this would be why...

The timing works well for Greg and I to do a little "dress rehearsal" for retirement. We've talked numerous times about retirement... getting an RV, driving it around North America towing the motorcycle... park the RV at a nice campground, do day trips on the bike, then when we are "done" with that area, we'll move the RV. Just taking it nice and easy, traveling, seeing the beautiful U.S. (and Canada?).

So we decided to do a trial run this spring. Maybe summer too. We bought the RV on ebay and Greg is flying down this Wednesday to pick it up. We really don't have any set plans yet as to where we'll go - no schedules. We hope to leave around April 1, if we're ready by then. Greg has been thinking of going first to Colorado to do some spring skiing with his brother Tim and perhaps our friends Dave and Judy who recently moved to Denver. We could also visit Greg's aunt and cousins. There's a mini family reunion (Greg's side) in Tennessee the third weekend in April, so we may aim there. I'm hoping to head to Texas, work our way through New Mexico, Arizona, over to the California coast and then up the Pacific Coast Highway, as we were supposed to do on our ill-fated bike trip last year.

So now if you're wondering - why don't we just ride the bike and tow the trailer (like last year) and stay at hotels and/or tent camp? Well, we're thinking this will be a more extended timeframe. And don't ask what that is, because we really don't know yet. :-) So it'll be nice to have a "home" with us, so we don't have to unpack and pack every night, deal with tents in rainy weather. Setup and takedown will be lots easier with an RV; we just have to pull in to our spot, level the RV, connect a few tubes and cords. When it rains, we aren't stuck in a hotel room bored silly, we'll be in our own home, with things to do (I'm SO looking forward to more time for reading!). And we won't have to eat out every meal - we have an almost full kitchen with us, plus a grill and the campfire.... speaking of which... s'mores. NUM!

Oh, and yes, we're taking the boys. And THAT will be quite the adventure. They aren't exactly fond of moving vehicles. Henry howls, Alex cries. But I have a plan... hopefully they'll quickly learn to love their new temporary home. I hope that being with their Mama Human will keep them happy.

So there you have it. This is the big news. And no, we haven't been hiding this for months. We only started thinking about it maybe two - three weeks ago. Yes... when we make a decision, we move quick!