You only have one life: Live it.

We have been in the planning stages for our next road trip almost from the time we arrived home exactly three months ago.  One doesn't just hop into the car and drive off without a plan.

Sometimes we are referred to as "snow birds."  But we really aren't.   For one thing, well, uh.......there isn't snow here.

Second, we don't go to RV parks/resorts, park our camper, and stay for the winter.  Instead, over the winter months, we travel, go to different places, and above all---avoid RV resorts.

Instead of "snow birds," we identify ourselves as taking "road trips."  By that we mean we travel a lot, go to places we have never seen, and deal with the unknown.

We will basically spend seven months seeing nobody except each other.  Sometimes we will be in locations we love (Death Valley, etc.) and sometimes in places we have never seen before......and will possibly never see again.

In other words, the seven months are an adventure.  Full of new places, new feelings, new disappointments, and new delights.

We intentionally chose a pickup camper to be able to do this.  We wanted something small and nimble so we could get into places where larger RVs could not.  That has worked as designed.  FAN-TAS-TIC!

We wanted a 4-wheel drive pickup so we could get to places that were off the beaten track.  This has worked as designed:  FAN-TAS-TIC!

We wanted a camper that we could easily drop so we could drive to other places to hike for the day.  This has worked as designed: FAN-TAS-TIC.

We wanted to be warm at night, to have fresh and healthy food, and to have a comfortable bed.  This has worked as designed:  FAN-TAS-TIC.

Why are we doing this?  Because we have such a small window.  My body is falling apart.  I have had three foot surgeries and two shoulder surgeries since I moved to Whidbey Island.  I have a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder that eventually will need surgery.  I have two knees that I am keeping alive with "chicken shots" but will eventually need replacement.  Vicky has terrible arthritis in her toe and a back where there is a titanium disk--a back where the doctor said she would never be able to run or ride a horse.  Now she can run, hike, cycle, and dance.

But for how long can we keep going?  How long is our window where we can keep our bodies strong enough so we can do this kind of thing?

The window is small for the period after you retire and have the time and money to be able to do this kind of thing, but also have the health/body to be able to.  It is small for all of us, smaller for some than for others. 

DO NOT WASTE IT!  Use it, live it, celebrate it.  There are no guarantees for whether you can have it or for how long you can have it.

So we are using it.

To use it requires months of planning.  You have to get all of your equipment in order.  For us that has meant repairs to our camper and maintenance of our pickup.  You need to scope out all of the National Forests along your route.  Food, camping equipment, medicines (man, you ought to experience how much of an effort it is to get enough medicines for seven months when you are in your mid-60s), electronics, books, movies, clothing, poop bags, hiking supplies, food supplies, batteries, etc., etc.,  for seven months of on-the-road travel. 

AND you have to prepare your home for seven months of not being there.  This is a huge undertaking involving security, people to watch it, and how to anticipate problems that might occur in your absence (and when you might not be able to be reached).

The planning is enormous. 

Lots of time, lots of work, and lots of discussion.  But it's all worth it.

Why?

Because you only have one life.  And we want to live it.  And we know that we have that short window that I mentioned before.  We spent all of our adult lives being responsible people whose priorities were always their children and families.  And it was wonderful--it gives us meaning to our lives, and the foundation for the rest of our lives.  Now those people are grownups who are doing the same thing. It is their time. 

This is our time, our time exclusively.  And it will be gone so soon.  That breaks our hearts to realize it, but it is true.  Very soon we will be too old to climb to the top of Navaho Knobs and look out over all of Capital Reef National Park.  Too soon we will not be able to walk to anywhere we want in Death Valley, and see places where so few have ever been.  We cannot waste it.

We have to use this time, and use it well.  It has to be what we have as memories for a future where we know we will become weak, sick, and feeble.

One only has one life.  We choose to live this part of ours traveling and hiking all over the country, cycling so that we can every year do the STP,  and doing whatever we can to tell our grandchildren that we love them and think of them always.

You only have one life.