Serendipity

It’s been seven months. Seven months ago, the way we navigate the world changed abruptly and profoundly. I’ve been reluctant to write at all about it, because 2020 seems like a thing that cannot be summed up in words, at least not by me. Everyone has a unique experience, individual challenges, personal struggles and losses.

If we’re lucky, we’ve also had some silver linings.

It took a few months, after watching our traveling and running plans fall apart, to get our feet back under us. But then, we began to revisit a long standing dream that had been on the back burner. We had known for years that we wanted a camper van, and the time just never seemed right for it.

Now it seemed like a way to start traveling again. We dove into YouTube videos, we scoured online RV sites, we narrowed down what we wanted, and we searched every day for the right vehicle. After a couple of false starts, and a lot of crossed fingers, we found her!

A 2017 Roadtrek Simplicity, at a dealer in Awendaw, South Carolina. We named her “Serendipity“

We were nervous, we had no idea what we were doing, but we signed the papers and drove her off the lot- up the road to Falls Lake State Recreation Area for our first night camping in our new rig.

It was great until 3 am when the CO detector started screaming because the battery was low, because – WE FORGOT TO PLUG IN! We’d camped plenty of times before- but tents don’t plug in!

So, yea, there’s a learning curve. But we’re figuring out how our rig works, and what to take with us, for safety, for comfort, for fun. That’s one of the things I love most, is that we can completely design our own adventure!

So far, those adventures have included:

Blue Ridge Parkway- Peaks of Otter

Western PA and upstate New York

Cape Charles VA to Assateague, MD

We learn a little more every time we go out, and know how to camp both with, and without electric hookups.

Some things we’ve learned:

• Don’t panic, you can figure it out
• RV life is a great way to connect with friends in far away places
• RV life is a great way to disconnect from your screen
• Sometimes the best destinations are ON YOUR way to your destination- don’t be afraid to detour or delay
• Take extra clothing- things change, and you aren’t limited to one carry on item!
• Make it an occasion. If you’re bringing your own food and drink, as we are to maintain our social distance, treat yourself to things that you don’t always have at home.
• Give it a minute. Sometimes we pull into a campsite and it seems too crowded, or noisy, or “not as good as the last one”. Once we take a walk, light a fire, and have a great beer, it seems just right.

We have a long list of places we plan to go. But we’re always open to ideas, so tell us- what should we see? Where should we camp? What’s one thing (or more) you always take with you to make the trip more fun, more comfortable, or more safe?