It's called freedom........

7:45 am - Monday - March 4th - Wittmann, AZ - 46º F, 87% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the northeast.......cloudy today with a forecast high of 71º F.

For the first time since we arrived home from Flagstaff following my most recent surgery TLE and I left the Wittmann property where we have been residing and met good friends Candy and Steve for an early dinner at 'Wild Horse West', a cash only burger place out in Peoria just off the Carefree Highway, and about 6 miles west of I-17.  Candy and Steve are also RVers, but even before they bought their Class A diesel pusher TLE and Candy were very good friends back in their workaday lives.  They both worked for the same company for years.  As is always the case we try to get together with our friends as we crisscross our country.  Candy and Steve are currently visiting friends in New River, which is not far from 'Wild Horse West', so we made a date to meet them, and I'm glad we waited until Sunday as I do not think I could have physically done it any sooner.....

With Candy and Steve at 'Wild Horse West'

.....we met at 4 pm and were able to snag an alfresco table for our meal.  When we are together with Candy and Steve the time just flies as we catch up on each others travels, and I am always grateful for their friendship.  They were the ones who sponsored us for membership in the Fontana/Rialto Elks Lodge.  By the time we finished our meal it was closing in on 6 pm, and beginning to get a little chilly outside.  I cannot remember the last time we ate a late meal alfresco in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops outside without any winter attire!

Approaching the Newell compound just before sunset Sunday

While we were watching TV Sunday night we received a text from our brother-in-law, Glenn.  He and Laureen, TLE's sister, have been following our journeys for years, and they even flew up to Maine to visit with us this past summer.  Glenn always has lots of questions about our lifestyle, and I could kind of tell this past summer that his interest had gone from mere curiosity to actually considering it for he and Laureen.  Glenn's text indicated he was interested in the 1982 Newell for sale I had written about a few days ago, which totally floored me.  I asked him to rate his interest in buying any RV on a scale of 1-10, 10 being very interested, and he replied with a 7, but only a 2 for Laureen.....she's not sure about being away from home on a full time basis, and I totally understand that as fulltiming is not for everybody, and I get that.  At any rate, the rest of this blog post is for my sister-in-law Laureen.

Whether you commit to living full time in an RV, or only do it part of the year, it is really the lifestyle, in the end, that you are embracing......the freedom to change your view without going through escrow.  Some spend 6 months, or less traveling in an RV each year to escape the winter cold, while others do it to escape the summer heat, depending on where they might call home.  Ultimately what you get from owning, and using an RV is freedom.  Traveling full time, or part time gets you out of your comfort zone, out of the congestion of the big city, and out into rural America where you can hear crickets chirping, coyotes howling, roosters crowing.....life slows down, and you take time to enjoy a beautiful sunrise, or sunset.  You rarely hear horns honking, or sirens, or even that dull, background humming sound of 24/7 traffic. There are very few traffic signals in rural America, and a 'traffic jam' may be just 4, or 5 cars in a row on the highway.  Sometimes you can go miles without seeing another vehicle, or person, or even a STOP sign.  One of my favorite things about rural America are the big, long views you get in the western half of our country, and an overwhelming sense of freedom.  

In the end, though it is the people you meet and befriend along the way that make this lifestyle so rich and fulfilling.  You make friends much more easily, and get to a deeper level with them much more quickly.  As you are traveling you are also following the travels of your friends and when you see your paths may cross you make plans to get together.....it could be 5 years since you last broke bread with them, but when you meet again it is as if no time has passed.  Five years ago we traveled into Alberta, Canada for about a month and met Jim and Gail who were working and living at an RV park in Cochrane, Alberta.  We spent several evenings sitting around a campfire getting to know each other, and became friends.  As of this year they have been traveling and living full time in their 1987 Newell for 12 years.  We have kept in touch, and crossed paths briefly over that 5 years, but this year they came to stay at Tom and Darlene's property for a few days, and I have the chance to spend time talking with Jim in depth several times.....it is as if no time had passed since our last conversations.  There is this immediate connection, and feeling of kinship, and that makes me happy.  I asked Jim if he could ever imagine living in a sticks and bricks home again, and he immediately replied, as I expected.....No!

One of the things you realize pretty quickly when you travel in an RV is you can live pretty nicely with much less stuff, and that is the ultimate freedom!  When you have less stuff to worry about you have more time to enjoy life.  Your wardrobe gets smaller as you find yourself wearing pretty much the same thing everyday.  Sure, you will always have your 'Sunday go to meeting' clothes, but you will rarely need them, or wear them, but when you need them, they are always there.

Owning and maintaining an RV may seem intimidating, but it is really not much different than doing the same with a sticks and bricks home.  Things break, and you fix them.....you become more self sufficient, and that gives you such a sense of freedom.  As time passes you find you can fix most things yourself, and I know you are that kind of person.

I could go on, and on, but I think I've said enough for now.  Life is good, and freedom is wonderful!

Thanks for stopping by!

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