And we are OFF!!!

On September 6th, 2017, we finally left for our big adventure!! It has been a 3 year journey of research as we learned about the life of a full time traveler. We knew we didn't want to stay in one place for long. We also knew we no longer enjoyed the upkeep of a home and yard. Over time, we came to realize that we wanted to enjoy our retirement through full time travel around North America. We looked at small trailers but knew we could not live full time in the smaller ones. We looked at motor homes and travel trailers but finally made the decision to buy a 5th wheel. A 5th wheel allowed us to live in it full time, unhook and have a vehicle to do day trips and has lots of storage. We then had to find a 5th wheel that was made to be lived in full time and could withstand extreme temperatures. When we found the right 5th wheel for us, we knew what kind of truck we would need to buy. Once those purchases were made, we began selling and giving away all our "stuff" that we had accumulated during our lifetimes and 40 years of marriage! Once that was done, we put the house on the market. Things were going along perfectly. Kathie retired May 31st.

We had a 3 month setback when Tom needed some heart surgery (no heart disease or blockage, just a repair). He did a great job following his doctor's orders and has made a full recovery. He finally, officially retired August 31st.

We have been living in our 5th wheel for the last 6 months. I know some of our friends and family question how we could live in such a small space. Rest assured, WE LOVE IT! We have everything we need and it's all top of the line in every way. We couldn't be happier! This is the lifestyle for us.

We took off on Wednesday, September 6th, 2017. Here we are getting ready to take off!! We stopped for gas and took this picture of our beautiful home we have named, "Honalee"!

We drove only to Pittsburg Kansas the first day. We stayed at the City Park with water and electric hookups.
My friend Mary Ann, that I graduated from High School with, passed away several years ago. Her mother is 88 and I try to get by to see her once a year. She had a stroke last spring and is now in a really nice Health Care facility. She hasn't lost her spunky spirit that I love so much!

Then we headed to a campground near Mountain View Missouri. It was a 4 hour drive and I (Kathie) drove for 3.5 of those hours! We only had raised voices once!! We stayed in a nice campground, called Ozarks Mountain Springs RV Park. Lots of trees and hilly! The owner and manager were wonderful and very friendly. We stayed two nights.

Ozarks Mountain Springs RV Park and Campground, Mountain View, Missouri

We explored some area Grist Mills in the Mark Twain National Forest. This was the most beautiful one! There have been several floods in the area so several bridges were out and one Mill was being rebuilt.

We traveled to Paducah, Kentucky and set up camp in the Fern Lake RV park. We stayed 5 days. Its a basic RV park with no frills and that's okay with us. There are some trees but mostly just a place to set up and wait until the rain and wind from Hurricane Irma begins and ends. The owners couldn't have been nicer!! There are lots of things to do in this little town so we were busy every day we were there!

Fern Lake RV Park, Paducah, Kentucky

We ate an incredible supper at Freight House restaurant where they locally source their food so their menu selections continually change. I had shrimp with pulled pork and Grits! Tom had Kentucky Flounder (AKA: Asian Carp) with Craw-fish and Jumbo Broth.

One morning we ate the best breakfast we have ever eaten! We had Bread Pudding Waffles, Scottish Eggs, link sausage, and Biscuits and Gravy. Yes, that was way too much food! But we ended up skipping lunch!

Gold Rush Cafe, voted #1 Breakfast in all of Kentucky!

We walked along the water front and looked at all the Floodwall Murals that told the rich history of Paducah. Paducah sits where the Ohio River and the Tennessee River merge. It's a beautiful view!

After numerous floods and especially the flood of 1937, these floodwalls were erected and then murals were painted on them to tell the history of Paducah. The town was named after the Chickasaw Chieftain, Chief Paduke. The town has a rich history of trade via "river and rail". It remains the only location that produces Uranium in the country.

Where the two big rivers meet! The Ohio and Tennessee Rivers.

It is also known for Quilts. Here I am at the National Quilt Museum. While we were here, the Annual Fall Quilt Show was taking place. Lucky for Tom, I'm not a "full on" shopper so we only walked through it, buying only a small book and only spending a couple hours there. We also visited a few fabric shops and of course had to made a visit to Hancock's of Paducah. There were some hard-core fabric shoppers there!! Poor Tom had to get out of their way a few times!

This was the featured quilt! It's called The Eclipse.

Yes! This is a quilt!

We also visited the Kentucky Dam which is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River.  The dam impounds the Kentucky Lake of 160,000 acres which is the largest artificial lake by area in the Eastern United States. 

Another day we toured the Moonshine Company. The tour included mainly the history of Moonshine and the early Stills that were used during Prohibition. Yes, we made a few purchases!

We had a great tour of the Maritime Museum, AKA: River Discovery Center. This was a great interactive museum telling the history and current story of the River systems from Pittsburgh to New Orleans.

And we are on the move again! Love this lifestyle!!