We started our travels like so many others. We started with a small trailer and
a 1 week vacation with the kids. Next we bought a larger trailer. It wasn't long
before we sold that trailer and traveled by car, staying at motels along the
way. That became old real fast. Next came a small class "C". We had
several fun trips around Ontario and to the family farm in Haliburton Highlands.
We didn't go further because it had seen better days and we didn't trust it for
an extended trip. There was no generator and very limited sleeping area. By the
next year we had sold it for bigger and better (we thought!).
We purchased a 28 foot Winnebago Class "C". Three months later we
headed out for our summer vacation. We had asked friends Betty and Bud to go to
Alberta, Canada with us. Bud had relatives in Red Deer, Alberta and Betty had
told us it had always been a dream of Buds to drive to Alberta, in a RV.
He had relatives that he had not seen in years.
Our problems with the Winnie as we called her, started on the second day out,
in Chicago, morning, rush hour, traffic. After a few minutes of panic, we found
the exit and got out of the stop and go. Winnie decided to cool off and we
continued on our way. The next time Winnie decided that it was just to hot to go
on ,was during the climb up the mountain to Mount Rushmore. We were lucky enough
to get the last camping site at a campground at the base of Mount Rushmore.
The town was buzzing with hundreds of people and we couldn't figure out why. As
it became dark more and more people appeared as if by magic. It was wall to wall
people all waiting for something, but what could it be? We soon discovered why
there was so many people wandering around after dark. It was the 4th of July and
Mount Rushmore was about to put on its annual fireworks display. What an awesome
site. If Winnie had not overheated, we would have went to see Mount Rushmore
that afternoon and continued on our way. We would have missed the best fireworks
display that we have ever seen. WOW, double WOW!-totally awesome. If you are
ever near Mount Rushmore on the 4th of July don't even think of missing the
fireworks!!
The next day we huffed and puffed our way up the mountain with Winnie protesting
loudly all the way. We realized we had to have a mechanic check Winnie, by the
time we reached the Mount Rushmore parking lot, or she was going to blow a
gasket or worse,
We learned a very expensive lesson. Never ever have mechanical work done on a
holiday. Find a spot to park and stay until the next day. It cost a $1,000.00 to
have a clutch fan installed. That hurt, especially when he didn't do the job
correctly and we had to replace an alternator belt before we had traveled
another 200 miles. The new belt then proceeded to serenade us all the way to
Alberta, Canada. It squeaked and squawked and screamed at us all the way to Red
Deer. We had no desire to listen to it all the way home.
We left Bud and Betty visiting with their niece and we went RV hunting. We ended
up at Woody's RV in Red Deere, Alberta and there we found our next unit. It was
a 31 foot class "A". It wasn't new but had been very gently used . It
was a 1995 Damon Frontier Flyer. The Flyer did a fine job taking us home and to
Florida and several points in-between. We were hooked on this form of travel.
Our first trip to Florida in December of 1999 gave us a glimmer of what life
could be, after retirement. We talked to several full timers on that trip and I
think our dream of traveling full-time was born. The last thing we wanted
to do was head back to the cold and snow and work at the end of our 3 week
holiday. When the world didn't come to a screaming stop when the clock struck
12:01 A.M. in the year 2000 we were ready to enjoy the rest of our lives :) Did
you really think it would? ;}
We now have a 1997 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 34 foot-no slides (we don't want
them). We started traveling August 2004, and we don't know when we will hang up
our driving gloves, or where the next road might take us. There are still
thousands of roads we have not explored in this GREAT land called North America.
