Fall 2019 Trip Wrap Up

It had been cold for the last five nights and we have run the furnace.  We had an appointment for winterizing Monday so we would need to run the furnace when we got home.  We decided to make sure we had a full propane take.  We were on the road by 8:30.

Crossed into Missouri... one more state until home.

I have basically planned the trip and routes we would take; however, I left the decision of how to get from this KOA to home.  He decided to take I-55 around St. Louis.  When we see these bridges, we know we will soon be in Illinois.

We (basically me) was excited to see this snow.  Decatur has had snows while we were on this trip.  We have had cold temperatures the last few days but no snow.

Here we are...home.  We made it back at 4:00 p.m.  I was on a mission to get as much unloaded so I could do motorhome clean-up tomorrow.  Mission accomplished by 6:30 with the exception of the big closet in the bedroom.   Sunday I finished unloading and cleaning.  Got motorhome winterized Monday and now are waiting for appointment time to put it in storage for winter.  We have never stored the motorhome but felt $30 a month was a bargain and inside storage would lessen wear and tear on it.

We drove the motorhome 3,383 miles and the car 2,209.  We met many nice people and dogs.  As we talked with them we heard their travel stories.  We talked to old-timers, new-timers, part-timers, and workkampers.  One new-timer we met was a young man from California.  Carol was sitting in the driver's seat of the RV one evening and he came to the window and struck up a conversation.  He was traveling in an older Bounder (ours is a Bounder) and wanted to compare notes on the motorhomes.  He was a lawyer and wanted to start out fresh in Georgia.  He sold everything, bought a motorhome and was seeing the country as he relocated to Georgia.  He was traveling with a young man who had been a teacher.  Here were two professional men, quitting their jobs and seeing the USA in a 1995 Bounder.   They reminded me of some of the pioneers we heard about who left the known for the unknown.  We also got to reconnect with old friends like Dena Carvell and Jim and Karen Peyton.  It was great to catch-up with them.

This trip was two days short of seven weeks.   For the last five years we have taken fall trips out west.  John and Family lived in Colorado so we would head that direction and visit with them.  Now that they live in Florida, we changed directions.
The trips we took west gave us jaw-dropping, heart-stopping scenery.  Nothing can top the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and so many other places for beauty.  The vastness of the skies and views gives us memories that put smiles in our hearts and on our faces.

As I think about the trip this year, we still have memories that put smiles in our hearts and on our faces even if our jaws didn't drop or our hearts stop.  Instead, we had great times of reflections on this country, its history, and the sacrifices of so many people before us.  It was good to be reminded the struggles this country has had...the wars for independence and freedom.

One common denominator with all our trips is the fact that we get to spend time with John and Family.  It is wonderful to spend time with them.  This year we went to Disney World with them.  It was a great day.  We also spent Halloween with Katie and Aidan. 

This wraps up our trip.  Looking forward to next years travels...I will probably begin planning in January.