THREE YEARS ON THE ROAD AND……..

By wagswildadventureApril 25, 2016 ( 14 )

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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.

 

 

Categories: On the RoadTags: gmwphoto.com, greg wagstaff, Hiking, Motorhome, rosanne wagstaff, RV, travel writing, wagswildadventure, wildlife, wildlife photography, Yellowstone

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