People who are not RVers seldom comprehend the lifestyle appeal.  Perhaps only those who are living it and enjoying it, understand.  For me and for most RVers, the seeing and experiencing of new places and adventures is the main drawing card but add to that the meeting of new people and making friends and you get the bigger picture.

For instance, I recently had a delightful daylong visit from the Van Aukens from California. We’ve kept in touch through Christmas letters (Now you know why I like those!), and rare visits during their vending days at Quartzsite.  We exchanged “You didn’t!” and “Have you ever been to…” traveling and family stories.  We met in a parking lot in Connecticut in the late 1980s.

Arline (Chandler) & Lee Smith were in the SKP campground for a week. Arline and I are both writers and we taught seminars at Life on Wheels so poor Lee didn’t have a chance in the conversation department.  The women did the whole service on Presbyterian Women’s Sunday that we attended.  Since the pastor is part of the praise band that plays ahead of the service, Pastor Paul fit right in by wearing a wig and a skirt.  My Baptist friends got a kick out of it, too.

God Bless until next time.

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

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On 9/11/2001, I landed via ferry at Juneau, Alaska, about six hours after the attack.  During that week, I missed much of what was reported on the news.  I had never heard the story that Tom Brokaw reported recently of Gander International Airport and the incredibly generous people of Newfoundland.  Two hundred and forty flights were rerouted to Canada, 39 to Gander during the freezing of US airspace on 9/11/01.  If you did not see this, find it on the Internet.  It is an amazing and heartwarming story of people who were being the best they could be when our country was attacked by those who were being the worst they could be.

For two nights and three days following 9/11, approximately 7,000 marooned and frightened passengers and flight crews with no luggage and therefore no clothes, prescriptions, etc. were processed, fed, housed, clothed, and comforted by kindhearted and compassionate “Newfies.”  Even striking school bus drivers came back to work to drive these unexpected visitors wherever they needed to go.  The stories are many and extremely interesting.

My experience with Gander International Airport was in June of 1998.  I watched a video from 12/12/1985.  A DC-8 landed for refueling on a journey from peacekeeping duties in the Middle East to a destination at Fort Campbell, KY for Christmas.  On takeoff, it crashed and the 248 American soldiers, mostly from the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, plus 8 crewmembers, were killed.  That story also told of the amazing cooperation and compassion between Canada and the United States.  A Silent Witness Memorial at Gander commemorates “the precise moment when 256 dreams ended and the hearts and imaginations of an entire world were captured.”  

These are only two stories involving our friends with whom we share the world’s longest undefended border.  There are many.  God Bless until next time.

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            Did you hear the Canadians sing their national anthem?  At every medal presentation, the Canadians really sang out.  I couldn’t hear anyone singing when the Americans received medals.  Are we not teaching our children and grandchildren our national anthem?  When I have had occasion to sing it, it is usually more of a solo.  Sometimes people join in if I am singing it loud enough to cover their voices…and I usually am.

            I noticed fewer emotions when their country’s flags were raised.  That has always been such a passionate moment for the medal winner representing any country.  But that’s o.k., I had happy tears for each one I watched, no matter from where they hailed.  I contributed sad tears and prayers for the one who was killed, for the one who was gravely injured training for the Olympics and thankfully recovering, and for the one who lost her mother just before her competition. 

Surprisingly, I have enjoyed all the various venues, including the snowboarding.  However, I realize that I need to bone up on their terminology.  When they did a “Corkscrew,” I thought they were going to jump out of a bottle.  Instead, it is “a sideways rotation.”  My grandson eats “Pop Tarts” for breakfast, but in this case, it is “an aerial move where the rider goes up backwards and lands going forward.”  In my book, a “wet cat” is not “a 900-degree McTwist,” it is a very angry, smelly feline.  Oh well, it takes time to learn a new language.

God bless until next time.      

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

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Wow!  What excitement this week with the Winter Olympics and finally, something worthwhile to watch on TV.  I was thrilled with the opening ceremony as I hope you all were.  You weren’t watching?  Why?  I have to admit I am not usually a sports fan but during the last few years, I have really enjoyed the Winter and Summer Olympics.  I have my favorites, including Apolo Ohno who won a silver medal, Hannah Kearney who won gold, and the pairs figure skating.  Love the design of the medals also.

Although I normally root for the U. S. teams, my heart thrilled when Alexandre Bilodeau won the Olympic gold for the men's moguls freestyle skiing, the first medal won by a Canadian on Canadian soil.  Over twenty years I have traveled a great deal in the Provinces and Territories of Canada.  It is a beautiful, friendly country. I was also thrilled watching the men’s downhill racing.  Maybe I just like speed!  As a mother, I also liked Alexandre when he immediately went over and gave his big brother a bear hug.  Big brother has MS and Alexandre says his brother has been a major inspiration in his life.

We so often see, read, and hear so much bad stuff about our youth.  It is wonderful to hear about the good ones, there are a lot of them out there.

God Bless until next time.

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

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            The weather is really crazy.  My daughter in VA, four hours from D.C., was snowed in last weekend for the third time this winter and possibly, it is going to happen again this weekend.  In the meantime, beautiful Vancouver, B.C. is moving snow from the high country to lower elevations for the Winter Olympics.  I don’t know about you but I will be glued to the TV for the Olympics, especially the opening ceremonies.

            If you have never been to that part of B.C., make that a priority in your travels.  I absolutely loved the Sea to Sky Highway, also called Highway #99.   On one of my trips south from Alaska, I drove the highway Sky to Sea starting at Lillooet and I think that would be my preference.  It has everything, lakes, streams, waterfalls, and numerous provincial parks, recreations areas, private resorts and campgrounds.

It is a good paved road (finally finished in 1995) winding through the mountains with 6 to 15% grades.  Considering the Winter Olympics, I’m sure they have built a more accommodating road between Vancouver and Whistler.  Whistler is another Aspen or Vail and traffic is thick winter and summer.  As you get closer to Vancouver, you’ll be driving along the spectacular Howe Sound, North America’s southernmost fjord. Of all the roads I’ve RVed through the years, I think the 209 miles of the Sea to Sky Highway is at the top of the list for spectacular beauty.

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

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Living with pine trees, sand dunes and within a half hour of Lake Michigan for a sliver under fifty years, it is quite amazing to have a permanent home in Arizona’s high desert.  I never gave any thought to an “Exit Plan” but I bought this property in the early 90s when I was still very much adventure bound. Ya just never know!

North Ranch Escapees Rainbow RV Park is a two-mile square property at 3000’, with 436 deeded lots and a 111-site RV campground.  Most land owners were full-time RVers at one time and maybe a third have settled in full time. Others are extended-time RVers.  A decidedly eclectic group (would you expect anything less from RVers), we have stick, straw-bale, and manufactured housing on 1/3-acre lots, with some park models on 50’ X 70’ RV lots.  RVs are also used for living quarters or parked at the ready for easy escape (thus Escapees).

My lot is in the shadow of the 400+ year old saguaro that lives in Saguaro Park.  This garden is at the edge of a huge basin that has a canal leading to it from the desert.  When it rains, at least for a half hour, those living on the basin have waterfront property. Narrow canals throughout the park connect two large basins that handle this rare rain accumulation. The park’s ancient mesquite tree shades my back deck. 

The park is filled with desert plants, native trees, bunnies, quail, birds, occasional javelina and coyotes, and very rarely, a mountain lion or bobcat (and probably far more rattlers than we ever see!).  Five miles away the Weaver and Bradshaw Mountains lead into Arizona’s high country with occasional snow to define their beauty.  I am blessed and I wish you blessings, too.  Until next time.

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

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Every RVer should experience the madness of Quartzsite, Arizona in January.  It is usually at its craziest during the Annual Sports, Vacation, and RV Show. This giganticus tent has booths both inside and out. They are filled with RV aftermarket products, cooking demonstrations, and vacation destination hype. You name it and you’ll probably find it there…if you can fight your way through the crowd.  However, even that is part of the experience. If you have been in the RVing world for a while, you are almost guaranteed to run into (maybe crowd into) someone you know. They will either be fighting the crowd as you are, or if they want room to breathe, they’ll be running a booth!

A friend here at N. Ranch drove over for his first Quartzsite experience. He wasn’t impressed and probably will never go again. But then, he didn’t “experience” Quartzsite. There is a difference. While the tent is crowded and it takes a lot of energy to visit all the various exhibit areas like Main Arena, Tyson Wells, and Rice Ranch, it is really the RVs circling around campfires and visiting old friends out in the desert that make this the fun event it has been for so many years.

But I’m not going to tell you all about all of it here.  I’ll write either a RV Life column or an article about it before it is time to go next year.  God Bless until next week.

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

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Driving my private car sixty miles on good paved roads through the mountains,  I dropped my garbage and recycling off at a dump station, picked up my mail, and sent books to the far reaches of my country.  After seeing my private doctor (paid for by insurance), I visited a hardware store. Next, I went to Costco, a wholesale membership warehouse where I had the tires checked on my private vehicle and filled the gas tank. I bought “necessities,” black and color cartridges for my privately owned printer.  I bought 8-packs of various vegetable soups and a huge pack of hamburger I would later divide and put into my private freezer.

I continued to Wal-Mart and after buying 1 ½ dozen fresh eggs, fresh fruits, and other goodies, managed to lock my keys in the car.  Very disgusted with myself, I called AAA. As I stood waiting for my private insurance intervention, I looked around.  If I turned 360 degrees, within my vision were a major shopping center with a tire, optical, and grocery store, one-hour photo, a bank, three restaurants, two car dealerships, a huge furniture store, and a McDonald’s fast food.

Standing in the fresh mountain air, I watched cart after cart filled with food and supplies being pushed through the parking lot to private vehicles like mine. And I thought, how privileged we are and rarely stop to think about it.  Five days later, a major earthquake hit Haiti, a country where they cannot even fathom our kind of privileges.  Even if you have very little, consider giving something to The Salvation Army or any organization you consider safe.  God Bless until next time.

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

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            I started the New Year really well.  I didn’t break any New Year’s resolutions because I didn’t make any but I did almost break my leg.  It comes under the heading, Dumb Moves.  I tried to reach a Christmas decoration that I missed taking down earlier and stepped on an unstable table.  I fell through it and hit the window but the good news is that I didn't fall through the window or break my leg.  I was going for a check-up the next day anyway and since the gash in my foot was in a place I couldn't see (doesn't that always happen when you are alone), she pronounced it good for another 50 years (even if I'm not) and hopefully it will get less tender over the next few days.

            Last night my dear and only neighbors invited me to a Happy Hour which ended up with a super fire (in a flyaway free container) using some of the still-packaged wood I brought back from Virginia.  Love campfires.

            I’m headed over to the Quartzsite Madness tomorrow.  Since I didn’t go last year, I’ll try to peruse it all again and see if I can find something new and exciting.  That excitement will probably be more in the realm of seeing old friends but then that has always been what Quartzsite is all about, reconnecting with people.  I’ll tell you a little about that next week.  God Bless until next time.

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

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            Happy New Year!  The weather news from the NW and the SE and MI is such that I won’t even tell anyone about 60 something temps here at 3,000’ in Arizona.  I don’t get any sympathy and I’m not shoveling it so I think I will keep the whining to a minimum!  Actually, with a vest over my sweatshirt and the sun shining, it is just about perfect.

            Friend John helped me put the lights up in early December, and take them down a couple of days ago.  Everything Christmas is packed from both inside and out and I have actually found a place for all the storage boxes.  Some vacuuming in the house and my office plus some scrubbing of my office carpets and I will be good to get back to the computer.

            Now is the time to start the dreaming portion of plans for next summer.  Since I no longer have an RV, I am somewhat limited but there are other possibilities.  I’d absolutely love to housesit somewhere in the NW or Alaska or Ireland, Wales, Australia, New Zealand, etc. etc. etc.  Ah, the dreaming is almost the best part!  But back to work.  I have a program to give on Alaska this Sunday and one in February.  Guess I’d better get busy!

            This picture is the view from my 3 X 6’ office window on a rare stormy day.

God Bless until next time.

Web site:  www.full-time-rver.com

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