THIS IS THE END OF OUR JOURNEY OF 2012

Will we travel again in a house on wheels?

REFLECTIONS

After being home for several days roaming around this enormous house,I sit stretched out in my favorite chair quite comfortably, to say the least. I am really enjoying the extra space, and I am sure Norman feels the same. Having driven (ridden) nearly 6150 miles in the motorhome, plus an additional 4500 miles in the car for “short“ side trips, I thought this might be a good time to reflect on our adventure over the last 90 days.

We saw many large car carriers such as this. Intimidating!

About a month back I finally began to totally relax and trust Norm’s very capable driving, and over the past few days have really marveled at his ability to maneuver this large land-yacht through work zones and around very intimidating 18 wheeler's hauling all sorts of interesting paraphernalia.  They were carrying houses, giant windmill blades ( boy those are big up close ) bridge trusses,not to mention the seemingly endless parade of new car haulers (I thought there was a recession?) and we can not forget the four legged creatures darting out into the road.  Nothing like a moving hazard to get your heart rate up!   Plus, I swear the other drivers try to jump right out and cut us off intentionally! ( They warned us of that in RV driving school ).

Norman has enjoyed long distance driving throughout his life and he finds driving our RV not much different than driving a large SUV. There is a much better visual perspective of our surroundings this high up and the large span of windows afford incredible views you just would not be able to have in a much lower automobile.  Since Norm loves driving, and is so good at it, I just sat back and let him drive.  Next year, however, I really do need to get behind the wheel more.  After driving horse trailers for years, I would hate to become timid in my old age.

 Listening to Sirius satellite radio certainly heightens the experience.   I, on the other hand, hate to sit for more than a half hour no matter where I am; be it on a plane or on the beach. Thank goodness for this blog. With the computer in my lap I am much more able to cope with sitting for such long periods of time.  I find the seats very comfortable and of course I love the views. I wish I could sleep to pass the time, but I never have been able to do that.

Mobile luxury hotel - how much better can it get?
It's a bit small at 32 feet, but very comfortable

To me, the Motorhome is so phenomenally comfortable to travel in.  Everything - favorite foods, sporting goods, clothes for all occasions, games, snacks and footwear are all stored neatly and are available at your fingertips. We are fortunate to have an extremely comfortable bed to sleep in every night without the worries of bedbugs and other “creepy crawlers”.  Showers are clean as are the floors. (Most of the time). You would never find that consistency going hotel to hotel, not to mention the inconceivable inconvenience of packing and unpacking all the time.  We cannot forget the fact that the bathroom is always only 10 feet away.

We feel there are, however, just a few negatives.

The biggest one, of course, is the “campsites” that these large vehicles are often relegated to.  They usually are crowded, treeless, and afford little, if any, privacy.  We no longer feel like we are “camping“ but parked sometimes even on cement, in a lovely little hotel room.  Prior to this purchase we looked for the most remote of tent sites (that our car could drive to) that we could find.  This is very different, believe me. But to be perfectly honest, there were many, many days or nights that the weather was horrendous and the fact that we were nestled in our warm and dry “tent” using all the modern conveniences made our mode of travel much better. We were also able to “stay put” and wait for the weather to pass. Had we been in a tent, everything would be, at the least, damp and gross until you dried them out. Yuck!  Been there, done that!

A sea of campers

I also would not be completely honest if I did not confess that spending 90 days in such tight confines with ANYONE, even if you love them dearly, can sometimes be, let’s say, “Close”.  We all need our personal space once in a while – if only to watch a few minutes of TV, or to call a friend, right?  But all in all, it was wonderful.  We met dozens of couples that have sold their homes and now RV full time.  I can certainly see the appeal.  Just one small “home” to worry about. No lawn care, etc.  Just pick up and go, moving to where the weather is best. Our lives have become much too complicated managing all our “stuff”.

Yikes! This is costing HOW MUCH?

The gas, of course, is a negative.  You may be able to travel a long time between fill ups, but when we do it is really painful.  Not just the dollar amount, but the gas stations, for some reason, put a limit on the dollar amount they allow you to charge on a particular credit card. They obviously are not “Gas Hog“ friendly. We often had to use three different cards to fill the tank!

The other negative which comes with the RV territory, is the exhaustive preparation it requires to travel each time we want to move on.  Norm washes the windows, performs the disgusting chore of emptying the tanks, sometimes (not nearly often enough for my “safety maintenance addiction”) checks the tire pressures, puts away any outdoor carpets, grills, chairs, etc.)

Dumping the sewer tanks is the worst part of RV chores

While I am inside stowing away everything, doing the morning dishes, and getting everything ready to leave including hooking up the car and installing the brake system. We pull in the slides; lift up the jacks, etc. This ultimately takes a lot longer than merely packing up a suitcase and heading out the door.  We never, however, have to take time to stop at restaurants for meals and usually are not disappointed in what is served.

Summary –

We saw hundreds and hundreds of miles of incredible scenery and took quite a few great hikes, and a few terrific bike rides, all the while enjoying exceptionally good weather. We had hoped to kayak a few times, but the best place to do that was in Nova Scotia, which we will thoroughly explore next year. We met some very interesting people and learned about different cultures, history, and of course, lots about geology. We ate in restaurants only about 10-12 times, but when we did, they were fantastic culinary experiences.

Bake Apple ( a native berry )  and a jar of Blueberry Jam

We did a little bit of shopping, but were unable
to find anything really worth purchasing.  We ended up getting a few small items that we can add to our very small Christmas tree.  All the "ornaments" are mementos from each vacation.  Often you can't find an actual ornament, so we use refrigerator magnets, key chains, etc. and put ribbons on them.  We also were wild and crazy and bought a couple of jars of native jam from a Newfoundland shop called Dark Tickle.   How many of you can go on a three month vacation and are able to put all your moments  in the palm of your hand?

We were incredibly fortunate to visit nearly all of our families, saw all of our closest friends up in the Boston area and in North Bay, Ontario, as well (that seems so long ago).

We love our Motorhome purchase!  We are now an hour from home, and so far, so good.  We had issues with the jacks for a few days, and during that period, trouble “leveling”, but they seemed to have worked themselves out.  No accidents, no dents. We have a few drawers that need new glides, but hey- this is a rolling house that is constantly being twisted, shaken and bumped.

 I find the size quite adequate although Norm would like a bigger bathroom.  Both a washer and dryer would be a REAL nice addition.  This was a very nice purchase.  I can’t wait to go again and am planning more short trips throughout the winter, focusing on Florida State Parks (more primitive). We will be taking another not-so-big trip to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick next June after Norm’s daughter’s wedding in Vermont, in order to spend more time to see and do everything of interest there.  

I hated laundry days

Another positive note:   no bodily accidents (other than my dropping a heavy metal three hole punch on Norm’s bald head, making him bleed and cutting him early on) but no illness, broken bones, food or water poisoning! That’s a first for me! (Especially with a month of “boil water” notices)!

We had a fabulous trip, and look forward to more adventures.  We have a pretty long list of places we would like to see, many right here in the southeast US. 

Norm getting brochures for our the planning of our next trip

Note:  During most of Norm’s life, being Canadian, Newfoundlanders were the butt end of jokes, but now he has an appreciation for the hardships they have endured and how truly friendly, hardworking, and generous a people they are.