I'm blaming it on Senioritis, but I forgot to summarize our trip 2 years ago. Better late than never.
We were gone 8.5 months, from August 22, 2014 to May 8, 2015. We traveled 14,658 miles, covering 15 states. We went to 9 states we had never been too, so all of our travels over the years have taken us to 46 states. Somehow we missed South Carolina and West Virginia when we traveled to the East Coast. Doubt if we will ever get back there again. We have been in Alaska and Hawaii, but without the RV, so I didn't include them.
We used 1182 gals of diesel, costing $4058.00. The most expensive diesel was in Medora, North Dakota at $3.99 per gal. The least was in Buckeye, Az at $2.51 per gal.
We stopped at 39 parks during the 8.5 months. The most we traveled between parks was 341 miles. The least, 13.
When we talked about this one trip, I noticed we had never been across the Northern United States, so off we went. We went east as far as Michigan, then south to Texas, over to AZ and ending the last 2 months in Palm Springs.
We had several highlights on our trip. One of the most meaningful was that we were in Billings, Montana on the first anniversary of my mothers death. Hadn't planned it, it was just a good spot to stop for the night. Didn't realize the significance until we were almost there. Billings, Montana is where my parents met and married. They both attended Rocky Mountain College. It is a very old working college. When you work, part of your pay goes toward tuition. I never really thought that it would still be there until we stopped and I asked the park manager. She gave me directions. All of the old buildings were still there. It was amazing to see all the buildings that I had seen in pictures. Even got to see the cafeteria where they met. Also the room in her dorm where the boys would pickup their dates. Everything was still there. Very moving experience for me.
On our travels, we were able to visit on a more one on one basis with all my cousins and their husbands. I see them at reunions but it is a hectic time. This was so nice to visit them at their homes. A lot of the husbands don't come to the reunions, so it was a great getting to know them better.
Also spent 2 weeks each with my Aunt Laura and Aunt Louise at their homes. It was such a treat. Especially with my Aunt Laura because she passed away a few months later. Also spent some quality time with my Uncle Burl, who has since passed away. It meant so much to me.
Another big highlight was getting to spend 2 weeks at the family farm in Kinmundy, IL. My great grandparents built it and it has been in the family ever since. Again, I am there for reunions, but it is so hectic. The trees were beautiful in their fall colors. Having coffee on the front porch was priceless to me. During the week it was very peaceful, but on the weekends, my cousins who still live in the area all came to visit, which was a lot of fun. To be able to feel the quietness of the farm was something I will never forget. I love the farm.
Another one of the highlights is that Darin (Denny's son), Heather and our 2 grandkids spent winter break at Palm Springs with us. It was great to see them and we had a great time.
I doubt if we will ever take another long extended trip like this. It is our 2nd time taking a 8.5 month trip. Our usual trips are 5.5 months. I loved it, but all the driving wore Denny out. He is getting tired of all the driving because it is so stressful. Our RV and truck are a total of 55' long and weighs 25,000 pounds. He says the older he gets, the more stressful it gets. He is 76 yrs old.
This was a trip of a lifetime and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think I could easily live full time in the RV but Denny isn't quite ready for that, doubt he ever will be.
Til next time..........
We used 1182 gals of diesel, costing $4058.00. The most expensive diesel was in Medora, North Dakota at $3.99 per gal. The least was in Buckeye, Az at $2.51 per gal.
We stopped at 39 parks during the 8.5 months. The most we traveled between parks was 341 miles. The least, 13.
When we talked about this one trip, I noticed we had never been across the Northern United States, so off we went. We went east as far as Michigan, then south to Texas, over to AZ and ending the last 2 months in Palm Springs.
We had several highlights on our trip. One of the most meaningful was that we were in Billings, Montana on the first anniversary of my mothers death. Hadn't planned it, it was just a good spot to stop for the night. Didn't realize the significance until we were almost there. Billings, Montana is where my parents met and married. They both attended Rocky Mountain College. It is a very old working college. When you work, part of your pay goes toward tuition. I never really thought that it would still be there until we stopped and I asked the park manager. She gave me directions. All of the old buildings were still there. It was amazing to see all the buildings that I had seen in pictures. Even got to see the cafeteria where they met. Also the room in her dorm where the boys would pickup their dates. Everything was still there. Very moving experience for me.
On our travels, we were able to visit on a more one on one basis with all my cousins and their husbands. I see them at reunions but it is a hectic time. This was so nice to visit them at their homes. A lot of the husbands don't come to the reunions, so it was a great getting to know them better.
Also spent 2 weeks each with my Aunt Laura and Aunt Louise at their homes. It was such a treat. Especially with my Aunt Laura because she passed away a few months later. Also spent some quality time with my Uncle Burl, who has since passed away. It meant so much to me.
Another big highlight was getting to spend 2 weeks at the family farm in Kinmundy, IL. My great grandparents built it and it has been in the family ever since. Again, I am there for reunions, but it is so hectic. The trees were beautiful in their fall colors. Having coffee on the front porch was priceless to me. During the week it was very peaceful, but on the weekends, my cousins who still live in the area all came to visit, which was a lot of fun. To be able to feel the quietness of the farm was something I will never forget. I love the farm.
Another one of the highlights is that Darin (Denny's son), Heather and our 2 grandkids spent winter break at Palm Springs with us. It was great to see them and we had a great time.
I doubt if we will ever take another long extended trip like this. It is our 2nd time taking a 8.5 month trip. Our usual trips are 5.5 months. I loved it, but all the driving wore Denny out. He is getting tired of all the driving because it is so stressful. Our RV and truck are a total of 55' long and weighs 25,000 pounds. He says the older he gets, the more stressful it gets. He is 76 yrs old.
This was a trip of a lifetime and I enjoyed every minute of it. I think I could easily live full time in the RV but Denny isn't quite ready for that, doubt he ever will be.
Til next time..........
No comments:
Post a Comment