It's About the RV Journey.................

Well, we have come full circle. We are back east in Virginia, where we started our journey. We plan on living in this campground (near our grandson) for a couple of months as we begin the transition back to a traditional home and lifestyle. When we hatched our dream of living and traveling by RV across this country, we thought 2 years would be an optimum amount of time for us. By the time we transition and actually move into our new house, it will be just about 3 years. Wow! Time flies!!

what an adventure these past couple of years have been!

beginning the transitioning process (and spending lots more time with Jack!) 

home for the next couple of months

pretty good campsite!

 I wish I could better put into words what a journey this has been. The places we've lived in, the sights we've seen, the people we've met, the experiences we've had...have all been amazing.This country is beautiful, no matter where you travel. We were fortunate to be able to travel slowly, to really savor a place and get to know it a bit, if only for a few weeks. People often ask us which area we liked best. We really can't say because it's all nice, just in different ways.

The majority of our explorations on this journey has been in the western states. This is a BIG country. Lots to see and do. Most people think we've been on vacation for a couple of years. I see why...we've put thought into every single day, like when you are on vacation to a special place and you want to see and do everything there is to do! We have done nothing by rote. In fact, that was one of our disagreements for about the first year and a half! I was on "vacation", and Tom was retired. Hahaha. I've learned to take it down a notch, and slow our pace a bit.

The other part-the life stuff-takes a little more effort on the road, when you move every few weeks. Just finding the grocery store or post office, or worse...a dentist or doctor...takes a lot more effort than usual. Lots of planning too...travel routes, accommodations, and visits with family, usually requiring a flight or two. So while I want to tell you this is an easy lifestyle, I would not be telling the whole truth. It's just different.

Imagine having a crazy dream...with your spouse (or S.O.)...and then being able to live it! That's what has happened to us. The idea evolved over the good part of 10 years, and we "dreamed" together....figuring things out and making it doable for us. It really has been magical. I'm thrilled that we were able to do this while we were young enough and healthy enough to do the things we wanted to do. You just never know what lies down the road, so I truly get the saying "No time like the present". If we had not taken off when we did, I'm pretty sure this would have been just a dream. Between Tom's unexpected health scare in Phoenix (and the resulting surgery to remove the cancer), and the birth of our grandson Jack, I'm almost positive we would not have embarked on this journey at all. As we always said though, even if we never were able to pull it off and live the dream, it sure was fun planning it. Aren't we so very lucky we took advantage of that little window of time at our stage in life?

I have to admit it was a little scary too! OK, a LOT scary! We gave up our home of 30 years, moved away from all family and friends. We had it all-we were very comfortable and secure. We wondered if we should actually go for it!! We knew we would be moving out of NJ when we retired, but really.....to be able to "live the dream" first... has been priceless. Glad we overcame our fears and took the risk-it has been quite an awesome journey.

This lifestyle is not for everyone. We have learned to live very comfortably in about 350 square feet or so. Less stuff really is very free-ing. Hopefully, we keep the simplicity theme going when we move back into a house. Though it has been an incredible way to begin our retirement, we are looking forward to moving on to the next chapter as well...Chapter Two. Retirement Two Dot Oh. Whatever you want to call it.

So...this is my last blog post. I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the journey with us, and hope even more that you reach your own crazy dreams!

adding some home-y touches to our living space

our backyard is sprucing up pretty well!

the lake down the hill

very peaceful here

our neighborhood for the next couple of months...

what a grand adventure it's been!!

my last blog post :)

Tennessee and VIRGINIA......................

As we entered the rolling hills of Tennessee, we got really excited....it meant we were almost in Virginia! Just a few more days! Some days we don't know where we are, what day it is, or what time it is as we travel pretty quickly cross-country. We actually have to think about it in the morning! Even the sunrise and sunset times don't help, because they are so different at either end of a time zone. Anyway, the fog is lifting now that we are just about at our destination. Ahem......it really is tough when these things change every few days!

We spent a couple of nights at a very peaceful RV resort...located just minutes from Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. However, it was 95 and humid for most of our stay, so we opted for the pool instead of the park! As the sun went down each day, and the temperature dropped just a little bit, we'd venture outside for a little while, before the bugs came out full force. We noticed wildlife came out as it got a tiny bit cooler too! We just love observing, as  you can tell. Hahah.

wildlife coming "alive" once the sun started setting....and the temperatures dropped a little

I'll just be they are thirsty!! Its so hot!

oh, didn't even see the turkey at the water!

wildlife Susie!

heading back...a little more refreshed

reading out here until the bugs come out...hahahha

The pool was the highlight.....and we had it to ourselves, which was awesome. It was so hot even Tom went in the water! WOW! That's saying something! We spent a good hour in the water before heading back for lunch and to run some errands (in the air-conditioned car). And do laundry (in the nicely air-conditioned laundromat) on site.

lovely!!  (and the water was cold too!)

wait.....is that TOM?????

it must be really really hot! hahahah!

yes...this is pretty nice!  come on in Susie

great site!

And yesterday......we landed in southwest Virginia-at Fort Chiswell/Max Meadows! Yippee!! We've been here before actually. This is the place where Tom had his run-in with the RV slide, which required 25 stitches in his forehead and a CAT scan of his head! Scary memories! As we pulled into this campsite, the skies opened up....just like that other fateful day. This time, however, we stayed inside until the storm passed, and THEN we set up the camper! Put the noodles on the slide out corners as well. Flashbacks!!

Tomorrow, we head out to visit Chris in Roanoke, about an hour away, and he will drive us to Troy to visit with Jess, Andrew and JACK!! Can't wait to see everyone!! Instagram and Facetime are great....but just aren't good enough!

getting ready to send off more hats and blankets to Knots of Love...17 more hats and 2 more blankets ....

39 hats total...my goal is 100 by the end of the year

NOT FUNNY!!!  (see blog entry for May 1, 2014-Highlights and Lowlights in Southwest Virginia)

finally...my favorite weather....cloudy and cool...ahahhahahah!

Next week, after the holiday weekend, we will be moving one more time in Virginia, just 3 more hours away....closer to Charlottesville (and Jack)....where we will be spending a couple of months (Sept/Oct) in the RV. We have plans to stay in a bungalow at the Jersey Shore for Nov-Jan (too cold for the RV in the winter in NJ), to visit with family and friends for a few months. Of course, we will be day-tripping to Virginia as well during that time period. February should find us back in the RV, heading to Florida to visit family. And then.....we plan on being in our new house in Virginia by March! Perhaps this is more than most of you want to know....but it is our "exit plan" from our fabulous full-time RV journey.

Only one more post to come.....................

The Mighty Muddy Mississippi.............................

Heading still farther east, we spent the last few days in Arkansas. The humidity/heat has been overwhelming, so we've been spending a lot of time in the RV. Usually when we arrive at a campground, we find that we walk a lot just to stretch our legs. But in this heat? Yikes.....I take such few steps on a hot day, and I know it for sure by checking my Fitbit. Oh boy!

The campgrounds we have been staying in lately have been filled by dinnertime and empty again in the morning. We call them "traveler's campgrounds", because the campers don't stay long. Just overnight, and leave again very early in the morning. We travel much slower (because we can, and because we think its a lot safer). So usually, we leave after 9 am, and travel till lunchtime. That way we have all afternoon to unwind from driving (Tom). Works perfectly for us. Every few days, we stay for 2 days instead of just overnight, mainly to give us options if we hit bad weather. But otherwise, it is a nice break from the highway. Safety first for us!

We stayed at Tom Sawyer's Camping Resort in Arkansas for a couple of nights, and really enjoyed watching the river traffic. We had a birds-eye view early in the afternoon, but by dinnertime, all the sites in front of us were filled. We could still see the river though.

huge barge floating by soundlessly

great views from our campsite early in the afternoon

 This campground has been known to flood, and one of the worst times was in May, 2011. The water was about 8 feet high, as we could see from some of the permanent structures that were standing. Hence, the "bathhouse" and laundry room were on wheels! Crazy....but it worked....and was actually very nice. We were just a bit concerned our first day because it was rainy and stormy throughout the afternoon and evening. But...by morning.....blue sky and sunshine!

that little house on wheels has bathrooms/showers AND a laundry room!

that's Memphis over my shoulder.....

peaceful moments on the riverfront

huge campground

the barges are so quiet

and really large!

what's that guy doing?

hmmm...just checking things out

there they go

 We stayed a couple of days on the Mississippi River, watching barges go by from the comfort of our air-conditioned RV. I know....but its grossly hot early in the morning AND in the evening too. We managed a few errands, and then we basically stayed put....cooking (and freezing for meals on travel days) and doing laundry. Making reservations down the road. (We will be having a lot going on soon).

the barges are getting bigger and bigger!

good time to cook....being holed up in the air-conditioned camper!

gigantic

Tom braved the heat to catch some photos

way too hot for me out there

Chili....not looking too good yet

another big barge

pulled over...another is passing by in the other direction

ahh...that's better

two barges passing soundlessly, one going towards Memphis, another going towards the sea (sorry about the camper...its getting later in the afternoon, when travelers pull in for the night)

there goes a double!!!

this one is huge....and trying to make the turn in the river towards Memphis

I have laundry going in there...

almost 100! Not my favorite weather!!

even Tom is in short sleeves....must be hot...hahahahah

 As the new day dawned, you could just tell it was going to be a hot one again! We were heading out, destination Tennessee! We are getting closer Jack!! (Can you tell....we just can't wait to see our cute little grandson!!)

a beautiful (yet hot) morning on the Mississippi

The campground  in Buffalo, Tennessee, was perfect...clean and quiet.....and had a delightful pool that was just calling my name. It was still early in the afternoon, and not too many other campers (kids) had arrived yet. The pool was empty! So inviting!! Tom doesn't like swimming much, unless he's actually swimming laps, so he was my lifeguard. This time...he was called to duty! I was fooling around floating with the noodle, and I dropped my sunglasses. They quickly sank to the bottom of the 9 foot pool, of course in the 9 feet where I was floating. I dove underwater to retrieve them but backed off when I realized they were on the drain. I didn't like that (accidents seem to happen around drains and I didn't want to get sucked in), so my lifeguard got the net and swept them my sunglasses up for me. Wasn't that nice? Seriously, I was not going to mess with the drain! Never a dull moment, right Tom? Hahahhaha.

my lifeguard!!

the water is perfect!!

oh man.....just had an incident with my sunglasses! Tom is my hero!!! (again!)

Moving through Tennessee during the next few days! Getting closer to Virginia!!