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Coach Potter

Coach Potter

Life of the Party
Spend an extended period of time on the road? My wife and I are seriously contemplating it. We rented a converted sprinter van 2 years ago and spent a week in Glacier…we fell in love with that kind of travel. We are both explorers at heart and that trip really opened our eyes to what’s possible.

We’re at a time in our lives (early 50’s) where our kids are out of the house, 2 of the 3 are married but no grandkids yet. We both REALLY want to be available when that happens. Grandkids are likely to happen in the next 2 years. Once those suckers starting showing up this idea is shelved for a while.

I can manage my business remotely. My wife would have to quit her job but her job isn’t critical to our operation. We are currently renting a house that we would likely walk away from. When we sold our old house before our last move we got really small so we could easily put everything in storage until we’re ready to come back.

Anybody done something like this?
 
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A side note:

There was a 5 month gap in my employment and it raised a yellow flag. Every potential employer asked me about this gap. I told them about it and all the responses were the same 'I wish I could do that'. I actually think it helped me get my next job. I got a job offer from every prospective employer.
 
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Coach Potter said:
That sounds amazing! We are thinking 8-10 months of being on the road.
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In my 20's a gal I was dating talked me into a weekend retreat of existential thinkers in Big Sur.
The gal didn't stick, but the words from a wise old guy in his 80's did and made more sense the older I got.
"once we accept the inevitability of our own demise, it helps free us from the fear of decisions while still living."
 
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Brute said:
Ok…ill try to do that tomorrow…just landed in Vancouver and trying to eat a steak & swill a beer before the in terminal hotel (the Fairmont) closes the dining room…heading to Muncho Lake in the morning…
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Beautiful spot - camped there with #1 Son back in the 90's on the way to the Yukon - visit the Hot Springs if you get the chance, crack of dawn is the best!!!
 
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Brute said:
Ok…ill try to do that tomorrow…just landed in Vancouver and trying to eat a steak & swill a beer before the in terminal hotel (the Fairmont) closes the dining room…heading to Muncho Lake in the morning…
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Last night I showed my 16 yo nephew images of the AK trip last year including many of the Muncho area.. I described the drive from Fort Nelson to Watson Lake and the area around Muncho.
His response: “I need to go there….”
Say Hi to all the bears feeding roadside with their cubs doing the stomach Spring Training thing.
 
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When we finished our undergrad degrees a buddy and I took my 1988 Mazda B2200 2wd p/u from South Carolina to the Arctic Circle in Yukon Territory, pretty much all the highways in Alaska, down the West Coast, and back east. We wrapped it up after 2 months mainly because we ran out of money (and it took forever to get checks from the temp places I grabbed some work at along the way). It was one of the best things I’ve ever done and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
 
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Do it.

Wife and I led a very similar life, a "lifetime" ago. Zero regrets.

Keep a home base to return to if shit happens. Have had two friends who had catastrophic failures, right at the start of their vagabond lifestyles. One was a brand new truck, one was a brand new RV. Both couples spent a month in hotels, where the rigs were getting fixed, as both couples had sold their homes, to become full time RV'ers.

Happy 4th all.

Bob
 
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At 75 I don't regret any of my adventures (many of which the best were a bit scary) and am exceedingly glad they weren't deferred until I was so old that a preference for 'creature comforts' outweighed experiencing the world.

For so many of my contemporaries their world closed in very early.....

I believe that all we get out of this life are the memories we build over a lifetime.
 
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Draketake said:
Do it.

Wife and I led a very similar life, a "lifetime" ago. Zero regrets.

Keep a home base to return to if shit happens. Have had two friends who had catastrophic failures, right at the start of their vagabond lifestyles. One was a brand new truck, one was a brand new RV. Both couples spent a month in hotels, where the rigs were getting fixed, as both couples had sold their homes, to become full time RV'ers.

Happy 4th all.

Bob
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That’s something we’ve been thinking about…having some sort of home base.
 
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Once I retire in 2 years, hoping to do a North America circumnavigation, up the east coat through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, then acrosss Canada, up to the Yukon (would love to get up to Tuktoyaktuk, but not sure the wife will go for that,), then Alaska, Ferry down the Inside Straight to Vancouver Island, down the west coast (visit some old Oregon haunts?), then back to the East.

That's the plan, and I'm sticking with it.

Coach, I say go for it!!!!
 
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We traveled in a camper van for a few weeks. At our age, early 70s we decided that a trailer worked best. Park it at a campground and take the 4wd truck to do exploring. We could, in theory also camp out of the truck for a night or two away from base camp. With the van we got tired of packing things up every day to go mobile and then unpacking stuff at night. Trailers with larger water and sewer tanks will let you boondock much longer. Good solar and starlink are a must, especially if loved ones wish to keep track of you.
 
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we have a sprinter van, and have done 3 trips down to baja. first trip with pop up camper, and last 2 with van. we have taken baby steps, and this past march we did a bit over a month. for the most part, we have stayed within walking distance of places to eat - the food has been good/great, and it reduces the amount of cooking gear, etc.. you have to lug around. and i have found it really helps getting out and meeting people. if u get into beach camping the 4wd is handy/necessary. we did the agua verde beach and it was nice to have 4wd to get in on a steep section. last year we had a shock mount problem, that i was able to figure out thru starlink, and a couple phone calls. ended up getting it fixed in yuma on way home - so, starlink is nice to have.
good luck. we are connected to our home base, but it is nice to get out for extended trips. with the van and starlink you can ad-lib pretty easy on where you want to spend the next night.
 
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I was hesitant to reply cuz you've gotten plenty of responses, but I just had to share this.

I also say 'Go For It' for all the reasons others have already mentioned.....and because I'm living the example of the world taking an unexpected turn.

My wife and I planned to be on the road a lot in retirement, visiting all the National Parks, for example....but our first three week trip after my wife's retirement showed us this was not going to work. The needs of our disabled son were greater than anticipated and our dream of such travels is gone.

So find a way to make it work because we don't get many 'do overs'.
 
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this is a fun little mental exercise for me.....in between making lemonade cuz the wife and I are loading up for a 2 or 3 nighter in the sunny side of WA.(y)

so here are a couple more thoughts....

Try to be honest with yourselves about small space living cuz some things might become a drudgery long term. Here I'm thinking about the sleeping set up, for example.

My wife and I prefer pulling a small trailer instead of an RV/conversion van. For the longest time our bed doubled as our dining table. This was fine for a while but it got to be a daily PITA to make the bed or set the table....whatever the need was at the moment.

My dad got one of those Mercedez/Winnebago camper vans. In his case, the couch dropped down to a bed...kinda like a futon....and he not only grew tired of having to fold the bed away for daily use of the van but he also ended up buying a thick piece of foam to deal with the fold in the futon/couch mattress.

A friend of mine is pretty much doing what you are considering. For a handful of reasons, they are on their 3rd iteration of travel vehicles. First, they had a slide in camper with a loft type sleeping area. This became a literal nut ache for my buddy cuz his prostate gets him up 2 or 3 times a night and he found it problematic to climb down outa the bunk when half asleep...trying to find the toilet. :rolleyes:

Regarding office space or working remotely. I have no first hand experience here but my buddy does. They are happy with Starlink. Both my friend and his wife work remotely. Both need to have computer and phone access. He ended up creating office space in their tow vehicle because his wife uses what space is available in their 24' trailer. Don't know if that will be a concern for you...but something to think about.

Campsites. Depending on where you're going, you might find dispersed camping problematic. It seemed to me in our limited travels that once you leave the west and maybe the plains, it gets more and more difficult to find a remote place to stay. For example, there aren't too many National Forests in the midwest ;). Or a friend who likes to ride back country motor bikes said he prefers to go to Oklahoma because there is very little public land access where he's at in Texas. With this in mind, I've found Hipcamp to be a good resource when on the move...but even their sites become fewer and far between when you continue eastward.

Oh and keep a home base or some sort of 'out'. When I was working, I met two couple who were living with friends because something went sideways after they sold their house and hit the road. My buddy is in a similar predicament (for other reasons) and he's getting kinda tired of living in their 24' trailer. He longs for the time when he was able to putter around in his yard or workshop.

Just some stuff to consider and sort out....but still go for it.....no regrets.
 
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April 9th 2003 I played hooky from work as I was pissed off at my boss and company. I caught my first Sauk winterrun, a dime bright snow belly hen about 13-14lbs, she was a magnificent specimen!
Next day at work I asked my boss if he wanted to talk, he said no, so I gave him my 2 week notice right then!
My plan was to sell everything and house, get a camper for my truck and head to Skeena region in BC, and try and find a woman and a job.
My last day, they offered me a $2 raise(usually they would only give .10 cents as a raise) and my dumb ass took it, meet the future ex wife and waisted 10+ years of my life.

Moral of the story, DO IT NOW!
 
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I am doing my first big road trip in 3 weeks. I was surprised to see highway 12 when I went tuna fishing out of Westport a few years ago - third trip in my van. I grew up on highway 12 in MN. I got it in my head that I would drive 12 from Westport to Litchfield, MN. As M_D suggests, my biggest concern is find a place to spend the 2nd night. The first will be along the Lochsa in Idaho and the last at Teddy R. NP - slight detour but I was born in Dickinson, ND so that place is a bit special for me. The first park I ever visited. I hope I enjoy it cause I really want to do more.
 
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