Six Months

Six months ago we left our home in Airdrie and stepped into our new, somewhat unconventional life. 

Six months is not really that long, in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like a lifetime since we began this journey (trip, adventure... whatever you want to call it!). So much is different now, and so much is exactly (mostly) the same.  

Despite all the research I had done in advance (and I did a lot!), we were rather unprepared for the realities of living full time in an RV. There are plenty of accounts about what life is like on the road, but it doesn't really stick until you’re doing it for yourself. These past six months have been a huge learning curve, and challenging in ways I couldn't have even imagined when we started out. Flexibility and the ability to change plans are absolutely required for this lifestyle. And yet, it’s also difficult to live without a firm routine. It’s a balancing act that is constantly revisited and I’m not sure we’ll ever get it quite right.

We've hit plenty of road bumps (literally and figuratively) along the way, and faced a variety of issues that have made me question pretty much everything about life. This lifestyle has left us feeling rather isolated from the world at times, and wishing for the closeness of friends and family. But we've also seen some amazing things, gone places we didn't even know existed, met some interesting and friendly people, and had experiences we wouldn't have if we’d stayed in the house (and learned so much!). It hasn't always been fun or comfortable but I can certainly say it’s been interesting and I wouldn't take any of it back for a second! 

Every place we have been has left its mark in some way. Each has opened my eyes to the diversity of the land and the similarity of people wherever we go. I loved going up the Alaska Highway for a month of exploring some of the northern reaches of the continent. The long days and wide open spaces made the start of our travels feel like a true adventure. The transition from wilderness to metropolis as we traveled south through B.C. really brought home the fact that much of the country I call home is only lightly touched by human influence. Late October saw us crossing the border into the United States, making me realize just how much of a Canadian I am at heart (I constantly pine for my own country, even when it’s freezing cold!). We have seen the greenery of Washington, dodged tumbleweeds in Idaho, found snow in Utah, seen the lights of Las Vegas, explored canyons and cacti in Arizona, and experienced the diverse climate of California. From glaciers, to rainforest, to mountains, to desert and coast; we've seen all of that and more in the past six months. And that’s all on the western side of the continent. 

Much of our travel thus far has been dictated by two things – the weather, and my continued need for regular dental work (braces). These have often determined where we go, and when. At times they have prevented us from going some places (we passed all sorts of tantalizing places on our fast descent from Washington to Nevada to escape the snow – I have a whole new set of places on my bucket list now!), and others have caused us to stop where we otherwise wouldn't have (choosing Palm Springs, because that’s where the best flight price/ schedule was after Christmas). There are also places we have been that I would love to return to and spend more time there. Places that I didn't realize had touched my heart until after we had left them, and our desire to continue to see new places supersedes returning to them, at least at this time. I guess that’s all part of our own adventure, but it's hard to say good bye over and over again.

There are days when I want to pack it all in and head straight back to Alberta immediately and throw the kids back into a regular school (usually on days where road-school is going badly) and days where I can’t imagine returning to a house and a stationary lifestyle. We've all been longing for a bit of stability lately, but I also have no desire to stop traveling. There’s just too much to see to stop completely!  It would be nice to find a family friendly spot and spend a full month there, so we can recharge our batteries and really connect to the community (there’s a travel phrase for this: go deep instead of wide). But first…

 It's time to see some more of the country. We've left California and are heading east, towards Florida to attend a Fulltime Families rally and (finally!) meet up with some other families who travel as we do. On our way I know we will find so much to see and do. Places I (as yet) don’t even know exist, and places that are already on our list of “must see” locations. I know we will also have to bypass plenty of others, and add to our (constantly growing) bucket list, with the plan to cross them off that list someday!

Six months and thousands of miles (or kilometers) on our odometer have given me a greater appreciation of the sheer size of North America. I can totally see why it other families who are full-timing take several years to reach every state (and often their travels don’t include Canada or Alaska!). While I know that there is no way to see it all in a year, I plan to make the most of the time we have allotted ourselves and see as much of it as possible (we can always re-evaluate down the road if we're just not ready to stop!).

So, here’s to the next six months of travel. May they be just as interesting as the first six!

Cheers,

Janine