Wags Wild Adventure
ad•ven•ture: an exciting or remarkable experience
THREE YEARS ON THE ROAD AND……..
Three Years On the Road And…..
……still rolling! April 24, 2016 marked our third year as full-time RV’ers and still the gypsy spirit calls. Reflecting on this past year, three words play in my mind: simplicity, stuff and support.
In many ways, life on the road is simple. It’s like traveling in a big suitcase. We take everything with us including, pardon the cliche, the kitchen sink. A perfect setup for me because I detest squashing freshly-pressed clothes into ever-shrinking luggage. It doesn’t matter how exciting the destination, I always wear my cranky pants when packing. Those, of course, never make it into the suitcase!
My warm-weather-loving husband revels in the freewheeling life by belting out the lyrics, “going where the weather suits my clothes” from Harry Nilsson’s hit song (Everybody’s Talkin’) and grinning like a kid. Betty, our diesel damsel, enjoyed the tune when she outran cloudbursts in a lightening storm from Utah to Arizona.
The RV-as-luggage lifestyle spoils us with all the comforts of home. And it is home. We wake up in our own bed no matter the place. Morning reveals craggy mountains, cactus gardens, towering pines or giant blue Walmart signs. Birds chirp, the wind whispers or car doors slam as early risers wrestle shopping carts. We are bound by no place but always at home.
Although traveling with our possessions in tow is simple, stuff is still stuff. It jumps out of cabinets, tips over wine glasses and skids across floors wedging into hard to reach nooks. There’s too much stuff, not enough stuff and stuff that tugs at our hearts. “Look what I found!”, I exclaimed as I reached into the recesses of my closet. Hugging a leather jacket like an old friend, I wondered what other treasures lay hidden in our compact, 41-foot abode. “Can’t be much,” I thought. A scavenger hunt ensued. Cabinets and drawers splayed their contents as we rummaged through the rig. We discovered only a few jewels but ended up with a heap of stuff bagged for donations!
It made me smile. Three years ago, packing for life on the road seemed a monstrous task. Yes, I confess, I sported my cranky pants frequently then. What should we take? What should we leave? Making the common mistakes, we donated items we later purchased and kept things we eventually donated. But life on the road continues to school us. It’s teaching us to let stuff relax in the back seat while we focus more simply on those we love and the wonders of God’s creation. We never felt far from family and friends because you welcomed us on your doorsteps, graciously met up with us on the road and rode along with us on our blog. Thank you for support and encouragement!
Here’s a medley of photos from Year Three, many of which are new to the blog.
You’ve been at it almost as long as us. We will be 4 years this June. I love taking my bed, and all my belongings with me. The thought of “packing” for a trip would make me panic, or cranky. We have enjoyed a lot of the same places too.
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Congratulations on your 4-year adventure Mary! It is a great lifestyle. Sometimes I think we’ve been shadowing each other in our travels. One of these days we need to meet up.
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What a wonderful journey for you!
Enjoyed the pictures and memories I have of participating!
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Thank you, Janet, for sharing our adventure with us. Always look forward to your company!
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Glad to see you are still having fun! I love reading about your adventures.
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Thanks Doc!
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Congratulations and thank you for taking us along through your words and pictures.
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Thanks Nance! You and Gerry have always been a great support. Even when we dragged out to look at motorhomes with us!
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How absolutely wonderful. Talk about living the dream, good on you. Feeling a tad envious! One day hopefully it’ll be us! 🙂
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Thanks Miriam.
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Congratulations on 3 fun filled years, you are catching up with our 8 years on the road. I think we are trying for at least 2 more.
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And all because of you two, our mentors!
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Thank you so much for sharing all of your wonderful adventures, I always look forward to see what will be your next adventure! Can’t believe it’s been 3 years! Enjoy the next years traveling!!!!
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Thank you Rita! So nice to hear from you. We can’t believe it’s been 3 years either! Hope all is well with you.
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