Six-Year Anniversary

Six years ago, this day, Sunday, August 31st, 2008, Vicki and I embarked from Missoula on our retirement journey, having sold, donated, or stored everything but the contents of our two packs and two day-packs (and personal items). In the past six years we have visited five continents, some 36 countries, and logged a couple hundred thousand land, sea, and air miles. And we have seen our two daughters married and a grand-child born. It has been an extraordinary six years. Today finds us at daughter Rachel's house in Washington, DC, planning to drive to Chesapeake, VA to look at a Tiger Adventure Vehicle similar to the one being built for us presently in SC...and looking forward to the next six years, and more.

Two Years on the Road

Two years ago, today, we left dear Missoula, after selling, donating or storing nearly everything we owned, and after an especially frantic day and night of final packing and storing. But we made the plane to San Francisco, and then, after a less than one day visit with Rebecca and Jeremy, we made the next plane, to Tokyo, and then another, to Beijing. And so our retirement travels had begun. Nearly 800 posts on this blog as well as many entries on our website chronicle these two years. It's interesting to reflect that no previous years of our lives have been so well chronicled.

Many other reflections come to mind. We have seen many sights, met many people, touched on five continents, endured a few minor difficulties, and had many interesting and edifying experiences. The reflection that most readily comes to mind is that, even after two years of this traveling routine, our mindset--both of us--is still in "vacation" mode. Particularly as September rolls around, both of us, former educators, think about going back to work or school. Every day we have to remind ourselves that we are not really in a hurry, that we can spend another day or week if we want, that this is our lifestyle. We do miss having a home, and particularly our family and friends, but we'll get back to those things soon enough.

Meanwhile, if there are not enough castles, museums, cathedrals, and standing stones to see, or food and drink to savor, there is always the quotidien even of travel. Currently we are at a nice-enough campground in Pest (as in Budapest), two tram stops from the Danube. We have enjoyed touring this great capital. The weather today is grey and cool and threatening rain. Our particular challenge this morning is finding tires for our campervan. It is a Sprinter, made by Mercedes, and the tires are Conti's, whose world headquarters is in Vienna. But we have not been able to find these tires anywhere in Austria or Hungary. We have a lead back in Vienna and may have to back-track 160 miles there to get the tires. We need them before heading out of the EU/Schengen countries, into Rumania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. But we're still having great fun and great experiences. Stay tuned for year #3.

Continental "VancoFourSeason" 245 75 R16, load range E,

120/116Q; got any?

En route!

September 1, 2008. Aloft, an hour west of SFO.

We are en route! The last few days have been hectic. Friday was my last day in the office. Many, many preparations had already been taken, but there were still many things to do...copying e-files, cleaning folders on the desktop and laptop, sending messages to my gmail account, shredding, selling the truck (70-something Vera!), getting travelers checks, then back to the office for my last ride (Ken's Lotus 7), and Friday Beer in Office, the untapped Bayern keg from our June board meeting. Then there were farewells to Ken, Claire, Neil and Kim. And more packing of books and mementos. Surprising how many work mementos one can accumulate in just a thirty-year career...four boxes, and I like to think I am not particularly sentimental. Then home to a steak dinner Vicki had prepared. I opened the bottle of 1989 Gevrey Chambertin I had saved from a 1993 visit to Burgundy and even drank some, but it was past due, already going a tinge brown. A George du Boeuf beaujolais substituted. Our laying-up conditions of the past fifteen years evidently had not been ideal. Oh well. We'll be in Burgundy inside a year. Then more packing and even a late night trip to the office to pick up boxes.

Dave and Kim Rott loaned us the use of their gray Silverado Frdiay and Saturday., a giant crew-cab (3x3) with a topper and a shift pattern I had not seen since being a teenager. It was a life-saver for us. No rental car or truck could have carried the load it did those two days.

Saturday was more packing, reorganization at the storage unit, more trips to the office (sending off my final e-newsletter, final report to the board, etc), more trips to the storage unit.... To me, it was becoming more readily apparent that there was more than we could do, more than we could pack, more than we could trash, clean, or stow. The life-saver was that the hot-water went out at our apartment complex, and this relieved us of the responsibility of cleaning, carpet-cleaning, etc. Even without the thorough cleaning, we just barely made it to the airport on time. It was an all-night thing, with all the loads carried down to the give-away area and to the Silverado in a driving rain (highly unusual for Missoula in August). At length, and with many other complications and difficulties, we made it to the airport, checked the 2 huge boxes and backpacks, passed through security, and got on the plane. Lois Welch was there, beginning a trip Martha's Vineyard, and witnessed our long-awaited Embarcation. I am quite sure Vicki and I were both asleep before the plane left Montana airspace. Denver was sort of a blur, and then we arrived in San Francisco, intact, all luggage accounted for (but four new holes in the backpack cover (United not accepting responsibility). Rebecca picked us up and we and she and Jeremy spent the rest of the afternoon, evening, and until the wee hours, sorting, packing, recording (iPods), etc. I got to sleep about midnight, and Vicki was up again until 4:30.

We were up at 7, and, after more packing, document copying, etc., Jeremy drove us to the airport. We checked-in, visited US Customs to document the Asus, iPod, and camera, called Rachel to say good-bye (she'll be hosting the Embarcation next spring!), and then headed to security, where we said our farewells to Rebecca and Jeremy. TSA and boarding were routine, and the pilot says we'll arrive in Tokyo 30-40 minutes early. Vicki's Shuffle seems not to be working, but everything else seems in order. So now, life is much simpler...we'll be carrying everything on our backs and shoulders. And months of planning, arranging, researching, buying, trying, returning, sorting, selling, storing, and trashing—most all of it conducted by Vicki—are over. And we are en route. Mark

Our apartment's study, Saturday night, hours before lift-off

Mark's last ride, in Ken's Seven