Whatever household goods we wanted to keep are in storage, the Chinook was packed and ready to go and as the ink was drying on the closing papers, we left our home of eleven years in the Upstate of South Carolina and hit the road to see America.
Last December my wife and I became empty nesters after 35 years of raising four children. All four are working and married and one son has provided us with two grandchildren in the Upstate. So as our daughter drove off to join her Army husband last December, I started to plot and plan a way to sell this “ sell the house and travel “ idea to Janet. Our longest trip was 28 nights in 20 different places mainly in New England last year but two or four months or longer?
We both have grown tired of home repairs, new roof, replace this and that and mainly, yard work. It was always something. We received a lot of rain this past spring which in turn allowed the already large bushes to really grow. We had to trim those things one too many times because while trimming in the heat of summer Janet agreed to sell the house and hit the road. We both agreed that if one of us gets tired of the road we will return to South Carolina or Georgia to look for a new place to call home, with no yard work of course.
We are now a week into our adventure with no real plans other than Florida in January. We may have Thanksgiving in St Louis, Christmas back in South Carolina, Florida in January and then the real trip starts if we still like each other, we’re going West. We just visited our daughter at Fort Stewart,Ga. then went to Green Cove Springs, Fl. to pick up some mail at St. Brendan’s Isle mail forwarding service. So now we’re heading to the Florida Panhandle so I can put my toes in the warm Gulf of Mexico and count my blessings.
We sold the house and hitting the road
Re: We sold the house and hitting the road
Congrats! I like your plan. It's "win" for however long you enjoy it, and when you do decide to change things up, you'll find a place that suits you better (at your current stage) than your last place. Go you!
I hope you do head west later this winter. I can find things to like about most areas of the US (and other countries), but the US west (and especially the southwest in winter) are really amazing --- especially if you like mountains, wide-open spaces, and public land. It's a boondocker's paradise, but you don't have to boondock to enjoy it either.
Maybe we'll cross paths sometime.
Onward!
BG
I hope you do head west later this winter. I can find things to like about most areas of the US (and other countries), but the US west (and especially the southwest in winter) are really amazing --- especially if you like mountains, wide-open spaces, and public land. It's a boondocker's paradise, but you don't have to boondock to enjoy it either.
Maybe we'll cross paths sometime.
Onward!
BG
1999 Concourse
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road
BG,
I will definitely go out of my way just to chat with you and pick your brain. I hope to be in Arizona in February or March. Subject to change of course. Ha. I’ll be putting my toes in the warm Gulf of Mexico waters tomorrow at Topsail Preserve State Park. This park was privately developed then purchased by the state and I believe it’s one of the best RV parks in Florida.
I look forward to see if our paths cross.
I will definitely go out of my way just to chat with you and pick your brain. I hope to be in Arizona in February or March. Subject to change of course. Ha. I’ll be putting my toes in the warm Gulf of Mexico waters tomorrow at Topsail Preserve State Park. This park was privately developed then purchased by the state and I believe it’s one of the best RV parks in Florida.
I look forward to see if our paths cross.
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road
About the chicken, that's where they go when the sun goes down. They are just roosting on the tree, which is common for most ground birds such as chicken.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road
I didn’t know that about chickens. Hmm.
I’m living large at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach,Fl. I believe it’s one of the best state parks I’ve been to in the southeast. Full hookups including cable television. A tram takes you to and from the beach about 3/4 mile away. Of course you can walk or ride a bicycle too. Beautiful sugar white sand dunes and that emerald water. Wow.
I’m living large at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach,Fl. I believe it’s one of the best state parks I’ve been to in the southeast. Full hookups including cable television. A tram takes you to and from the beach about 3/4 mile away. Of course you can walk or ride a bicycle too. Beautiful sugar white sand dunes and that emerald water. Wow.
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road
Topsail Hill pictures.
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road
Visit the southwest! My husband and I have been going to Sedona, AZ for a dozen years now. There are so many places in AZ worth visiting. The obvious places are the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, and the painted desert. Fun towns are: Jerome, Flagstaff, Prescott. The whole route 40 corridor heading west through the west (OK, TX, NM & AZ) is wide open, beautiful prairie.
Enjoy your wanderings...
M&N
Enjoy your wanderings...
M&N
Norman&Michele
'Vinnie' the 2002 Chinook Concourse
'Vinnie' the 2002 Chinook Concourse
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road
The Southwest will be explored in the near future. I look forward to seeing the colors of Sedona and that part of the U.S.
We moved only a few miles from Topsail to Henderson Beach State Park near Destin. Very hard to get in here without reservations but I found a cancellation and grabbed it for two nights.This is a great park! Walk to the beach, big sites with groomed gravel, fire rings and clothes lines with a picnic table nearby.
Heading towards Pensacola tomorrow.
We moved only a few miles from Topsail to Henderson Beach State Park near Destin. Very hard to get in here without reservations but I found a cancellation and grabbed it for two nights.This is a great park! Walk to the beach, big sites with groomed gravel, fire rings and clothes lines with a picnic table nearby.
Heading towards Pensacola tomorrow.
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road
I have discovered a very pleasant ride from Biloxi Bay to Bay Saint Louis via Hwy 90. The road parallels the Gulf of Mexico for about 35 miles and the amount of seabirds is amazing. Pelicans ( my favorite bird ) are everywhere. Due to hurricanes, dozens of piers were destroyed leaving just the pylons allowing the birds somewhere to sit. But as the sun sets all the birds disappear! I wonder where they go?
A local chainsaw artist ( Marlin Miller, also on YouTube) has made over 40 sculptures along this section of Hwy 90 using dead trees from the hurricanes. It’s one of the best tourist attractions around. The Biloxi Visitors Center has a few on display and is a nice stop to learn local history.
A local chainsaw artist ( Marlin Miller, also on YouTube) has made over 40 sculptures along this section of Hwy 90 using dead trees from the hurricanes. It’s one of the best tourist attractions around. The Biloxi Visitors Center has a few on display and is a nice stop to learn local history.