Wednesday, April 1, 2009

APRIL 1: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!

Six years ago, on April 1, 2003, we drove out of our site at Cal Expo RV Park in Sacramento, CA, to begin our lives as full time RV'ers. The escrow on our house closed that day, and we spent the night in Bakersfield, California, full of curiosity and questions about our new lifestyle.

Fast forward to now... and we are still learning! Just a few weeks ago, we finally learned what the Batt Boost switch on the control panel of Scoopy does (uses the "house" batteries to start the engine if the "chassis" battery is dead).

Here I am (six years younger - the aging doesn't stop) standing in Lake Superior in August of our first year of travel. Each time we see this photo, we promise ourselves that we will get back to the Great Lakes sometime soon! But that happens with so many places...

This year, we're back in the Sacramento area on the anniversary of our departure - a first. Looking back over the past years, we've celebrated in beautiful spots:

April 1, 2004: Lone Pine, CA, in the Alabama Hills at the foot of Mt. Whitney off Hwy 395.
April 1, 2005: Grand Gulf State Park, Mississippi, still one our favorite state parks.
April 1, 2006: We hiked to the top of Wasson Peak, Saguaro National Park, Tucson, AZ.
April 1, 2007: Visiting Odel's family in Memphis, Tennessee - ummmmm, BBQ!
April 1, 2008: LBJ Municipal Park, Fredericksburg, TX, with our friends Buddy and Jackie.

Parked three sites from us here at the Lodi Elks is a couple who have been full timing for 17 years (or was it 18?). They love it and have no plans to stop unless/until health changes preclude travel. Hooray for them - maybe we'll be there one of these years.

8 comments:

  1. We finally made it to the Alabama Hills! I read your story some time ago and couldn't wait for those dark starry nights! Thanks so much, Laurie, for your wonderful writing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congratulations!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey, another coincidence. April 1st is our anniversary too!. One year. We bought our rig back in May of '07, moved into the rig the last week of June '07, sold the house in Sept '07, retired from Apple Jan 25th, '08, and officially pulled out of the long-term RV park we were staying in to hit the road for good April 1st, 2008. Seems like yesterday. What a great ride so far.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations what a fantastic life you live we have begun our full time life today so we have some thing in common
    Hope to see you on the road

    Phil & Rose Hale

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congratulations. Please continue with your blog. We love to follow your travels. Hope to connect up with you again some day.

    Connie and Art

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hope the next 6 are as great as the first have been,
    Best Regards,
    Fred & Jo

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great blog guys, so positive and happy. I guess you know that Al of the Bayfield Bunch as opened a can of worms--now everyone will want to know how you get your blog to stretch across the page on Blogspot. I wondered if you could send me the same instructions you sent him. By the way, in our travels we have met Jim & Ellie, Mark & Dortha and Doug & JoAnn.
    Janna & Mike
    www.tinteepeelogcabin.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi guys,
    I'm so sorry I missed you at Cal Expo by one day! I had been there for 3 months and had absolutely no hope of staying any longer, according to the manager, and now I'm in Orland, about 105 miles north.

    Maybe you will post the directions in your blog for using the entire page instead of one small little column?

    Good luck, and I hope we meet up soon. Will you be anywhere near Lassen in the next few months?

    gypsy

    ReplyDelete