It has been several months since I have posted to this blog. The reason for that is we have been through some difficult times and I just wasn’t ready to write about it yet. I will share some of that now. We had to curtail our plans for traveling in Alaska last summer. We made it to Anchorage and did fly to Nome for a few days visit. From there we traveled down to Seward and then to Homer. At the end of June my husband, Alan became very ill. He was admitted to the hospital in Homer and was diagnosed with cancer. We were there for 3 weeks while he recovered from major surgery. The hospital staff were so kind to us and went out of their way to meet our needs. Upon hearing of our situation from a hospital employee, a local resident offered to let us park our motorhome in his driveway free of charge. I was able to stay in the hospital room with Alan and even had my meals there. The community was marvelous. If this had to happen, we were in a good place to deal with it. Alan was discharged the third week of July and we started the long drive back to Arizona in early August. I won’t write in detail about the return trip now. I plan to do a series of posts to catch up in real time.
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On our last day in Whitehorse, YT we drove south to Skagway, AK to ride the White Pass Railroad. The original railroad transported miners and their supplies to White Pass during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. Skagway is about 110 miles south on the South Klondike Highway. It is a major cruise terminal with anywhere between 2,000 and 10,000 cruise ship passengers in town.
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On Friday, June 9th we said goodbye to our beloved Misty. Misty had been my friend and companion since January 2008. She was five months old when she came to me. Our years together were a joy. She was very loving and affectionate and had a great personality. She was also very intelligent. It is difficult to write this, but I wish to share a tribute to her.
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On Saturday, May 13th, Alan and I crossed the Lower 48/Canada border at Sweetgrass, MT into British Columbia. BC has a nice turn out and welcome sign for visitors just after they are cleared through the checkpoint.
On March 16th we left Tucson to travel to Texas for spring bird migration. The Texas Gulf Coast/Lower Rio Grande Valley is one of the top birding areas in the US for spring migration. Many species fly from the Yucatan Peninsula or other locations in South America across the Gulf of Mexico and make landfall on the Texas coast.
We spent about seven weeks in the state. It was a whirlwind as we were usually out early morning until 4 to 6pm. So we barely had time for all the chores and stuff that needs to get done. Each evening I tried to cull through my photos so I didn’t fill up my laptop hard drive.
I am finally getting through processing the photos I kept. So here are a few to share.
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Alan and I had been discussing a trip to South America for some time. For many years I have dreamed of traveling there to see the amazingly colorful birds and the wildlife. About the 2nd week of December we began to seriously think about going in early 2022. Having visited many of the countries in South America, Alan is quite knowledgeable about them. After discussing the options, we decided on a trip to Ecuador for the month of February. We wanted to travel on our own rather than with a tour group, allowing us to travel at our own pace and to the locations we wanted to visit. However, it also meant we had to do all the planning. We only had six weeks to plan our itinerary, reserve lodges/hotels where we would stay, find local guides, etc. Things were very intense for about three weeks! But all the details fell into place – we were able to reserve the accommodations we wanted and work out all the other arrangements. The logistics of the trip went so smoothly. All flights were on time, our bags arrived with us, the guides were all amazing. We couldn’t have asked for a better trip!
Read MoreIt wasn’t long after our wedding that Alan and I concluded the Nash trailer was just too small for two people. In addition, neither of us wanted to continue having a large pickup as a daily driver. We started looking online at floorplans of different types of RVs. While we were camped at Pima County Fairgrounds RV Park in Tucson, Lazy Days RV had a show there. We went over and looked at different models.
We knew we wanted a motorized RV so we could tow a small SUV type vehicle for our daily driver. I had actually already been considering a larger RV. I really wanted a comfortable seating area with recliners or sofa. So as we were looking at floor plans online that was the first requirement. After looking at many RVs online at RV Trader and other sales websites, we found a Winnebago floorplan that looked just right for us. A few days later we found a small class A Winnebago Vista 30T for sale with this floorplan. In early July, we drove to Tennessee to look at it. It had low miles and was in excellent condition. We really like it and decided to make the purchase. This was in mid July 2021 at the peak of the RV sales, so there weren’t many units on the market. We were happy to have found this one. We drove it back to Arizona and moved out of the Nash and into the Winnebago.
Until we begin our travels in mid-March, I’ll share some of the highlights from 2022. Last February, Alan and I traveled to the birding paradise of Ecuador. This is a beautiful country to visit, particularly to see the spectacular birds of the tropics. It is perfect for a first international birding trip. The people are so hospitable and welcoming. There is also a strong conservation movement with the establishment of many private and public preserves. They are sustained in large part by ecotourism and particularly birding tours. There are over 1530 species of birds in the country. All this makes Ecuador a very popular destination.
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To all those who have read and followed my blog over the last few years, thank you!
The last couple years, beginning with the pandemic were a big change from my first three years of RVing. I was traveling very little and some other things. This made it difficult for me to write posts. The upcoming year I feel will be a new beginning, including getting back to posting to the blog.
Thanks to those who continued to check in, it was very much appreciated!
To all of you, may you have a Merry Christmas, and may 2023 be a year full of blessings and adventure!
As of Sunday, June 27th it has been four years since I sold my house in Colorado and began my RVing adventure. I have loved visiting so many of the beautiful public lands around the west, especially during the first couple years before the pandemic.
Deb's RV Travels 