Seventeen Years on the Road

 

Looking back, the start of our full time RV lifestyle seems like just a few years ago. 
We’re still surprised to look at the calendar and see that we’re close to beginning our 18^th year on the road!

 

Ah, the memories!  This will be a long post as we look back from our snowy departure in Dayton OH to our current location.  And what a journey it has been!

After 30 years and eleven moves during my Air Force career (plus two more in civil service) the thought of settling down in one place had no attraction for us. We enjoyed traveling, exploring, and learning about nature and history.  And we knew that just traveling would eventually get boring, so we began our travels looking for volunteer jobs that were in interesting places and promised new things.  And boy, did we luck out!

After spending the winter traveling throughout the southwest, we headed North to Montana where had been asked to be the first “resident” volunteers at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge in Stevensville, Montana.  We accepted without ever having been there and on our drive down the Bitterroot Valley to the refuge we had our doubts.  We settled in on a dark, rainy day with little visibility and went to bed with concerns about the location.  But opening the curtains the next morning, we discovered we were in a verdant valley surrounded by snow covered mountains. 

A herd of Bison was visible in the distance and we watched a coyote trot by with a pheasant in his mouth!  As it turned out we had lucked into the best possible location with a friendly, helpful, and patient staff.  Here we learned to be “birders”, gave tours, taught children’s school groups, and even taught a class on duck identification.  It was the start of our love affair with US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) and the incredibly dedicated people that manage our wildlife refuges.  That summer we hiked, fished, and explored the beautiful Bitterroot Valley.

 

This summer we again volunteered for FWS at an Oregon State Park near the California border.  Once again, we had the opportunity to set up spotting scopes overlooking the water and "sea stacks" to observe wildlife.  Our favorite location was Arch Rock, where helped visitors see and understand Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers, and Osprey chicks.  The viewpoint that we spent the day at was simply magical - how could we not love what we do?

Over the years we’ve volunteered at seven wildlife refuges, six state parks, a BLM Natural Area, and a Nature Conservatory Preserve.  All have been memorable and fulfilling.  We’ve learned to be “Junior Ranger” instructors, museum guides, marine mammal and shorebird interpreters, and I even learned how to become a “tide pool guide”.  We’ve made friends with staff and other volunteers that we still visit across the west today. 

We’ve become part of a community of travelers.  We’re asked how we can live without being in a community; we explain that we are – but our community is spread throughout the west.  At our current location, the park hosts a weekly potluck, happy hour, and other events that bring us together.  And we all have something in common – our homes have wheels.  Each year we visit with old friends that have become our “road family”. 

Volunteering has allowed us to spend time at locations we were interested in exploring; four summers on the Southern Oregon Coast, two summers in the Bitterroot Valley and surrounding mountains, three in Northern Idaho, another two in the Black Hills, and winters in Southern Arizona, Northern Washington, Las Vegas, and what has become our favorite year-round location, the Southern Oregon Coast.  At each location, we’ve had the time to explore and learn about the area and wildlife.  And of course the restaurants and casinos!

 

We’ve also taken a couple of years off and just traveled throughout the country. There are so many interesting and beautiful things to see – we never get tired of our ability to travel. Over the years we’ve stayed at and reviewed over 480 campgrounds, but one of the perks of volunteering is that we’re given a free full-hookup site.  Whether it’s a state park or refuge we’ve always been pleased with the quality of our site; volunteer coordinators go out of their way to make us comfortable and to encourage us to return.

 

Some of our highlights:

Brenda had never seen a moose in the wild (I had that opportunity while serving in remote Alaska) and so in Montana on our days off we’d drive logging roads in the mountains in search of a sighting.  It took us three months and countless gallons of gas.  And often we’d return home to learn that a moose had been sighted wandering around the local supermarket parking lot.  Since then, we’ve seen plenty of moose, especially in the mountains of Wyoming.

 

At Farragut State Park in Northern Idaho where we spent three summers as the “program hosts”, we were two of 54 volunteers.  It was a great place to work, largely due to the exceptional volunteer ranger.  But best of all were the potlucks!  It wasn’t unusual to see three banquet tables set up for food….and another two for desserts! Our RV site in the forest on Lake Pend Oreille was one of the best we’ve ever had.

 

As Artillery Museum hosts on the North Washington Coast, we had the chance to visit Olympic National Park and Forks, the famous setting for the “Twilight” series.  Throughout the small town were signs pointing out “Bella’s” high school, supermarket, pharmacy, etc. Leaving town and traveling to neighboring La Push, there were signs warning us that no “vampires” were allowed past the treaty line, and coming back, no “werewolves” were allowed.  A restaurant server told us that at the height of the “Twilight” fever, they were flooded with over 12,000 teenagers every weekend, almost exclusively girls.

 

On the magical Southern Oregon Coast, we watched thousands of seals and sea lions congregate on a reef just offshore.  The barking of the California Sea Lions, roaring of the Steller Sea lions and Elephant Seals, combined with crashing waves and screaming gulls was a sound we’ll never forget.  We’ve watched a Gray Whales feeding, Orca pods cruising, and Peregrine Falcon and Osprey chicks learning to fly and hunt. 

 

Our travels have included a walk on the movie “Field of Dreams” baseball diamond, a visit to the town setting of “Northern Exposure” (Rosyln, WA), a stop at the place where the music died (Buddy Holly crash site near Clear Lake, IA), “Dances with Wolves” film sites in the Black Hills, seldom visited ghost towns, historic sites, and back roads that led to amazing views.  We bought our Leg Lamp (it's a major award, you know) at the Christmas Story House in Cleveland, and visited Lone Pine and the Alabama Hills, film sites for movies from "Gunda Din" to the "Roy Rogers show", to "Tremors".

 

And so many more; too many to write about here.

 A full time RV lifestyle is not all rainbows and Unicorns.  A motor home like ours is as sophisticated as a space station, and driving the country’s rough roads can play havoc on delicate systems.  Any part that has the words “motor home” in front of it means the price is at least doubled, and remember, this is essentially a big truck with a diesel engine and air and hydraulic systems.  A single tire, replaced at least every seven years, is $600 (and we need six).  Living on the road is no more inexpensive than living in a regular house; there are upkeep costs, TV & phone bills, parking fees when traveling, and when traveling we average 7.5 MPG – with diesel at $5 or more per gallon, moving can be very expensive.   But the upside of travel is worth the cost.

 

Over the years, we’ve come to appreciate nature in a way we never could in our working lives.  Passing on our knowledge by teaching children has become a passion; as our first volunteer boss liked to say; “we’re raising a generation of “”flat screen children"" and if we don’t get them involved in nature, we’ll lose our parks and refuges”.  An old friend summed up the change in our lives a few years ago when she said “my God, you’ve become tree-huggers!”  And yes, yes we have.  And we're better for it.

 

I sometimes reflect that my working career was a means to an end – the end being the last 17 years of our traveling lives.  We feel fortunate to be living our dream, and hope to continue as long as our health allows.  This winter we’re spending time in Mohave Valley, AZ at the “Happy Together RV Resort”.  If you happen through the area, please plan a visit!  We’re not sure what next year holds for us, but we hope you’ll continue to follow along with us on our journey!