Rolling...

The plan: be rolling no later than 10:00am.  We are not looking to make a lot of miles today, just get a start on the trip.  Steph and Dan came to our site for some hugs good-bye.  Our little girl was a bit weepy... well, sure, because we are leaving... but they had just gotten word that school is canceled for the rest of the school year.  She is attached to those kids.  It is going to be a different world, for all of us.

We were rolling out of the RV park at 9:30.  Traffic was reasonably light on I-10 eastbound...

We are driving separate: Joan in the CR-V, Rufus and me in the motorhome towing the trailer.  We stay in touch with our phones/Air Pods; it makes lane changes and coordinating turns easy.  We turned onto the new Loop 202; even less traffic...

I don't know if the mileage on Loop 202 is much different from staying on I-10, but this was a breeze.  Traffic picked up again when we got back on I-10, now southbound towards Tucson.

Rufus knows something is up.  He was quiet and mostly still while we were driving...

I may have mentioned it before, but... he is a good boy!

Passing Casa Grande, we started to see saguaro cacti and Piccacho Peak...

All the lighted road signs were about the Corona Virus...

We stopped on the far side of Tucson at a Pilot so I could put on fuel.  There was one motorhome in front of me at the RV lanes... I should have known better: it had Minnesota plates.  The guy didn't get out of the coach for about 15 minutes, and then started gassing up.  Good thing we weren't in a hurry - once you pull into those lanes, there is no backing out due to traffic behind you.  It took the guy another couple minutes to put on rubber gloves.  When he finished, he pulled forward about 10 feet, then stopped again... no, not enough room for us to get at the gas pumps.  Once out of the way, we got our turn at the pumps.  Three RVs came, fueled up, and moved on in the lane next to us while we were waiting our turn.  I pulled the motorhome into the large truck parking lot and backed into a site.  Joan turned on the generator and we had a sit down lunch.  Rufus had plenty of time to eat, because I fed him while we were waiting for the guy in front of us.

Back on the road, we had just under 100 miles to where we planned to stop for the night.  It is a climb as you head east from Tucson...

Parts of the desert are colorful right now: not sure what what the yellow stuff is (some form of ragweed??) - pretty, but it messed with my sinuses...

We are down for the day in the intended RV park.  We saw a lot of RVs along the way; snowbirds are on the move.  There will be LOTS more by tomorrow: Joan got a text from Cindy, letting her know that the Governor in AZ issued a mandatory "stay at home, starting tomorrow at the close of business."  It will be in effect through April 30th, but may be extended.  I think we got out while the getting was good.  That was our concern, and the reason we left a couple days early.  Ducey's order defines "essential" more broadly than similar directives issued in other states, and does not require people to "provide documentation or proof … to justify their activities.

We have been told that our home county in south Texas is requiring documentation if you are out... I don't know if that means someone has to write you a note stating that you are on your way to the grocery store.  (???)

There is no TV reception where we are staying tonight, but the internet speed is decent - we'll get our news that way.

We will be out of Arizona tomorrow morning, before the stay at home order takes effect.  New Mexico has a stay at home order in effect, but public roads and highways are not closed.  We should be through New Mexico by early afternoon.  Then, on to Texas.  And home.  Only 900 miles or so to go once we get into Texas.