NFR Any of You Ever….

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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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I have not done it, but would like to. Owning a home and a large yard I landscape myself makes it hard for me to be away for longer than 4 weeks (maintenance and chores). Late Fall to early Spring is the easiest time to get away guilt free.

Since you are renting and have already downsized you should go for it. Where do you want to explore?
 
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No. But I would if I could (if in that type of sitaution). You only get one plate appearance at life so swing for it. Luckily some have many pitches thrown at us. Not everyone gets a high pitch count either. I think we would have done something like you are eluding to but we had an unexpected blessing baby addition in our early 40’s so still waiting for that day. Next year 😉 (kinda). College trips still will have some impact for next 4 years. Basically the wife I didn’t plan it this way. Had some bumps and bruises per se on the way but we have three kids and they are kinda more or less about 7 years apart. Get teased about the 7 year itch. Just the way life unfolded for us. You don’t control it. You just deal with it has it comes. And we are happy and blessed with what we have.
 
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Coach Potter said:
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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I lived in and out of my Toyota 22R long bed 2WD truck for a bit over 3 years in the mid 1990s. I camped all over the West in some of the most beautiful places on earth.

While I could sleep in the truck on a platform, I had a system to spread out-- tarps, chairs, hammock, and tent. It was one of the funnest things I have ever done!
 
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Coach…. Do it! Do it before something rears its ugly head. You’re of the age where things you’ve never thought about can rear it’s ugly head, unannounced.
My wife & I have been doing it 10+ years but without the camper trailer / motor home set up. We get along better in the truck, confined to quarters, if you will, where we are isolated from the everyday outside mental forces of destruction that married couples go through.
When we first started the long distance things people were running odds which one of us would return and which one was MIA.
Last year we did a 12K trip to Alaska. Zero pissing matches, arguments and bad feels. When she’s good at I’m not what I’m good at she’s not so we both have fun.
Taking this year off as we now have great grands on both sides of the country and the wife has some issues so maybe we’ll do a winter trip. Would love to take her to Mag Bay in December…just saying.
 
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When turning 50, kids raised and launched, my wife and I quit our jobs to take a life break. Friends thought we were nutz, wife had a plum job nursing job, and I'd just been promoted to VP of Operations at the medical school I had spent the last two decades with, having started as their Chief Engineer.
We spent the first three months road tripping around the west in a robustly modified Suburban, weeks on end flyfishing in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, British Columbia, etc. Camping a bunch in places like the Bob Marshall Wilderness, renting a cabin for weeks at a time just outside of Yellowstone, etc.
After that it was three months surfing in the tropics and Central America, then two months on the road flyfishing again retracing steps to faves, then we spent the last 4 months during winter chasing powder wherever it fell throughout the west including a month hang in Nelson BC shuttling between Red Mountain, Whitewater and some cat trips to the steep and deep.
When the year was over I went back to work as a contract project manager, launching what would be a new career path, and shortly after finding work my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. She beat it and has remained cancer free since. Before we knew how serious her cancer was, her mantra was 'whatever happens, taking the last year off was an absolute blessing.'
Life is short, go for it, it will be an absolute blessing..
 
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DimeBrite said:
I have not done it, but would like to. Owning a home and a large yard I landscape myself makes it hard for me to be away for longer than 4 weeks (maintenance and chores). Late Fall to early Spring is the easiest time to get away guilt free.

Since you are renting and have already downsized you should go for it. Where do you want to explore?
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We would love to see more of the Mountain West and the other 3 corners of the country. I have seen bits and pieces of the NE and SE but I’ve always been on some kind of schedule that revolved around things I didn’t really want to do and flights home.

I’m 51 and haven’t seen the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, or Zion despite having spent spent weeks in those states. I’ve been up and down the Eastern Seaboard but haven’t seen any of the cool stuff. We would like to be where we are until we don’t want to be there anymore and then move on.
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My business career has always forced me to live in the future. I say “forced” but I am by nature a planner and a cautious discerner of almost everything. I don’t want to make it sound like I’m trapped or miserable. I really enjoy what I do but there are definitely some trappings in what I do. I tend to think inside the box much of the time.

My wife has always wanted to run off and do something “crazy”. My business has always been the thing that has kept us from doing that. She understands and appreciate me being grounded and what that has done for us…but maybe there’s some middle ground.

I’m nowhere near ready or interested in being retired so selling my business isn’t an option. I’m thinking/hoping that I can do my day to day but in a different setting for 7-9 months. Starlink and a laptop might be all I need…maybe.

I have always been a collector of others ideas so I appreciate the perspective and experiences some of you have shared.
 
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I'll chime in here. I would suggest that you seriously consider a 4WD option if you are looking into the "van life". It's extremely expensive, but in my experience, it opens up an entire world that you would not be able to access otherwise. Campgrounds are great but....confidently going out beyond them is a lot more fun. I was astonished at the shear magnitude of land that is basically "free for the taking" in the Southwest with a 4WD vehicle. You can "camp" miles away from anyone with a 4WD.
 
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Jim in Anacortes said:
I'll chime in here. I would suggest that you seriously consider a 4WD option if you are looking into the "van life". It's extremely expensive, but in my experience, it opens up an entire world that you would not be able to access otherwise. Campgrounds are great but....confidently going out beyond them is a lot more fun. I was astonished at the shear magnitude of land that is basically "free for the taking" in the Southwest with a 4WD vehicle. You can "camp" miles away from anyone with a 4WD.
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That is definitely the plan! I have zero desire to spend much time in a campground. When we rented the van we took to Glacier, we slept where we ended up on the way there are back. In the park you don’t have many options. No plans.

In my mind it was like backpack hunting and fishing. When camp is on your back you just sleep where you end up.

My friends that have these vans can go almost anywhere you would want to go.
 
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I used to visit places only accessible to 4WD. Hot springs in the Eastern Sierra, Old mines and Indian sites in the Anza Borrego desert, etc.. I did not use my vehicle as a toy to go "wheeling", I used it to explore areas beyond where a Honda Civic had to park. Not scary rocky roads, but sandy, slightly sketchy dirt roads. Literally millions of acres of pristine land, with killer campsites with killer views instantly became available. If they had Starlink back then... I'd probably still be out there.......
 
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Jim in Anacortes said:
I used to visit places only accessible to 4WD. Hot springs in the Eastern Sierra, Old mines and Indian sites in the Anza Borrego desert, etc.. I did not use my vehicle as a toy to go "wheeling", I used it to explore areas beyond where a Honda Civic had to park. Not scary rocky roads, but sandy, slightly sketchy dirt roads. Literally millions of acres of pristine land, with killer campsites with killer views instantly became available. If they had Starlink back then... I'd probably still be out there.......
Click to expand...

That’s the plan!
 
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I did two extended trips:

In 1977 I was laid off and got unemployment. Drove my Datsun 2000 in late spring and most of the summer through 14 states. My plan for the day was 'I wonder where this road goes?'. Slept outdoors a lot and in a number of barns too. Met so many great and interesting people. I met a lot of farmers and ranchers and a few farmer's daughters.

When I retired in 2013 I spent two months in my Honda Ridgeline and an occasional hotel. Fished Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. I changed states when the weather told me to move on.

My recommendation is do it while you have good health and mobility. Be young enough to enjoy less than optimal situations. AND get off the beaten path.

And do it sooner than later. It is only going to get more expensive...
 
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SurfnFish said:
When turning 50, kids raised and launched, my wife and I quit our jobs to take a life break. Friends thought we were nutz, wife had a plum job nursing job, and I'd just been promoted to VP of Operations at the medical school I had spent the last two decades with, having started as their Chief Engineer.
We spent the first three months road tripping around the west in a robustly modified Suburban, weeks on end flyfishing in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, British Columbia, etc. Camping a bunch in places like the Bob Marshall Wilderness, renting a cabin for weeks at a time just outside of Yellowstone, etc.
After that it was three months surfing in the tropics and Central America, then two months on the road flyfishing again retracing steps to faves, then we spent the last 4 months during winter chasing powder wherever it fell throughout the west including a month hang in Nelson BC shuttling between Red Mountain, Whitewater and some cat trips to the steep and deep.
When the year was over I went back to work as a contract project manager, launching what would be a new career path, and shortly after finding work my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. She beat it and has remained cancer free since. Before we knew how serious her cancer was, her mantra was 'whatever happens, taking the last year off was an absolute blessing.'
Life is short, go for it, it will be an absolute blessing..
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That sounds amazing! We are thinking 8-10 months of being on the road.
 
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