“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”–Neale Donald Walsch
Here’s How It All Began

Balcony House: Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. Not only have my travels taken me all across the country, they have also taken me back in time. -- Photo by Pat Bean
It was a sunny day in 2004, just three weeks before I would retire from a 37-year career as a journalist, when I drove a brand new RV off an Ogden, Utah, sales lot. It felt like the butterflies in my stomach had developed thorns on their fragile wings.
Everything that had been a part of my past life was about to change. I had just blocked off all chances of remaining rooted in my small, but cozy home that sat in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountains I loved. There simply was not enough money in my future to both fulfill my lifelong dream of living and traveling on the road while maintaining fixed roots within a circle of friends that had taken over 20 years to acquire.
This day I had not only chosen the unknown road that lay ahead, but had wrapped my choice in cement. I had even traded in my Honda Odyssey as part payment for the undersized, 22-foot RV that was now my only form of transportation, and soon would be my only home.
By the time all the paper work giving me title to the 2004 Volkswagen Vista/Winnebago had been scrutinized, signed and finalized, it was early evening. I was too unsettled to take my purchase for a check-out spin. So, feeling tall and strange sitting behind the wheel with my new living, dining, sleeping, cooking and bathroom facilities behind me, I drove home. Emotional turmoil, good or bad, always sapped my energy.
On carefully pulling into my driveway, testing the wideness needed to turn my new RV, I heard frenzied barking from inside the house. It was how my dog, Maggie, reacted to the sound of strange vehicles invading her territory. She never barked when I returned home, nor did she at any of my frequent visitors. But she did not recognize this new vehicle.
When I opened the door, Maggie gave me a quizzical look of surprise. Then, realizing in a split second that something new was parked in the driveway, she dashed between my legs and ran out to explore.
I opened the RV’s side door and she eagerly hopped in. She slowly sniffed every surface she could get at, then finally hopped up onto the couch and gave me a look that I easily interpreted as: So where are we going? To explore America, the beautiful, I reply. I always answer my dog’s inquiring looks. .
And that’s how my travels with Maggie began. It’s been a journey that’s covered over 125,000 miles and heading into its eighth year. I have nary a regret.
*This post was published today as part of Story Circle Network’s One Woman’s Day blog at: http://tinyurl.com/5tevft5
Bean’s Pat: Birding on the Cheap: Rio Grande Valley http://tinyurl.com/riograndebirds Great birding blog with photos about a place to escape for the winter.
Such a courageous moment, I can’t even begin to imagine.
I’m not sure it was courageous as I already knew I could travel by myself and enjoy it. It was just frightening that I was eliminating all other options for awhile. Thanks for commenting.
What a great blog, Pat. I wondered how it began. Keep going, girls.
Thanks Nancy
is this chapter one of the book? Wouldnt be a bad start. AL
Actually it is Al. Glad you think so.
Keep writing … Pat Bean https://patbean.wordpress.com
I’m envious…my feet are itchy…but I’m not old enough to retire…I’m not sure I want to stay married…so many things to decide. Thinking of moving to Europe.
I didn’t get on the road until I was 65, but was very blessed in that I had a job I enjoyed. I never found the right man, but finally decided I loved not having one. Perhaps that’s why I sabotaged any relationships that might have actually been good for me. May you find joy in whatever you do, whomever you do it with, or not, and in enjoy the years before you become an old broad, which I think are the best years of all.
Keep writing … Pat Bean https://patbean.wordpress.com
You were so brave. And you sound so free. If I had my druthers, I’d be on the road myself..
My life is not the place for everybody, especially for those who want or need to hold on to physical possessions and can’t afford to keep a rooted home, too.. I disposed of almost all of my things except for a few bins of books and treasures that at the time went into a friend’s basement. But there are people out there for whom a life on the road is the perfect life. I hope, if you are one of them, your wish is granted. It’s all about choices, and I made the right one. Thanks Kathy for following my journey. I enjoy your company.
Keep writing … Pat Bean https://patbean.wordpress.com
I have to agree with some of your other comments. That was a very brave move. 🙂
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I love the idea that Maggie was ready to go travelling too, confirmation that you had made the right decision.