How This Adventure Began

Thus far my blog has been mostly pictures with captions so I thought I would give everyone a break from the pictures and do a posting with just words.  I do hope you have enjoyed the blog thus far.  There are many more pictures and stories to share, so please do return to my blog occasionally to see what is new and perhaps look through the previous postings if you wish to do so.

So how did this all start, the decision to do full time RVing? I was impressed by a customized minivan done by Paul Sherry in Piqua, Ohio.  Someone I knew had bought one and invited me to look inside.  Now this was way back in the 70s so you have to consider the setting.  I was in high school and all of my classmates were just at the point of getting their learning permits and drivers licenses. When I saw inside the minivan the first thing I noticed was a fridge, stove, sink, and then the bed and entertainment system.  This custom minivan really rocked and I told myself one day I was going to get one of these.

My mind went on and on thinking about how the custom minivan could fit into my life.  Of course back then, while in high school, it would have been to take it to get togethers and invite friends inside to party, but I was never able to afford one of them as a teenager.  I was lucky to get my first car given to me by my older brother.

Nothing was really handed down to me other than clothes and small items with little or no value other than sentimental things, so this car my brother gave me was a 65 Plymouth Fury III. My brother was headed overseas for a military assignment and couldn't take the car with him.  The car was actually purchased by my Dad a few years earlier from the original owner.  Dad gave the car to my brother when he bought a newer car.

Next thing I know it was time to "see the world" as the military recruiters and TV ads would boast. Since most of my older siblings went into the military it seemed only logical that I would do the same to get free from the roost of home, away from the apron strings, away from the little town I lived in, to meet new people and see new places. One of the benefits from going into the military was getting my college paid for, something my parents could not afford.

So my adventures began.  Off to basic training in the Air Force. When I arrived at the airport in San Antonio the drill instructor showed up to pick us up. As we were bussed off to Lackland AFB we were all asking ourselves what did we get into here?

Basic training was cut short by one week because Christmas was coming up so we did a 6 week basic training course in 5 weeks.  We didn't get to have a town pass because that normally comes during the 6th week of basic.  So I didn't get to go to the River Walk nor the Alamo in San Antonio.  It wasn't until years later when my step son was finishing up basic training in the Air Force and got his town pass that I went back with his mother to see him, that we toured San Antonio, the River Walk and the Alamo.

So what does this have to do with "How This Adventure Began"? If I have kept you reading this long it really seems you enjoy my writing.  If so, please let me know.  If not, then please let me know so I may make some adjustments if your feedback is constructive.

Off onto my various assignments in the Air Force. While I was only stationed at two bases after basic and technical training I took notice of the RVs people had and thought how cool it would be one day to travel North America in one of those, meeting local people and enjoying the lifestyle.

As you can see by my previous blog postings which are below this one, we started out via tent camping. My sons and I did tent camping and fishing quite a bit in our earlier years so I was comfortable with the tent camping.

It wasn't until I met Debbie that we moved from tent camping to RV camping. She saw how comfortable the people in the RVs were and said she would like to get a RV since it seemed to have everything inside for creature comfort and we could still enjoy the campfires and being outdoors. 

I told her I thought that was a great idea and let her know about my dream to travel the country to see the sights and meet different people along the way.  It's actually my way to know more about the people of America that I put my life on the line for while in the Air Force.  Not just me, but most of my siblings because out of all of my siblings we were either in the military or was married to someone who was in the military.

You can see the pattern of our progress towards full time RVing within this blog. You will also see that it is very popular these days with the COVID pandemic because a lot of people are selling their houses and moving into RVs so they don't have to take planes and deal with airports taking the risk of catching COVID by being around such a mass of people from who knows where.

The fact that a lot of people are going full time RVing or just purchasing an RV to avoid the hotels/motels and airports has created some difficulty for us though as we try to match up my Wife's travel nursing with available campsites.  People are planning out 6 months to a year in advance and making reservations. We don't find out where we are going to go next until around 6 weeks, halfway through a normal 13 week tenure of my Wife's contract assignments as a travel nurse.  As a result, sometimes we have to rent a campsite and an Air BnB since the campsite is farther away than a comfortable commute to and from the hospital my Wife is working at.  So the pandemic has thrown a monkey wrench into our plan, but we will keep at it until my Wife decides to retire.  Once that happens we can plan 6 months to a year ahead like everyone else does.

Eventually we might grow tired of traveling in a RV and decide to buy a condo, but for now, here we are sharing stories, pictures, and life events with you.

Speaking of life events, I retired on 1 January 2022 so we could take off on this full time RVing adventure.  I hope you enjoy the blog.  If so please let us know.