On the Road Again: Well, it's that time of the year when we all make our list of New Year's Resolutions, most of which we will never follow through on. LOL. But as senior citizens in our mid 70's (I've finally accepted the term "senior citizen" although I don't actually remember how I achieved it) I think about resolutions and what tomorrow will bring more often. The philosophy of "live today, tomorrow is promised to no one" becomes more and more relevant. OK, enough of the philosophical ramblings about life, here are some thoughts about our plans for 2023.
Our RV Home: No changes here. Over the years we have owned 5 different 5th wheel campers. Yes, there are times we have considered both Class A and Class C motorhomes because of the ease of backing up. However, we are still able handle our 35 foot fifth wheel. 2023 will be another year spent in our very, very comfortable Solitude 310 GK.
Modus operandi: Fewer one night stands and longer stays are in the works. Our Road Warrior days of 8 hour drives and 400 miles are a thing of the past. Our comfort zone now is a 3 to 4 hour drive and 200 miles. Also, we like to settle down and not move daily. A perfect day for us is on the road by 9:00 or 10:00, and land and setup by 1:00 or 2:00. Our trips will necessitate some daily stops on occasion, but they won't be as frequent as in the past.
More of Canada: While we have traveled some in Canada (we did the Quebec City and Gaspé Peninsula loop in 2016) it has not been nearly enough. Our neighbors to the north have so many places to see and visit. And on top of that, we live only 30 miles from the Canadian border. It's about time we experienced more of their hospitality and sights. Fingers crossed, we hope to make a cross Canada trip later in 2023.
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| Canada Gaspé Peninsula Trip in September of 2014 |
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| Proposed Cross Canada RV Trip for 2023 |
Traveling with Pets: For the past 10 years we have traveled with 2 large dogs, who because they are part of our combined family, are both named Zoey. That's another long story. The senior Zoey, our 16 year old Golden Retriever, passed away this winter, so we are down to one fur baby Zoey the Alaskan Malamute. However, I suspect that a new puppy is in the works this spring. Time will tell. But I don't ever see the time when would be without a 4 legged pal or two to travel with.
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| The Zoeys, posing at home. |
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| Napping in the camper. |
Breakdowns: Remember Murphy's Law: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Well, that's even more true when traveling in an RV. Face it, anytime you drag your house over pothole roads going 60 miles per hour, things are going to break. We had a couple episodes in 2022, first was the broken hydraulic hose that runs the slide fiasco and then the lost trailer wheel disaster. I guess if there anything we have really learned in our travels it's that "keep calm and carry on." HERE is an interesting link that explains where that ubiquitous phrase originated during World War II. Sure, the breakdown may seem serious (and I know, some really are) at the time, but generally we have found that there are a lot of very nice people in this world who can and will help. So, a breakdown is not the end of the world, just be patient and in a short while it will be a story to remember and share.
Broken Hydraulic Hose Issue: Short story, poor build at factory allowed hydraulic hose to become wrapped around rotating cross shaft. Every time slide was opened and closed, the hose wrapped more thus tightening and causing it to eventually snap.
Sharing space: COVID Pandemic aside, Judy and I try to spend 100 to 150 nights a year on the road living in our camper, along with two 70 pound dogs. And our RV home is only 3 rooms and about 300 square feet total. On top of that, we are still totally still in love!! How do we do it? We have many joint interests, such as puzzling, cooking, dogs, craft breweries and especially, visiting new places. However, we have some difference. Judy is afraid of heights, while I like mountains, canyons and overlooks. She prefers cooler temperatures, while I wear a flannel shirt year round. I tend to be a social butterfly (a 15 minute dog walk can turn into an hour for me) while Judy prefers her quiet time. I love shopping at grocery stores and Farmers Markets, Judy prefers TJ Max. I read paper books, she reads on an iPad. I can't handle spicy foods while she loves them, the spicier the better. So what's the glue to our RV relationship: we love each other, we enjoy our common interests and we respect our differences.
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| Judy's favorite view. |
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| David's favorite view. |
E-Bikes: We started seeing so many on our recent trips, that we pulled the trigger and each purchased RAD e-bikes. While we have just started to use them, we can't wait to really make full use of them in 2023.
Will full timing ever be in the future: Many have asked us if we ever thought about going full-time in the RV. Short answer, I seriously doubt it. We have met some wonderful couples who absolutely love full timing. I admire them and am occasionally jealous. However, Judy and I still enjoy our stick home and hometown roots. We live in the town where we were born and graduated from high school. We live next to a beautiful golf course, although neither one of us golfs. I have a wonderful woodworking shop to play in. We enjoy our neighbors. We like the beauty of winter, especially since we are retired and don't have to get up early and drive to work on a cold and snowy morning. And....... I have a heated cab on my tractor snowblower, so let it snow!
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| Winter Wonderland |
So after all that rambling, what's the real plan: We have reservations for a an 8 week long trip this Spring to start the 2023 camping year. That will take us to Austin, Houston, Gulf Shores, Carrabelle Beach, Jekyll Island, Savannah, West Virginia and home. We will follow that with a 10 day trip to Maine in June, plus some local camping this summer. With luck we can sneak in a 2 week trip to Wisconsin in July to catch up with some old Hippy friends from the 70's. Hopefully, we will start our cross Canada trip in early August which will last 3 months. Look's like 2023 could be a busy year for us.
Camp on !!!
