Fall Travel Plans – A Conference and an RV Trip

Oh, my gosh. It has been so long since I wrote a blog post I’m not sure I remember how! I just couldn’t muster up the motivation to “find” things to write about when I couldn’t travel or even go out to most restaurants. However, I have some exciting news that has gotten me extremely motivated. You may have already seen some of the news on my social media channels or in my newsletter, but I want to share with you in more detail my fall travel plans.

My cats and I will be hitting the trail in October as soon as I return from the International Food Blogger Conference! Sadly, they have to stay home with a pet sitter while I attend the conference.

International Food Blogger Conference

I have been debating for several weeks whether or not I would actually attend IFBC (International Food Blogger Conference) coming up in October in El Paso. I registered back in 2020 but, due to the pandemic, the conference was rescheduled to 2021. There are still a lot of restrictions in place and it is not quite going to be like conferences in the past.

I attended the IFBC conference in 2017 in Sacramento and was blown away by what we learned and had the opportunity to experience, like learning about olive oil.

When I signed up for this conference in 2019, I planned to make it part of my 2020 fall travel plans. I have decided to fly this year instead and start my 2021 RV trip shortly after I return. El Paso is a long way from where I live (800 miles) and just didn’t fit into this fall’s travel plans.

Now that I have decided to go, I am really looking forward to learning about El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. The two cities, which are right across the border from one another, are a melting pot of culture. IFBC says, “Take everything you love about Texas and combine it with the unique culture of Native Americans and Mexico, giving you the best combination of Texas, Southwest, and Mexican cuisine in the world.”

Fall RV Travel Plans

Pre-trip Planning

Since I now have a trailer (check out the last issue of my newsletter to read about that), I have gotten in full swing planning the trip. Even though El Paso didn’t fit in, I have lots of other amazing stops planned. I am so ready to share them with you!

I’m excited that I’ll be doing a little more boondocking this trip. My new trailer is solar ready. I just need to get my portable solar panels and get an inverter installed. Then I’ll be set to boondock with confidence – at least for a few days at a time!

My idea of boondocking is not to go out into the middle of nowhere. I have too much to see and do! I will be boondocking at some terrific sounding Harvest Hosts locations including wineries, farms, an alpaca ranch, a restaurant and an olive company.

If you travel by RV and aren’t a member of Harvest Hosts, I highly recommend it. I had some fun and educational stays on both of my previous RV trips.

Tentative Travel Plans for my Fall RV Trip

The cities I’ll be spending the most time in are Abilene, Fredericksburg, Dripping Springs and Sequin. If you have any must-see suggestions in any of these cities, I’d love to hear about them.

I’ll be staying at a Texas State Park in Abilene. In addition to attending Lolapalooza and meeting up with some RV friends, I’ll be doing a little sightseeing after the event.

On my 2019 trip, I spent about a week in Fredericksburg. Although I did a lot of exploring in Texas Hill Country, it wasn’t nearly enough time. There is so much more to the area than wineries, although I plan to visit many more of those!

I’m excited about visiting Dripping Springs for a few reasons. There are several distilleries in Dripping Springs. I haven’t visited a distillery since Double Diamond Distillery in Kingman, AZ, in 2018. The process was a bit overwhelming at the time so I plan to learn more on this trip. I’ll be checking out some historical locations as well as some highly recommended restaurants. A bonus to the stay in this city is the Clinton Anderson Walkabout Tour.

Sequin has been on my list of places to visit since I met the Chamber folks at a Winter Texan event in January 2020. There’s lots of historical places to visit as well as a meadery and a brewery.

I’ll at least make a day trip to San Antonio from Sequin if I don’t actually spend a few nights in San Antonio. I spent some time in San Antonio on my way to Texas from California but there is still so much more to see there.

How I’m Feeling about the Trip

As excited as I am to get on the road again, I’ve been trying to come up with just the right word to describe the opposite side of that coin. It’s not fear. Does apprehension or trepidation describe it? Whatever it is, it is not about experiencing the destinations. It is the actual travel that has me a little uneasy.

You see, I have a new tow vehicle, a new trailer, a new brake controller and a new hitch. Even though I towed a 28′ trailer over 6,000 miles, I am basically starting all over again. So that makes me a little nervous. But, just like on the other trips, I’m sure I’ll get over it pretty quickly.

What to Expect from the Blog in the Future

Beginning in October, I’ll be back to writing about Travel, Wine (and other libations) and Food! In the meantime, you may see some lifestyle blogs about solo senior equestrian life. Yes, if you don’t already know, I got my horses here from California the end of June. I was so excited to get to ride for the first time in over three years a few days ago.

I’ve also been sitting on a post about authentic Texas chili that I am planning to finish up. I need to edit a video. That’s what has been holding me up. I’ve done some simple editing in the past but now that I’ll be traveling again and videoing my experiences, I need to learn to do a more professional job.

 

Until next time…