OLD DIARY, TRAVEL

Whither and Yon


Roaming about is called going “hither and yon.”

What’s it called when you have plans to go but you haven’t decided where to go?

Whither and Yon!

That’s pretty much where we stand at the moment. We have no destination for this winter!

We know we’ll remain in Milwaukee until the end of October.  Will we have to extend beyond that date?  We don’t yet know. That will be partially up to us and partially up to the doctor.

With our volunteer plan we had put so many eggs in one basket that we hadn’t considered an alternative. cooler than average precipitation outlookBased on the coming  el níno forecast, the South looks uniformly compromised.  Which leaves us with wide open choices.  We might spend the winter fleeing the rain!  Or chattering our teeth.  Or we might spend the winter just loving life.  After all, every day when you wake up above the grass is a pretty good day!optimism

Aren’t Options Wonderful!!!!!

We might just choose to wander about aimlessly this year!  We really haven’t done that yet.  We’ve been retired for 4 years now and we’ve always had a sort of a destination.  I like destinations.  And during the summer — given the pressure on campgrounds — you often need to have plans if you’re going to camp at all — but it might be nice just to take each day at a time.

We have no interest in returning to South Texas this year.  Another colder than average and much wetter than average isn’t appealing.  But avoiding that may not be easy.

We had considered trying campgrounds further North in Texas (where the temps are normally colder than last year) but areas we had considered were so hard hit by 2015 flooding that some are not even going to be open this year — repairing the flood damage will keep them closed to the public for at least this winter if not longer.

Last Spring we considered a run along the Gulf Coast towards Florida and that too is a possibility this Winter.

Or a shot at the South Carolina/Georgia coast.  That is a hand we might end up playing.

The reality is: we needn’t make up our mind until we get there.  After all this is supposed to be our unscripted life. Right?

Thanks for stopping by.  I’ll talk with you tomorrow.

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10 thoughts on “Whither and Yon”

  2. Linda Sand says:

    Our first winter fulltiming we traveled mostly along the southern USA border from coast to coast checking out places we thought we might like to spend more time. The result is when we settled on Arizona for our primary winter destination we knew it was the right place for us. We knew we didn’t like the critters in Florida, the mugginess of the Gulf Coast, the winds of South Texas, the cool temps of the New Mexico mountains, or the cost of California. That made it easier to set Arizona as our destination for our autumn travels although we took some pretty convoluted routes to get there some years.

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    • That sounds like a good way to go, for you guys. I’m curious to see what we settle on. I think part of what is holding us back is not knowing how long we’ll need to be in WI. If we new for sure we were leaving on any given date we might have something to hand a plan upon. And I’m not sure I want to do the entire southern tier in one winter given that we want to be back near Eau Claire by 5/1…. It will all come together in time. And in the meantime we have a lot of fun to be had.

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  4. Today my husband came up with the idea we should get bicycles and ride around the world when we retire. “Are you serious?” I replied. “Sure am, I think it’s a great idea” was his response. Oh my.

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    • I think that’s a capital idea!

      When we were younger Peggy wanted to WALK across the US. Those days are over. But it was a noble idea while it lasted.

      >

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  5. Cletus says:

    We too checked out different parts of the south for winter stays prior to retiring and after. Finally decided on the Gulf Coast north of Corpus. Bought a nice cheap old sailboat and found a friend that stores it for us in the summer months. We don’t live aboard, boat’s too small, but try to get out sailing once or twice a week. Not always the warmest weather there mid Jan to mid Feb.

    However, that’s just what we do now because even though we store it in Texas, our winter home has wheels. So nice to have, as you say, “Wonderful Options” at this time of our lives. Good weather or bad we try to live each day to the fullest and are thankful for it.

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    • Cletus,
      Thanks for the comments — it’s always nice to hear HOW other people do things even when they may not be what one does for themselves.
      I consider that this being our 4th year of retirement that we are still on the ‘search’ — but perhaps not for a “PLACE” to go as much as for a “Pattern” for going.
      We have never been the sort to repeat year after year to any same place — winter OR summer. As a result I don’t know that we ever would find a different place than ultimately ending up in Milwaukee if we have to get off the road.
      I wanted — for years — to own a sailboat. We got so far as having the check half written out — for a 24’ hunter — and then we tore it up and walked out the showroom door. My Jr High German Teacher told me that sailing was rather like standing under a cold shower tearing up $100.00 bills!
      I think I would have liked S. Texas if it had been an average year — but with weather as it has been recently I am not sure that ’normal’ is going to be the pattern of weather in years to come.
      Whatever we try this year I’m sure it will not be S. Texas. And it will add to our experience — maybe that’s the most important part — learning from each travel adventure.
      The options for each day are really THE THING about RV’ing that made me most excited before we started, inspired me most as we got going, and keeps me enthusiastic about whatever lies ahead. I hate getting stuck in a rut!
      Cheers,
      Peter

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