Well, it’s been almost half a year since I left a somewhat stable and predictable existence behind to embark on a mobile lifestyle. I thought I would share some things I’ve observed along the way that were unexpected.

1.) Being completely off the information grid

For the first few months, in places that were without WiFi, I usually had a decent enough cell phone signal to use the internet. In places without cell service, I usually had WiFi. Some places even had cable TV included in the space rent, which is always a nice bonus. Then I encountered a few places that had none of the above. No WiFi, no cell signal, no TV (cable or otherwise). I have to say, it caught me by surprise to be totally out of contact with the outside world and I didn’t like it very much. Since I have a car in addition to my motor home, I could drive a few miles and get a cell signal in order to make a phone call, but that’s really not ideal. From now on, connectivity is pretty high on my list of criteria when looking for a place to stay for a week or more.

2.) The diversity of circumstances and reasons why people live in RV’s

Most of the places I’ve stayed for any length of time have permanent residents. I actually seek out places like this because they don’t mind letting me stay for two weeks or a month, and also because they generally have more reasonable rates than the more “resort” type places. Probably a bit of naivete on my part, but I really didn’t expect to come across so many people who are living in RV’s because they don’t have any other alternative. I’ve also met men who live in an RV park hundreds of miles from their wife and children because it is where they could find work. Some of these guys drive many hours every weekend just to go home to their family. I’ve met people like me, who have retired, downsized and decided to travel, and as the weather gets better, of course there are families and groups of people who are simply on vacation. Not everyone in every RV park is there because they want to be, but I suppose that’s also true in cities and towns and just about anywhere you happen to go.

 

3.) Finding so much to enjoy in the “boring” places

When I set out on this journey, I had (and still have) a list of places I want to visit. It’s a very far-flung list that stretches from Alaska to Mexico, and California to Maine. I don’t know if I will ever check off every place on my list, but I knew that getting from one place on the list to the next would require some stops in places that were not on the list. I figured that was just part of the journey I would have to endure in order to get where I wanted to go. Now that my travel “rhythm” has sort of developed, and I’ve discovered that long haul drives are not my style, I’ve been staying longer than I thought I would in places that I didn’t think I would. As it turns out, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying nearly every place I’ve hung my hat. It seems every stop has surprised me with its uniqueness and charm. I now look forward to each and every pin on the map, knowing there is an adventure to be had there and I truly understand “it’s not the destination, but the journey” more than ever before.

4.) Undrinkable water

One of the things I thought I planned for was bad water. I invested in one of those big Brita water dispensers and knew I would be buying filters every month or so. Then I encountered a couple of places where the water was so bad that not even running it through the filter could make it drinkable. So, as much as I detest the idea of bottled water, I’ve had to suck it up and buy water in a few places. You know the water is bad when even the dog won’t drink it. She drinks from mud puddles! Probably a consequence of the severe drought conditions in the west, which I don’t expect will ease up any time soon, I have now accepted the fact that sometimes I will just have to buy drinking water.

5.) Egrets!

By now you’re probably beginning to wonder why I used a silly pun borrowed from a Facebook meme as the title of this post. I didn’t expect to see so many egrets! The first one I spotted was back in the Columbia Gorge in Washington in October. Since then, I have been down the central Oregon coast to the northern California coast, over to the Sacramento Valley, and now into the San Joaquin Valley, and I’m still seeing them wherever I go! I don’t know what the Chinese calendar says, but for me, so far it’s the Year of the Egret!