A Long, Hard, Non-RVing Season...

When you own a Roadtrek or any RV you start thinking in terms of the "RVing Season" and the "Non-RVing Season". That is the time of year that you are able to get in and go in your RV and the time of year that you are not traveling because of the weather - freezing temperatures, snow, and more snow. There are some that don't even think about this - they follow the good weather and RV full time, heading to where it is warm and if that changes, move on to where it is warmer. Some of us can't do that - yet.

This year - Fall 2012 into the winter of 2013 - has been a particularly long non-RVing season for the two of us. Trips planned in October and December were cancelled. There was "historic" weather to contend with and then illness. For many years we have traveled for each of our birthdays. Meryl's birthday trip was to be at the end of October. We were set to go to Pennsylvania. The day we were set to leave it was raining - well, more than just raining. Hurricane Sandy hit us hard. Luckily we had no real loss due to the storm. No trip though and even thinking about leaving once the storm passed, we did not want to leave the house without electricity and routes away from here involved areas that were hit hard and some of which were still under water. We were not aware of it at that point but that was the start of our non-rving season.

At that point, I started looking forward to our next trip - a winter trip down to Colonial Williamsburg for Grand Illumination, as we had taken the year before. We would be leaving at the end of November for almost a week. Reservations had been made way back for the trip and it would highlight the holiday season for us. We had winterized the Roadtrek in mid-November and we would travel without water as we had the year before in December. We were all prepared and a few days before we started getting the Roadtrek ready for the trip and packing in things we would take with us. The day before we got all of the clothes that we would need on the trip out of the closet and filled the shelves and cabinets in the Roadtrek - the temperatures in this part of Virginia at this time of the year can vary from freezing to over 70 and we were preparing for both in what we were bringing with us. The night before we leaving my throat started to feel scratchy and I started coughing - for no real reason. The next morning I woke up in anticipation of getting on the road and I felt terrible. The thermometer went into my mouth (one that we had not packed into the Roadtrek) and read 100 degrees F. I was sick. At this point I did not know that these were the symptoms of this year's variety of Flu. We postponed the trip for a day - maybe tomorrow I would feel better and have a normal temperature. I didn't and the trip ended before the Roadtrek left the driveway. This actually lasted for all of December and into January and along the way developed into Bronchitis. Nothing serious but a great deal of disappointment - because the weather got colder and the days were either raining or snowing - along with a very significant snow fall that we had not seen in a couple of years.

We were spoiled by 2011 into 2012 - that winter was warmer than normal and the weather was fairly good. Here, in 2013, we were with week after week of negative forecasts. I know it was worse in other parts of the country - snow where it has not snowed in years and years. We tried planning a few overnight trips - all cancelled because of the weather. Even impromptu overnights were not possible as the weather would be good one day and bad weather was coming the next day. And it seemed - still seems - like the Spring will never come. The groundhog came out and said Spring was soon to arrive - the groundhog lies.

I am writing this about two weeks before you are reading it and outside it is snowing - lightly - with higher predictions of accumulations than likely will happen (I hope) but still once again, it is snowing. Like many of you, I am tired of it. I have been reading on the Roadtrek Facebook page about others in Florida and other places that are warm enjoying their Roadtreks. I am envious. When I heard the prediction of this current storm, I said to Meryl, "Let's just get into the Roadtrek and head south - where it is warm and there will be no snow." She smiled and told me to have a good time. I was only half joking about the idea - the feelings were serious, but I know that we just can't do that for various reasons. I have not heard the words "NorEaster" spoken on local TV news and weather reports as often as I have these past six months. We can count our blessings that we did not lose our house as some did. We are now healthy, etc., etc. And maybe one needs to own an RV or trailer and be caught in this "lifestyle" to appreciate these feelings.

Of course, during times like these you try to use the good days to do the things that you need to do - or want to do - inside the Roadtrek. Actually, any excuse is good to get into the Roadtrek. So  you go out and exercise the generator or charge the battery or find things to go out and take photos of to write articles for sites like this. It is also a time for projects but lately even that has been hindered by the weather outside. There have been a few things that I wanted to set up to demonstrate and document for you here, but there has yet been a day that it has been nice enough to even do that. But still, any excuse to get out to the Roadtrek is good.

It has been a long, hard, non-RVing season. I hope that is will soon end and we can hit the road again. I have some plans for late April - no reservations yet - maybe so that I don't jinx it - but the reservations have to be made soon. Maybe soon we can all be singing, "Here Comes the Sun".