1/14/24 Final Post-Wow!  Just Wow! What a year it has been-An adventure of a lifetime.  So grateful, especially for all of YOU!

Taking the Long Way Home

We left Boerne, Texas on November 26 and moved back into Herons’ House just after Christmas. We made our way back to California, traveling through Balmorhea and San Elizario Texas. Man, Texas is a big state!  We revisited two Harvest Hosts where we had stayed at the beginning of our adventure and they were just as wonderful as they were the first time. We spent a few days with my dad at Bonelli Park which was the first stop on our adventure last January. Yep, it really felt like our adventure had gone full circle! Our final two weeks of our adventure were spent on a beautiful ship cruising to Hawaii and back. So I guess you could say that we made our way home from Texas via Hawaii!

The Struggle is Real

I have tried to write this post so many times over the past couple of weeks, but I just couldn’t do it!  My self-psychoanalysis tells me that is because writing the weekly Sunday Morning Musings and Mimosas blog was such a big  part of this adventure for me, that writing the final blog post makes the conclusion of Coach Addy’s Big Adventure a reality and makes it…well, real!

I have spent a great deal of time contemplating the format and the message of this post.  How does one capture the most amazing year in one blog post?  Then I realized the beauty of having chronicled the trip each week in a blog, is that I don’t have to recap it all here,  because most of you have traveled right alongside of us each week as you read Sunday Morning Musings and Mimosas. So grab a mimosa and take a trip down memory lane with me as I share my end of the year reflections on what was the trip of a lifetime!

Hot Tip #1 Gratitude-The Greatest of all Virtues

Peder and I are so grateful that we seized this opportunity to step away from our day to day life and travel across this great country.  We absolutely loved it!  We visited so many incredible places, met some amazing people, made so many wonderful memories and for all of that we are grateful.  

I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL TO EACH OF YOU! 

I am so grateful to the readers of this blog, as well as my friends and family who have been a constant source of encouragement and support throughout this past year.  I am humbled by the fact that so many people would take time out of their weekend to read about our trip.  It was fun to watch the readership grow each week and I loved all of the texts, Facebook posts and comments from so many of you as you read something that made you laugh or an experience that resonated with you. It is one thing to keep a travel journal (which I did also) that you can look back on where you traveled, but it is entirely different to know that you are writing for an audience, that others are reading your reflections. What I loved about keeping the blog was that it kept me accountable, I knew I was expected to post something every Sunday morning that we were on the road. Secondly, it caused me each week to reflect back on the week and really think about all the places we visited, the people that we met, the highlights and of course the lessons learned.  Writing each week allowed for each week to have its own place in my mind and heart.  Otherwise, all of the weeks may have just run together without taking the time to really appreciate the unique experience of  each week.

So THANK YOU to all of you, I can’t tell you what a difference it made knowing that in some small way I was connected to each of you throughout the year, even though we were on the road and away from home and our “real” life.  It’s funny how I came to look forward to writing the Blog Post each week. I never saw it as a chore or a burden.  I’ve actually missed it the past few weeks. It feels good to be sharing with you once again. And yes, I am looking forward to “summarizing” our trip in this last post.

Hot Tip #2 Just Do It! Swoosh!

I would encourage anyone who is thinking about a trip like this, to Just Do It! Steve Jobs said, “I think the things you regret most in life are the things you didn’t do.” I absolutely agree! When Peder first started talking years ago about wanting to take a motorhome across the United States in retirement, I really thought it was just a dream.  I had no idea it would become a reality!  And I could never really see myself doing it, let alone loving it! Now that we are home, it’s hard to imagine not having those experiences and not having created those memories.  What a great way to start retirement and begin to reinvent yourself.  Let’s just say that I didn’t have a chance to get bored, being on the road is fun, but a lot of planning and a lot of work.  We’ve only been home a couple of weeks, and I can tell you that I miss it-a lot! No, I don’t think we will do the year long adventure again, but I am anxious to get Coach Addy back out on The Great Open Road!

The Facts, Ma’am, just the facts Ma’am!

21,100 Miles Driven

2637 Gallons of Gas

$3.20 Average Price of Gas per Gallon

358 Days on the Road

114 Total Stops

34 States and 3 Canadian Provinces

39 Harvest Host Stays

13 National Parks

16 State and County Parks 

1 US Army Corps of Engineers Campgrounds

9 Moochdocking Stays  on Friend's and Family's Property

33 Sunday Morning Musings and Mimosas Blog Posts

1 Hard Landing on “The Rocks”

0 Accidents from Charlie in the Coach

The Route

Key: Leg 1, Yellow; Leg 2, Green; Leg 3 Red; Leg 4 Blue

Hot Tip #2 Take the Long Way

Make a list of all of the friends and family that you know across the country and figure out a route that will take you to each of them-even if it is way out of your way!  Some of our best times were when we were "Moochdocking" on our friends and family’s driveways.  Taking time to visit people and making them a part of our adventure was very special.  A Huge THANK YOU to everyone who allowed us to stay with them or made time for us as we came through your town.  Your hospitality was much appreciated and we will cherish the time that we had together!

Hot Tip #3 Take a dog with you! Charlie was a great motorhome dog. He had a blast and we loved having him with us!

The BIG Takeaways After a Year on The Great Open Road

People are Good!  This trip renewed my faith in people! Everywhere we went, we met the most wonderful people. The vast majority of people are hard working and just trying to live their best life.  They aren’t Far Right or Far Left-they lean towards the middle with tendencies on both sides.  They love their families and are genuinely kind. We saw this over and over again!  Probably the best example of this was on our way home when we went over a huge speed bump in San Elizario, Texas and lost Peder’s electric bike off of the back of the coach..  We didn’t realize that it was gone until we stopped about 250 miles later.  We were so bummed!  Lo and behold, we received a phone call later that evening from Jesus in San Elizario.  He saw our bike in the middle of the road and found an old campground receipt in the saddle bag that had our name and phone number on it.  He called us to let us know he found our bike and he even offered to keep the bike for us until we go back through San Elizario on our way back to our daughter’s house in Texas in March!  We couldn’t believe it!  

There are many, many beautiful places in this country!  Being a native Californian and one who hadn’t traveled to many states before, I tended to think that no place was as beautiful as San Diego.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We do have the best weather, that cannot be disputed, but there are so many beautiful places to see and experience.  We saw so much, and there is still so much more to see!

Our National Parks are a Treasure!  Each one is so unique, so magnificent, so breathtaking!  One of our favorite things to do was to drive through the park in Coach Addy, find a pullout with a view where we could park, pop a slide and eat lunch while taking in the vast beauty of that particular park.  I look forward to using our National Park Senior Pass to visit many more of these parks!

Great Music is Everywhere! One of our greatest joys on this adventure was experiencing the local music talent.  We made it a point to seek out opportunities to listen to artists wherever we were.  Whether it was the local blue grass band at the Alamogordo KOA in New Mexico, the two country singers on the stage of Luckenbach, Texas, or Vince Gill at the Grand Ole Opry, the feeling was the same-joy!  So many fond memories as I reflect on all of the great musicians that we had the pleasure of hearing.  Music is the great equalizer, it brings people together and unites us as one! 

Life is Simpler on the Road! I must admit that it has been a transition as we have come home.  I find myself not wanting to go anywhere and wanting it just to be the two of us at times.  Being on the road is a lot of work and a lot of planning, but it is a simpler life.  The daily stresses are greatly reduced from what I call “the real world.”  You are pretty much singularly focused on the trip as opposed to being torn in a dozen different ways.  The mornings are quiet, the days are slower paced and the evenings center around meal prep and conversing about the day and what is to come tomorrow. I keep reminding myself that I get to choose what I bring back into my life. I found peace on the road and a sense of calmness, I don’t want to lose that as I transition back to our very full life in Carlsbad and Herons’ House. Balance is the key!

The Biggest Takeaway of All

There is nobody that I would rather have as my traveling partner than my husband, Peder! One of the most common questions that we got on the road was, isn't it hard to share such a small space with someone 24/7?  I suppose for some this could be difficult and I would be lying if I didn’t say that I worried about that before we left.  Peder and I have a lot of autonomy in our day to day life and that could prove problematic when you spend all day and night in the coach with each other week after week, month after month.  Peder and I did great!  We had some honest conversations with each other as we began the trip about our needs and fears.  I think we also made a concentrated effort to be kind and patient, especially during times of uncertainty and/or stress.  There is something that happens when it is just the two of you in an unfamiliar situation and you are dependent on each other to make things work smoothly and/or "to work the problem".  We quickly settled into a daily routine and had certain tasks that each of us performed upon arrival at a new campground and when getting ready to depart. We had set up and tear down to a science.  We could park the coach, set up camp, unpack the coach and be chilling with a cocktail in less than 20 minutes, same for breaking down camp.  Although I never drove Coach Addy, I think I was a pretty damn good spotter, navigator and trip planner. I think both Peder and I are in better shape than when we left, being on the road can be a lot of work and we were really good about walking Charlie and riding our eBikes. Overall, we ate pretty healthy, until we got to The South…man, the comfort food is good down there! Lastly, I feel as if the trip strengthened our relationship.  When you take away all of the noise of your professional life and your day to day life stressors, there is a lot more time and energy to dedicate to your partner.  I also think that each of us were able to see each other in a different light, and we came to appreciate each other as we navigated the challenges of the trip and shared in the joy of the adventure. I am so glad that Peder had this dream and so happy that we went for it!  What a gift to both of us!

Again, I want to express my gratitude for “taking this journey with us!” It was my joy and pleasure to share my musings with you each week.  When I wrote that first blog post on January 8, 2023, I didn't know what I thought the year would bring.  But I can tell you that I could not have imagined that it would be as magnificent as it was.  I wouldn’t have traded the year for anything and I can’t imagine not having done this trip.  I can also tell you that I am not the same person that I was a year ago.  Stepping away from your life and traveling for a year changes you! It enriches you, opens your heart,  builds your empathy and provides clarity as to what is important in life.

Next Adventure

Our plan is to keep Coach Addy and take many shorter trips closer to home during this upcoming year.  We’d love to do Alaska at some point and it would be terrific to make it back to the East Coast.  As Peder has always told me, “I don’t know what is coming next, but I know it will be incredible!”  I can’t wait!  But for now, it is nice to be home, giving Herons’ House some love and reconnecting with family and friends.  I wish all of you a healthy and prosperous 2024! 

In case you want to take a "trip" down memory lane, I have put together a brief recap of each leg of our adventure. Boy, was it fun to go back and select the Bummers, Highlights and Lessons Learned from each part of our travels, not to mention scanning through all of the pictures. Wow, just Wow! I can't believe all that we did and how fast the year went!

Leg 1-The South West:  January-April

CA, AZ, NM, TX

Bummer of Leg 1: The weather-We had soooo much rain, cold weather and even snow! We laugh about me climbing on the roof of Coach Addy at the Grand Canyon to remove over 6 inches of snow that had turned to slush and ice!  I definitely earned my “BadAss Badge” with this winter task-Let’s just say that there was no way Peder was climbing up the coach ladder and onto the roof! Fun Times!

Highlights of Leg 1: The Great Texas Ice Storm-Without a doubt the most beautiful act of Mother Nature that I have ever seen! We were moochdocking at our daughters house in Boerne, TX  and the view from Coach Addy was stunning.  We’d never seen anything like it.  Frozen Ice everywhere-Everything and I mean everything was encapsulated in ice.  So impressive! (Thank you Butch and Betina, we loved our time with you this past year!)

Padres Spring Training-What a treat to experience Baseball Spring Training.  We spent a month in Arizona, saw the Padres play 9 times and visited 5 different stadiums; enjoyed visits from both Peder’s and my best friends. Thank you Leela and Todd (and your spouses) for making the trip! My first rodeo!  We would go on to see three rodeos on this trip!

My first NASCAR race! Who knew that I would LOVE the NASCAR experience! Thank you Kris and Bill for hosting us at the Phoenix Raceway! And let’s not forget Barleen's Dinner Show!

Lesson Learned: Know where ALL of your breakers are-even the ones that are hiding in the back of something.  Remember when Peder lost his Man-Card for thinking that we needed to replace our Automatic Transfer Switch (which just happens to transfer power from electrical hook up location to the coach), so we went without this capability for a couple of weeks until we got to Texas and could have a service repair man look at it. That’s right NO electrical hook ups for two weeks!  The repair man took one look at the issue, flipped a switch in the back of the Automatic Transfer Box and Voila! We had power! 

Ah yes, we learned a lot about Coach Addy over the course of the year!

Leg 2-The Rocky Mountains & Canada: May-July

UT, CO, UT, ID, MT, Banff, Alberta Canada

Bummer of Leg 2: Wish we could have visited more National Parks on this route.  So many parks, and not enough time!  We loved Bryce and Zion, it’s hard to pick my favorite. Our National Parks are a real treasure!

Highlights of Leg 2: Denver, Colorado, Can you say Mile High Stadium?!  I can’t even describe the joy I felt as we drove into the parking lot and I walked through the tunnel towards the field.  To be a Denver Broncos football fan for over 40 years and to have never been to Denver-this was a highlight of the entire trip for me! 

So fun to spend time with Todd and Laura and Peder’s brother Finn and his family and a big thank you to Peder’s sister Hanne and her family for letting us Moochdock on your perfect driveway for a couple of weeks!

Banff, Canada! OMG, Is there a more beautiful spot on earth?  The campground, the quaint Hallmark Town, the drive on the Icefields Parkway, Lake Louise, the magnificent glaciers and watching Peder (who is scared of heights) walk across the Columbia Icefields Skywalk. Spectacular!

Lesson Learned: Don’t drive the Million Dollar Highway in a large Motorhome! Yes, it is known as one of the most scenic highways, but is also renowned as being one of the most treacherous and dangerous highways!  What were we thinking?  

Leg 3-The Midwest and Dipping into The South: July-September

MT, WY, SD, MN, IA, MO, KS, IL, TN, KY, AR

Bummer of Leg 3: Mosquitoes and Chiggers! Yes, the Midwest has a lot of bugs!  We stayed at a farm in Shoshoni, Wyoming that literally had a gazillion mosquitos, needless to say we spent VERY little time outside. And I still managed to be subjected to no less than a hundred mosquito bites!  I thought that was bad until we discovered Chiggers in Texas.  The thing with Chiggers is that you can’t see them, they are microscopic-but their bite packs a punch like nothing you have ever experienced.  The bites produce an itch that is unbearable for about 3 days! We tried everything-advil, rubbing alcohol, ice, nothing seemed to relieve the pain! Chiggers are no bueno!😒

The biggest bummer of the trip happened on this leg.  We affectionately called the experience “Coach Addy on the Rocks!” We also joke that it was the most expensive “free” whiskey tasting ever!  (Hey, you gotta keep your sense of humor!)😀 We were in Kentucky and visiting the Buffalo Trace Distillery which boasts as the only distillery to still offer a free whiskey tasting.  I called ahead of time to ensure that they were motorhome friendly.  They assured me that they were and that the parking lot attendant would direct us to motorhome/bus parking.  Let’s just say, that they were NOT motorhome friendly and our exit route was quite tight with boulders on either side of the right turn.  Peder is an excellent driver and he navigated some incredibly precarious and treacherous situations on this trip, but this exit proved too tricky even for him! He saw the rocks on his side, but didn’t realize that there were rocks on both sides. I alerted him to the rocks, but he thought I was just talking about the rocks on his side.  Such a bummer! Damage to three bay doors-Yep, a $4,700.00 free Buffalo Trace Whisky tasting!  Ouch! Good News-this was the only damage to Coach Addy on the whole trip!

Highlight of Leg 3: Old Faithful in Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Riding our ebikes downtown Sturgis, and traveling down the Great River Road that traces the course of the Mississippi River, beginning at the headwaters at Lake Itaska, MN. 

Field of Dreams in Iowa was such a pleasant surprise.  It was way more impressive than I thought it would be and there is just something magical about being on the property, in the house and being able to play ball on the infamous baseball field. Oh and watching Peder walk out of the cornfields!

Nashville was a blast!  The honkytonks on Broadway, The Grand Ole Opry and the infamous “Batman” building that we must have passed a dozen times! Downton Kansas City enjoying dinner and a jazz show at the Lonnie’s Reno Club was a step back in time when jazz was king and supper clubs were the happening spot!

The tour at Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, TN and the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky.  Such a beautiful part of our country and the fact that they happen to produce my beverage of choice was a bonus! So glad that we made the side trip to Churchill Downs, you could almost hear the horses charging down the stretch to the finish line! (OH, and note the picture below of Coach Addy in the Buffalo Trace parking lot-this was right before our encounter with the rocks during our exit)

Moochdocking with our friends: The Savages, Lindholms, Anastasopoulos’, Ryders and the Dewalds!  We called this portion of the trip our Circle of Friends tour.  Thank you to all of you for putting up with us!  We shared so much good food, wine and laughter!

Lesson Learned: Sometimes plans change!  This is the leg of our trip where we had a route change.  As with most things, it actually turned out for the best as we ended up seeing things that we would not have seen if we had not changed our route.  If you look at the map, you will see that this trip had us going south, then north and the south again.  That funky loop was not planned, but it sure was fun!

Leg 4-The South and the Eastern Seaboard: September-December

LA, AL, GA, SC, NC, VA, PA, WV, TN, AL, AR

Bummer of Leg 4: Ok, I hate to call out a specific place, but I have to…New Orleans might have been my least favorite place that we visited. I’ve been there before and I remember it being raunchy and seedy, but I don’t remember feeling unsafe there.  This was the only place on our entire trip that I truly felt unsafe.  We stayed about 5 miles off of Bourbon Street and I still felt unsafe.  Walking to Jackson Square and the French Quarter was disgusting-the area was filthy and the sidewalks were filled with zombie-like drugged out people that you had to step over as you made your way up the street.  I also remember the food being awesome, but we did not find that to be the case either.  That being said, the beignets at Cafe du Monde were as good as I remember and my two favorite cocktails from the entire trip were from here: The Sazerac and the Bourbon Milkshake! OMG!  I can’t wait for summer to serve Bourbon Frozen Milk Punch around the pool! 

Highlight of Leg 4:  I know I’m not supposed to have favorites, but I have to admit that I have a special fondness for The South! Perhaps it is because the scenery is so different from California, perhaps it was the yummy comfort food, the delicious cocktails, or maybe it was simply the good ol Southern Hospitality that you hear about. I’m sure that the fact that we were there during the fall, the most absolutely perfect time of the year, had something to do with my fondness-who knows? But I do know that as I was writing this post, I had the most joy in my heart as I wrote about this leg of the trip. Now this is not to take anything away from the other three legs!  I loved each part of our trip for different reasons.  But man, there is something about The South that spoke to me and left an everlasting impression upon me.

We loved our time in Georgia: The Turtle Bar at the Houmas House, The Peach Farm Harvest Host, and Savannah.  Oh Savannah, what a charming town!  I could have spent a week or more here, just walking through the town and exploring each of the squares.  I love the trees, the parks, the Prohibition Museum and the food-Can you say Pork Belly Donut Sliders?

Charleston, South Carolina is a close second to Savannah.  We loved the horse and carriage tour of the city. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is filled with such rich history.  Thank you to Neils Jr for being our private tour guide, you are a wealth of information and we so appreciate you taking the time to share it with us! I learned so much!

Our trip and tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright home, Falling Water was indeed a highlight of not only this leg, but of the trip for me.  Such an incredible and iconic piece of architecture.  I felt privileged to be able to walk the grounds and tour the interior of this home. 

Driving through the Great Smoky Mountains during the peak of fall colors.  Just spectacular.  Mother Nature working her magic for sure.  It really is a sight to be seen.  We have all heard about the beauty of Fall Colors and we have all seen pictures, but I have to say, nothing prepares you for the intense beauty that surrounds you.  I likened it to being in a snowglobe with leaves in every shade of red, orange, yellow and green surrounding you.  It really is indescribable and unbelievable!

Redbay, Alabama-a pilgrimage for all Tiffin Motorhome owners.  A town that is all things Tiffin! This is where all Tiffin motorhomes are built and where everyone brings their coach for repairs.  Most notably it is  filled with the nicest people you will ever meet-Vendors and customers!

Our time with friends and family in North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania really added to this leg of the trip.  We had been on the road for quite a while by this time and it was great to spend time with people that we know and love.  Thank you Michelle, Bevie and Steve, and Neils Jr.  Our trip was enriched by our time spent with you!

I have saved the best for last…Fort Defiance, Virginia!  I don’t know if you have ever been to a place that just brought you peace, love and joy.  I have had the pleasure of having this feeling twice in my life.  Once, in Paris, France many years ago and this past fall when we pulled onto Orchard Hills in Fort Defiance, Virgina.  The feeling that I had here was unmatched by any other place we visited.  I know that there are a lot of tangible and intangible reasons for this deep connection, but no doubt the beauty of the property located in the Shenandoah Valley at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains (which really are blue when the sun hits them just so) has something to do with it.

The property itself looks like something out of a Hallmark Christmas movie complete with two charming houses and a Christmas Tree Farm. And of course we were there in optimal weather and the peak of Fall Colors.  The owners, Bevie and Steve, are two of the most gracious, genuine, loving and warm people that you will ever meet. They are the kind of people that you hope you grow up to be just like them; they are the kind of people who fill a space with love and make you feel as if you are family the moment that you meet them.   You are better because you have spent time with them.  Thank you Bevie and Steve for sharing your little piece of heaven with us and for making such an impact on me.  I will never forget the feeling that I had during my stay at Orchard Hills.

Lesson Learned: Just say Yes! Virginia was not on our radar as a place that we needed to visit.  It was a place between Savannah and Gettysburg.  But when my friend Katie heard we would be in the area, she insisted that we stop by her sister's house in Virginia.  We had never met these people and you don’t want to intrude and you certainly don’t know what to expect.  Imagine if I had said,  “No thank you.” to Katie.  I would have missed out on what became a very special stop for me. You just never know…

Well there you have it!  I know that I left out so much.  But, like I said at the beginning, how to capture a year of memories in one blog post?  You can’t! Hopefully, this post provided you with a brief recap of Coach Addy’s First Big Adventure capturing some of our highlights, frustrations and lessons learned along the way.

I wouldn't have traded this year for anything! Thanks for "tagging" along with us on Coach Addy's First Big Adventure!

Roughing in Smoothly on The Great Open Road

Here is a link to our blog, The Great Open Road.  You will find all of the past issues of Sunday Morning Musings and Mimosas along with other posts from the year, including Baker Pedee’s popular baking videos.