As this is written, Easin’ Along has been off the road for one night after a tremendous experience of traveling across the country in a rented RV we named Sherman. There will be much more to follow in future posts, but I’m just a little jet-lagged at the moment, so I’m going to hit a highlight or two and tease a few pictures in hopes that readers will return soon. Please subscribe in the box to the right and you will know when updates are posted. For now, I wanted all to know that we’re ok, and that Sherman has returned to his stable. We miss him already.
In February of this year, I began looking into the possibility of taking some of our retirement road trips in an RV or a motor home. My interest was spurred after we spent a week in Panama City, Florida in a cabin that was adjacent to the RV Park on the Navy Base there. We met several campers who loved the lifestyle and spoke glowingly of the advantages of owning a vehicle that could house them wherever they chose for a vacation spot.
Although I was not certain that I wanted another “house” to look after, I was intrigued by the possibility of taking at least one retirement road trip in an RV at some point in the future to sample the lifestyle and report back to Easin’ Along readers on the results. A friend suggested that I look into renting an RV from Cruise America as a way to do this. When I began the research, I had no plans to take this on until later in the year, but I found a deal on the Cruise America website that I couldn’t resist. The deal was that if I agreed to relocate a new RV from Chicago to Los Angeles, I could do so at a very low cost. The stipulation was that I had to do it soon…as in the next week, and get it there within 17 days.
I was all in right away, but I wasn’t so sure that Helen (adorable wife) would be. Further research told me that the drop-off point was about twenty miles from our son’s home in Southern California and when I let her know that, she was all in as well. This was a spur-of-the-moment road trip…the best kind.
The RV was picked up in Chicago and driven to our home in Tennessee, loaded up with a few supplies and some cooking utensils and a coffee maker we bought from a thrift shop that we could leave behind. We took off for points west. We named the RV Sherman and Sherman was going to the sea…specifically the Pacific Ocean.
All of the above has been written before on Easin’ Along, but for new readers, I wanted to repeat a few details because over the next several weeks Easin’ Along will highlight much about our stops along the way. To say that we had fun would be a huge understatement. The road less traveled took us to some amazing places in this beautiful country of ours and we can’t wait to share them with all who care to follow along.
Already we’ve let you in on our good luck in Shreveport, LA where we had complimentary hotel rooms for one night and avoided a big storm. We’re also going to tell you about our trip through the charming Texas town of Corsicana and our tour of the Collin Street bakery and our overnight stop in Fort Worth. Our visit to San Angelo, Texas was great and we loved the meal we picked up from Packsaddle BBQ (quite the treat). White Sands, New Mexico is both beautiful and fascinating and our trip to the White Sands National Monument gave us many pictures to share. After that, it was on to Albuquerque, NM and a trip up the Sandia Mountains in a tram for astounding panoramas of the city and beyond. We also stayed in the area for the purpose of visiting Santa Fe for shopping and sampling the food—big fun!
Dead Horse Ranch near Cottonwood, AZ was a favorite and the only state park on our itinerary. We learned a great lesson about RV travel and the need to plan for using parks more often on the next trip (and there will be the next trip). There’s plenty to be said about Vegas, our next stop, except that luck was with us again. This is another story that added greatly to the adventure. Finally, we made it to California and gathered the family for a few days of camping on the beach at Point Mugu, NAS which is north of Malibu. This beautiful setting gave us a beach almost to ourselves (except for the seals) and it was a wonderful way to unwind and share the experience with loved ones.
We’ll fill in all of the details in future posts as well as post some great pictures which will help to tell the story. This trip, though quick, was one to remember and proves once again that retirement is still one helluva gig, especially when you can spend it Easin’ Along…
Glad you are home safely! Can’t wait to hear the details!
We’ll roll out details on each stop over the next few weeks. Please come back and join us. This was a lot of fun for an old Tennessee hillbilly!
Now image… a bit larger of an RV, surrounded by all YOUR stuff, and able to meander at will – welcome to my world. Not a bad gig, huh! I look forward to hearing more about your stops
That’s a great world to live in. We had a wonderful trip and will do it again. We were in places where I truly wished for your photography skills because the beauty of the southwest is staggering and I wanted to capture it as best I could. We will share our adventure in the days ahead, so please come back. We’re a little jet lagged and need to get reorganized, but that won’t take long. Have a great time in Arizona…we loved Dead Horse Ranch!
Hi, Joe – I was sure that I had subscribed to your blog by email–and just discovered that I am not. I have just subscribed again – fingers crossed I am in this time.
It sounds like you and Helen had an amazing trip. I can’t wait to read more!
Donna, We had an extremely memorable experience taking Sherman to the Sea. This was one of those things we had always talked about doing and finally had it come together – quickly. Thanks for subscribing…proud to have you Easin’ Along with us.