The end of my story…

EXACTLY FIVE YEARS AGO. Exactly five years ago today, Florence and I took possession of our new motorhome, turned over the keys to our home in San Diego and began an adventure of discovering new people and places. Our Great American Adventure. At that time, I didn’t even know what a blog was, much less that during our travels I’d publish almost a hundred pages, well over three hundred posts and more than 2,000 photos of our Journey. Who would have guessed that my blog would receive more than a million visits (that’s right, a million!) by people wanting to share our experiences as we made our way back and forth across America? And the number of visitors still increases every day of the year! Who’d have guessed we’d spend five whole years making the most of what life has to offer, pushing ourselves to go the extra mile and even a year overcoming fears and obstacles we never dreamed could have happened to us. We got slapped by the big halibut of reality more than once! Sometimes we felt like we were in a circular firing squad, but we got through those times. We certainly had no idea what our Journey had in store for us! But it turned out to be the best time of our lives, and we have enough have happy memories to last a lifetime!

IT’S BEEN QUITE A RIDE. It’s taken me a while to collect my thoughts and draft this post about the end of our Great American Adventure,  exploring the nooks and crannies of our country. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that our motorhome will no longer be “where we live” and that we won’t any longer be able to move around the country, visiting places on a whim, as if we lived in a mobile condominium! Just as it was a new chapter in our lives in June of 2013 when we left San Diego we’re now beginning another new chapter. It’s bittersweet. I’m already feeling nostalgic about all the wonderful times, places and people we encountered, yet there’s definitely an excitement about what’s next. Cheers to all the adventures yet to come!

We drove our motorhome about 30,000 miles and explored the countryside another 40,000 miles in our Jeep. We visited most of the “lower 48” and consumed more diesel fuel than I care to remember, ’cause it cost about $500 dollars every time we filled the tank with it! 

A FEW STATISTICS. During our Journey, we splashed around in both the Pacific and Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, dozens of breathtaking  lakes and too many streams and rivers to count on all of our fingers and toes. We experienced many days when temperatures were cold enough to hang meat, some snowy days and nights, the dry heat of the desert and humidity in the South so thick you could cut it with a knife. We met some yokels in towns where liberal thinkers would be as out of place as Michael Vick at the Westminster dog show. We barely escaped tornadoes and hurricanes many times. We saw bulls, buffalo, bears, deer, alpine sheep, goats, gazelles, prized thoroughbred horses, birds of every color, alligators and whales …enough wildlife to fill a natural history museum! We walked on the beaches of Cape Cod and saw the spectacular colors of New England during the Fall. We picked oranges, apples and blueberries and traveled not only in our vehicles but also in trains, boats and airplanes.

The Village of Mystic in Connecticut.

The harbor at Watch Hill, Rhode Island.

Concord, New Hampshire.

Florence played an old organ at a museum in Vermont.

The Fall colors in New England were spectacular.

We drove down lots of little roads like this just because we could. Several times we came to a little farm and once the farmer welcomed us to pick apples from his trees.

The beach at Woods Hole, which is a village in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts.  I know, it’s a bit confusing. In Cape Cod, north cape is in the south and villages are located in towns. Don’t ask me why.

Covered bridges in New England.

FOND MEMORIES. Many of our fondest memories have more to do with the people we met than the places we visited. You know who you are. We cherish the time we spent with you. We befriended farmers, chefs, lobster fishermen, cattle ranchers, cops, train engineers, pilots, high brows, low brows and Amish folks. Even a hillbilly in the Ozarks. We joined Gospel singers in their tiny church for fried chicken on a Sunday afternoon. We went to the Grand Ole Opry and saw live theater in tiny towns. We crossed paths with musicians and actors, lawyers and judges, artists, clowns, and a physical therapist I’ll never forget! And to all of you who followed us via this blog, thanks for being part of our Adventure!

Pensacola Beach

Florida’s Emerald Coast.

Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Mardi Gras Museum

Bales of hay in Mid-America: the state of Kansas.

White Sands, New Mexico. Serene, stark, vast and unique.

About two years ago our little dog Molly came into our lives and she continues to have more raw energy than a classroom of caffeinated first-graders. We’ve enjoyed every minute we’ve had her with us!

Defeated Creek Park, Tennessee.

Driving our Jeep on the beach at Quinault, Olympic Peninsula, Washington.

We bought locally grown produce at roadside stands whenever possible.

We’ve eaten at hundreds of diners and dives all across America, probably more than Guy Fieri.

Oregon will soon be home to us.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Godspeed to you all. Happy Trails!

“AND THAT’S THE END OF MY STORY.”