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29 Apr

The Story of Us

This is the story of us–Bob and Susan.

The
Willamette Week ad read, “Hank Rearden type seeks Dagny Taggart type to
help find Atlantis.” The author is Ayn Rand and the book “Atlas
Shrugged.”

I was
married twice before, had a baby from my second marriage, and swore off
men after my second divorce. Swearing off men lasted about 18 months.
It was time to date again. Bars were no
use, I didn’t want to marry a cheater or drinker. (Not to say that’s the only type of men in bars.)

Plan B: local newspaper personal ads (this was before the internet). I
don’t know why I didn’t think I’d find cheaters or drinkers in
newspaper ads as opposed to bars. My success was much greater. I met
super nice guys but didn’t hit it off with any of them. They would make
good friends, but I wanted a deeper relationship.

Until,
that is, I saw Bob’s ad (above). I thought, “HE sounds like the man I’m
looking for.” At the time, I was reading “Atlas Shrugged” for the
second time. I sent off a letter in response to the ad. He called me a
few days later. Our phone conversation went like this:

“Hi, I’m Bob. You responded to my ad in Willamette Week. Tell me more about yourself.”

I
responded by telling him I’m an independent thinker, a rebel, a mother
who works full time, who enjoys dancing, hiking, playing cards, reading,
photography.

He then brought out his list of interview questions:

  • What kind of music do you like? 
  • Who are your favorite bands? 
  • What movies do you like? 
  • What kind of food do you like? 
  • What kind of work do you do?
  • What are your favorite books?
After I answered all his inquiries, he said, “I’d like to take you out.”

I
said, “Hey, wait a minute! I don’t know anything about you,” and
proceeded to ask him questions about himself. He was an accountant, had a
son, was divorced. We enjoyed dancing, the same music and books, but
his movie-going interest wasn’t as strong as mine.

He
invited me to dinner and because I felt so good about him, he was the
only guy I let pick me up at my apartment. (Other guys had to meet me in
a public place like a restaurant.)

My
apartment was ground level with a parking spot in front of my door. I
had a security peak hole in my door. When Bob came to pick me up, I
watched him get out of his car through the peak hole in the door.
Handsome!! When he knocked at the door, I threw it open and
enthusiastically said, “Hi!” 

We
went to a Mexican restaurant and hit it off immediately. I couldn’t
believe he knew the name of my perfume as it was his favorite. He also
loved the blue sundress I was wearing. He thought I was pretty good
looking. We jabbered on at dinner, enjoying our conversation.

After dinner we went dancing at a rock ‘n’ roll club. Very fun!

One
week later he moved in with me; one month later we bought a house
together. He did not want to get married again, I did. I say I had the
last laugh at that time because our house mortgage was 30 years…many
people don’t stay married that long. 

Seven
years later in front of families, co-workers and friends, we married in
a small ceremony. (I’m a patient woman. LOL.) At our reception, we had a
TV and chairs set up to watch the Portland Trailblazers in a play-off
game. Yes, Bob is an avid basketball fan.

Bob and I
each have one son from a previous marriage who are four years apart. Our
blended family worked well most of the time and had the usual
child-rearing controversies, but overall everyone seems to have turned
out well.

Flash forward 29 years. Bob and I are more in love now than we were then (even living in our 5th wheel trailer — about 320 sf).

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29 Apr

America’s National Park Passes

National Park Week happens in April each year.
All National Parks waive their entrance fees during that week. If you are anywhere
near a National Park, National Monument, National Seashore, National
Battlefield, National Historical Site that normally charges entrance
fees, National Park Week is a good time to get in free.

If you
miss out on the National Park Week offer, we recommend that you obtain
or buy one of the following passes, especially if you plan to sightsee
at numerous national parks within the year:

  • America the Beautiful – 2013 Annual Pass – $80 (AKA Interagency Annual Pass):
    Good
    at all national parks, seashores, monuments, etc., and federal
    recreation areas. The pass admits the pass holder(s) and passengers in a
    non-commercial
    vehicle at “per vehicle” fee areas, and pass holder plus three adults at
    “per person” fee areas. (Children under 16 are admitted free.)
    The pass is good for one year from the date of purchase. The pass is not
    valid for Expanded Amenity Fees such as camping or parking at Mt.
    Rushmore. This pass can be purchased by mail or at a national park visitor center or entry gate.
  • Free Annual Pass for Military (AKA Military Annual Pass):
    For active duty military personnel and dependents with proper identification. Pass must be issued in person.
  • America the Beautiful – Senior Pass – $10 (AKA Interagency Senior Pass):
    This is a lifetime
    pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or older. The
    Senior Pass can only be obtained in person at a park. The pass admits
    the pass holder(s) and passengers in a non-commercial
    vehicle at “per vehicle” fee areas, and pass holder plus three adults at
    “per person” fee areas. (Children under 16 are admitted free.) The
    Senior Pass provides a 50% discount on some Expanded Amenity Fees
    charged for camping, swimming, boat launch and specialized interpretive
    services. In some cases where Expanded Amenity Fees are charged, only
    the pass holder will be given the 50% reduction.
  • America the Beautiful – Access Pass – Free. (AKA Interagency Access Pass):
    This is a lifetime
    pass for U.S. citizens and permanent residents with permanent
    disabilities. The Access Pass can only be obtained in person at a park
    entrance or visitor center. Documentation is required to obtain the
    pass. Acceptable documentation includes: statement by a licensed
    physician; document issued by a Federal agency such as the Veteran’s
    Administration, Social Security Disability Income or document issued by a
    State agency such as a vocational rehabilitation agency. The pass
    admits the pass holder(s) and passengers in a non-commercial
    vehicle at “per vehicle” fee areas, and pass holder plus three adults at
    “per person” fee areas. (Children under 16 are admitted free.) The
    Accesss Pass provides a 50% discount on
    some Expanded Amenity Fees charged for camping, swimming, boat launch
    and specialized interpretive services. In some cases where Expanded
    Amenity Fees are charged, only the pass holder will be given the 50%
    reduction.
  • America the Beautiful — 2013 Volunteer Pass – Free :
    This
    pass is for volunteers who acquire 250 service hours on a cumulative
    basis. Good for one year beginning with the date of the award. The pass
    admits the pass holder(s) and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at
    “per vehicle” fee areas, and pass holder plus three adults at “per
    person” fee areas. (Children under 16 are admitted free.)
  • Some of the major National Parks also have a park-specific annual pass for $50.

Bob
and I love frequenting national parks. Even when we think there may not
be anything interesting there, we’re wrong. We love exploring trails,
reading history, checking the visitor centers for geology and animals in
the park, and absorbing the experience. Each park is different.

Summer’s
coming. I urge you to get out and explore our national parks and
federal recreation sites. Hike, discover, fish, watch sunsets, go on
ranger-led tours, photograph, smell the air, search for wildlife, and
have fun!

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29 Apr

T is for Travel

Cascade Canyon, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

With a moniker of TravelBug, what else could “T” stand for but travel in the A-to-Z Challenge?

What
about traveling motivates us? What keeps us focused on moving down the
road pulling our home behind us? What are our favorite spots to which
we’ve traveled? What setbacks can happen? What is in store for the
future?

I’m going to answer the last two questions first.
One of the sayings full-time RVers live by is: “Our plans are made with
Jello.” In other words, we have no crystal ball. What we thought we
might do one day, gets changed the next. Just as Jello doesn’t stay
stable, but wobbles around and changes fluidity, so do plans of
full-time RVers. What causes our Jello-like existence? What changes?
Setbacks are a part of it, that’s why I’m answering that question now as
well. Here’s a partial list:

*Breakdowns or mechanical
problems requiring an extended stay, the length of which is determined
by the availability of parts or mechanics to effect repairs.

*Illness:

    • A loved one in another part of the country becomes quite ill necessitating travel to be there for them
    • One of the RVers becomes too ill to travel

*Accidents: vehicular or personal. These can ruin your plans for
quite some time. In a motor vehicle or motor home accident, depending
on the severity, you will need to deal with insurance companies, the
possibility of replacing vehicles, or doctor/hospital visits. If you
don’t have insurance or adequate savings, the time spent in an area
becomes quite prolonged. (I speak from experience on this one!) You
gotta do what you gotta do.

*Family/Grandchildren: birth of grandchildren in another state, travel for unexpected family events, death in the family.

*Change in job situation: job ends unexpectedly and you find a job in another state or area.

*Weather:
predicted hail, tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, high winds, snow, ice.
With your home on wheels you can do your best to avoid bad
weather…just pack up and move. Savvy RVers keep their eyes on the
weather.

*Sale of your sticks and bricks house: You may be ready
to hit the road in your RV; however, the sale of your home may fall
through, be delayed or it may take more time than you thought.

*Bugs/infestations:
Not a pleasant topic, but bugs can be a problem. Just ask anyone who
has had ants invade their RV. I heard a story of one couple who were in
the South. Ants took over their RV, swarming on the floor and even in
their bed. They cut short their trip because they heard the best thing
to kill them was freezing weather. They headed home to the north where
freezing weather would be the ants’ demise. No see ‘ums, mosquitoes,
wasps/bees/yellow jackets – all can make being outside (or inside)
miserable.

*Allergies: if something in your current camp area is making you miserably allergic, it may be time to move somewhere else.

*Detour to meet friends and/or fellow bloggers who are in your vicinity.

*Travel before we get too injured/ill to enjoy it.

What motivates us? What keeps us focused on moving down the road? Why travel?

  1. See beautiful natural surroundings: forests, beaches, rivers, lakes,
    deserts, caves, gardens, arches, hoodoos, natural bridges, waterfalls,
    national parks, Corps of Engineers campgrounds
  2. Learn history
  3. Experience different cultures
  4. Taste new foods
  5. Volunteer, if so inclined
  6. Find something unexpected that delights us
  7. Meet interesting people, including blog friends
  8. Visit relatives we haven’t seen in a long time
  9. Freedom of the open road
  10. Go to dark sky parks (e.g. Natural Bridges National Monument) to see
    the nighttime sky without city lights diminishing the intensity
  11. Learn what we like and don’t like
  12. Look for a place we’d like to settle permanently if, or when, the nomadic tendency wears off
  13. We like the people we are as travelers
  14. Sporting events in different cities
  15. Anticipation of a new adventure
  16. Bob enjoys running, and I enjoy walking/hiking, in new places, 
    (e.g. the RiverWalk in San Antonio, along the Truckee River in Reno,
    Yellowstone, Big Bend…you get the idea).
  17. We’re able to immerse ourselves in areas like the Oregon Trail
    through Nebraska, the Old Spanish Trail (Camino Real) and the Military
    Road in Texas

And our favorite places we’ve traveled (in the RV)?

  1. Yellowstone National Park
  2. Black Hills, South Dakota
  3. Texas Hill Country
  4. Reno/Sparks, Nevada
  5. Big Bend National Park, Texas
  6. San Antonio, Texas
  7. Corpus Christi, Texas
  8. Delta, Colorado and Black Canyon of the Gunnison
  9. Kearney, Nebraska: Great Platte River Road Archway spanning I-80, and history of the area
  10. North Platte, Nebraska: Union Pacific Railroad Golden Spike Tower at Bailey Yard
  11. Thermopolis, Wyoming
  12. Cody, Wyoming
  13. Oklahoma City, OK: Cowboy Museum, walking downtown along the river
  14. Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, south of Ely, Nevada

Favorite places (before the RV or not with the RV)?

  1. British Columbia, western Alberta, Canada: Vancouver, Victoria and
    Vancouver Island, Fairmont Hot Springs (before it was hit by mudslide in
    2012), Kicking Horse Pass/Spiral Tunnels, Banff, Jasper, Icefields
    Parkway
  2. Vienna, Austria
  3. Southern Germany
  4. Southeastern Australia: Coffs Harbour, Blue Mountains, Sydney,
    Canberra, Great Ocean Road, Bowral, Australian Southern Highlands,
    Waterfall Way, Melbourne
  5. Utah: Zion, Bryce, Grand-Staircase Escalante, Capitol Reef, Goblin
    Valley State Park, Arches, Canyonlands (Island in the Sky and Needles
    districts), Natural Bridges National Monument, Lake Powell, Rainbow
    Bridge National Monument
  6. Western Montana
  7. Oregon
  8. Hawaii
  9. Colorado: Mesa Verde
  10. Tennessee
  11. North Carolina
  12. Kentucky
  13. Washington: Mount Rainier, Seattle, Olympic Peninsula, Goldendale (sun observatory)
  14. California: Yosemite, Monterey/Pacific Grove, Redwoods, Gold Country

You can tell by our list we haven’t spent much time in the northern, central or eastern United States.  All in good time.

Tell us why you travel. What are your favorite places? What causes you to change plans?

Travel Bug out.

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