In my previous (working) life, I was actually paid to enjoy my hobby – studying insects. My wife Pat and I raised three kids while we worked, played, and had a good life living in a medium sized town in Central Texas. This town, College Station, is known as the home of Texas A&M University. Other than that, it is a town like many others in this world where folks are friendly and roots grow deep.

After our kids were grown and had made a life for themselves, Pat and I wondered what we were going to do with the rest of our lives. We decided that maybe there was more to life than studying insects and mowing lawns. We wanted to climb a few mountains, see some exotic scenery, and travel some of the back roads of the USA, Canada and Mexico. But it was not easy pulling up our roots that had grown deep over many years. We had a comfortable home in a community with great neighbors and lots of amenities that make life comfortable. But we felt that we were living in a fur-lined rut. We needed a little adventure – not the adrenaline pulsing kind of adventure that our kids required, like jumping out of airplanes -- but the simple pleasures of finding a new bird, climbing a new trail, or exploring what lies around the next bend in the road. We were in good health and wished to keep it that way as long as possible.

We rashly purchased the first, nice, used motorhome that we found for sale. For five years I continued to work half time and travel half time. We found that when we were traveling, we worried about the house. Was the lawn being watered and mowed? Was the roof leaking? How would we replace our treasures if some thief broke into the house during our absence? Then we met some folks who actually lived full-time in a motorhome. They claimed that they did not really need all that furniture, travel-treasures and gifts that were gathering dust in the house. They sold their home along with all its treasures, moved into their motorhome and greatly simplified their lives. We were convinced! We knew we would miss having a home-base for our travels. We would miss our friends at work and our neighbors. We would miss the town of College Station and Texas A&M University. But the impulse to try something different was more powerful than our need for stability, roots and all that stuff.

In my previous (working) life, I was actually paid to enjoy my hobby – studying insects. My wife Pat and I raised three kids while we worked, played, and had a good life living in a medium sized town in Central Texas. This town, College Station, is known as the home of Texas A&M University. Other than that, it is a town like many others in this world where folks are friendly and roots grow deep.

After our kids were grown and had made a life for themselves, Pat and I wondered what we were going to do with the rest of our lives. We decided that maybe there was more to life than studying insects and mowing lawns. We wanted to climb a few mountains, see some exotic scenery, and travel some of the back roads of the USA, Canada and Mexico. But it was not easy pulling up our roots that had grown deep over many years. We had a comfortable home in a community with great neighbors and lots of amenities that make life comfortable. But we felt that we were living in a fur-lined rut. We needed a little adventure – not the adrenaline pulsing kind of adventure that our kids required, like jumping out of airplanes -- but the simple pleasures of finding a new bird, climbing a new trail, or exploring what lies around the next bend in the road. We were in good health and wished to keep it that way as long as possible.

We rashly purchased the first, nice, used motorhome that we found for sale. For five years I continued to work half time and travel half time. We found that when we were traveling, we worried about the house. Was the lawn being watered and mowed? Was the roof leaking? How would we replace our treasures if some thief broke into the house during our absence? Then we met some folks who actually lived full-time in a motorhome. They claimed that they did not really need all that furniture, travel-treasures and gifts that were gathering dust in the house. They sold their home along with all its treasures, moved into their motorhome and greatly simplified their lives. We were convinced! We knew we would miss having a home-base for our travels. We would miss our friends at work and our neighbors. We would miss the town of College Station and Texas A&M University. But the impulse to try something different was more powerful than our need for stability, roots and all that stuff.