Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The Plan So Far


It was January when the planning began. First was "when." The dogs are coming with me - there's no way I could leave them behind, so the weather has to be fairly cool, but not so early in the year that we'd run into snow. Memorial Day weekend seemed perfect.

With the dates picked out, it was time to search for an RV to rent. I plan to buy a truck and trailer in three years, so it just makes sense to rent an RV for this trip. Not only will I be able to decide whether the Rving life is the life for me, I'll also be able to take the dogs without having to find pet-friendly motels all along the way. Lots of motels say they are pet-friendly - if the pet happens to be a dog that's under 25 lbs. I have Winnie, Star and Tim, and only Tim is under 25 lbs. They're all great travelers, though!

The RV I settled on is a 24-foot, 2006 Gulf Stream Class B Touring Cruiser Double Slide (I would post a picture of it, but I don't have one yet. Be patient - I'm sure you'll see lots of pictures of it as the trip continues). I rented it through an organization based in Texas that basically brokers rentals all over the US. Later, after I met the owner of the RV, he told me I could have found him on CraigsList and saved myself $150. Go figure. Anyway, the RV itself is located in Omaha, a 45 minute drive from my house.

Next is the route. I'll show you that tomorrow.

The Beginning

When you turn 50, whether or not you examine your life in detail and with satisfaction or regret, you do note the passage of time. When you hit 50, you begin to realize that your lifetime is finite. Things you've been intending to do "some day" have been put off for years, and who knows how many years you have left to put them off?

When I turned 50 this past year, I decided I was going to stop putting things off.

I've been talking about taking a road trip to the California coast and to visit Best Friends Animal Shelter, in Kanab, Utah, for years. On May 22, 2010, I am combining both destinations into one trip.

And I'm taking you with me.