The Plan: Genesis
My son is 17. Today was his last day of high school as a junior. One year to go - how fast did that go?
For a while, probably the last few years, he's been very interested in Alaska. I think his interest started after we took a week-long trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, when he was 13. We'd moved to Florida when he was 6 months old, and it was the first time he'd been out of the state.
It was a week of white water rafting, horseback riding, bike tours, kayaking and more. He really seemed enamored with the mountains and streams. He enjoyed the much cooler weather. In Florida, he spends most of the year complaining about how hot it is. Definitely not a beach kid....
I'm partial to hills and mountains and rivers and forests myself. I grew up in Southern Maryland, which was still very rural 40 years ago. From age 8 until I left for college, I spent a good deal of time roaming the woods behind my house. I could disappear for a day, so far back that the sounds of civilization finally faded away to the susurration of the wind through the trees.
That's one of the things I regret: both my kids grew up in "housing developments" with small yards and too-close next-door neighbors and limited places to explore. I wish they's had the room to roam that I'd had. But then I'm probably only projecting my own nostalgia on them.
Back to my son....
So the Wyoming trip fired him up. The following year, we headed off to Tennessee for a week. Not the scale of the Wyoming sojourn, but fun nonetheless. Since then, because of work and finances, we have yet to make another trip.
It was after the Wyoming trip that he started talking about Alaska. I wanted to plan a trip there, but the aforementioned job concerns and the costs made it prohibitive. There always seemed to be something getting in the way.
And the years ticked by....
A year ago, or thereabouts, the idea of driving from Florida to Alaska and back took root. Taking 2 -3 months off and loading up after he graduated high school, and hitting the road for the summer. A father and son road trip to end all father and son road trips. It was just the beginning of a plan, but as time passed it began to solidify.
Things were more stable. Finances were looking good. I had secured employment in a well-paying job for the foreseeable future. It started to seem as though this might be something we could actually make happen.
I started talking about it, drawing back the curtain of fantasy and exposing it to the light. Even illuminated, it seemed possible. Details solidified.
Initially, I thought buying an old van and refurbishing it into a custom RV would be a fun project. But we didn't have a place to work on it. And any refurbishing skills would have to be learned on-the-job. I decided that was too much to bite off.
So I started casting the net for a motor home. By then, because of the initial van idea, I had some specifics in mind. I wanted a small one, specifically a class C and preferably 20 feet or shorter - a "starter RV" as it's known among the motor home community. Easier to drive, easier to park, a bit more economical on fuel.
With that in mind I set up an alert on CraigsList to let me know when one popped up. I've been keeping an eye out, but small class C RVs seem to be uncommon and yet popular at the same time, in that as soon as a good one pops up, it tends to get purchased pretty quickly.
Maybe spring is the wrong time of year. My wife offered the idea that in the fall, after everyone was back from their RV adventure, there'd be more selection. She's probably right. Nevertheless, I'm keeping an eye out. I don't want this to be a last minute thing.
I've also been thinking about buying a refurbished Cruise America RV. They have some miles on them, but from what Iv'e read, they are solid and the people who have bought one have been satisfied. Too, you can get a warranty on them, which might be useful if you're planning on clocking 10,000 miles in 3 months.
So that's where was are right now, a year away from heading out.
I wonder what my company will say when I ask for a 90 day leave of absence?
For a while, probably the last few years, he's been very interested in Alaska. I think his interest started after we took a week-long trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, when he was 13. We'd moved to Florida when he was 6 months old, and it was the first time he'd been out of the state.
It was a week of white water rafting, horseback riding, bike tours, kayaking and more. He really seemed enamored with the mountains and streams. He enjoyed the much cooler weather. In Florida, he spends most of the year complaining about how hot it is. Definitely not a beach kid....
I'm partial to hills and mountains and rivers and forests myself. I grew up in Southern Maryland, which was still very rural 40 years ago. From age 8 until I left for college, I spent a good deal of time roaming the woods behind my house. I could disappear for a day, so far back that the sounds of civilization finally faded away to the susurration of the wind through the trees.
That's one of the things I regret: both my kids grew up in "housing developments" with small yards and too-close next-door neighbors and limited places to explore. I wish they's had the room to roam that I'd had. But then I'm probably only projecting my own nostalgia on them.
Back to my son....
So the Wyoming trip fired him up. The following year, we headed off to Tennessee for a week. Not the scale of the Wyoming sojourn, but fun nonetheless. Since then, because of work and finances, we have yet to make another trip.
It was after the Wyoming trip that he started talking about Alaska. I wanted to plan a trip there, but the aforementioned job concerns and the costs made it prohibitive. There always seemed to be something getting in the way.
And the years ticked by....
A year ago, or thereabouts, the idea of driving from Florida to Alaska and back took root. Taking 2 -3 months off and loading up after he graduated high school, and hitting the road for the summer. A father and son road trip to end all father and son road trips. It was just the beginning of a plan, but as time passed it began to solidify.
Things were more stable. Finances were looking good. I had secured employment in a well-paying job for the foreseeable future. It started to seem as though this might be something we could actually make happen.
I started talking about it, drawing back the curtain of fantasy and exposing it to the light. Even illuminated, it seemed possible. Details solidified.
Initially, I thought buying an old van and refurbishing it into a custom RV would be a fun project. But we didn't have a place to work on it. And any refurbishing skills would have to be learned on-the-job. I decided that was too much to bite off.
So I started casting the net for a motor home. By then, because of the initial van idea, I had some specifics in mind. I wanted a small one, specifically a class C and preferably 20 feet or shorter - a "starter RV" as it's known among the motor home community. Easier to drive, easier to park, a bit more economical on fuel.
With that in mind I set up an alert on CraigsList to let me know when one popped up. I've been keeping an eye out, but small class C RVs seem to be uncommon and yet popular at the same time, in that as soon as a good one pops up, it tends to get purchased pretty quickly.
Maybe spring is the wrong time of year. My wife offered the idea that in the fall, after everyone was back from their RV adventure, there'd be more selection. She's probably right. Nevertheless, I'm keeping an eye out. I don't want this to be a last minute thing.
I've also been thinking about buying a refurbished Cruise America RV. They have some miles on them, but from what Iv'e read, they are solid and the people who have bought one have been satisfied. Too, you can get a warranty on them, which might be useful if you're planning on clocking 10,000 miles in 3 months.
So that's where was are right now, a year away from heading out.
I wonder what my company will say when I ask for a 90 day leave of absence?
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