As I wrote a while back, our plans for 2012 have already been changed a couple of times, due to needing to get repairs done to our coach and scheduling conflicts with my appointments at the Tucson VA hospital. So we scrapped our planned trip to the Keys for this year, and we may stop a few places between here and Arizona when we head west later in the month.
We had planned to do New England this summer, and still hope to get there, but since my first appointment at the VA isn’t until the end of April, and I have a couple of issues that may require me to stay around for some follow up treatment, we’re not sure when we’ll be leaving Arizona. Hopefully before it gets too hot.
Terry’s drivers license expires in late June this year, and mine in mid-October. South Dakota allows residents to renew up to 180 days early, so we need to make a trip up there to get that done sometime in June. Hopefully things in Arizona will be finished by then, and we can keep right on heading east. All we can do at this point is wait and see what happens. But that’s one of the great things about the fulltime RV lifestyle, we can be flexible and roll with the punches.
Whenever we do get going, we’ll spend whatever time we can exploring as far east as possible before our Eastern rally in Celina, Ohio September 3-7. We’ll also have to pop up to Michigan sometime for Terry’s annual oncologist checkup and to visit my cousin Berni and her husband. Then we may wander back to the east coast and spend some time in Virginia and the Carolinas. Or, we may head down to the Keys before the crowds arrive. Then again, we may ??? Who knows?
So what are your travel plans for 2012? Do you have a big trip planned? Maybe Alaska, or the Maritime Provinces, or the Northwest coast? Are you going back to wherever home was to visit the family? Or are you going to wander around, bouncing like a ball in a pinball machine, letting the whim of fate direct your travels?
It was warmer yesterday, but still not what one expects for Florida. A lot of folks who live or winter here are telling me to get out of the state so it can warm back up. But I want to remind you, we’ve been here for over two months, and the weather has been very nice up until this week.
Still, I was not going outside if I could help it, except to hook up our water hose, and to drop off some trash in the dumpster. I spent most of the day answering e-mails, and during the afternoon, our friend Al Hesselbart from the RV Museum in Elkhart stopped in for a visit. Al wanted to let me know that his Jeep must have felt left out with all of the money we spent on our Winnebago yesterday, because while he was in town, his water pump gave out and he spent a couple of hours in a shop getting it replaced.
After Al left, I worked until after midnight on my new book, stopping only for a delicious dinner of blackened halibut and wild rice that Miss Terry prepared. I’m pleased to say that Big Lake is still holding its own and selling 1,000+ copies a day, and has now been in Amazon’s Top 100 list for 33 days in a row.
A while back I was interviewed for a New Zealand writer’s group blog about my experiences publishing Big Lake on Amazon. You can read the interview at http://witsnq.blogspot.com/. Another author, my good friend Donna McNicol, has just launched a new Facebook page about her writing projects. Check it out and "like" it at http://www.facebook.com/
Thought For The day – The sure way to be cheated is to think yourself more cunning than others.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Pretty much the only planning we do is to be in Ontario, Canada for 6 months + 1 day every year, the rest time at the moment is going to, staying in and returning from Southern California. No real plans.
I Really like reading your blog which is why i decided to buy your book.A really good read and i can’t wait for the next book. It’s just too bad you can’t write them as fast as we can read ’em,but i’m sure will be worth the wait.
This is the 3rd yr of the 3 yr overseas travel plan. 2010 was a week in Amsterdam & the Viking river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. 2011 was the Scandinavian RV trip with European Motorhome Tours. 2012 is our New Zealand/Australia/Fiji trip with Fantasy RV.
We are at the age that we realize that if we don’t do the more arduous trips now we will not have the strength, health or desire to do them later.
We have learned in life that you don’t know how much time you have on this earth and you don’t know what your health will be in the future. Here today and gone tomorrow or very sick. We are doing our bucket list items now. And enjoying each and every day.
Since we have had several health scares and have lost some wonderful friends when they were in the 50s and 60s we encourage each of you to not put it off. What ever it is you want to do, now is the time to just do it.
“Life is a journey not a destination.”
To paraphrase Maxine, “We are going out all used up, no money left, with a smile on our faces and no regrets.”
Just made our reservations yesterday on the Alaska Marine Highway system. Our first trip to Alaska! But after chalking up 49 state capitols, we have no choice:)
This year we have several family events that will schedule our time. our daughters 40th, the 2 oldest Grands plan to graduate from college in Dec. we are going on a cruise with some RV friends to help celebrate their 50th. and we will hit Colorado this summer and AZ in thee winter. Those who remain flexible will not get bent out of shape.
Nick:
We also have our “domicile” in South Dakota and both must renew our driver’s license this year. My wife’s birthday, June 3 and mine, December 3, 180 days apart. We know that renewal can be done 180 days early but we have plans to spend the summer in New England and eastern Canada. We have been told that we can request for a delay in renewing so we will check that out a little later so we will not have to be in SD in the middle of the summer, messing with travel plans.
@Connie…I second your thoughts on “living now”. Nick…is it possible for you and Terry to renew your driver’s license online? Here in Texas we can do it that way for quite a few years.
We plan to do a 6-8 week trip to AZ and New Mexico in late March. The rest of our year will be exploring all of Texas. We’re still trying to decide where we want to summer this year.
We plan on finishing our trip to the Maritime Provinces. It was interrupted last year on our way up the east coast when I was diagnosed with tonsil cancer. We had to make a hard left turn and head to South Dakota where my medical coverage is based. After a few months of chemo and radiation I’m in ‘remission’, as they say. I’ve had two checkups now and each looked good. So, we’re going to leave Arizona and try and finish our trek up to Nova Scotia and P.E.I this coming summer (after a stop off in S.D. for another checkup). Then we plan to head south to winter in Florida again. Hopefully our paths will cross this summer while you are in the East or maybe down in Florida again (where we first hooked up with you last year).
Just a thought, a Florida resident driver licence is good for 6 years and you can renew it the first two time by mail or internet. We went to the DMV in 2001 and will have to go back again in 2019. Vehicle tags are handled the same way and you can get 2 year plates.
I was 50 when we moved to Az., my driver license is good until i turn 65. They also just started doing 5 years on your plates if you want.
Having never been there,Lydia and I feel that there is plenty to see in the Northwestern states to keep us occupied all summer long before we seek out a route across the Gulf of Mexico next winter.
Can’t wait…..
Mark
Our plans once again are written in Jello. We want to leave here the end of next month to attend the rally in AZ, but a medical issue has come up that may prevent it. Once we get cleared by the doctors we will head towards California. I need a grandson fix, it has been two years and I need it badly. Then plan to drive up the west coast spending time in Oregon and Washington then head east visiting with my sister in Minnesota before heading towards Ohio and the Gypsy Journal Rally. Then if we can swing it we will go to Florida to meet up with an old friend we have not seen in 15 years. Then back to TX for the winter.
We have our copy of Alaskan Camping & plan on summering in the Yukon State. Neither we nor the coach are getting younger so it’s “Carpe Diem”.
See ‘ya in Yuma…
We did our big trip this year, starting in CA, across I 10 to the panhandle of FL, up to Jacksonville, then all the way north to Niagra Falls. It was beautiful but a looong trip. We didn’t make it all the way to Maine, figure we will fly into DC and rent a car to see that part of the country. This year we have a nephew’s wedding in AR in March and a niece’s wedding in MT in July, then a slow trip back to CA for Oct, Nov & Dec park hosting. We already have the first 1/2 of 2013 planned. My DH lost a brother who was 49 and a sister who was 47. We are living for today!
Thanks for the plug, Nick. The link is http://facebook.com/mywritespot for those interested. I’m also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DonnaBMcNicol
Our plans for the coming year…hmm, Feb 1 – 7 with friends in Mission TX, mid March we plan to head to New Orleans, then up the Natchez trace to PA – arriving there beginning of May, spend the summer cleaning out the house and having yard sales, enjoying the grands that we haven’t seen in three years, then Sept heading to Myrtle Beach for a rally for the Tolovana, the ship that David served on in Vietnam, then to Pensacola for the ‘Welcome Home’ show of the Blue Angels, then across to TX…making yet another circle 🙂
So love this lifestyle!
Really great interview Nick. You are definitely an inspiration for writers.
I enjoyed reading your interview and I am following Donna on FB. Electronic media has certainly opened some doors for writers.So glad for your success with ‘Big Lake.’
Plans for 2012??? Wish I knew. We would like to poke around our home state (Oregon) in the summer as that is the best time of the year here. Maybe some more Wallowa Lake and on over to Baker City and then on to the John Day Fossil Beds…yeah, that sounds like fun! Safe travels to you and Miss Terry.