Did It End Too Soon?
Did we make a mistake?
It was a dream turned into reality. It exceeded expectations. It expanded our imagination. It rewarded our willingness to dream.
It came to and END!
When our dream to live on the road and RV full-time became reality, I knew then our time was limited. I vowed to give it at least two years, maybe three? If really fortunate, we could go five. Two years ended up being the magic number and what a crammed pack, amazing, and magical two years it was.
But, end it did, and now I only have memories and photos to remind me of what was once REAL.
I am a firm believer in things happen for a reason, I have years of proof, too many to just be coincidence. It was during our summer stay in our hometown of Anacortes, WA, when an inkling of the idea it-was-coming-to-a-end started poking into my thoughts. As the inkling grew, I knew instinctively I must make a plan and set a date, so I did. I didn’t know the “why”, I just knew to do it. I also knew I better not ignore it.
But first, a few things needed to be settled, places we had yet to visit must be completed, and I wasn’t quite ready to give up our time with Betty Jo (the Airstream.)
The Route to END the Journey
Anacortes to just outside of Portland for a family Celebration of Life. We found a comfortable and delightful RV park next to the Columbia River in Woodland, WA — Columbia Riverfront RV Park.
After the family event, we continued our journey along the Columbia River in Oregon, stopping for the night at a Goat Farm just outside of Boise.
Visiting Moments in LIFE
This final journey included visiting places which were special or had meaning to me from my younger years. Our journey took us into Ogden, UT, where Tony was stationed at the Air Force Base when our children were younger. We explored Wyoming along Hwy 80 and discovered a gem of a park at Curt Gowdy State Park in Wyoming.
We skimmed through Kimball, NE, the place of my birth. We spent an afternoon in downtown Sterling where I spent many of summers with my grandparents.
The highlight was our week with our youngest son in Denver, Colorado where we were lucky to secure a site at Chatfield Dam State Park.
We visited Red Rocks, where Tony and I spent many a nights making out in our teenage years, and actually saw a few concerts. We drove by Tiny Town, a small town that had been around since I was little, and spent a day Fall Color Peeping with our son and our cameras.
Leaving our son and Denver was hard, probably because this journey was turning out to be a trip down memory lane, and knowing it had to end.
We had certain locations planned on this route, besides memory lane, places that we had always wanted to see, so Sands National Park in southern Colorado was our next stop, then off to Taos and Santa Fe.
From there, we ended our trip down memory lane by spending a few days in Clovis, New Mexico. Tony was stationed at the Air Force Base in the late seventies. It was where we spent the first few years of marriage, and both our sons were born. It was the beginning, so it definitely qualified as a must-stop.
Now that our trips down memory lane were complete, we visited Roswell, New Mexico and White Sands National Park.
We spent the winter months in Arizona. Tucson to visit family. Then north to Camp Verde to explore Sedona. We Boondocked in Quartsite. We were dazed by Joshua Tree National Park in California.
Now it was time to make our final trek — east to Florida, our final destination.
We did one more long stop — a week at Big Bend National Park. Then a short stop at the Range Vintage Trailer Park (Airstream park) outside of Dallas, then we wound our way down through Texas, heading to Hwy 10 outside of Houston.
We breezed through Louisiana, spent a few nights in Biloxi, a night outside of Mobile, Alabama, then hit the Panhandle of Florida. It was late February when we arrived into Florida. It was still Snowbird season so finding a place to park was limited. We finally found an opening at Bay Bayou RV park in Tampa starting in March. This was our first RV park in Florida in 2021, when we first started, it seemed appropriate to close a circle (chapter) by making it our last RV park.
It was here where it would end. The end was bittersweet. It took us a few months to locate the right buyer for Betty JO (the Airstream) and I let her go knowing she was going to be well loved.
It has been six months now since we ended our journey with the Airstream. The inkling, which started this process, turned out to be a heart attack for my husband just a few days before we closed on our next home. I know in my heart we made the right decision, but it was (and still is) difficult.
I feel gratitude for the time we did have, yet I have moments of regret about having to end it so soon. I have so many days where I want to sell it all and start again.
Did we end it too soon? Most days, my answer would assuredly be, “YES.”
Did we make a mistake? Some days, but then I remember the “inkling” and I know we did the right thing. Could we have continued? Eventually, probably, but there is always that BUT, what if we hadn’t listened to the “inkling?” That’s an answer I just as soon not find out, especially if I had ignored it and was wrong. If I ignored it this time, it could have been fatal.
