Year – 1 – RVGAMEVSTAME

A year with huge change in our lives…

sold our house of twenty-three years and significantly downsized our stuff
officially retired
relocated to Reno
went on our first cross-country tour in our Winnebago Vista
began our new life style and became nomads whilst trying to make wonderlust a reality
Live The Dream!

Visited with Suzanne’s Aunt and Uncle in Montana
Visited National Parks: Glacier (Montana), Teddy Roosevelt (Dakota), Voyageurs (Minnesota), Isla Royale (Michigan) and Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio)
Visited Sleeping Bear National Seashore (Michigan)
Visited State Parks: Pictograph, Tahquamenon & Watkins Glen plus many other falls
States: New York, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Idado, Washington and Oregon
Noteworthy places: Upper Michigan (UP), Canals & Locks (UP), Mackinac Island (Michigan), Niagara Falls (US & Canada), Finger Lakes (New York), Poconos (PA)
Trip details

Youngest son left for Houston for his summer internship @ NASA – son took Subaru to Houston with him
First time attending CMA Fest
Really enjoyed Broadway & Grand Ole Opry – as well as the local music country scene
Visited local speakeasy
Visited Cape May. It is a very nice summer beach resort. Visited during 4th of July. Good fireworks.
Beach towns along the shoreline from Virginia to New Jersey was very interesting – and expensive
Traveled through bridges, tunnels and ferry from Virginia to New Jersey
National Parks: Great Smokey Mountains (Tennessee)
State Parks: Niagara Falls, Watkins Glen
States: Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York
Noteworthy places: Nashville music scene, Pigeon Forge/Gaitlinburg (Tennessee), Asheville / Biltmore Estate (North Carolina), Virginia Beach (Virginia), Cape May (New Jersey), Poconos (Pennsylvania)
Trip details

Youngest son joined us in NOLA – he traveled with us thru Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee
Dear friend Joanne joined us in New Orleans – we really enjoyed her visit with us – we saw her places and we shared our places with her. Really enjoyed NOLA and the local swamps.
- Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street, Garden District
Installed tow equipment on the Jeep Wrangler
States: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee
Trip details

Youngest son joined us in Austin
Really enjoyed Rainey Street area (6th street was interesting)
Enjoyed BBQ and Music scene
Enjoyed the city center as well as the river district
Visited Fredricksburg and Johnson City for good food, distilleries, wineries and breweries – liked Hill Country
Visited NASA (JSC) in Houston where youngest son will be interning during summer
Visited Galveston Island and area
Exposure to Tornado and Hail Alley – did not like the straight-line winds
Bought new Jeep Wrangler
State Parks: Galveston Island, Sam Houston Jones
States: Texas and Louisiana
Trip Details

Visited with Suzanne’s cousin @ Fountain Hills near Phoenix
Visited with our new friends June & Larry in Tucson
Met Jimmie Sue and hubby in Lajitas, Texas (they live near Austin)
Experienced winter camping in Arizona
Met many snowbirds from Michigan and Canada (Quebec/Toronto)
National Parks: Big Bend & Guadalupe (Texas), Carlsbad (New Mexico) and Saguaro (Arizona)
National Monuments: White Sands (New Mexico)
State Parks: Big Bend, McKinney Falls
States traveled: Arizona, New Mexico and Texas
Noteworthy places: Apache Trails & Spring Training (Arizona), Las Cruces, Hatch and Roswell (New Mexico)
Trip details

Took vista out of storage and prepared for twenty-two state trip
Early departure from Suzanne’s parents house due to problems parking RV on side street
Visited Paso Robles, Morro Bay and Solvang (CA)
Enjoyed all the wineries and breweries in Paso Robles
States traveled: California & Arizona
Noteworthy places: Paso Robles, Solvang & Desert Hot Springs (CA)
Started realizing that Subaru was not a good vehicle for rural and rugged areas
Trip details

Went to concert benefiting first-responders for the Santa Barbara burn and mudslides
Visited San Diego with our youngest son after the Christmas holidays
Met new friends June & Larry in San Diego
Visited June & Larry in Borrego Springs
Visited Desert Hot Springs
Visited with Suzanne’s Aunt and Uncle in Quartzsite
Experienced Quartzsite RV Rally
Exposed to desert boondocking
States: California and Arizona
Noteworthy places: Encinitas, Borrego Springs
Trip details

Visited oldest son Cameron and girl friend to see their new puppy LuLu and new apartment
Visited with Deb & Marc
Really enjoyed wine country
Visited with Suzanne’s cousin Carol and her daughter Gabby (WA)
Picked up our youngest son in Seattle
Noteworthy places: Portland & Sherwood (OR), Hood Canal, Inner Islands, Seattle, Woodinville (WA)
States: California, Oregon and Washington
Trip details

Stayed with Suzanne’s parents, to complete our transition, for a few days. Moved the Vista to the storage facility in Sacramento whilst we went to Reno, Nevada.
Moved Vista from Sacramento to Morgan Hill, for three weeks, to help with the transition from our sold house into our new nomad life style. Stayed at Coyote Valley RV Park.
This completed our two-year effort to get our rural mountain property and house ready for sale as well as downsizing our stuff, storing our stuff, and rebooting our lives.
Kept RV storage in South Sacramento to avoid risk of snow and ice associated with the RV in Reno – continued to setup home base
Established residency in the great Silver State of Nevada – in the Smallest City in the World – Reno.
Updated the world that we are now house renters and legal residents of Nevada
Stayed with Suzanne’s parents for Thanksgiving; moved Vista to storage for a week or so