A Two Year Adventure

One of the great things about Rv camping is traveling the country and meeting all the terrific people who share my passion for the outdoor lifestyle. Over the years, I've met many people who take their passion for RV camping to an entirely new level: they sell their house, pack their RV and set off to see the country. I've been lucky enough to talk with some of these adventurous souls and hear their story. Here is one such story, from Dee in Phoenix, AZ, who, along with her husband and two young sons, made the dream of RV living a reality for two years.

In her own words:

In 2002, our family embarked on a dream. For years, my husband had talked about giving up his job and traveling the country in our RV. I loved the idea—taking a break from “reality” seemed like a wonderful idea. But I always thought that was something we’d do when we retired—not when our boys were still in preschool! 

But my husband was thrilled with the idea of going when the kids were young. To be honest, though I liked the idea, I didn't want to give up all we had built together.  We were living in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, and had a lovely home in a new neighborhood. I had developed a group very close friends on our street. There were other children for our sons to play with. It was the type of neighborhood I'd always dreamed of living in. Phil, my husband, loved our home and neighborhood, too, but felt that it was the right time for us to have the adventure of a lifetime. He'd just completed his advanced degree, we had plenty of money saved, and he wanted to see the country with our sons before we got too settled.  After much thought, discussion, and planning, we sold the house and left on our adventure. 

When we left my younger son was only 18 months old! I was unsure about the logistics of traveling with a baby still in diapers, but Phil was extremely creative in that regard. We jury-rigged a playpen/crib and made sure both our boys (the oldest was 4) had all the toys, games and resources they would need for those long stretches of driving. Phil and I made sure we, too, had what we needed to keep ourselves occupied. We spent much of our time in the beginning planning the next leg of our trip. Despite knowing that we had all the time we needed, I was still in the habit of trying to rush through to the next thing. Over time, this changed and I learned to take life more slowly and fully enjoy the experience. 

The trip was wonderful! We traveled across the country, stopping where we wanted, spending as much time as we could before moving on to the next place. I prepared history lessons for our older son, who, even though we was young, developed a fascination for the monuments of our coutry similiar to the ones other boys have for dinosaurs! Over the next two years, my husband and I met people just like ourselves who, like us, had opted out of the rat race for a while to enjoy truly living. 

We saw SO MUCH, and honestly, I learned so much. Going to Philadelphia and seeing the Liberty Bell, hearing about Ben Franklin –everything I learned in school started to come back! One of the best parts was sharing the experience with my sons. My oldest boy was full of questions. His eyes lit up when I told him the story of Ben Franklin discovering the power of electricity--with a key tied to a kite string in a rain storm! (I did warn him not to try the same thing himself--'cause one look in his eyes and I knew that's what he was thinking!)

We did one loop in the South, which was hot but awesome! I ALMOST got my fill of antebellum mansions and BBQ. Visiting some of the old mansions took me right back in time to the set of "Gone with the Wind." The people in the South were gracious and friendly.

We looped around a second time in the RV. We went thru the midwest, Chicago, Ohio, Pennsylvania, meeting people and seeing things we never expected to. We traveled east and "did" NYC (awesome), and Washington DC. One of the most incredible, special parts of the trip was our time in Virginia. My Aunt Toni, with whom I'd always been close, had been diagnosed with cancer in her 40s. My husband, sons and I were able to spend a month with her before she passed away. Very special time for all four of us. I will be forever grateful that we were able to spend such quality time with her. 

It was the trip of a lifetime! We homeschooled my oldest son for kindergarten while we were on the road. After two years, my husband and I were ready to rejoin the “real world” after a wonderful adventure. We landed here in Arizona, because we loved it so much.

Our two-year road trip was the highlight of our family’s life! We made memories that will last our whole lives through, and created a special bond in traveling that I know will sustain us through the years ahead. We can’t wait for our next adventure!

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