It seems to be a near universal pattern. New nomads want to go everywhere and see everything. Constantly. Then that compulsion fades and we start returning to favorite or convenient places with less time and energy spent seeking the new or moving for the sake of moving. Then some percentage of nomads settle into a cycle of two or three seasonal locations. And another percentage leave the road entirely.
After my commitment to Lou and his property was over I was extremely eager to return to wandering. Yay! No longer stuck in one location! Free to roam!
But a shift had taken place. Whereas I used to get antsy to move along after a couple of days at a location, now I’m happy staying a while in nice places. A week here, a week and a half there, having a little more than a superficial experience.
There are only two things on my schedule. The first is to be with friends in Redmond, Oregon, for Independence Day. The other is to be on Vancouver Island “sometime in July” to meet up with Lou’s sailing buddy and take our friend’s ashes out to sea.
Right now I’m a six-hour drive from my Oregon friends with a week and a half to get there. Things are easy and pleasant here in Arcata, California, and though I’m in no hurry to leave part of my old self is urging me onward. “At least go as far as Crescent City for a few days, then to, like, the Crater Lake area until the 3rd. Yeah? Okay?” Eh, maybe. I’ll see how I feel about it mañana.
You are very observant and accurate. It seems that after 17 years of full time RVing I am entering the 3 or 4 seasonal locations with slower easier travel between them mode. For the next ten years, my main seasonal location is Decatur Alabama, otherwise called Grand kid land, in the summer. However I feel very likely to soon be choosing 3 or 4 other locations for repeat visiting with slower travel speed between them. However not all the cause is just me as some of the great locations are getting too crowded and commercialized to be fun any more, Rockport Texas being one of them for me. But it is still as strong an urge to move on along as it ever was but take it a bit slower. I am almost 78 now and moving fast is not as much of an urge or ability as it was before.
ReplyDeleteAl, Thank you for your contributions to the RV lifestyle. They have been important to my travels.
I beg to differ. I'd grow discouraged as places became familiar and there was nowhere new. The winters were increasingly challenging with fewer places of interest. Then, suddenly, a door would open into another area. Last summer was northern Callifornia and Oregon, an enjoyable respite from the heat of Nevada where Kristen and I hoped to gambol, but it got too hot so we went west to the coast. I stayed, exploring around, until September, I think.
ReplyDeleteI think I ran out of gas in the nick of time. I don't have the money to go to The Balkans, the only area that's been commended. I think you've found the other "door" with urban camping. Watching you develop your technique, I could imagine myself slipping into Seattle to visit China Town, the opera and maybe continue to Vancouver, B.C.
Ashland seemed like an interesting town. Have you been there? It may be getting hot about now, though.
I passed through Ashland while fleeing Grants Pass where I had been stuck a week with steering repairs. It looked like a nice town but I kept moving.
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