Day One - 13 To Go!

Big White at Robert's Lake Rest Area

It started today. November 1^st, 2015, is the first day of our adventure on the road until we lock into our next house sitting gig, fourteen days from now. I’m writing under a glaring lamp filled with tiny LED bulbs fastened directly above our large crib board which also serves as our eating centre, a laptop computer station and a wonderful flat space when we need to set something down.

“This is it!” Frank says. “Our new lifestyle begins today.”

We clink our coffee cups to commemorate the day.

Moving out of the apartment

Many moons ago, we formulated the idea to change our life’s program based on our purchase of a passenger bus, complete with a wheelchair lift in the back. Our twenty-three-foot motorhome is now our only home. We live in it full time. What a pleasure!

Stuff in storage

This morning includes firing up the propane heater, flipping up and securing the murphy bed, percolating coffee, and fixing a dry cereal, toast and fruit breakfast.

We’re in the honeymoon stage of our undertaking. Our daily morning ritual, so far, still consists of a hug and a kiss and gentle pleasantries. Watching the morning news on our large television screen is no longer an option; it and most of our stuff has either been sent to the auction, sold directly or passed along to family and friends.  And, now, at this isolated location on Highway 19A, north of Campbell River, we are listening to CBC on our crank radio.

Picnic table at Robert's Lake Rest Area

Workman keeps the rest spot clean

Outdoor luxuries

After breakfast, I push open the bus door and step into the wonderful world of nature. I inhale the rainforest fragrances of wet grass, punchy mushrooms, magnetic moss, steadfast evergreens and the pungent odor wafting from the nearby outhouses. My feeling of solitude is interrupted by the blast of a large logging truck rumbling past, and Frank’s nudge on my elbow as he hands me a second mug of dark roast coffee.

“Life on the road, Honey, until we can’t do it anymore. What a great idea this was,” he says. 

“Yes, it’s great,” I say.

Frank returns to Big White with our drained cups while I roam about taking photographs of our pleasant surroundings. Up the road from here, we drop in to visit a friend in Woss, and then mosey on to Port Hardy to visit family. We happily claim the freedom.

Tip No. 1: Get organized by charting how your time on the road should look and feel.