Daily Blog: A 2 Year Adventure
CHANGE OF COURSE:
After just over a year and a half of traveling and living in an RV we have come to the end of this journey. It was a great adventure. Places were explored, great people were met, some incredible food was eaten, and some I wish I hadn’t. There were lessons learned and new ways of seeing things. Most of all memories were made.
Our adventure came to a halt on the South Carolina, Georgia border. The weather is warm, and the cities are beautiful with years of history to explore. From Charlston SC. To Savanna GA. We fell in love with the area.
Things will be picking up as our next adventure begins. Lots of changes are coming.
LANDED:
Twenty-one months, countless sunrises and sunsets, from the Pacific Northwest to the Majestic Yosemite. Stretching to the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west, the Florida Keys to the south, and a splash of Maine. Thousands of miles to see breathtaking views, mind blowing estates, to experience tasty foods from different cultures, and some not so appealing. We were blessed to have great conversations with some incredible people, learn history of many places of this beautiful country, while dipping our toes into the Pacific, Atlantic, and The Gulf.
When the dust started to settle and we felt our journeys winding down the next step was to figure out where we wanted to be. After visiting many places, and trying to figure out what we liked, we realized it’s not where we wanted to be but where we didn't want to leave. That brought us to Georgia! Georgia, where the weather is mostly warm. The price of living is reasonable, great foods, rich in history, and one of the most haunted states with Savannha being ranked #1. We chose Georgia as our home. .
SETTLING IN:
Ok we’ve landed! Now what? Since we were on the road for nearly 2 years we have no stuff. And the stuff we have is nearly 3,000 miles from here. How in the worlds tarnation are we going to get our stuff from there to here, when we’re here? Well, let me tell you. It was super simple. We flew for two days, then drove another half of a state, then drove for four days! This involved staying overnight in an airport, being sleepless, setting up a wedding, loading a 26’ U-Haul, with car in tow, and visiting friends. Not to mention leaving four large fur babies with one chaperone in an unfamiliar empty house for 9 days! Yep, that was fun!
That journey had ups and downs, twists and turns. Now that we got our stuff here, we still had an empty house. No bed, no furniture, no table and chairs. You get the picture. The slow accumulation of furnishing a home began.
CHECK LIST:
Just over a month later we are getting settled in. Got a bed to sleep on, somewhere to set, and somewhere to work. My art studio is pretty much a go. Now for the balance between knocking out art, daily living, yard work, random repairs, well there’s always something. My list of art projects is about as long as my list of to do’s. Just have to put the nose to the grindstone and push on. That’s nothing new; I have been doing that for about four years now. From the day we decided to have an adventure we have been living pretty fast. We were setting in our comfy chairs one day being complacent, saw something on the tv and that started a conversation that went like this…..
THE LITTLE IDEA:
We were setting in our comfy chairs one day being complacent, saw something on the tv and that started a conversation that went like this…… One day we will do that! Hit the road, travel, see places. Well just like most, that day will never come. Except for this day one sentence was tossed out there. Why Not Us? And so, the planning began, downsizing, storage options, strategizing. After nearly 30 years of marriage who knew one could accumulate so much stuff. There are always those little cubbies that stuff get stashed away in, you know for that rainy day that never happens. Well 2 years later, squaring away our belongings, selling our house, setting up RV’s, we were off. Oh, this is going to be great! Yeah, not so fast! There’s always going to be those speed bumps and potholes to deal with. The first pothole.
THE FIRST BUMP:
Our house was officially sold! Cars were sold and in the process of being stored. The first task was to make it to our first destination, Goldendale. With one car in tow, another RV following and the final rig to be stored. With a quick stop along the way for a drink with an old friend, after a couple night’s stay we carried on, making it to Goldendale without any hiccups. After a few days of getting the rest of our things in order, and gathering those last supplies, we were off. Our first destination, the Oregon Coast, LOOKING GOOD SO FAR! Just a few miles out of Astoria I heard what sounded like a shotgun. I’ve heard this sound before, while driving truck. Blew a tire, my passenger outside dually had given up the ghost. Just out of the gate, not even 3 hours into the journey. This wasn't a speed bump; this is a pothole. Yep, it’s going to be an adventure. So, we found this quaint little dirt spot on the corner of an intersection, all snuggled where the local log trucks come to sleep. After sleepless night, and an early alarm with log truck engines. We promptly got on the phone tracking down tires and talked to our insurance co. that had wrong information, telling us we are not in the RV we bought. They wouldn’t help us because we couldn't describe the RV, they said we had. Most of the morning was going around and around with these knuckle heads. Finally, we were back on the road headed to Les Schwab in Astoria. And then there’s pothole #2…...
