The Webster Dictionary definition:

flex•i•bil•i•ty

ˌfleksəˈbilədē/
noun
1. the quality of bending easily without breaking.
“players gained improved flexibility in their ankles”
2. the ability to be easily modified.
“I enjoyed the flexibility of being retired”
3. willingness to change or compromise.
“It’s not warm enough here so lets go somewhere else”

Okay, I took some liberty with number two and three but hey, I am retired, like sun and 70 degree days. Flexibility is a beautiful thing and traveling in an RV lends itself to embracing this concept.

Traveling with an open schedule means you can change directions on a whim…maybe you aren’t loving your current location, maybe the weather where you are is too warm or too cold, maybe the weather where you were originally headed isn’t to your liking or perhaps there is a beautiful place that pops onto your radar.

Nothing in this forecast was appealing to me

We originally planned to head to Utah and hike at Capitol Reef National Park but when the Weather Channel delivered its bad news of snow, wind and temps well below my tolerance level, flexibility kicked in and we extended our stay in Santa Fe. For someone who is a habitual planner, this can be a bit of a struggle but when your schedule is wide open, the art of flexibility becomes a welcome practice.

Great hiking all around Santa Fe

Great Brew pubs in Santa Fe

Great Sunsets in Santa Fe

I am not necessarily a big jig saw puzzle aficionado but being able to keep sorting through the pieces for the one that fits is a bit like RV travel planning. Knowing the weather in Torrey Utah wasn’t to my liking, knowing the Roadhouse driver would like to avoid the high wind across Utah and New Mexico, I kept looking at the at the weather and google maps until I found the piece that fit. I love that “AH HA” moment when it all fits. In this case it was Page Arizona.

Why Page Arizona you may ask? Well, it is kinda on the way to Bryce Canyon which is hopefully our next destination after Capitol Reef. The high wind will be coming from the west, which means we will be driving into it as opposed to be buffeted on the side (not good in a big ass RV), the temperatures are within my desired range and I have never been to Lake Powell plus the campground there has full hookups available. SCORE!! Puzzle completed. After some discussion with the Roadhosue Captain, I booked at Wahweap Campground at Lake Powell for five nights. He was completely enamored with the opportunity to hike at Horseshoe Bend and not to have to drive the Roadhouse in the snow.

Horseshoe Bend…why wouldn’t I want to go there???

The good news is that Capitol Reef National Park will still be there for us to visit at another time. That is my new mantra and I sure do love practicing the art of flexibility.