OWG (Off We Go)

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Here we go again! Yes, the dynamic duo – Den and Em with their trusty sidekick – KC are off on a new adventure. They are in a new trailer in hopes of reducing some of the challenges of Em's 19 footer. You may think challenges is a bit mild, however it was not the difficulty or the stress and strain they caused, but rather the number of them. Of course we will not be challenge free, but in this new 28 footer with a rear living area, a center dining room and a separate bedroom (curtains count as walls) they should be reduced. A solar unit was added to minimize battery problems and we will no longer be living out of coolers, plastic containers, duffel bags, or pickup storage. This unit has mucho storage that is quickly filling up. Enough about the trailer.

The whys, whens, wheres, and hows of travel this year (2011) will be enumerated in this and future updates. The whys – simple answer why not. In life we are always reaching new milestones which lead to life altering decisions and for me being seventy years of age pushed me to do retirement life in a different way. My desire to visit, explore, and photograph the US and possibly the world became the motivating factor in 2010 that led to a plan to make this travel option a reality. I found a great traveling companion (not KC) who was adventuresome and craved exploring new places, people, and things. This was a great fit and as a result we took several successful camping trips including the 16 day “Santa Fe Opera and Southwest National Park” excursion which solidified my resolve to expand our travels in 2011.

The first two days were travel days with a night spent in Bakersfield visiting Craig and Debi Fraley (Debi is Betty's niece and the leader of the Bakersfield clan). The first day was not uneventful, but generated only character building moments. Those moments where you want to scream “why us”, but only do it internally by resolving to make things work.

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Photos

HoW with Emily and KC
House on Wheels (HoW) at Lake Oroville in late December on a cold morning