I wonder how long this will feel like a road trip. I’ve always enjoyed road trips and get really excited about them. In fact I usually get impatient for the trip to begin and can hardly sleep. That’s how Tuesday (yesterday) began. I woke up at 4:15am and couldn’t sleep so I got up and wrote the day’s post. Donna got up at a more sensible 6:00am.
We made our final departure from the driveway at 8:00am. It was an emotional moment for Donna while I was feeling excitement and wanderlust. We pounded down I75 and I mean that literally – that road surface is awful. Weeks ago I had mapped out our route with the trip to Lake Placid broken up onto three roughly equal legs. Remember what I said about plans changing? We quickly learned that when we’re on the road, flexibility is the key word.
We made it to Cleveland around 2:00pm and decided it was too early to stop. A couple of hours later Donna was learning how to use some of the functions on the Rand-McNally RVND 7720 GPS. This device is designed for RV use and she used it to direct us to RV friendly overnight parking. We ended up at a Walmart Super Center in Dunkirk, New York around 4:30. I think we drove about an hour longer than we should have. I was feeling road weary and Donna was a bit antsy from co-piloting all day. Driving a big rig isn’t the same as cruising in a modern car. it’s a bit more challenging and mentally taxing. Although I know a Walmart parking lot doesn’t sound like a good place to spend the night, we felt pretty good about it. We were at the end of the lot looking into a grassy area with a wooded creek. It was also quiet where we were.
There was another RV in the parking lot – a 40′ Newmar Dutch Star. It belonged to an older couple, Mason and Floretta from Oklahoma. They’re en route to Nova Scotia via Niagara Falls. Mason is a retired pilot. He flew business and charter aircraft all over the world. He gave us the tour of his coach and Floretta told tales of RVing to Alaska.
Donna whipped up a salad for dinner with roasted chicken from the Walmart Supercenter. I wanted to take a picture of the salad as I thought it was quite nice but Donna wouldn’t let me. Apparently the presentation wasn’t up to her standards. Next time I’ll have to make the photo request before she serves.
Tomorrow we’ll head up to Watertown before we call it a day. Then it’s on to Lake Placid. I’ll add pictures to the posts once we’re settled in at Lake Placid.
awww, this made me tear up too. I really enjoy reading your posts mike. they are really great. and donna will probably cry when you leave your new friends at walmart from Oklahoma, too. remember, she cries when frosty the snowman melts 🙂
keep the posts coming, I am enjoying them. and wishing you guys safe traveling. send my love to donna. and you guys can always stay here! xoxo laurie
Thanks so much Laurie, your comment really cracked me up!
Sounds great thus far!
Thanks Keith…just told Donna today I haven’t thought about work once – except for the moment when I said I hadn’t thought about it…
Congratulations! One day under your belt… 🙂 Get a good night’s sleep in the Walmart parking lot. You still have quite a few miles ahead of you! Thanks for the updates!
Safe travels!
Thanks Pam!
Hello Mike
A friend of mine on FB liked your blog so I checked it out because ‘from real estate to wheel estate” caught my attention. We are the Faidley’s and my husband and I live in Virginia and I, like you, retired three weeks ago from teaching. We have discussed doing what you and your wife are doing but not sure we are ready to plunge into life on the road just yet. Anyway we wanted to introduce ourselves and who knows after your trip we might be inspired to join the RV life! If you are ever in Staunton, Virginia please stop by! It is beautiful here as it is surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Alleghenies to the west! Safe travels and we look forward to your adventures!
If you think you want to do this, I say go for it. Life is short and we have no guarantees. What’s stopping you? How do you get past these obstacles? I’ll continue to post how it’s working for us, maybe soon we’ll read about how it works for you.
Does it feel real yet? You never have to go back to work again! Love you guys.
Thanks Jamie. It feels like vacation right now but it will become real before long.