Prologue:
It seems that Diane and I have wanted to do this forever. As long as we can both remember we have wanted to see the country...with no schedule...no time to have to be anywhere, except...where we are. This was something we dreampt about, talked about, thought about, but it was always going to be someday.
Nothing is more important than our kids, of course, and now our grand kids as well. But after 50 years of working and raising a family and all the spinning periphery that accompanies that blessed pursuit, we are going to go on a grand adventure together...an adventure with no clock, no timetable, and no over-bearing responsibilities. Perhaps this adventure will last a year, or perhaps ten...at this point, who knows?
Diane and I want to create this blog. At the risk of sounding self-important, we simply want to create a running dialogue of what we encounter, who we encounter, what we see, and whatever we think others who may be inclined to travel as we are, might be interested in. We’ll try to convey the sense of travel we feel through words, pictures, and sound.
To begin with I want to thank some folks who really helped us get our 50 amp vision quest off the ground. The encouragement we received from so many friends and relatives was and continues to be exceptional. The support and good wishes we receive creates a wave that we are riding high. My brother Joe has been a terrific source of that encouragement. Joe, having taken the “dive” into RV’ing already, gave us all sorts of advice and helped us source components like tow bars and face plates and all manner of items I didn’t know scat about until Joe clued me in. Diane’s sister Susy and her husband Tom graciously accepted our pet cat Lilly. The fact that we were able to send Lilly to a caring and loving home where she can be happy is unbelievably relieving. The help that Maria and Thayne Bradford so unselfishly gave us will never be forgotten. They helped us through our 3 day estate sale and even let us “camp” on their property the two days prior to our “launch”. Of course, our kids, Suni and Eli, their spouses, Dane and Carrie, and their kids, Jack, Stanley, Ella and Ruby must be primary. Without them and their love and support we are lost. God bless all our friends and relations. We hope to make this blog, these reports, for you all...for all of us.
Feb 13, 2018/Prologue: In the period of 1 month we accomplished more than we thought we were capable of. During January 2018 we sold our house, sold or gave away 90% of our belongings during a three day estate sale, stored what remained in a 10’x10’ storage space, put in a new sewer lateral that ran 280’ with an overall vertical drop of 80’...through pure limestone, quit our jobs, retired, applied for Social Security and Medicare, sold two cars, bought a jeep, outfitted our RV for life on the road, closed on our house, got a PO Box, and bid our friends and family So Long for now. We were exhausted. But during each step of the way, whenever we knocked out another task, we knew we were becoming more free. We were that much closer to realizing the dream. That is what kept us going through the month.
It’s not that we weren’t scared during the process. Often we would ask each other, “ Are we nuts?” To consider that we were giving up our house and home of 32 years, the home we raised our kids in, was, in equal parts frightening, exciting, nostalgic, heart-rendering, invigorating, empowering, and humbling. I recommend it for everyone who can do it. Now that we’ve actually done it and are actually living on the road in Nell, our 38’ Conestoga Wagon, we still high five each other as we drive down the road. The view from the cockpit of Nell is awesome and awe-inspiring. The weather has been great, miserable, windy, rainy, snowy, beautifully sunny, and warm. And that’s what I expect it to be from here on.