At long last, I am finally posting! The picture above seems ancient, from way back in November–several centuries ago! Newer images will follow.
Those of you who know me well will not be surprised to hear that I feel guilty that I haven’t written a blog entry to date. I promised everyone I would. There are two reasons for this. The first reason is that new experiences have been coming at us so fast and furious that there has been no time to process all of the information, emotions and ideas. The second reason is that we have been incredibly busy. Every minute of every day. I guess those two reasons are closely related, almost redundant, but all the more compelling for it.
But I won’t bury the lead here. Don’t you want to know as you read this if our adventure is what we dreamed it would be? In a word, yes. YES! I won’t say there aren’t moments of stress (mostly due to our newbie status), but life on the road in our Airstream is everything we had hoped. Our little Airstream house is comfy and cozy. We have all the things we need including each other and, of course, Dakota. We are developing our routines and creating those comfortable expectations of life. And I have to say when I wake up in the morning, my first thought is tremendous happiness that we are here and there is much more ahead of us.
We took off on our big trip on January 3rd. December was a month filled with preparations. We almost didn’t get to go at all…due to big snows in CT followed by thawing ground. The Airstream was very visible in our yard and, as with all small towns, much remarked upon. After the big snow and then the big melt, the Airstream was deeply mired in our yard. Many up and down the road said we would never get it out. Even if the ground froze hard so we could pull it, it would then be frozen in place. Popular sentiment was that we were…in deep trouble. But with a little help from a new friend and Jim’s innovation, we were able to finally extract it and move to safer ground.
Safer ground was not without its own dangers as a dented bumper would attest. Our first destination upon leaving was the Airstream dealership (the Mother Ship) in Lakewood, NJ for some fine-tuning and repairs. Thanks to the patience and support of the team there, we were soon good as new.
Because of the seasonal cold, the Airstream was still winterized. That means none of the water systems were working. We couldn’t use the sinks, shower or bathroom. Our original plan had been to de-winterize in Ashland, VA.
First lesson in life on the road, plans are made to be changed. The cold and snow dogged our heels. While we really liked the countryside around Ashland and our campground, horror stories of impending snow and ice forced us to flee south to Greensboro.
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Congrats on getting started. I think the most important lesson is ‘plans need to be adjusted.’ Being flexible is the key! Look forward to hearing more.
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Glad to here the Great Adventure has commenced. You should have come to see us rather than going to Greensboro!
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We’ll get there. We look forward to visiting at some point in our travels. You’ll see things didn’t quite unfold the way we had planned.
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Come on CT veterans! Winterizing should mean you can survive through winter — don’t go soft on us! So envious.
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Jenny, I love hearing about your trip. What a gutsy adventure I’m just on my way to the Galapagos, long at the top of my bucket list. I lost my dear George almost 2 years ago, so I’m traveling with a Smith and Sanibel friend who lost her husband last April. I leave in 2 days, but will look forward to hearing about your trip.
Thanks for keeping in touch,
Molly Downing
(I met you through Kitty Kelley when you were job hunting, and your daughter was considering Smith. And not she’s joined the Alumnae Association! Time flies 🙂
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Molly,
I am so happy to hear from you. Of course, I remember exactly who you are! You were (and are) a valued friend. I am so sorry to hear about George. I can only imagine how difficult it has been, but I am excited for your trip and glad that you are off on adventures!
Jenny
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Congratulations on living the dream and not waiting till “later”! So happy for both of you
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What a great adventure! Wish I were along. It might be a little tight, but I cook!
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Would love to have you here even if it would be a mite tight.
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Wonderful! I look forward to being along for the ride! See you soon.
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Congratulations, Jenny and Jim. You are beacons and a canneries in the coal mine. I really look forward to hearing your perspectives as well as your experiences.
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Is it the dream…. in a word, YES! An inspiration for us all. Happily waiting for the next blog, as well as a running list of stayes visited. Do capitols count?
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So glad you have commenced your great adventure! So interesting to hear all about your travels and surprises. Stay safe!
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Greensboro! If you mean the one in North Carolina, you were 45 minutes away from us! Looking forward to the next installment.
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Love this… and Dakota looks happy as a clam so no worries there!
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He is enjoying total attention from his humans.
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On the road again… I just can’t wait to get on the road again — MORE PLEASE!
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With all of that nomad loving, I hope your Airstream has new coil springs with a good warranty! Thank you for sharing your most excellent adventures — the good, bad and even ugly. I look forward to hearing all about it. Safe travels.
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So happy for you! Can’t wait to hear about your adventures!
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You have my profound admiration, although Jim and Dakota look very comfortable and not the least deprived. With recent terrible weather reports all over the country (even flooding in Monterey), please take good care….and continue to have a fabulous time.
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This definitely falls under the category of glamping in terms of creature comforts. We’ll get out to Monterey in due course and give you a tour of the AS.
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I am so jealous!
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Great to see you during your brief visit to Aiken, SC! We look forward to another visit as we hope that your trek leads you back this way.
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