50 Ways to Say Goodbye

We said our goodbyes this morning. There may be 50 ways to say goodbye, but parting ways always leaves me sad. Perhaps the best way to say goodbye is to say Aloha. Aloha means both hello and goodbye. As we parted ways, Erica said, “Aloha.” I stood by the side of the campground road leading to the exit and waved goodbye as Erica and Chris drove past me. Slowly I walked back to my coach with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.

The sadness turned to melancholy as the day went on. I so much appreciated the time we had together. We met up in Nashville seven weeks ago. What a fun first night we had in the Honkey Tonks on Broadway. Then we went to Michigan to Chris’s grandfather’s house on Duck Lake. We swung like monkeys on an aerial obstacle course 40 ft above the ground for Chris’s Birthday.

Then we went to Pittsburgh and visited my childhood home where my sister and brother still live. We went into downtown Pittsburgh for a few hours. I really strained my left Achilles tendon in Pittsburgh trying to dance along with the fountains which were synchronized to the music. I was barely able to walk for several weeks. After several weeks of limping, I finally got a cane in Bar Harbor. My Achilles tendon is feeling much better, but I still walk with a noticeable limp. At least there is a funny video to show for it. Turn the sound on for the video.

 

Next, we went to Niagara Falls. We ate in the Anchor Bar in Buffalo where wings were invented. The Anchor Bar was a lot of fun. Chris is a connoisseur of wings. Five inches of rain poured down while we were in Niagara Falls. We all watched anxiously as the creek behind our RVs swelled up and overflowed the banks towards us. The rising water stopped just short of our RVs. The ride on the Maid of Mist beneath the falls was spectacular. We got drenched. Experiencing the awesome power of the falls from below was incredible.

We headed east to Vermont, then to New Hampshire, and finally to Maine. We had a wonderful relaxing time in Bar Harbor. We ate lobster of course. We played an online game called Jackbox a lot in Maine. We laughed and laughed playing the game while sitting out by the campfire.

And on of the subject of eating, Erica conjured up fabulous tasty dinners every night of the trip. Erica really enjoys cooking. We ate so well during the trip with Erica making delicious and healthy meals. And there were always homemade chocolate cookies for dessert.

Next came the hard part. We drove south and west through the northeast corridor where over 100 million people live. I almost bailed at this point. I didn’t want to drive through Boston and New York City. I was terrified of driving through New York City.

On the morning before the day we were supposed to leave for Boston, I told Chris and Erica I was going to go another route around the entire New York City area. I was so sad and in tears. I was not mentally prepared to say goodbye to Erica and Chris yet. I was so depressed.

Finally, after eight hours I couldn’t take the sad feelings anymore. After shopping at Walmart in Boston, while getting back in Chris’s and Erica’s truck, I played New York New York by Frank Sinatra on YouTube on phone. They both turned around in bewilderment. I said with my voice breaking up that I was going to New York City with them. Everyone was smiling again.

The drive into New York City I experienced the most heightened sense of awareness I can remember in a long time. The feeling was similar to when I descended mountain passes on a bicycle in the Rockies at speeds nearing 50 mph. In both cases, there is a singular focus on what is in front of you. I wish I had a photo, but the drive was two hands on the wheel, white knuckle driving, constantly scanning the traffic in front of me, to both sides of me, and behind me.

New York City was incredible, I’m glad I went now. The view from One World Trade Center was one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. The WTC is the highest building in America rising 1776 feet above the street. The elevator ride to the top only takes one minute.

There are still stories to be written about the monkey bars in Michigan, visiting in Pittsburgh, wings and boat rides in Niagara Falls, lobster and coastlines in Maine, and walking around NYC. I have been really delinquent in posting stories this trip. I am going to try catch up in when I chill out on Hilton Head Island for a few weeks.

Chris and Erica are heading into the piedmont of NC while I rest in Roanoke Rapids NC for a day before heading to South Carolina. I’ve stayed here twice before. I find this place comforting. There is nothing special about the place. I suppose this place just makes me feel good because it reminds me of my first RV trip back in 2016 when I stayed here on the way home. Knowing I was getting closer to home when RVing was all new and novel, this place gave me a sense of comfort.

We’ve been together for seven weeks. I was supposed to go with Erica and Chris for the next few days near the coast of North Carolina. I just ran out of energy and needed to rest for a day. I was right next to I-95 and will be able to use I-95 for the rest of my drive until I get to Florida. I was just beat. I told Erica and Chris in the morning that I was going to rest here for a day. We were already planning to go our separate ways the following week.

Driving through the northeast corridor of the United States was a difficult as any driving I have ever done, in either a RV or a car. The drive from Boston, through Rhode Island, Connecticut, then through New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware, and across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Washinton DC was intense.

There were so many cars and trucks driving aggressively and ruthlessly. Navigating a 42 ft, 40,000 lb bus through all the hostile traffic and challenging roads left me exhausted. One of the main concerns were all the low bridge clearance heights. My coach measure 13′ 4″ tall. There were many bridges in the Boston and New York City area under 14 feet high, especially as we approached the George Washington Bridge driving through the Bronx. My Garmin RV Navigation GPS was constantly sending me red alerts about low clearances.

My hair was on fire by the time we reached the GW Bridge. As soon as we got on the GW Bridge, Chris played New York New York over our two way radio. I glanced to my left and saw the Manhatten skyline. My skin felt electric. A tingling sensation went up and down my spine, arms, and legs.

When we safely arrived in LIberty Harbor in Newark, New Jersey, Chris and I high-fived each other. Chris is pretty cool cucumber, not much stresses him out, but that drive through New York CIty was insane.

The final part of the northeast on I-495 around DC, with stop and go traffic for several hours on I-95 in 97 degree heat finished me off. I woke up at 3am in the morning, and realized that I just didn’t want to drive the next day.

There is always a certain amount of background level stress while traveling. Stressors include worrying about parts of the coach breaking, following directions, and figuring out where you are going to stay. After a few weeks, they all take a cumulative toll on you. And then there are concerns about the weather.

Chris and Erica are much more carefree than I am. I wish I were more like them. I need to work on that. Living in a RV seems to be like just turn the key and driving off into the sunset. Living on the road in a RV is much more than that. This lifestyle is a lot of work.

I don’t know how many more of the long RV trips I have in me. This is my 7th long distance multi-month trip. I’ve spent over 500 nights on the road over the last six years, driving over 40,000 miles while traveling to 45 states, many of those states multiple times.

Paso Robles and Mountain Lioness have accompanied me on all those trips. They really are great travelers. The trip was crazy, especially the part down through the northeast corridor. But I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything in the world.

Paso Robles and Mountain Lioness are doing great on this trip. They instantly adapted to the RV this year. While I am driving, Robles usually sits in my lap, and Mountain Lioness takes up her usual position under the reclining chair. They love traveling in the RV. When we are stopped, they usually hang out on the dash and look out the front window.

I made the right choice to stay and rest today. Still, I am sad and miss my friends. The trip is not about the destination or the journey. The trip is about who you travel with. I couldn’t ask for two finer human beings to share the open road with.

Make sure to click on the song link below, the song is great.

50 Ways to Say Goodbye – Train

P.S. I am at the Hilton Head Island Motor Coach Resort now as I finish this post. It took me awhile to finish writing the post and proof read the writing.