It had been four months since we sold her. Four long months, enclosed in an air conditioned home during a HOT Florida summer.

It had been seven months since we stopped traveling the country and remained fixed in one location. After two years of amazing locations, views that would knock anyone's socks off, and wanderlust overload, it was stifling not to be on the road anymore. To not have the ability to just get up and go.

I miss her comforting small space. I miss her shining welcome when we returned after a day of sightseeing. Mostly, I just miss HER.

We decided enough was enough and it was time to take at least a 10-day road trip and get out of the house. It was hard knowing she would no longer be taking us anywhere.

What was it like to travel without Betty Jo (the Airstream).
Disadvantages
1. She wasn't with us on the journey.
2. Having to stop and use public restrooms.
3. Packing. When you have everything you need and all your stuff with you all the time, you tend to forget "how" to pack.
4. The Views from her window.
5. Our own bed.
6. Our own kitchen.
7. Home.

Advantages:
1. Size -  we were no longer 50' in length. Now, we travel in a small Subaru.  This means we no longer have to look for gas stations we fit in. If we want to drive through a small town with small streets, we can.
2. Flexibility - we did some back road driving with the Airstream, but not too many because of  the overall length. This trip we could explore more on the way to and from locations. We could explore roads not necessarily suitable for towing.
3. Parking - no longer driving the large truck we could park our little Subaru just about anywhere. A BIG bonus in towns with small spaces and tight parking lots.
4. Gas - gas is a little less expensive in a small car and when not towing.
5. I don't miss the constant route planning and research for RV spots.

It was different traveling without our Home-on-Wheels, relying on AirBnBs or hotels. It was strange sleeping in strange beds. We over packed because, well, you don't know what you will need.

Traveling in an Airstream was a spoil-us adventure. One we are forever grateful to experience. Nothing can replace Betty Jo (the Airstream), our trips will be more limited now and shorter in length, but our memories with her will be long and forever grateful.

From Port Richey, Florida to the Space Coast and St Augustine.  I did have to do some route planning. :-) I looked for scenic back roads to get a flavor of the small towns in Central Florida.

The early 1920s marked a significant boom in residential growth and business development, and Mount Dora began the transformation from a country town into a city.

Today, Mt Dora is an eclectic mix of history, antiques, art, and a touch of today's modernization. It is well known for its numerous special events throughout the year, for art, and for its quaintness. Situated along Lake Dora, it is a perfect old town to visit in Central Florida.

Where history and technology blend together in a fascinating review of what was and what will be. We spent two days at the Kennedy Space Center.  It is possible to do the Kennedy Space Center in one day, from the time it opens till it closes, but no one can get all of it in one day.

For me personally, the visit to NASA would not have been complete without visiting Cocoa Beach, home of the legendary I DREAM OF JEANNIE. :-)  We found a great Airbnb in Cocoa Beach, close to the beach and close to downtown, she even had a photo on the wall from the T.V. show.

You ask anyone that has been to St Augustine and they will tell you, "I loved it there." We can now say the same. I love old buildings. They have character, unique qualities, and so many stories to tell, so St Augustine was old building heaven for me, similar to Charleston.

We found a wonderful Airbnb, just on the other side of the St John river from historical St Augustine, the Castillo de San Marcos, and the Lions Bridge.  A one-bedroom apartment in a building from 1926, in a quiet and delightful neighborhood.

Three days was not long enough, but it was all we had so we made the most of it. The Fort was at the top of the list, then we wondered the streets of the old town. Dinner at Harry's Seafood. Drives along the coast. And no visit to the area is complete without beach time.

Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African-American origin in the United States.

When you are on a course of change, and deep in your heart you know it is the right direction , it can still be difficult and sometimes painful.

We made the decision that our time of living on the road must end. And, though we love our Airstream, our time with her must also end. A tough decision, but the right decision.

I wanted to end our time with her somewhere special. Maybe visit a few more places we have yet to see, but it was not meant to be. As soon as we arrived in Florida, our schedule was a constant buzz of busyness with house hunting and the transition of moving from off the road into a stick and brick.

I realized then, what was most important was how we spent our last moments with her.

We found a house just as our time at the Sanlan RV park in Lakeland, Florida was ending. We had already made the arrangements to move the Airstream to Bay Bayou RV Resort in Olds Mar, just outside of Tampa. Bay Bayou was the first RV park we stayed in when we first came to Florida in 2021 and we were still newbies. It was only fitting to end our time with Betty Jo at one of our favorite RV parks and to come full circle while ending our time with her.

A last hoorah does not necessarily have go out with a BANG, sometimes all you really need is a comforting sizzle for closure.

RV Life has many "norms" to it — towing, travel days, setting up and breaking down camp, flushing the tanks, and more. But it will be some of the unexpected encounters, unusual locations, people we met, and the odd things about RV life  which will be some of our most treasured memories.

Here are 10 odd things I will miss about RV life.  The little things that add to the experience but many don't realize are part of it.

Driving down the highway and the view of Betty Jo (the Airstream) in the side view mirror. This one I will miss the most, the shiny  views of her following us.

One of the many challenges of being 50' in length is GAS STATIONS. We usually go to truck stops and go through the same lines as the BIG BOYS (semis), but every once in a while there isn't one around and so we have to find a gas station where we can get in and out of. I wonder how long before I quit judging a gas based on whether or not Betty Jo fits. :-)

Parking by the BIG BOYS (semis) at a Rest Stop. One of the many advantages of RVing is having access to your own restroom and kitchen. Often, we would stop for a bathroom break, stretching, and a quick bite to eat. Man, am I going to miss that.

One of the perks about RV Life is the GEMS! The scenic highways you discover by accident (or on purpose). Then when you find a quiet spot to pull over to enjoy a meal and just absorb the surroundings, what more could you ask for.

The Unusual Locations we slept. RV Life is not all about RV Parks, State parks, National campgrounds, there is so much more to it. Some of the best night's sleep were in parking lots, on a farm,  or while Boondocking.

The Airstream WAVE and Flash on the road, or how excited we get whenever another Airstream is in the same RV Park.

Cautiously opening up cupboards and doors. You never know what shifted during travel day.

The Oddities and Fun things you see on the road.

The Stars and the Spectacular Sunsets

The people we met. RV life provides an extraordinary opportunity to meet people from all over and all walks of life.

From the Pacific Northwest to the southern state of Florida.

We took our time traveling over countless miles and wandering through fourteen states to reach our final destination of Tampa, Florida. When we left Washington on September 21st, we had a goal of reaching the Tampa area by the first part of March.

Many would say, that is a long time to travel across country, but when you live on the road — it is just one day at a time, one destination at a time, one mile at a time.  You will have specific dates and specific locations you need to incorporate into your plans, you then decide to either beeline it or take your sweet time getting there while enjoying the journey to the destination. That is what we did.

We had a few specific destinations on the route we wanted to visit, otherwise our plans were based on a whim of where to next. As usual, weather played a big role, often dictating changes to our routes.

As we got closer to the final destination, I noticed travel fatigue started to hit and a deep desire to just reach our last stop took hold. I was ready to just stay put.

Since I wasn't sure when exactly we would reach a destination, I wasn't able to plan too far ahead. Unfortunately, that meant it has been more difficult to find places to stay as we got closer to Florida. It was still Snowbird Season, meaning most places were full.  I knew I was taking a huge chance, but sometimes life is not always planned. I just had to go on faith that we would find something or accept that we would spend a lot of nights in truck stops.

The route from Washington to Florida had some beautiful twists and scenic turns. We picked up a National Park Passport and made it goal to get as many stamps as possible, not sure why we didn't discover it sooner. We journeyed back in time visiting historical places.

And, we discovered new campgrounds that became favorites.

This gem of a park is nestled in the foothills just west of Cheyenne and on the edge of Medicine Bow National Forest. The campgrounds are spread out with a focus on the lake and reservoir. In the summer, I imagine the lake is bustling with activities while the loud hum of boats and jet skies fill the air, but in the Fall, it was peaceful and quiet. A relaxing oasis that fed the soul with gentle quietness.

Some of the sites come with electricity only, a few with electricity and water, and the rest provide no service. There is no dump station in the park, so keep that in mind. There are bathrooms (vault toilets) spread throughout the park providing the basic needs. The sites are spread out so neighboring sites are nearby but not close. The sites come with a priceless feature no matter the location - A VIEW. Whether it is a view of the lake or the surrounding hills, nature provides a beautiful show.

There are a variety of trails weaving the way around the park, an invitation to stroll and enjoy each step. Cruise around on a bike to explore the many offerings within the park or enjoy the solitude of floating on the lake in a canoe or small boat. No matter how you experience Curt Gowdy State Park, it will be a memory to cherish for a lifetime.  Visit the website.

We stayed in D loop, a newer loop, which offered full hookup and large sites, most of which are pull-through. Well maintained and clean, you could see the pride in each campsite. No wonder it is a favorite with the locals. I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice building in our loop with clean bathrooms and showers. I was even more pleasantly surprised to find a nice size laundry room in the building.

This large park offers a variety of outdoor activities; miles of trails for walking or bike riding, fun on the water, fishing or bird watching, a model airplane park, wildlife viewing areas, a corral for horseback riding, and so much more. Visit their website.

This state park made it to the top of our Bucket List of places to stay and the top of list of favorite campgrounds. We were in the new loop with electric and water. Nice sites with lots of space in between others. And the VIEW - that alone makes the park worth it. They take great care in this park, keeping the sites clean and well-groomed. The trails are marked and most are easy for just a stroll through nature. Quiet at night and just about dark enough for night skies. The Rangers here are friendly and helpful. Definitely a park everyone should stay at, at least once. Visit their website.

STUNNING! And tied with The Lost Dutchman State Park for favorites. We needed a night stay on the way to Tucson. As soon as we pulled in, I fell in love with it and so regretted we could not stay longer. I love campgrounds with a good layout and this campground had it. All sites are pull-through. Easy to navigate. Privacy in between sites. Gorgeous use of the landscape. Lovingly cared for. Fun and informative ranger programs. Clean bathrooms. Solar powered showers in some of the buildings, but wait until the sun as a chance to warm up the water. Dump station is there, but you have to drive all around the campground to get to it. A must stay.   
Visit their website.

Each place we visited was just as incredible as the last. There is a quote, "it's not the destination, it's the journey" but that quote is wrong. For me, it was the destinations that were the best part of the each journey.

These last five months was more of a journey of self.  After two years on the road, we discovered more about ourselves and finally became more comfortable with some of our newfound skills.

We also decided it was time to change.

One of the first things we learned when we started the RV life, was to make a checklist for setting up and a checklist for breaking camp. I have a list for the inside of Betty Jo and one for the outside and one for the Pro Pride Hitch. When we made the list, we went through the routine with the hopes of remembering everything — we didn't. 

Part of our routine when breaking camp is to turn the fridge off before we turn off propane. During our first maiden voyage, I noticed the next day that the fridge wasn't on when we were breaking camp. I thought maybe it was broke. Turned out, I had forgotten to turn it on. Whoops! And, it was not on the list of things to do during set up. Double Whoops! It immediately went on the list and is now one of the top priorities when setting up camp.

We have developed a steady routine that works for us. My husband has ADD and it is critical to have a routine, to minimize distractions, and stay consistent, but sometimes — well, sometimes, routines get disturbed and staying focused becomes a challenge.  Thank goodness for the LISTS.

We were in San Diego in January during the massive rainstorms. The campground we were at was soaked. The road into the park was narrow and only had room for one so I wanted out of the park before new people came in. Tony was still going through his morning routine, I was inpatient and I went out and started to break things down. This screwed up his routine for breaking down and it made him a little flustered.  But, hey, we got out early.

While in Big Bend National Park area, during our routine for breaking down, I  discovered a flat tire. As you can imagine this little bolt threw off our routine. We got patched up and left for our next destination (thankfully it wasn't far), but it disrupted the flow and it took us a while to get back into it.

We are in a wonderful boutique RV park in the Panhandle of Florida. The sites are all back-in and clustered together. We arrived on a Sunday, and of course, everyone was outside to watch. Thankfully, the generous Camp Host came over to greet us and guided Tony safely and quickly into the site. Unfortunately, it through off his rhythm for set up and we missed an important step, luckily we didn't break anything. It took Tony (and I) a little bit of time to get back into the rhythm.

Everyone is different. Some of us (me) like things organized and structured. If traveling with someone who easily gets distracted it is critical to have a routine. To set limits. To create a structure that helps them stay focused. We, both, check the other's work, just in case. Once Tony has a routine down, he is great at sticking to it and is methodical upon completing it. Then a distraction comes along and throws it off,  that it is why it is so important to have a list to refer back to.