camping life

Roll with the Changes and It’s Time for Us to Fly…Again.

Our R-pod nestled in the trees on top of the hill in this beautiful KOA in Trenton, GA

Two song titles are bouncing around in my mind as we have one more sleep in this campground in Georgia tonight — Time for Me to Fly and Roll with the Changes — both by REO Speedwagon. I realize I’m showing my age, but I will always love REO!

We are leaving a day early as all-day rain is expected here tomorrow…again. Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama have certainly had their share of rain this spring season….and we rolled with the changes rolling between all three states to get the best weather we could. Alabama was never on our radar to visit this trip, but it all worked out. I’d not have met Harley the black Lab otherwise!

Another view of our campsite in Trenton, GA

One thing we know for sure…we are no longer big city people. Well, I suppose to be fair, John never really was. I thought I wanted to be when I was younger. But I’ve definitely changed in that department. I’m yearning for my quiet and peaceful Joyful Pause Cottage and to be within four walls again with a solid foundation. This campground in Georgia has been awesome though with quiet and beautiful rolling hills and the one in Blue Ridge was also lovely in a different kind of way.

Traveling certainly gives you a perspective on life. And traveling during Covid times has offered that as well. One disappointment was not being able to get tickets for Rock City Gardens in Chattanooga. They only sell a limited amount each day and were sold out for the week.

Traveling you are witness to more poverty and the homeless also. One day driving through Alabama I noticed a woman walking up the hill to the underpass. When I looked further up, I saw another woman re-arranging cardboard box sides in an effort to what looked like more privacy.

I was moved to tears. I just can’t imagine being homeless. So many thoughts rolled through my mind. Then compassion flooded my heart followed by deep gratitude for the life I have. 

I never thought I’d say I lived out of a camper for three weeks, but by golly, we did it. And John and I only had one short-fuse moment with each other. While I’m ready to head back home and we have two sleeps yet in Kentucky, we are already giving thought to next year’s travels. Right now, something in one spot for three weeks and not as much sightseeing, but even more relaxing.  Will see. But it’s fun to dream about another adventure.

We will leave sunny skies and 75 degrees to a low of 24 degrees overnight tomorrow evening and arrive home in Wisconsin in time for weather in the mid-60s. What a roller coaster with the weather which included moving as we did to avoid the tornadic weather that broke out around these parts.

Roll with the changes…at home or traveling…it’s all part of this big experience called life. I’ve definitely learned to roll with more ease and patience on this trip.

XO

Barb

Have Van Will Travel Journal: Flooring Is In (Video)

John installed the flooring in our Vamper, “Second Chance” today! We recorded this video, though it cut out part way because the batteries died on my camcorder. But I was trying to say wheel wells, and those are also insulated.

Next comes insulation on the side panels. And that is as far as we will get for our trip to Tennessee which is only a little over a week away. But I bought a king size piece of 4″memory foam which we will put down for our bed this time around until this winter when the bunk beds get built.

On Friday we took a test drive to a nearby Cabela’s to check out their awesome camping section. The dogs rode with us so we can continue getting them ready for this adventure. It was about an hour drive there and back and we stopped for lunch, too.  Kylie and Gidget did very well and this makes me feel very good that they will travel well with us, which does my heart good.

It’s so fun to see it coming together now!

And just as I went to post this today, I’ve learned of a young woman’s passing from cancer. Deb was one of the first people who invited me to be on the radio when I came out with my first book and I was invited back again when I came out with my next book. My heart is so sad hearing of her passing – she was such a kind, beautiful soul. And oh, how it reminds me to enjoy the ride while we are here. I plan to do just that with this trip to TN and each day after – for you, Deb. For you.  God Speed beautiful lady. God Speed.

Past posts for Have Van Will Travel Journal

The Adventure Has Begun. New Home on Wheels. Who’d of Thunk?

The Conversion Begins

Inspector Approves of Phase One Conversion

She Gets a Name

First a Name and Now Mascots

Cozy Comfort

Thank you for sharing and subscribing to my blog updates.

Have Van Will Travel Journal: She Gets a Name

Have Van Will Travel Journal: She Gets a Name

Today the ladder rack went on the van. Instead of housing ladders, it will house two solar panels, A/C unit and remaining portion will be used for storage.

And perhaps it might sound silly to name our van. John certainly chuckled and shook his head last evening when I said I wanted to name our van which will be taking us on future adventures once we have it converted to an RV of sorts.

I recently discovered, (thank you Linda Hoye!) and am reading, a book by Susan Wittig Albert titled Together, AloneIt’s a memoir about how Susan married at mid-life to a man named Bill. They are both writers and work from home – something Susan had been yearning to do for a few years before leaving her job at a University. She was craving space and a place to settle down with more solitude and she found her way to piece of land that Bill had bought years before that they would have a home and name the many beautiful acres Meadow Knoll. I’m just getting to the part where after many years of living and working together, Susan yearns for time alone.

But before they had settled at Meadow Knoll, they lived and traveled in an RV which was named Amazing Grace. Isn’t that beautiful?  I can just imagine the many places they visited seeing many sunsets and the sun-rising, the mountains, the oceans, etc. and how at times, I’ve no doubt, when in the splendor of nature and traversing the country side you can have many moments of Amazing Grace.

So I read a few passages from Together. Alone to John last night while we were sitting around the chiminea- the parts about Amazing Grace and how it came to be. “So that is where you came up with the idea of naming our van,” John chuckled and shook his head again.

I felt a little embarrassed at first and that he thought it was silly, especially when I said I thought maybe we could name our van Freedom. He thought it sounded too much like the 60s. By now I was thinking I should just let the idea go.

I got up to go in the house to refresh my drink feeling a bit let down that perhaps this was a stupid idea.When I went back outside and sat down next to John he said, “How about we name the van Second Chance?

“It’s perfect!  I love it,” I said. But more than that I loved that he opened up to what I was trying to convey.

Like many, when the economy did a big nose dive in 2008 we had to make some tough financial decisions. – though they were hard, I don’t regret what we had to do because if felt right for us. But traveling to exotic places was out of the question — well, not that we really want to go to exotic locations as that isn’t really our thing. But to go out West, and a few other states we’ve been wanting to see seemed like perhaps might be very limited.

But discovering we could convert one of John’s work vans into a little place of our own on wheels that could take us on destinations away from home for respites has opened up a new world for us — it has lit a fire within both of us that we are both taking such delight in!

And so it is a second chance to follow dreams we had set aside — that we now look forward to fulfilling – with our van, Second Chance, that will take us there.

Past posts for Have Van Will Travel Journal

The Adventure Has Begun. New Home on Wheels. Who’d of Thunk?

The Conversion Begins

Inspector Approves of Phase One Conversion

Thank you for sharing and subscribing to my blog updates.