Looking back helps remind us of the excitement we felt and the new territories we covered and the things we felt during those first few months. What an exciting time. We had big plans and felt like sponges: we couldn't soak it all in fast enough.
Everyday it seemed like we were learning a hundred things! Everyday we felt excited and energetic and the whole idea was daunting. Our learning curve was steep and our brains could not take it all in. Something I have only recently been able to do is put together a contiguous map of the places we stopped.
Google Maps limits how many locations that can be displayed at one time on the map. I had to learn to use overlays. There are more features to learn I am sure but here's a look at where we went:
The day we bought the Roadrunner (2007 Tiffin Allegro Bus): May 22, 2009
Our next scheduled stop was in Pontiac Illinois for a three week stint with the NOMADS - a volunteer group.
We then traveled to Canada (Petrolia across from the Port Huron border crossing and onto the beautiful Bruce Peninsula and Tobermory.)
We headed west to Mount Rushmore and then south again to another volunteer project in Greensburg KS. After that, we visited brother Reid in Albuquerque.
We drove the Roadrunner south after that and headed to Kerrville TX for our first rally (with RV-Dreams). We then went to the Fort Worth area to see brother Brad and then explored that area of Texas.
From there we went to the Rio Grande Valley and the border town of Nuevo Progresso. Once there we crossed the border (on foot) and tried out Mexican dental care.
Our volunteer efforts to us to Galveston TX for a few weeks and then we headed west again.
It was on to Tucson next where we spent some time before heading to the San Diego/Camp Pendleton area for the holidays.
From there we went north to Redlands CA, near where we lived in the mid 1980's and visited former neighbors Bob and Sue.
It was a busy first six months on the road. We tried to see a lot. We did! And we learned a lot and were pretty excited to be on the road.
We were asked, "What's the most memorable thing you have seen so far your travels"? Ugh... that is always a hard question but some of the more notable memories include:
- Taking in the morning fog over the lake at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Benbrook Lake, Fort Worth, TX
- Disaster Relief volunteering, meeting like-minded folks in Galveston, TX
- Getting shivers at the exceptionally well done evening ceremony honoring military at Mount Rushmore
- Enjoying middle America at a lovely evening town 4th of July concert in Pontiac Illinois
- Crowding 17 friends and family into the Roadrunner over the holidays on the beach at Camp Pendleton CA
For a more complete listing of our experiences during the year, you can click on the right panel of the blog under '2009'.
That's a recap of the Roadrunner Travels during the first six months of our time on the road. Its fun to look back!
Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!
Oh I remember those days as well!! You and Pam started full-timing several months before us and Mike and I followed your blog through those early months (and still follow your blog today). What fun memories!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great year you have had. The disaster relief sounds interesting too. It has been fun to follow you along the way.
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