New Life Travel Journal

4/1/2020

Dear Journal,

I am not sure how this goes but I’m gonna try out this journaling thing. Everyone seems to be doing it and this is my first one. Geez, I’m 50 years old and doing this for the first time. It’s been a helluva year so far, this 2020. So many bad things going on makes me want to pack up, leave everything behind, and live a simpler life. I am not sure if that’s possible, but the thought of it sure beats what I am doing now. Its becoming clear to me that I just can’t wait around and let life come to me now.

Bye for now.

4/2/20

Hi Journal,

I’m back! It was another crazy day at the hospital and not sure if I can handle any more of this. People out there are nuts. I heard this on the radio the other day, not sure who sung it but it goes like this; God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy. Yea, that about sums it up nicely. I gotta do something to change my perspective or I’m gonna end up like one of those crazy people.

4/5/20

Sorry J, I forgot to write in you for the last couple of days. I have been busy, tired, and brainstorming a plan to get out of here. You know I don’t do things rashly and spur of the moment takes a week for me.

Even though I am in healthcare, and there are people out there that I can talk to, I just don’t want to. Especially at work where they me see me later and judge me. That is not an idea that appeals to me at all. 

I’ve been lucky or we haven’t heard of any patients in our hospital dying of the Covid-19 virus. So grateful for that. It’s a horrible way to go and we don’t allow loved ones in to see theirs at their final moment. We have heard about others at some other local hospitals and I feel bad for their family. This is an evil bug and I hope we get control of it soon.

Good news on the brainstorming thing. I have narrowed it down to buying a cabin up north in the woods or selling everything and buying an RV. An epic adventure at this time in my life might be just what I need. Both sound great and I hope I don’t have to flip a coin for it.

4/8/20

HI J, 

It’s me again. For once in a long time, I am very excited. I finally decided which direction I am going in. It is to sell the house and everything, buy an RV and travel the US. Yea, I know, it sounds a little crazy, but I need that right now.

There are lots of places in the US that I or we never got to visit. 

Even Donna, one of the other nurses on my floor, seemed to notice a little more pep in my step and I have been smiling more.

I don’t want to spill the beans just yet. However, I do feel a little guilty for leaving them behind in all of this mess. There has been a lot of talk on FaceBook about self-care and such. This is how I have decided to take care of me.

I’ll be back later; I have to start clearing crap out of the house and get it ready for sale.

4/12/20

Well J, I had a moment to catch you up and take a break. I had a garage sale over the last two days, and it went really well. I love this concept of people paying you to take your junk away. There was no haggling at all, if they offered me a reasonable price, I sold it. Keep in mind, the whole goal is to get rid of the stuff, not make a fortune on it.   The rest of the stuff that didn’t sell, I am taking over to the Goodwill store. 

Now I have to call my Realtor and get the house on the market. It’s both scary and exciting at the same time.

4/15/20

Holy Crap J,

This thing is really happening. The house is on the market and now I have to go shopping for a real RV.  The internet is full of all sorts of info about it, but I need to go touch and feel stuff. It’s not quite clear what I am going to get, but I will know it when I see it.

Phone ringing, I gotta go.

4/17/20

Guess what J, 

The house sold really fast and I got more for it than I was figuring on. I can’t believe it. After clearing all of the expenses and paying off the mortgage, I have enough to pay for the RV with cash. Yea, no payments!!

I have to go tell the boss tomorrow that I’m quitting. It’s gonna be tough cause he was always a good boss and fun to be around. I did get lucky in that regard, as I have heard from other nurses about their bad bosses. In normal times, they would probably throw me a party, but now with all the germ restrictions, I’ll be lucky to see a cake. Plus, I don’t really want people getting all weepy on me.

4/18/20

J,

I am a free man now! My boss was sort of shocked that I am leaving. Well, he was happy and jealous all at the same time. He could not have been more supportive and even asked if he could join me sometime or somewhere along my travels. Sure, if you can find me. LOL. 

Tomorrow is RV day. I pick mine up for the first time. This will be the first time I have driven something this big. Gotta say, I’m a little nervous about it.

4/19/20

Woo Hoo J, I got the RV today and am as giddy as a kid at Christmas. They took a

Few hours with me to show me how everything works and give me a driving lesson in their back lot. Just a few cones got killed, but they came right back to life.

I still have not figured out where I am going to go first. It might just come down to me throwing a dart at a map of the US and hoping I don’t hit Kansas. 

4/20/20

J, I have all of my finances set up and the internet is arranged so that I have coverage in all 50 states. It’s still not clear where I am going but that will be decided tomorrow. A couple of books showed up in the mail today. One is a list of all the state parks, the other one is a guide to all of the good campgrounds.

I also went back to Goodwill to get some kitchen stuff and other things that I think I will need. It’s probably going to get banged up a little, so no since in buying new yet. There is still a lot to do and while I’m not yet freaking out about this, I’m sure it will happen soon.

The rig is easier to drive than I thought it would be. I have been taking it out every day for about an hour or so. I am getting better, but my backing up still needs some help. I’ve only crushed the cones twice now.

4/22/20

Hey J,

I have finally figured out where I am going to go first; the Pacific Coast Highway!! So, I will make it so. It’s a drive and journey that looks like fun, great scenery, and it goes almost all the way (from what I can tell) to Oregon.  I am so excited, waiting is tough. This coming Saturday will be the day.

Since this Covid thing happened, gas prices have been great. This rig sucks down a lot more juice than my Camry did. Oddly enough, that is the last thing that I have to sell before heading out. A lady is coming tomorrow to look at it. She’s a fellow nurse and needs a better car than what she is driving now. I will probably give her a helluva deal. She has a family and not a lot of money. In my mind, she deserves a nicer, more reliable car. I’ll probably hide a bunch of good supplies in the trunk just for the love of it. 

4/24/20

Dear J,

Tomorrow will be the start of my new life. I am really surprised that I haven’t freaked out yet. The only reason I can figure the why of it,  is that Karma is telling me that this is the right decision. The thought of leaving last night did cross my mind, however, I decided that I should stick to my plan. No sense in being spontaneous right now. That can wait.

I finally told my family about my plans. That was actually fun as I tried to predict what kind of responses they would give. Nailed it!! My parents were excited that I could finally come visit them sometime soon. The big sister wasn’t so keen on it, but then, she was never keen on too many things. It won’t be wrong if I don’t visit her. LOL.

This is just the sort of adventure that Maria would have loved. I still feel bad that we never got to do this when we were married. We both worked too much, and then when the cancer took over, it also took her life. I feel guilty about it and sure hope that she is watching over me. It has crossed my mind in the last few days that I might find someone else. Certainly open to the notion, and I think I will just let that play out. It will probably be tough for a while til this whole Covid thing relaxes.

4/25/20

Dear J,

I left this morning after double checking everything on my dry erase clipboard. Finally got over myself and said let’s hit the road man!!  The last week of driving practice has really paid off. I feel much more comfortable and relaxed driving this rig now. It ticked off the miles and did better on the hills than I thought it would.  Just because I could, I stopped to look at some of those roadside historical markers that everyone speeds past.  They were noting some obscure wagon trail used by early settlers.  

I found my campground spot and pulled in like a pro. Damn proud of myself.

It has a view overlooking the ocean. I could not resist taking a big deep breath of that lovely ocean air. After making a hamburger on the new grill, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach below lulled me into a long nap in my lounge chair. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow.

THE END