Prep

The ball really got rolling with my graduation from work. I did that in March 2021. 

I would have a year of two multi-year camping trips with the Radlers, plus several other week long and long weekend trips with John. It was in this year that we resolved to sell the house and commit to the VanGo lifestyle.  John had already thrown in his teaching career, and wanted to finish up some exciting research that he was doing.  Plus working until 62 when you have as many years with the Government, gave him a 10% pension bump, so it all made sense for him to carry on until at least age 62. 

Meanwhile as 2022 approached, at the homestead, things were flying out of the house fast and furiously, as we readied our four bedroom home to go on the market. All the stuff of thiry-one years at Meadowview Lane was about to make its way into new hands –  some given to  kids and friends, a lot to the Salvation Army, and some sold on Facebook MarketPlace.  We ended up selling our house without a market listing as we told our neighbors that if they wanted to pick their neighbors, they should have them come see us. A nice young couple in Heritage wanted the aces to the park, bigger house and yard that we had, and the deal was made on the back porch, sold as is.  

We had many happy memories on Meadowview Lane and all the photos/videos will bring us back to them, more so than all the stuff that was in the dwelling. We are now minimalist I guess..But we still want comfort and hobbies.

It was all remarkably easy. We were able to move into our friend’s house as they had quite suddenly decided to move to Sacramento without selling their Ridgecrest House due to severe medical situations.  It all worked and we have been living in their furnished house since June of 2022.

My last months have been all prep oriented, not only small additions and enhancements  to Vinny, like deciding where to place the SUP and its pump,  to deciding to buy new lower to the ground chairs so that our quads remain strong as we grow old, and deciding how to keep him polished on the road. 

The biggest undertaking was planning the route for next year as we want to reach the Canadian Rockies  in mid August, Vancouver Island in early September, need to fly to Texas for a wedding in October, so would need to organize a babysitter for Vinny near an airport. We also want to visit Michigan and our east coast family.  Exploring The Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as the Smoky Mountains is also on the way.  I will return to California for the Strawberry Music Festival that I missed last year when my girlfriend broke her hip and shoulder, and also do a week at Fallen Leaf Lake with the Radlers. We have an unplanned November, all the way until Thanksgiving with our kids.   Then Hawaii in December and back to Florida in January to start it all over, quit the VanGo lifestyle, buy a bigger rig, or get an apartment.  

I have divided our travel plans into regions. Each numbered dot represents a campsite or hiking spot or somewhere we plan on stopping. These dots and the places we stop will undoubtedly change along the way to some degree but that’s also in the VanGo Lifestyle.  It’s very annoying that Canada has not announced when it will start taking campsite reservations.   

Great Smoky Mountains

We haven’t quite decided how we are going to get to the Smoky  Mountains, or leave them, but we are for sure going to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Michigan from Ann Arbor there is unplanned activity as we visit family 

Canadian Rockies and Whistler 

Vancouver Island

Olympic Peninsula – must end up with a Vinny Babysitter as we head to a Texas Wedding via Air