Retirement: not the end of the road, just a turn in it.

Yeah, so I’m now retired. By definition, retired means having left one’s job and ceased to work.  That pretty much sums it up generally speaking.  Personally, even though I won’t turn 65 until January, I chose to cease working a couple of years ago, mainly for health reasons. But I also like to reference an old saying, apropos of my extended stint in restaurant management and the customer service sector: stick a fork in me…I’m done! So much for a cursory explanation for my bailout from the work force, this blog post is more about what I plan to do now rather than blather and dis about my disdain for certain career choices…saved for another posting.

I would like to say that I have all the time in the world to do whatever I please, but that’s not really the case.  Without dwelling too much on my health, let me say this…my time here is somewhat limited and so are my physical capabilities.  I realize all of our time is limited, mine is a bit more defined. With this being known, I do indeed have definite plans.

Initially anticipating my new-found liberation brought with it a few lofty and ambitious travel ideas, some of which have since fallen by the wayside when I came to my senses, i.e., a cold slap in the face by reality.  For instance, I’ve possessed a strong desire to visit the Orient again.  Having spent some time in Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam many years ago, I thought it would be an interesting travel destination now that I have the time and wherewithal to do it. Enter my depleted physical state and a foray to so-called Third World locales may not be the most judicious of decisions. Reasons to rethink this include the specter of spending long hours crammed in an airplane, hot, humid weather, my inability to walk long distances especially uphill, being away from my primary health care facilities, and spending time in the proximity of large quantities of huge disgusting insects and poisonous reptiles. Did I ever mention I have extreme insect fear?  Check that…extreme insect disgust. You see, visiting the parts of the orient that I would like to see include seeing the less-traveled places, and that means jungles and remote forests. Not gonna happen me thinks. So, where AM I bound for with all this time and opportunity? Why, the U.S., of course!  “SEE THE USA IN A CHEVROLET!” Well, not in a Chevrolet.  Read on and I will explain.

We have ventured into the World of American RV Travel. Not to be confused with camping, RV’ing is a whole other animal.  For Loretta and I, camping has never been a viable mode of recreation.  Honestly, our disdain for sleeping in a tent with the dirt and insects is only eclipsed by the amount of effort it takes to successfully accomplish a camping trip.  Yes, as kids we both fully embraced the joys of camping out in the wilderness, by a lake or river, fishing and playing amongst the wonders of nature. Our family did a lot of camping.  And the one aspect of it I never forgot was the fact that Mom and Dad did all the hard work:  the planning, the packing, the driving, the setting up, the cooking, the cleaning, and the pack out.  All we did soon after arriving at the camp site was hit the dirt running and playing and fishing and swimming. Sure, there is a certain amount of effort and energy required to get the motorhome ready, but it isn’t much compared to camping.  And, to say the least, accommodations when you arrive at your destination are much more comfortable than a tent.

So, in what direction are we setting our compass? To paraphrase a quote from Napoleon Dynamite, “Wherever I feel like I wanna go, gosh!”

Without spewing the entire list of our intended RV destinations, just let me say this…we are literally 2 hours away from Yosemite, 3 hours from Lake Tahoe, and 3 hours from seaside destinations like Big Sur, Jenner Beach, and Monterey. And these are just the short trips for 3 or 4 days at a time.  I’m trying to plan a few long jaunts to, say, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, British Columbia, even Florida.

Unfortunately, as I write this, our motel-on-wheels is in the shop, has been for nye onto 3 weeks. We are being held hostage by the dealer and associated repair shop to complete our sales contract, i.e., fix the problems. This annoying delay in our travel plans isn’t costing anything other than frustration…so we wait.  But that’s O.K. Loretta and I our both antsy to get going somewhere.  She has expressed this angst to me many times of late, “I can’t wait to get it back so I can put our things in it and go somewhere!”  Yes, she is the self-appointed packer and loader.  I am the planner, driver, and cook.  Notice I didn’t say chief cook and bottle washer as Loretta insists on doing the latter…I don’t argue with that.

So, we will still plan another cruise sometime soon (we cruised to Alaska in July), but our main vacation mode will be the RV.

I only wish the same retirement future for anyone in our age group.  At this age, we (you) deserve it…whatever mode you choose.

Tally Ho!

P.S. I promise to post pictures and stories of our travels here.