Category Archives: Road Trekking

A Year of Travel & Attempting to Plan

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I don’t like to plan. I am a last-minute planner. I figure that everything will work itself out and no matter where I am or what I am doing, I will love it to the best of my ability. Vacations and life are an adventure, after all.

People ask me what is next and I often reply “I don’t know”. I think that response bothers others more than it does me, although, it makes me edgy and uncomfortable because I really don’t know what is next.

This year I am planning three trips. Whoa, what? Planning? Janet is planning? Yes, I am, to the best of my ability. Whew. Some require more planning than others.

Where am I going?

Trip One-Heading East

  • My rig and I are heading east. It has been almost four years since I have seen my family and east coast friends due to Covid. I decided it was time to go visit.
  • This feels like a similar trip to the first trip I made in my RV all those many years ago, in 2013. I expect this trip to be a bit different. That first trip was made out of grief and desperation and need. I needed love and support. After ten years the grief has settled and I have found my way toward acceptance. Ah. Not that I still don’t need love and support.
  • My first major stop will be in Englewood, Florida. I have very good and dear friends there and look forward to seeing them. How long will I stay there? I don’t know.
  • I will make my way up the east coast, visiting friends as I travel north to New Jersey.
  • New Jersey will be my first lengthy stop with family. My sister and her husband live on the lake where my sisters and I spent our summers growing up. As Ginny says, “the door is always open”.

Trip two-Brazil and the Amazon

  • Brazil and the Amazon River are calling. A small group of friends and soon-to-be friends are traveling the Rio Negro and Amazon Rivers. Birds, wildlife, music, and friendship. Who could ask for more?
  • This trip will be more concise. Some of the planning has already been completed. I had been procrastinating on making my flight reservations from New Jersey to Florida, where we meet up prior to flying to Brazil. With the encouragement of my friend Mary, I finally made the reservation while we were in Mexico in January.

After that trip, it is back to New Jersey and family and friends and summer on the lake. But wait, there is more.

Trip Three-Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and beyond.

  • As I make my way north through New England I will visit friends in Vermont and Maine.
  • I will be joining my friend Cori and we are off to explore the Maritime Provinces. Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Foundland. This is an interesting dilemma. Cori and I don’t like to plan. Shoot there is no one to take the lead. I am sure we will work it out. And as Cori says, since she has never been there before she will like whatever she sees. Definitely a beginner-mind attitude.

After trip three, I give up. No more planning for me. I will wander my way west to visit friends as I move. When will I return west? Before the snow flies. I just don’t like crossing mountain passes in the winter. As you know, I really don’t like to winterize my rig.

What happens between all these waypoints is totally up to me. I hope to find new places to explore and be amazed at. Maybe I will visit other friends I have not mentioned here. Maybe I will make new friends as I move east. Maybe, Maybe, Maybe-it is totally up to me.

March twenty-first is my departure date. I have one more trip to Santa Barbara. My rig needs a once over and Dan, all things Roadtrek, is in Santa Barbara. I will start my east coast adventure from one of the furthest land points in the lower forty-eight. It will be a true west-to-east adventure.

Currently, I am finishing things up in San Diego. Repeat labs were normal and that is good. A dental cleaning is done and the report was mostly good. Whew. I am visiting with friends and spending time cleaning out my storage unit. It is work. It is time I need to prepare.

The first two months of the New Year has brought me amazement and adventure. I hope to continue the adventure for the rest of the year and you can come along for the ride. You are always welcome.

A Week in Mexico

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San Carlos, Mexico

Thursday I will have been in Mexico for a week. Yes, I finally took a deep breath and crossed the southern border of the United States.

The hardest part was crossing the border. I have been across the border before but I have EmmyLou with me this time. I have my home with me. I have to make sure I can take care of her.

It was good to be with others who have done this before. Out of the nine of us, four have been doing this for years. I am thankful for Mary, Mike, Sky, and Bobbi. With their guidance, we made it through the process of entering a different country. I don’t mind a little hand-holding and guidance. First, we crossed over. About twenty-one miles south of the border we stopped to get our Visitor’s Visa and Temporary Import Permit for EmmyLou. It was a process, not quick. Once again I remembered to breathe and be patient. And when it was done I was in Mexico.

We have been staying on the beach along a bay near San Carlos on the Sea of Cortez. This is mainland Mexico. It has been a week of relaxation and fun and community. There is a lagoon nearby so I have had some great kayaking and birding adventures. I am very thankful for my kayaking experience. I was able to go off alone and feel comfortable on the water. Yes, I did have all my safety gear with me. When one travels alone one needs to be prepared.

In the afternoons we have been having fun with art. I have been painting rocks and shells. It is fun to allow my artistic side to come forward. It has been many years since this side of me has come out to play. It is fun to paint with little expectation of the outcome. This is called folk art.

Brown Footed Boobie

The sunrises have been amazing and the sunsets breathtaking. It is not unusual to see pods of dolphins swim by, close to shore. The birding has been good. There is this island approximately two miles off the shoreline, Isla de Pastel (Cake Island). On a glassy, quiet day on the water, I kayaked to the island to see the birds. It was not disappointing. There were cormorants, pelicans, all types of gulls, and the Brown-Footed Boobie.

The island was interesting as well. There was one cave I could kayak into. The water was spectacularly clear. It was quiet in the cave as sunlight dappled the walls. There were smaller rock outcroppings to explore. I ended up circling the island twice. There was so much to see.

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Isla de Pastel
Caves on the West Side
Kayaking into a Cave

The people I am traveling with are delightful. Currently, there are nine of us. There are three couples and three are solo. We get along well. This is a very fluid group. People come together to visit and talk. Then some will go off to do something they are interested in. There is little pressure to join in if solo time is what one needs, yet the door remains open if one wants to join in on an adventure or sit on the beach and chat.

Slowing down and relaxing have been good for me. I needed this quiet and peaceful time in my life. I have not been to town. The wilderness and sea have called to me more than exploring town. Tomorrow that will change. Saying farewell to the coast is hard. We are heading to Alamos. I have read about Alamos and have heard much about it from Mary Z. It will be another type of experience. For a while, I will need to say goodbye to the Pacific and the coastline and head inland to experience another side of Mexico.

You are most welcome to come along on this journey with me as I delve deeper into Mexico.

Today I am thankful for a relaxing and peaceful time in my life. Today I am thankful for this beautiful Mexican land and sea. Today I am thankful for those who surround me now. I am thankful for new experiences that open me up and give me the opportunity to continue to grow and explore.

Going on a Holiday From My Holiday

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Canon Beach on the Oregon Coast

A week ago I returned To Washington from a week on the Oregon Coast. I took a holiday from my holiday.

Last summer a group of us who own Roadtreks decided it would be fun to meet up on the Oregon coast. It started with the three of us, Mary, Linda and me. We have been friends for years. We rented a group campsite at a state park near Florence, Oregon. As we began to plan, we started to think of others. Campskunk and Sharon spend their summer on the Oregon coast so let’s ask them. What about Pat, who lives on San Juan Island? She was invited. Oh, let’s ask Dorothy, and she came.

Six Roadtreks came and seven people. We had such a good time we decided to do it again this summer. This year we met at Cape Perpetua, another group campsite. Some of the original group could not make it this year so we invited others. Those who could not make it were missed.

Bicycking Bayocean Peninsula State Park near Cape Mearas
Kayaking Beaver Creek

Pat and I left three days early so we could meander our way to Oregon. Both of us are less inclined to drive for hours on end. We had shorter driving days and more time to explore. And our campgrounds were good, some were really good.

Our View Willapa Bay
  • Bruceport County Park is located on the south side of Willapa Bay. There always seems to be a spot to camp. This time we got the best site. It had an unlimited view of Willapa Bay.
  • The Blue Heron Creamery in Tillamook, Oregon is a free Harvest Hosts site. It is surrounded by farmland and open to many RVs that come for the night. For those who can indulge, shopping for the wonderful cheeses in the store is a plus.
  • Beverley Beach State Park is further down the coast and is one of the many State Parks on the coast. A short walk will end at the beach. The Oregon Coast is so pretty.

I would like to say that it is easy to get ready to travel, yet it takes a bit of planning to get my RT ready. That means getting EmmyLou, my rig ready for the trip. Two days before departure the refrigerator is turned on. She got a bath and I did some minor detailing. And just as I think everything is ready to go my engine battery died. Thank goodness for Roadside assistance. She now has a new battery, the DEF fluid was added and she was purring and ready to roll.

It was a delight to meet up with my friends again. This year there were three dogs and one kitty that joined the menagerie. We camped, and talked and caught up on each other’s lives. I got some precious kitty time with Phoebe the Cat. On our one full day, a subgroup of us hiked to Thor’s Well, a natural phenomenon on the coast. We shared stories, food, and more, and then, just like that it was over and we all departed for separate destinations.

Class B’s
Campskunk being Walked by Phoebe
Mary-Thor’s Well
Phoebe
Our Group

All friendships are special. I like how friends can meet once a year and it is like we have seen each other yesterday. The company is good. The stories are great. And especially in the past few years, it is wonderful to physically meet up with others, see their precious faces, and hear their tales.

The Roadtreking friends’ adventure was not quite over for me. I returned to Washington, stopping before I left Oregon, for a morning kayak north of Waldport, and then returned to Tillamook for another free camping night. After one more night of camping, I joined my friends, Jean and Jim (they own a Roadtrek too) at their lovely home on the Salish Sea, in Washington. I slept in the driveway and enjoyed the view from their home above the water. This part of the Sound faces east and south. In the far distance, one can see the skyline of Seattle. I arrived in time to witness Jean giving Jim a haircut. It bought back memories of Jim, my husband. I used to cut his hair as well. Jean and I talked our way through the afternoon and evening.

Jean & Jim
The View
Seattle Skyline
Dillon & Finn riding the funicular to the beach
Chasing Sticks

And then, just like that my adventure was over and I returned to Whidbey Island and the land of the amazing sunsets.

Buying my Roadtrek RV has been a game changer in my life. I bought it on a whim. It has seen me through so much. It helped me drive through the initial grief of the loss of my husband. I have seen some marvelous places and met good and kind people. Mostly though, it has been a friend magnet. I continue to meet such wonderful people. We become more than people passing on the road. We become friends. How wonderful is that?

Today I am thankful for my Roadtrek, EmmyLou, and the amazing people that are now my circle of friends.

Ah Yes, Today I am Thankful.