Seeing America - bit by bit

"Then what exactly is an RV summer? It is your home away from home. It is seeing new people, doing new things, and most of all - relaxing. Are we good at this RV thing yet? No, but we are learning new stuff every time we use it. And that - is the name of the game." 

I have mentioned this before. When I was in the work-a-day world, I traveled a lot. Did I mention "a lot"? My joke was I had become very good at recognizing clouds from the top down. I traveled over a million miles just on NWA alone. And that was only one of the many airlines I flew. It was fun for the first 20 years, tolerable for the next 10 years, and dreadful after 9/11. When I retired, I still wanted to travel, but I wanted to see the clouds from the bottom up.

When I retired, my wife and I did our share of travel. Mostly by car (truck), and some by cruise. It was good, lots of novel places. But staying in motels and eating out all the time gave me flashbacks of my flying days. That is when we decided to take a trip off the wide side and join the RV generation.

Were we a bit old to jump into this pool for the first time at our age? Oh, yes. At least, that is what we thought. However, when the oceans of different RVs and others pull into the campground, there is simply a collage of people. All ages, all sizes, from states near and far. What are they driving or pulling? You name it. Just when we think we have seen it all, comes another camping vehicle which we have not seen before. 

We have met part-timers, seasonals, weekend warriors, and the granddaddy of them all - the full-timers. The full-timers are nomads who go from state to state, climate to climate, from mundane locations to vibrant tourist attractions. They own nothing, save for the stuff they can shove in their RV. 

With all the travel I have done, with all the family vacations we had when the kids were young, and all the travel my wife and I did once retired, this RV thing is a horse of a distinct color. Is it fun? So far, yes. Interesting? Very much so. But the bonus is seeing America, bit by bit. Talking to others who are fresh off the trail of seeing other parts of America. 

But what about motels and restaurants? What about them? They are okay for a while. But to be in your own domicile with wheels, cook your own meals either on the grill or in the RV kitchen - now that is fun and different. 

Then what exactly is an RV summer? It is your home away from home. It is seeing new people, doing new things, and most of all - relaxing. Are we good at this RV thing yet? No, but we are learning new stuff every time we use it. And that - is the name of the game.