In 2017 Betty & I set a goal of visiting the 48 contiguous states and 10 Canadian provinces in 5 years. We sold our home in Winnipeg and went all in as full-time RVers – travelling in our 2005 Georgie Boy CruiseMaster and towing our little Smart car on behind. As chronicled in over 200 blog posts, since Dec. 27/17 we have toured 43 states and 9 provinces in what has become known as our overlandish odyssey. It’s been a marvelous adventure!
There have been a few roadblocks and detours along the way. Most notably, travel restrictions related to the coronavirus meant that the U.S. border was closed for most of 2020 and 2021. From March 2020 – when we made a hasty return from Arizona, until April 2022 – when we crossed over from Vancouver Island into Washington State – our travels were all within Canada, which wasn’t a bad thing since there is so much to see and do in this vast country!
Our last few posts have told of problems with our motorhome and Smart car, which we hope are now largely resolved. The aging automobiles have carried us well on our journeys and (fingers crossed) they still have at least a few years left. Due to mechanical and health issues, we missed out on visiting Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming on our way back from Vancouver Island. So we look forward to covering those states this fall or next spring – either on our travels to or from our winter destination in Quartzsite, Arizona.
If anyone’s counting, that still leaves two states – Kentucky and West Virginia – to visit on a future adventure through the Great Smoky Mountains, down the Blue Ridge Parkway to a winter on the Gulf coast. On another trip, we hope to fly to Newfoundland and rent a type B or B+ motorhome for a tour of that rugged rock, ticking off the last of our 10 provinces and 48 states.
But as noted in an October 2021 post, our travel plans are best made in jello. There are many factors beyond our control that need to be considered. One such matter is putting us temporarily out of commission for a while: I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and am scheduled for surgery tomorrow to remove it. While I am expected to be out of service this summer, the prognosis is good, and we hope to be on the road again to visit the remaining states and province.
These last few years have underlined for Betty and me the transitory nature of life on this earth. For us, we have not been content to finish our lives in an easy chair in front of a TV screen, watching the world go by. We have reached out to engage with our family and others on our planet – living to the fullest. Even if events put us out of commission for a while, our hope and prayer is that you and we can continue to experience a meaningful, joyous, marvelous adventure for years to come!
Cheers!