So…it has been a year since I upended my life by becoming homeless, unemployed, and a nomad – leaving behind 36+years living in Rochester, NY. Do I miss the people that I used to work with ? …absolutely! Do I love getting up everyday with an easier pace of life and a schedule that is almost totally dictated by me…a resounding YES.
It has truly been an adventure. I initially thought that I would miss my house in Rochester when downsizing to a few hundred square feet of RV space but surprisingly I don’t. When we are parked and the slide-outs are extended we have more than enough room for the 2 of us and even space for guests with separate sleeping spaces and 2 bathrooms. Even with just the 2 of us, the ability to close doors provides each of us with the chance to “get away” when we are pursing our own interests.
Another reason this smaller space is so livable is that for the most part we spend a large part of our day outdoors. It has become apparent to me…almost everywhere in the country is sunnier than Rochester! Bill and I always thought that we were pretty compatible with similar interests and complimentary personalities but nothing like being together 24/7 in small spaces to test those waters. Well..we were right all along and this past year has proved it. How fortunate we are that we both enjoy each others company so much, share similar interests, and can mostly laugh about just about anything even after nearly 40 years of marriage.
Despite being on the road, we still feel very connected to our children, grandchildren, and friends. We spent the summer together, flew back east for events and spent much more holiday time together. Being retired has given us so much flexibility with our time without worrying about using up vacation time or trying to schedule things around work requirements. So instead of just a few days here and there on weekends we now can spend as much time as we want with our children and grandchildren when we visit. We also have had the opportunity to meet up with and re-connect with friends who live in different areas of the country.
There have been a few surprises as we have learned about life in an RV on the road:
- how much weather matters (being in the path of tropical storms, tornados, flash floods, snow storms and high wind is not a good idea)
- the wide variety of RV’ers (retirees, families, working couples, vacationers, permanent residents and weekend warriors) and how really friendly these fellow travelers are and how willing to lend assistance as well as share advice, great destinations, and their experiences on the road
- how driving on the road can be fun with fantastic views or terrifying (driving down mountainsides, across the Chesapeake Bay bridge, passing trucks who are weaving in their lane or traveling on windy days)
- how much I miss Wegmans
- how important truck stops are in my life and who knew…we have favorites!
- the importance of avoiding rush hours in cities to avoid hours of white knuckle travel
- how much I LOVE not getting up to an alarm clock
- the National Parks and to quote Ken Burns: truly America’s best idea! The beauty of these parks astonishing and we have barely scratched the surface of what this country has to offer
- how expensive it is to patch up our “rookie” mistakes (thankfully, all easily fixed)
This past year has been so much fun with so, so, so many memories of fantastic sites, people and places as well as the challenges of living on the road with almost an infinite number of new places to go! It is exhilarating and even though Bill and I are heading back east in a few weeks for a few months in the Islands, we are already planning next year’s adventure. Bring it on!
SEB