Planning Our Escape

"I want to sip a good cup of coffee early in the morning in all kinds of out of the way, off the beaten path stops and have a good chat, after a long early morning hike in a place like Arches."

On reading the title of the post, you may be inclined to think that I'm attempting to escape from something. In fact, my goal is to escape to something.

We live in one of the more remarkable countries on earth. I can say that because I've worked and travelled from east coast to west and from the Columbia River Gorge to the Louisiana Bayous and the Florida Keys. We have an incredible national park system, thousands of state parks, a diverse geography and a diverse culture. To discover this one has to leave the big metropolises.

So, about 15 years ago I began planning my escape. I did not intend to "retire early" because work is the source of both satisfaction and income. In fact, if it weren't for the 50+ years I've spent in the work force, I wouldn't be writing this today.

Am I retired? Not yet! However, I am in what we could call a "phased retirement" wherein I no longer work 50-60 hours per week keeping all of my agreements. Sometimes this has been with greedy and disagreeable people. But that's another story!

The Three Phases of the Big Plan 
We each have three trimesters in our lives, if we live to reach normal retirement age. As I see it, each of these trimesters is a natural transition and each has specific requirements. With those requirements come goals and different decisions. They also include planning and preparation.

The first trimester is spent gaining skills, trying things, figuring out how we actually function and what our useful skills are. I honed these and put them to use in various work experiments. I decided my first trimester would occupy my first 30 years of life. Some of that was spent learning and some working. By the time I was in my 20's I considered myself to be in "work-study" even though I was employed full time. One large question to grapple with is "What's my purpose in life?" Another is "How can I make a difference?"

The second trimester of my life was the "accomplishment" phase. That's the span in which I viewed myself to be most productive, and roughly covered the age of 30 to 60. That's a time of building a family, continuous improvement and putting all of the skill and knowledge gained to good use. Some of that use is to begin seriously planning and putting into action a suitable retirement plan. Such a plan needs a financial component, but it also requires serious consideration of "What am I going to do with my life now?" "Now" as in today; but then again, the future will one day become "now." Ergo the need for balancing these realities. Of course. planning is nothing more than dreaming, determining how to put those dreams into reality and finally how to adapt and adjust when the universe intervenes. After all, the future is not fixed and our plans are merely projections of a desired possibility. Nor are we the center of any universe other than the one in our head.

Somewhere between the second and third phase is what I call my "phased retirement." This is a period roghly between the ages of 60 and 70 in which I am currently transitioning from fully employed, continuous improvement and continuing education to what I will call the "exploitation phase." It is somewhat difficult to balance the different requirements. The internal conversation "What is my purpose in life" gradually morphs into "My purpose has been largely fulfilled. Now what to do with my final spark of energy?"

The third and final trimester of my life is the "exploitation" phase. It is also a time of completion. It begins near the end of the "phased retirement" and it will be whatever I have planned and successfully accomplished to achieve that plan. As a part of completion I will be saying my goodbye's.

Different Possibilities
Of course. we each have different goals and aspirations. As a consequence the time line I am following may not agree with yours. For example, a young woman I know who recently graduated from college and is now, for the first time in the work force was dismayed by the work. She stated "I sometimes have to work 16 hours a day in my job!" I suspect she isn't planning on a life of gainful employment until 65 or 70.

So, you may very well have a dream to "retire early" at 45 or so. Good for you. I hope you are in the midst of a real world plan that will accomplish that.

To be honest, I once had a plan to retire no later than 65; I probably dreamed of retiring at 55 back when I was a youngster of 18. Those plans were dashed by harsh realities and I failed to put in place the necessary steps. Dreams are only so useful.

Specific Steps to Achievement
Planning can be an arduous process. There are no short cuts, but there are methods to reduce the uncertainty and experimentation. As with all things, the "fuel" for such experimentation includes time and money.

I've spent countless hours reading about the outdoors, learning various skills, gaining sufficient proficiency to put those skills into lots of action and finally to teach some of those skills to others. I'm putting the same approach to use in evaluating the means to travel the US in a leisurely "Wander America" style.

Where? 
Everywhere and anywhere in the US. The spouse would like to visit relatives who are scattered all over the country. We have spent a disproportionate amount of time in the very crowed east coast near New York City. It's time to expand our horizons.

When? 
We can and have done some of this via traditional methods, including driving, air travel combined with rental vehicles, motels and so on. I've spent many a night sleeping in my car at "rest stops" along the way. The family never shared in this adventurous means of overnight rest which was a part of my business required travel. There is nothing like waking up in a cold automobile at 4am, with a stiff, cramped body and a real need to pee, but then it was 15F outside and the rest stop washroom was 40 yards away. Ahh, the joys of travel! I was once told I was "so lucky" to be able to travel!

Fortunately, most of my travel was better than this. However, cheap airlines and the TSA have ruined air travel for me. So I now prefer to drive anywhere rather than to fly. As I have frequently remarked "If I wanted to take a bus, I'd save money and go Greyhound." BTW, I have travelled by bus and by train. The only thing I haven't had the joy to use is a private jet. These are apparently reserved primarily for the political and entertainment class.

I have taken the position that there is no need to plan in our heads. We can plan while doing.

How?
The experiment began with driving vacations, then fly and drive vacations and finally with the rental of a class B RV for a week.

For example, a trip I orchestrated a few years ago is indicative of what's possible. It was a meticulously planned trek to several national parks on the west coast, ended in the Columbia River Gorge and returned via the Pacific Coast Highway and numerous lighthouse stops along the way. We rented a Ford Expedition for an extended family of four, and we spent each night in motels along the way. This was laid out with Microsoft Streets and Trips planning software augmented by a lot of online research. Reservations were made months in advance. With a GPS dongle and a laptop we travelled the highways and byways and avoided fire zones. Yes, it was a successful adventure!

Why?
I like this remarkable country. I like the outdoors, the wildlife and I like meeting people. Work prevented me from taking advantage of what my travels offered. Now I'd like to see the things I missed. Or revisit and renew my memories of the things once done in my past.

I want to wake and smell the pine scent rising with the morning dew in Florida. I want to again see the "changing of the guard" as day birds give way to night birds. I want to sip a good cup of coffee early in the morning in all kinds of out of the way, off the beaten path stops and have a good chat, after a long early morning hike in a place like Arches.

I want to have long conversations with my spouse while we breath the fresh air, admire the views and simply enjoy the miracle of being alive.

I want the opportunity to say goodbye to those who matter to me. There are more than a few and this will provide an opportunity to share a meal, a good story, or an adventure.

LIfe is short.

The Prequel

I've been exploring the possibilities of  roadtrekking for about 5 years. I looked at the possibilities of a truck camper, a class C, class B and even larger vehicles. I have extensive ground camping experience, but no roadtrekking experience. My prior trips were via automobile and we decided we wanted to travel in comfort and enjoy the US.

I was not looking for a permanent shelter. I was looking for a way to explore the US while maintaining a permanent abode somewhere else. In other words, a 3 season or 3-1/2 season camper. As a part of this long term plan, we purchased a condominium in 2001/2002 which permits us to trek for months on end, should we decide to do so. Our association also permits rentals, so if we should decide to "move on" we can rent our unit. Or, of course, we can sell it.  For now, our preference is to use this as a "base" for our travels.

For the past 10 years. we have limited our travel to one or two weeks per year. This is because of practical limitations. Cost and time are fininte if one is to live within their means. So we work most of the time and I have other duties and responsibilities. However, it won't always be this way.

Dipping Our Toes in the Water
In 2013 we decided to try a class B. We rented a Sprinter based unit from Campervan North America.  I'll provide more info on that trek in a coming post. For now, let's simply say that our experience was extremely positive. The campervan we rented was a Mercedes with bluetec diesel, all electric coach setup including solar panels. We spent a week in Utah touring Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches and Canyonlands national parks. This trek was a "proof of concept" venture. We were extremely impressed with the Mercedes Sprinter vehicle that the people at Campervan North America provided us. It exceeded all expectations. We also gained valuable insights into what would work, what our minimum requirements were, and so on.

We were able to travel on the highways at the legal speeds including 80MPH. We achieved about 19.5 MPH for the entire trip, which exceeded 1000 miles.  The spouse and I drove the vehicle.

We drove easily into the various national parks, parked where we wanted to and did everything with no restrictions because of vehicle dimensions.

We wanted to avoid limitations. Limitations imposed by vehicle dimensions or amenities. We achieved that.

My Travel Background
Most of my extended travel has been business related. I took my first business trip, a week long trek to Westinghouse in Newark, NJ in 1967.  A few years later I changed employment and joined a design and build firm here in Chicago. That firm designed industrial plants, and had a construction division. As a young engineer I was interested in field work. The firm needed electrical and automation engineers who were willing to oversee final construction and actively participate in these complex facilities. In a short time I was tapped to wear two hats. One as an electrical engineer and the second as a "field electrical engineer." As such, I soon traveled to Festus, MO and then to Hagerstown MD, Miami FL, Oglesby IL, Mitchell IN,  Louisville NE, Mason City IA and so on.

The trips were all business. I usually lived in a motel for a few weeks, or as long as 11 months. There was usually no time for sight seeing. Besides, weather was frequently inclement. Construction continued even if the low was 25F with 65F below zero wind chills. Commissioning and startup occurred as soon as the production facility was ready. Hours were long, typically 10 to 16 hours per day, and we worked 7 days a week. In one bi-monthly period I recall working 162 hours.

So I traveled near some wonderful sights, but generally didn't partake of them. As soon as the project was completed I was eager to return "home" and re-establish my other life. I was single at the time and so I had no spouse who was waiting for me.

In 1978 I started my first firm, an automation systems house. The goal was to service heavy industrials. By that time I was married and soon had two children. So I found myself taking normal vacations but continued to travel to these industrial facilities scattered throughout the US. Work included cement, lime, gypsum, steel, petrochemical, power generation and similar facilities. Travel was intermittent and as dictated by client needs. The microprocessor had recently been invented and with it a complete change in how process control was accomplished. Travel continued to be mostly business.

Outdoor Camping
With two children came the responsibility and opportunity  to actively participate in their growth and development. Their mother thought that cub scouts would be a fine opportunity for them and so she participated as a den mother and I became involved on the committee level.

However, this changed when a scout professional approached the group and suggested we take advantage of a three or four day camping experience at the nearby Hoover Center. I though it would be a great idea. The problem was lack of adult participation. The BSA had requirements for adult participation, too. This so we could manage the boys. I had never camped, except some overnights in the back yard as a child with a blanket tossed over a rope to make a tent!

So, I said "why not?" It was an interesting experience. I liked the outdoors; most of the industrial facilities I had spent time at were beyond large metro areas. One was in the Florida Everglades. I had become familiar with wildlife and insects didn't really bother me. We worked no matter what the weather; rain, sleet, snow and oppressive heat. So, this mild camping experience in tents and sleeping on a cot was a straightforward experience.

The children went on the become boy scouts and I followed them for a time, driving, accompanying them on campouts and helping the troop. In a short time I became more involved and became an assistant scoutmaster. Eventually I became scoutmaster. We had monthly weekend campouts which included camping, hiking and canoeing. The troop attended a week long summer camp each year. We also had a "high adventure" outing each year. Philmont and Quetico were on the agenda. I attended roundtables, various trainings and succeeded at the Woodbadge training and continued to learn. I eventually  became a roundtable leader. Yes, I had the camping bug!

My Spouse Prefers an Abode With a Door
In recent years I  have had the opportunity to do more scenic travel. The spouse and I have taken some of the relatives on very long driving tours of national parks, Door County WI, etc.

She is not averse to camping, but we like to joke that she prefers the sign "Holiday Inn" over the door. So using an RV or campervan was a natural evolution and a straightforward solution.

For the past 5-10 years I've done more than a little research on all sorts of vehicles for camping or touring. These ranged from large Class A and "Offroad" adventure trucks to truck campers, Class B &C and even smaller campers. There have been lengthy discussions between the spouse and I about what might work, our capabilities, and what we would do with such a vehicle if we had ready access to one.

Finally, in 2013 we rented one to see what the experience would be. So the adventure continues.

Comment:
Roadtrek is the manufacturer of a series of Class B campers. The name of this blog is a nod to their vehicles, but it will take a few posts to explain. There is no attempt to infringe on their company, and "roadtrekking" is a popular expression for doing what my spouse and I are doing.