Jenny's
Journal
Chapter 14

Hello again, and welcome back! I find it hard to believe we're in our third year of RVing. It’s true what they say: "Time flies when you’re having fun" (or is it "as you get older"!?)

Looking back over the past two years, we realize that, although we traveled extensively during the first twelve months, during the second year we took advantage of our freedom in a different way: by parking up and taking extended trips. The month we spent in Australia and the nine weeks traveling around Europe were both wonderful experiences, but not exactly typical of the “fulltime RVer”. So this year we intend to cover many thousands of miles here in the US and Canada, seeing places we’ve never seen, doing things we’ve never done, and taking full advantage of this wonderful RV lifestyle, while it lasts ... since next year will mark the beginning of a new era in our lives, as we build our log home in the mountains of Colorado.

Most “full-timers” go in search of the sun during the winter months and, in our opinion, you won’t find a better place than southern California, our home base for the first few months of the year. The weather was glorious, the surrounding countryside beautiful and the people warm and friendly. The Wild Animal Park provided one excellent, memorable day -- well worth a visit.

Escondido RV Resort has much to offer for an extended stay, including computer access, comfortable lounge, heated swimming pool and hot tub. 

We stayed pretty focused on our business, helping to establish regular weekly events, and meeting many new customers and prospective business partners. In February, “business” took us to Reno, Nevada, for "Winterfest" – a long weekend of training and, of course, skiing at Lake Tahoe. The weather wasn’t so good but we had a great time. 

Spring 2000:
The end of March saw our annual conference in San Diego where we were joined, once again, by friends and associates from around the country.

In recognition of our business accomplishments, we were treated to three days at La Costa Resort & Spa – with “spending money” to enjoy the facilities. We practiced our golf swing; Mick ran and worked out in the gym, while I took advantage of the spa services: the full body massage was particularly good!

In April we made a whirlwind trip back to Texas, renting a car for two weeks so that we could give the truck a rest and ride in comfort. We spent Easter weekend with our younger son, Kevin, in Austin, and then drove to Dallas where our group worked us hard for a few days. Our good friend, Sandy Guest, hitched a ride with us from Dallas to Albuquerque, visiting her sister and brother-in-law, as well as customers and team members along the way. In Santa Fe we worked with Fran Price,  and stopped in Colorado (again!), before heading back to southern California. It proved a fun and productive trip. 

On May 23^rd we said goodbye to our friends in Escondido and began the next leg of our “Journey of Discovery”. We certainly had an exciting summer ahead of us! First we stopped in Bakersfield to meet with some brand new team members, then continued north to take a look at the famous Hearst Castle: a really spectacular experience. A short stop in the seaside town of Santa Cruz, a stroll along the pier, even a trip to the “The Mystery Spot” – all made for an interesting trip. Leaving the RV in Morgan Hill, we drove on to Palo Alto to stay with friends, Margaret & Les Fisher, whom we hadn’t seen for many years. This lifestyle makes it so easy to keep in touch with friends around the country.

We’ve found ourselves spending the night in some interesting places during the past couple of years, and San Francisco was no exception. In order to be close to the city, we opted for Candlestick Park – home of the 49’ers. In some ways it felt like camping out in the parking lot, but it was very convenient for sightseeing in the city, although by far the most expensive RV Park to date!

By a stroke of luck – or was it divine intervention? – we spent Memorial Day weekend with Ben and Jennifer in Napa Valley. They were heading south at the beginning of a 3-week vacation, and came to spend three nights with Mum and Dad. There are some excellent vineyards to explore in the Napa and Sonoma areas and we would thoroughly recommend the Petaluma KOA. 

Next stop: Oregon. We had been invited to be trainers at a "Boot Camp" in Bend, which gave us the opportunity to explore a new part of this beautiful state.

Our route took us via Mt. Shasta, where we stayed only one night, but this region and beautiful mountain have given us good reasons to return for a longer stay.

Our friends and business associates, Debbie and Jerry Rudloff, kindly offered us space on their 10 acres in Bend, complete with water and electricity. What more could we ask for? It was such a joy to open the door each morning, look across to the mountains and not a single RV in sight! 

If you enjoy hiking or rock climbing, then Smith’s Rock is definitely a place to visit. After a long, steady climb you’ll be rewarded by fabulous views of Bend and the surrounding countryside.

Another point of interest is the High Desert Museum, where we saw many fine exhibits depicting life in the past, as well as examples of desert flora and fauna.

Happy Trails! Come back soon to visit us as we head north into Washington State ...