Oh, the people we meet…

The Free Spirited Wanderers In Search Of A Better Way

They may be running from something or running to something, but these people that we meet know there is something better out there for them and they are on the hunt. I met a lady who was traveling with her two kids in a van and made her way on the road by selling essential oils to her yoga classes. Her ultimate destination was Hawaii where she planned to enroll her children in a Waldorf School, which is a school of thought that to understand humanity is to understand the universe. Yes, pretty out there but a very lovely lady nevertheless.

The Mountain Men

These guys are true salt of the earth types that probably have never had real paying jobs but get by just fine and that is what makes them happy. They have the most interesting information about an area and can tell you all of the history and off the beaten path places to hit. We met a mountain man that looked just as you would think, burly with a foot and a half beard, tattered clothes and a fabulous wind wrinkled smile. Happy as a lark. He had reason to be though because we met him in a hot spring in Colorado that had a higher than normal lithium content. He spent a lot of time in that spring. He also spent a lot of time cultivating the pot plot he had next to his house. Everyone we met in that spring had unique ways in which to use the herb to cure anything from headaches to athletes foot. He also told us of a place high in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains where there is a buddhist monastery. Monks grew tired of Chinese regulations and came to America to be able to practice in peace without interference. America-the reason it was created.

Those Weary Elderly Travelers

We see them at every RV park. They have retired and are trying to live out the dream that they had dreamed their whole working lives. They bought a big 40,000 lb. house on wheels and are hell bent on seeing the country before their first heart attack. For many of them though, seeing the country means early bird specials in their town of the day followed by a whole evening of tv watching that starts at about 4pm. The point is, don’t wait until after retirement to see the country. You’ll just be too damn tired. And you’ll hate young(er) people with kids.

People From Different Lands

We have met so many souls from all over the world. I remember one time in particular we were sitting on the beach when a Vietnamese family parked on a blanket next to us. We sat there eating our peanut butter and jelly as they pulled out a spread you wouldn’t believe right there on the sand. Rice, steamed veggies with eggs and many other things I did not recognize. I asked the matriarch of the bunch what they were eating and she proceeded to give me a lesson in Vietnamese cooking complete with recipes. But the most amazing travelers from all over are children. Children from China, Russia, The Netherlands, Mexico and more. My kids have played with many children that didn’t speak a  word of English but it didn’t matter one bit. Still running, still splashing, still sand building, still playground playing, still laughing. They don’t need words to be friends. Poor unsocialized homeschool kids.

Blue Collar Professional Families

I had no idea before we started traveling that there were so many families that lived such  a nomadic lifestyle because the breadwinner of the family’s job required it. We see it everywhere, but in one RV park in particular there are many families that are there because their husbands are Linemen.These guys are the reason we enjoy such a comfy lifestyle of lights and electricity. They are the guys that put up and maintain the electrical wires that keep our country going. Its a culture within the RV park. Every family is on a contract of one to five years and while they are together, they all make the best of it. It is in some ways like a military family might live where there is a base. The wives are all friends and support each other and the kids are all best friends. But when the contract is up for a family. Off they go to move their house to the next town in America. Hard work for the Lineman and hard work for the family as well.

Dog People

We see these types pretty often too. They’re not just people that have dogs, the dogs have the people. I know, I know, I was dangerously close to being one of these people before kids.  Our two fur babies were as close to kids as you could get. We almost didn’t have kids because we thought we already had the package. But theses people are a little coo-coo! We’ve seen whole kennels come out of a coach. They even have a whole removable fence you can place outside your rig. And if the parents are to ever leave their rig, holy cow put in some earplugs. On multiple occasions I’ve seen ladies pushing their tiny full bred yappers in baby carriages in the park. Dogs dressed in outfits complete with shoes. I mean we’re camping people! They’re dressed a whole helluva lot better than I am!! God bless them. I hate to say it but they all really need either a hobby or a couple of kids.

People Like Us

We are a rare breed but there are families that we meet on occasion that travel for work and take their family with them. Location is not a factor for these families and they have decided to make the most of it. They homeschool their kids and see the country or even the world. There’s a family from Colorado we have recently met. The mother/wife works and the son and dad have daily adventures in cycling and surfing. They frequent Costa Rica where it is always an arid 8o degrees and the surf is always cranking. I also had the pleasure of meeting a lady who told me she and her husband spent five years converting a bus into a home for their family of four. They then toured California for a year, then parked the bus and spent months over seas showing their teenagers their homeland of Switzerland and the rest of Europe. Then there’s the families we’ve met who RV full time (full-time families) that sold everything and decided to go on the road and just live everyday to it’s fullest without work to cloud their way. They have burned out on the rat wheel that is everyday life. They have taken a huge leap of faith and have taken their family on the adventure of a lifetime. Exploring, learning, meeting new people, trying exhilarating activities, stretching the boundaries and turning “normal” upside down, but always looking forward to the next new day and what it will bring. Hmmm….