From New Mexico to Tennessee: Three Trips to a New Beginning
Dreaming of Retirement and a New Home
In the spring of 2020, we made a decision that would change our lives: we were going to leave the desert of New Mexico and find our retirement home in Tennessee. What we didn’t know then was that it would take three long trips—spanning from May 2020 to November 2021—before we finally settled into the green Appalachian Mountains with our six dogs and a dream.
Trip 1 – May 2020: Scouting During a Pandemic
With our travel trailer hitched, the Tahoe packed, and six restless dogs along for the ride, we set out in May 2020 to explore Tennessee. It was the height of the pandemic, which meant every stop came with its own set of challenges. There was no real face to face contact, we had our own bathroom in the trailer. Gas was a glove and credit card. RV parks signed paper and left in overnight slot, if they were open, many had shut down during this time.
At one horse RV campground, yellow electrical wires snaked across the ground, powering each site in a tangle of hazard. Fuses blew constantly, leaving us in the dark while the dogs paced nervously and the trailer hummed with uncertainty.
One night was the creepiest campground ever. After driving all day and being Guided by Google Maps, we wound down a narrow, overgrown road to an “RV park” that turned out to be nothing more than an abandoned lot with one decrepit trailer. The dog park looked more like a cemetery, and eerie sounds carried through the trees. Shadows shifted in the glow of a single light pole. Even the dogs bristled with unease, ears flicking at every crack of a twig. Everyone made a quick bathroom trip, and then we loaded back up deciding we’d rather drive into the night than stay there.
Despite the challenges, there were bright moments. Each morning, we woke to birdsong, misty woods, and the comfort of coffee brewing in the trailer. We stopped in towns like Guymon, Oklahoma, Coffeyville, Kansas, and Clarksville, Tennessee, soaking in new sights. By the end of the trip, we’d met a wonderful realtor near Rogersville, Tennessee, and returned home to New Mexico with the spark of possibility.
Trip 2 – July 2021: Signing for the House
More than a year later, in July 2021, I returned to Tennessee with my trusty sidekick, Dott. This trip was less about adventure and more about business—we were signing for a property we had fallen in love with near Rogersville.
It was a faster, more direct drive, with fewer stops and less sightseeing. Still, the excitement was palpable. After months of searching remotely and even losing out on the house once before, it felt like fate when it came back on the market. Standing there, signing papers in the heart of Tennessee, it finally became real: we had a home waiting for us.
Trip 3 – November 2021: The Big Move
Back in New Mexico, the real work began. For weeks we purged, donated, sold, and packed. Two pods were loaded, along with our Tahoe, travel trailer, Penske truck, side-by-side—and of course, six dogs.
We hit the road in November 2021, driving straight through across the desert of New Mexico, into the wide plains of Texas, through Oklahoma’s rolling hills, into Arkansas’s rivers and forests, and finally into the deep greens of Tennessee.
The emotional weight was heavy closing one chapter, opening another. By the time we arrived in Rogersville, winding down narrow country roads with the trailer in tow, the desert browns of Albuquerque had given way to the lush, misty ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. We were home.
Reflection: From Browns to Greens
Looking back, the three trips tell a story of patience, resilience, and hope. The first trip was about possibility, the second about commitment, and the third about transformation.
Three trips, 1,500 miles each way, six dogs, countless campgrounds, and more than a few unexpected adventures later—we had finally made it. Our journey from New Mexico to Tennessee wasn’t just about moving. It was about finding where we truly belonged. Share this post: