The Times, They are a -changing

Do you feel it too? There is a shift going on among our fellow RV bloggers.

Bruce and Margie are feeling a coming change in their relationship with family as their "Grands" are growing up.

Joy and Phil are taking a one-year-plus break from their traveling while remodeling a new nest for themselves.

Mike and Ms Pat are building a summer cabin in Custer, South Dakota, and have sold their fifth wheel and it's puller.

Even Al and Kelly up in Bayfield, Ontario, are unsure about this winter's travel, as Al's Uncle Harry and Kelly's Dad are aging.

The times, they are sure a-changing. And how about Jerry and Suzy?  With some health problems, we have slowed down, although we are anxious to get out again next year. And yes, we did buy a park trailer for our lot, and we did have our casita remodeled.



We've been pondering this situation for a few months now, and are ready to talk it out among our family and friends. Family has already had a chance to weigh in, and they'll have more to say, and now we'll give you a chance to hear our thinking. We first wrote this back in May, and have made a few alterations for this post.

We called it "Decisions, Decisions, Decisions:"

Suzy and I have been having an ongoing discussion for the past several months. Most RVers need to come to grips with an "exit strategy," how, when, if, and to what degree to get off the road, "hang up the keys." Most of these two years we have stuck pretty close to home with Suzy's medical situation, and additionally this year my knee.

My knee is getting better after the surgery, but Suzy's spine? That's going to be the big issue. It's not getting better. Although she is getting bi-monthly epidural injections for pain, the period of effective help is getting shorter and shorter. Spinal surgery? Out of the question. Yes, there is physical therapy that gives some relief, but that can't go on all the rest of our lives.

We have found a possible way to travel and get Suzy's epidural shots on the road; it would take careful planning months in advance, but it could be done. But, if the effective relief is getting more short-lived each time, that may not be enough for any long-term RVing.

So we are discussing the spectrum of possibilities. At the "exciting" end is getting things so well under control that next year we can get back on the road and tour the country, visiting our family and then heading east to visit all the states we've missed (the entire eastern seaboard). We also have a dream to visit the Maritime Provinces as well as other Canadian provinces. That's a pipe dream as far as we can tell right now.

The other end of the spectrum is to simply hang up the keys after this year's fall trip to Nevada and California to visit our family.

We'd still expect to be able to take some two to four week trips within a pretty close distance from home and doctor.

Reality will probably be somewhere close to the latter end of the spectrum.

So how will that affect us? Are we prepared? We are OK financially. In fact, driving the motorhome all over the country costs money. Staying home less so. Our home here is pretty much complete, with the trailer in place, the casita finished, and the yard just needs periodic maintenance. Socially we're in pretty good shape here. We have a lot of friends, there's plenty to do in the park most of the year, we're active in Chapter 21, and if we know we are going to be here most of the time, we'll be more active in our church.

Emotionally we aren't ready to hang up the keys. There's a lot of country we want to see, there's a big case of hitch itch to be scratched. Our bucket list is still pretty long. And there's a lot of catching up to do with family that won't be satisfied by our trip this fall, which will have to be shorter than we'd prefer.

Hanging up the keys, whether partially or completely, is going to be a gut-wrenching decision. But it's a decision WE have to make before the State or an accident makes the decision for us. The question is ... when... not if.

We have what we need to live our lives. We will adapt and adjust, whatever the decision. We want to discuss this with our family some more and do a lot of praying over it. We need to consider every option, Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and so on.

So that's what we're looking at in this stage of ... Our Life on Wheels.