First Attempt at Blogging

I've been promising to start a blog for years. I'm finally doing it, although I'm not sure this entry will be the final version to be published. I wanted to write a blog so our friends and family could see where we are and what we're doing, and hopefully learn more about our RV lifestyle. It was hard to know where and when to start.

From Blogger Pictures

This odyssey began several years ago for both of us. For me (Sharon), it started after my husband Bill McKay passed away in June 2002. I had dreamed of traveling throughout the lower 48 States by RV to see the country at ground level. After 30-someodd years of traveling for business, mostly by air, and not having enough time to explore and appreciate the beauty of all the interesting places, I wanted to slow down and stop to smell the roses. After Bill's death, the opportunity was suddenly there for me to pursue my dream. I sold the house in Utah and both cars, and bought a Montana 5th wheel and Dodge Ram truck to haul it. My Siamese cats and I hit the road. I thought I'd travel for 2-3 years, then choose a place to live based on all the places I would have visited. That seemed like a long time, from the planning side of the pursuit. Little did I know how fast time would pass and how many more places there would be to explore after that time period, to say nothing of all the adventures that lay ahead of me.

For Don, his full-time RVing began when his wife Jodi was still alive. They retired after long-term careers with the U.S. Navy, also choosing a 5th wheel and truck for their travels. Unfortunately, Jodi passed away, coincidentally 5 days after Bill did.

Don and I met through the Escapees RV Club. We both attended a rally for members who traveled alone, a group called the Solos, held in Kendallville, Indiana. That was about 1.5 years after our spouses died, but we didn't get together right away. We both thought the other one was with a 'special' friend, so we just ignored our mutual attraction. Three years later, in September 2007, we both showed up for the same event: a Solos rally in Kendallville. This time, we were definitely attracted and unattached. We spent almost 3 weeks just being pals, attending a bluegrass festival, then the Solos rally, and finally the large Escapees RV Club Escapade.

We then had our *first* date, a special dinner for just us two. We decided to travel together for awhile to test the waters, keeping both our RVs. It was only a few weeks later when we stored Don's 5th wheel and traveled together in my motor home. By January 2008, we knew we would stay together. We bought a new motor home, the Phaeton you see below.

From Phaeton

We were subsequently married on June 13, 2008, in Rapid City, SD, our home base as full-time RVers. I'll write more about this and other events in future blogs. For now, that's probably enough for my first effort! I'd love to hear your comments.

Hart Ranch

Note: I originally wrote this blog post as a test of the system (and my understanding of it). It was out of sequence, but I learned from Chris Guld (Geeks on Tour) how to edit and change the date. I could have just deleted it, but I didn't want to lose the items reported on below. So, I hope you enjoy this little amateurish attempt at blogging!

Don and I spent almost 2 months at our home base, Hart Ranch Camping Resort in the Black Hills of South Dakota, this summer. We were delighted that Dennis & Carol Hill (RV Driving School) were able to join us for a brief visit before they departed for Alaska. They helped us celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary, treating us to dinner, after serving as our Best Man and Matron of Honor last year.

This photo shows Dennis & Carol with us in the front row for the Foggy Bottom Boys show at Hart Ranch.






The Foggy Bottom Boys put on a good show. They're a bunch of local guys who love playing instruments and singing western and bluegrass favorites. They've played at Hart Ranch every year, but this was the first time I got to see them perform.







Don loves keeping me supplied with yellow roses. The white carnations from last week (when he couldn't find yellow roses) still looked fresh, so I made a combined bouquet.







We decided to replace the original bedspread in our motorhome because it was stained and getting frayed. This one from Target is washable and looks good with the alpaca pillows.