Some Final Words

When we embarked on our journey, we were unsure how we would survive – two peas in a 32 foot pod…together…all the time…for 31 days! The good news is that this trip has reinforced our relationship and made us a stronger unit.  What else can I say to top that?!?

For RVers and future RVers, here are some of the other things we have learned:

• When you come home in March, don’t expect Spring to be right around the corner!  We had to re-winterize the RV the day after arriving home :(A foot or two of snow coming tomorrow night – we are actually, kind of, looking forward to it!)

  

• 300 miles a day is sufficient.  When you get closer to 400 miles, getting places becomes more of a chore and more stressful trying to get somewhere in the time frame we set out.
• There is some sort of time warp in the RV… when the GPS says it takes 6 hours, it really takes 7.5 – so take some time to smell the roses (or peaches if you are in Georgia!)
• Two nights in a location we want to explore is more reasonable.  Not doable all the time but we did take some time in Asheville and appreciated the second night without having to hit the road the next day.
• If you are spending considerable time in Florida (3 of our 4 weeks was in FL), a Sunpass would be nice to have – like EZ Pass in PA, it is less expensive to use the Sunpass than pay cash tolls.
• Most travel days we made sandwiches on the go, literally.  Making tuna salad is not the best idea for these times… mix windy day, winding roads, the smell of tuna, the middle of the RV with no circulating air and motion sickness.  NOT a winning combination!

A friend gave me a book at retirement called “65 Things to Do When You Retire”.  It is not really about things to fill your time but learning how to redefine Retirement and what that means for you.  One of the chapters is about ‘Keys to a Creative Retirement’.  The last sentences in the Chapter are:  “If you are having too good of a time and start saying ‘I wish I had done this five years ago’. Statements like these can make other people wonder whether they, too, are overdue for a new venture and that can be disconcerting.  Don’t be surprised if you get push back from those close to you.”  which has not happened to me but… “Humor them as you gently entice them to enter the journey with you.”  I believe that this journal/blog did just that – entice you to journey with us.  (and since we are becoming “Gray Hairs” as the seniors are known in Florida, it also helps us remember what we have done :-))

Some parting words, for now…

Ernest Hemingway – “It is good to have an end to the journey toward, but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

Final Miles 3409.6  First trip completed and many more to come – please ride along with us!