was still going strong and the first two assignments in NC and GA were a success. We felt that we had cut our teeth in this travel nursing gig. The end of 2020 saw us at home for a few days. We were preparing for a bold move: a cross-country trip to experience the western USA. We settled on Taos, New Mexico, 1,806 miles (2,906 km) from Malabar, Florida. We would arrive at the height of winter with a two-wheel drive vehicle in snow. We had to plan for so many eventualities. We always secure long-term accommodation before leaving, but you never know what is included. Do we take linens, pots, pans, cutlery? Would we need basic tools? A medical kit? Georgia and North Carolina taught us some lessons such as the need for a Bluetooth speaker and crock pot, but this was the high desert and totally unknown. One thing was for sure, the warmest Florida sweater was not enough for a northern winter by any stretch of the imagination!
Driving without stops and traffic delays was around 27 hours. We would take our time with an eleven-hour drive to the Florida Panhandle and overnight with friends Clive and Kathy. From there make our way to Mt. Pleasant in eastern Texas and use timeshare points at a resort for two nights to spend New Year’s Eve in comfort. From there a long-haul past Dallas and the Texas plains to the border town of Amarillo, TX. A final push would take is to Taos in the northeastern corner of New Mexico.
The trip passed in a fog, but I remember two things: A second-hand clothes shop in Texas that Elsa fell in love with and a flat wheel change in the snow on a highway somewhere in Texas with a short sleeve shirt and many swear words! The following is a snapshot of getting to Taos, New Mexico.
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