Two Years on the Road - Random Thoughts

May 31, 2017
Florence, Oregon

We have now been fulltimers for as long as we spent preparing to become fulltimers :-)))) Without a doubt the second two were more fun, and went by much faster!

When we were in Fresno last month, Kurt asked us what we would do differently - rig? routes? anything? We both had to think about it, and came up with the same answer - nothing. We wouldn't change a thing. 

Our Thor Tuscany 35' DP is the perfect size and floor plan for how we live. We use everything it came with (the outdoor and bedroom TVs not so much, but a couple times), and can't think of anything else we would add. The 12 mpg average is better than we expected. 

After a few issues we had to get repaired in our first months (as we were told would happen), everything works great. We're happy with Progressive insurance; with our extended warranty, Repair Care; and haven't had to use our roadside assistance plan.

Finding a decent dog groomer, and navigating healthcare outside our home state, have been challenging, but we've figured it out as we go. 

I really enjoy planning our routes - finding our way to people and places we want to see. Of course those we didn't know we wanted to see are often the very best of all!

We've seen 70 former classmates, 15 old friends, 23 met-on-the-road friends, and a dozen relatives in our travels. The high level of socializing continues to be the greatest surprise of this life style.

People naturally ask us about our favorites. We agree there's no all-the-time answer. We love Arizona and Oregon and Vermont - but parts of other states are favorites of their own. Our favorite city is Nashville - but Chicago's skyline along the shore is the most beautiful. We loved seeing our teams' stadiums in Pittsburgh and Dallas - but our favorite NFL stadium is definitely Lambeau in Green Bay. Mississippi was the biggest surprise - the Natchez Trace and gulf shores being some of the most beautiful places. New Mexico and Louisiana have extraordinary food - although the big reds and oysters in Mississippi were memorable.

Louisiana has the roughest roads, and Kentucky the most narrow. Vermont has the worst cell coverage. We liked Waco, and all the friends we saw there, but we don't have to go back to Texas. Football season on the east coast means having to stay up much later than we want. 

We prefer our summers cool and foggy over warm and humid, and our winters in low and dry locales.

There is definitely no desire to return to a sticks-and-bricks home, nor do we miss any of all that stuff we got rid of. Don't miss yard work or neighbors we can't move away from. 

We do miss our kids and grandsons. Miss them A Lot!

People often ask us when we're going to stop traveling. Based on the last two years, we see no end in sight!