It sounds like we traveled a lot of the same trails, @Faye Fox . I worked for Combined Insurance of America (started by W.Clement Stone) and my territory was northern Idaho, Eastern Washington as far west as the Cascades, and the northern part of Oregon. Later, I worked in Western Washington and Oregon, too; so I was pretty well in every town in all three states. I averaged over 1,000 miles a week in my little Mazda pickup. When I lived in Missouri, I was all over that state, too, and I loved seeing the old homesteads, farms, and beautiful buildings out there. Now, I am just down to watching the gaited horses advertised on youtube, oh well……such is life, and I have no complaints.
You two are lucky I never got in much more travel than the southern states. Actually only 3 of those, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
Interesting. I had a yellowish-orange color Mazda pickup with a camper shell in the early-mid-1980s for travel and to save money on gas and save my 4 WD for work.
Since Oh well that's too bad because you'd like the southeast. I'm sure I'd have liked visiting the northwest. I did go to Texas twice for a visit years ago but thats as far west as I've been.
Western Washington (foothills of Mount St. Helens area) in the winter, mid 1990’s. I loved this little pickup, and with 4 studded snow tires and bags of alfalfa pellets over the rear axles, I could go almost anywhere with this Mazda truck, even though it was only 2WD. I had my SSB radio in case of emergencies, or just road updates, and sometimes my dog went with me. I drove it for years and years.
Faye I didn't even realize Oregon existed other than a geography class until Lavoy Finicum got killed by Federal agents there over land disputes with Bureau Land Mangement.
So far as doing a little traveling, I have few problems with it but thus far, when Yvonne has been able to take trips, I babysit the dogs which isn’t all that bad seeing how I have already been everywhere and done just about everything. That said, the thread isn’t really about traveling as much as it is about seniors who have opted for other means in which to live like the RV thing. Now, I have met quite a few senior couples who have RV’s and choose to live in RV and trailer parks and move here and there depending on the seasons. Some have even traveled a lot further south into Mexico and live in American senior’s communities where the dollar stretches a lot further. My favorite is as @Thomas Stillhere mentioned, are the boat life people which I wouldn’t mind doing. I have lived in RV’s but also lived on a boat at Lake Meade and off of Watts Bar Dam with my preference leaning toward the water. If I had my druthers, it would indeed be on the Miss probably based around New Orleans but I can’t see that happening. The sad part is that seniors in general have to be stationed somewhere near a medical facility. The RV and boat life are wonderful but if there are any health limitations, there lies the larger problem. If a senior has to have certain prescriptions then there has to be some sort of relationship with a primary health doctor and any other issues such as Yvonne has with her heart, she has to be fairly close to those physicians that have knowledge of her problems. I do understand that there are some out there who, after examining all the available information and their own budgets have had to opt for other means to live but for us, it’s the medical issues that have to be at the very top of the list so here we are.
That is the crux of the matter for most of us. Besides the necessity to be near doctors that understand my multiple maladies, I lost my independence to travel more than a few miles by myself in my early 50s. That put the quietus (quieeeee tus according to @Beth Gallagher ) on my dream of my semi RV with all the comforts of home with a tiny studio and shop, roaring down the backroads of the USA and Canada to one of my several small plots of land that I would own outright and always have a destination I could call home, after some aimless wandering about. While being near medical is a necessity, not being able to travel on my own or be away from home makes the RV, camper, covered wagon, horseback, hobo, vagabond, vagrant, nomad, wayfarer, wanderer, drifter, footloose, free spirit, traveler, castaway, or rover lifestyle impossible. I guess I could grow more flowers for hair decorations and a couple of pot plants, sew up a white cotton thin destroyed looking dress, go braless, and dance around to "White Rabbit" while singing "The Answer is blowing in the wind." but I guess the hippie life isn't my thing. I don't even like being called a former "cowgirl" since the urban dictionary has made that an ugly label denoting one of loose and lascivious ways. I prefer former cattle woman, that has more beef to it.
I don't think being broke down on the side of the road would be any fun for us either. Plus, I hear restroom facilities aren't that great when living on the road. Like you say, and Bobby said we need medical attention now and then. I'll keep my trips short and seldom. My van is set up with bed, potty, 'which we've had for over 30 years since we traveled with grandkids a lot and I don't like public restrooms'. We can drive 500 miles without having to stop for gas or anything else, really comes in handy this day and time considering the mad world out there.
Mine was a regular cab and different color and I used a chunk of railroad rail over the axles and with studded tires and/or cleated chains it went until it pushed up too much snow with the front bumper. I traded it in for a 4 WD Datsun and that was a big mistake. The Datsun was unstable on ice. After that, I had only Toyotas, and still, do to this day. That Mazda is still a favorite memory. I had a two-meter transceiver in it for local and emergencies and on long trips carried my HF rig and had whip antennas for 6, 10, 20, 40, and 80 meters. It helped trips pass quickly.
I like it right where I am. My brother keeps inviting me to the Dominican Republic but even with winter, I am happy here. I wonder if people think of all the options. In Vermont, they match young people with elderly with homes that they need help with. They have a getting acquainted period to see if both like the arrangement. Here I think there are squatters laws that would require going through an eviction process if it didn't work. But I often think about giving a person a room in exchange for a few hours work. I have a couple of my kids near by and and a young woman who is interested in cleaning for me. She has experience with the infirm.
I have wanted my son to come home; he lives in Oregon and went through a tough breakup last year. He seems so depressed that I worry about him and I'd love for him to move back home for a while. Of course he's a grown man and has his own life but my mother's heart wants him here. Mary, is your daughter still there with you or has she returned to where she was living? I hope things are going well with her.
Thanks for asking. I don't think she will be able to move back to Vermont. Her case worker was supposedly looking for an alternative living situation for over a year without success. I was pleased that she called me when she did not feel safe and had no alternative. She misses her significant other who is also high functioning autistic. But their goals are romantic; not realistic. I could get them housing here and a job, I think. That boy got her through her cancer and they have been basically together for 6 years, I think. Talk about a couple made in heaven. But they still want to buy a tiny house in Vermont. They have no idea about the logistics. Have your boy home 'for a visit'. All my kids are grown but I like being needed again.
I'm sure they miss each other very much and I hope things will work out for them. Sometimes those romantic goals are attainable. You're a good mama, Mary.