Year Five Summary

THE LIST..............................YEAR 3.......YEAR 4.......Year 5
Motorhome Miles.....................9,070............9,576......11,209
Average Miles Per Day..................24.85...........26.2..........30.6
Average Trip................................162...............184..........180
Gallons of Diesel Fuel...............1173.05........1179.93...1467.75
Average Cost Per Gallon.................3.11..............3.46.........3.86
CRV Miles..............................11,949..........11,517........8776
Bicycle Miles...............................149..............119...........180
Camp Sites.....................................56................52.............62
Average Nights in Each...................6.5...............7.0............5.9
Number of Frosty Nights..............few.......too many......very few
Number of Windy, Stormy Days...few.....way too many...very few
Number of States(Provinces).........17 (5)...........27(3).......17(4).
National Parks & Monuments.......11.................34............25
Blog Posts....................................100................62.............79
Days of Exercise (Jim).................173.............173............161
Days of Exercise (Nanc)..............234.............240............223
Number of haircuts (Jim).................0................ 0...............0
Old & New Friends & Family..Priceless...Priceless....Priceless

I remember when we first started this adventure that has become our way of life. We would be in awe when we meet someone who had been on the road for five years. Well, be in awe because that is now us. It is really hard to grasp the many places we have visited, the experiences we have had and, of course, the great times spent with family and friends. In many ways our life has become a routine of daily activities that is not much different from everyone elses. We sleep in the same bed, eat at the same table and are very comfortable with our little house. The big difference is what we see when we look out the window changes regularly. One morning we may see a moose or an elk, another we may see a soaring mountain or a Great Lake and, once in a while, it may just be a few early morning Walmart shoppers. Regardless of where we are or what we are doing, it continues to be more fantastic than we ever imagined.

We started year five in Wisconsin and, appropriately, it ended in Michigan with Richard and Valerie whom we met at our first Escapade in 2007. Most of the year was spent west of the Mississippi while traveling in 17 states and four provinces. We put 11,209 miles on Opus, which is the most we have travelled in any year. We stayed in 62 places at an average daily cost of $15.97. While we spent more for fuel than in any year, this is the least we have spent on RV parks. We were forced to stay in motels for five days while our rig was being repaired. We had our longest stay in five years, three months in Mesa, and were at Betty's for more than two months. Ten times we had stays of six to fourteen days. And nineteen times we only spent one night, with ten of those being freebies. We added North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Hawaii, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario to the states and provinces we have visited since hitting the road. That means we have been to 49 states (49^th awaits) and 10 of 13 provinces. We visited 26 national parks and monuments in both the US and Canada. The parks are still at the top of the list when anyone asks what do you like best. That said, our vacation to Hawaii was the high point of year five. Understand, just because your house is on wheels does not mean our life is one long vacation. We still have to do the usual dusting, scrubbing and cleaning inside. And the unusual, like using the stinky slinky to empty the sewer tanks, washing the roof and waxing our house on the outside. Besides Hawaii, some of this year's more memorable stops included Taliesin, the Black Hills, Yellowstone, getting to fly in an hot air balloon for the first time, Betty's induction as a Living Legend, the JFK assassination site, Ojo Calienta Spa, Taos Pueblo, Santa Fe, Charles Russell Museum, Banff, Jasper and traveling some of our '82 bike trip route. There are also always those interesting roadside oddities like the World's Largest Buffalo, the Enchanted Highway, Wall Drug, Four Corners, Big Island coral graffiti, the Desert Bar, the Pink Store, Carhenge and the World's Tallest Tepee. Not every place is, or deserves to be, a national monument. Surely one of the strangest things that happened this year was finding the name of a former student in the Bumsteers edition of Texas Monthly magazine. Seems she skipped bail in Texas so she could take a job with the courts in WashPA. Sometimes truth is weirder than fiction. The guilty shall remain unnamed.

Visiting with family and seeing old and meeting new friends continues to be a highlight of traveling. My brother and sister-in-law, Rick and Denise, along with friends, Mike and Sherri, stayed with us for extended visits. We had that chance encounter with friends, John, Patrice, Ron and Becky, for two minutes in Montana. We got to spend a day with Michelle and Keith, Nanc's sister and brother-in-law, in Sedona, had lunch with friends, Dave and Sarah, in Minnesota and and with Larry and Amy in Albuquerque. During our visits with friends, Linda and Mike and Sharon and Alan in Arizona, Jim and Bobbie in Colorado, Leland and Cathy in Montana, Gary and Anita in Winnipeg, Tony and MaryBeth and Richard and Valerie in Michigan, we got to know them better while they served as personal tour guides showing us around their neck of the woods. What better way to get the inside story than from a local. How about crossing paths with friends, Mark and Renita, in North Dakota, Wyoming, Arizona, Texas and Montana after not seeing them for two years. We made many new friends during our three months in Mesa (Keith and Loraine, Rene and Suzanne, Dick and Lyn, whom we look forward to seeing again in '13 in Mesa) and really enjoyed the hospitality of the ballooning Liberti family. And there were the big events like the Escapade, Balloon Fiesta, Class of 07 Reunion, and extended stays in Mesa and at Betty's where we gathered with more friends, old and new, than we can list here.

This year was not without its disappointments and not getting to go to Alaska tops the list.  That said, some of the items on the list of highlights that would not be there had we gone north. The other BIG $$$$$ issue was our on-going struggle with the RV repairs. I'm convinced that Cummins in Houston just took the easy way out, charging us to repair the first thing that popped up on the computer and not looking for the root of the problem. Of course, I have no proof but I do believe it was an electrical problem all along and the turbo did not really need replacing. I also added to my stupid list when I got Opus stuck in a dry wash at Quartsite. Thankfully, I was rescued by several VERY helpful follow RVers who all pitched in and got us out. The other stupid list items in five years were backing into a tree in California and driving through ocean water on the Outer Banks after a storm. Hopefully, I am getting smarter and these will be the only events on that list.

Looking ahead we already have reservations for more than a quarter of year six. We are heading to WashPA for a couple of months of family, friends, doctors, dentists, family and friends. We have reservations on the Outer Banks in October and then are heading to Florida where we will be spending the holidays with friends and family before going to the Keys for January. Then it is back to our second home at Betty's for another extended stay. Next spring we want to drive the Great River Road up the Mississippi with a stop in New Orleans for the music festival before heading back to WashPA for a summer visit. As we prove almost weekly, if not daily, all these plans are written in sand so the tide may wash them away. Always remember, Life is Good, so Laizzez les Bon Temps Rouler.