The top five reasons the Wendlands feel blessed to be able to explore the continent in their home on wheels.
By Mike Wendland, F426141
February 2014
It was two years ago this month that Jennifer and I decided to embrace the motorhome lifestyle. We had thought about it for more than a year, shopped, attended RV shows, researched, and talked with other motorhome users. Then we plunged in and, to our great delight, began a new season of our lives filled with more fun than we ever expected.
We are not full-timers. We still own our sticks-and-bricks house in Michigan, where two of our three grown kids and two of our grandchildren live. We also travel to southwest Georgia several times a year to visit our son and our four other grandchildren.
We’ll typically hit the road for two or three weeks at a time and then make our way back home for a week or so. Even when traveling, we tend to move a lot. The longest we have ever stayed in one spot is four or five days.
Over the past two years we have pretty much gone coast to coast, and from Canada in the north to near Mexico in the south. In all, we’ve traveled some 60,000 miles in those two years. This year looks like it will add another 40,000 to that.
All of this has been in our Type B Roadtrek motorhome, built on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis. It’s about 23 feet long, and as we’ve grown more used to packing and traveling in it, we find ourselves still delighted with it. Indeed, across North America, we have met a growing number of motorhome owners who have downsized from Type A coaches to Type Bs, opting for convenience, mobility, and the pocketbook-friendly fuel costs that come with the smaller size.
We are often asked what we like most about our motorhome lifestyle. I originally had a list of more than a dozen things. Since then, I’ve pared it down to five.
I share it with you here:
1. We can go anywhere, anytime — Freedom is what the motorhome life is all about. And we truly have a home on wheels. We have it loaded with clothes and essentials, pots, pans, bedding. We park it in our driveway at home and only need an hour or so to load up food, my camera, and video gear and be ready to head off. When we arrive at a destination, it takes about one minute to set up. If we connect to water and shore power, it takes maybe three minutes. To go exploring, we either head off on the bikes we bring along on a rear carrier or just unplug the motorhome and drive off.
2. We have a small house but a big yard — It’s as though all of North America is our front yard. We can set up on seashores, rivers, or creeks; in the mountains, the woods, or a farmer’s field. It’s all ours to enjoy. We just open the sliding door and we are surrounded by nature. We tend to boondock a lot, choosing out-of-the-way places off the commercial campground circuit. On the Gulf Coast west of Destin, Florida, we drove our coach right onto the beach, 10 feet from the surf line, where we stayed from early morning till dark. At Yellowstone National Park, we can drive back-road loops too rugged for bigger rigs. Often, we’ll day camp way out in the wilderness, returning to our overnight campground at dark. We’re outside people at heart, and the small-motorhome lifestyle lets us get right in the middle of some pretty amazing vistas.
3. We have found new friends — This, of course, is true for all RVers, no matter what size or type RV, or tent, they happen to use. From rallies, our Facebook groups, and face-to-face meetings with FMC readers and folks who have read the blog and come by to visit, Jennifer and I have made so many new friends who share our love of adventure and the open road. We’ve noticed that a whole lot of these people we’re meeting on the road are empty-nesters and baby boomers like us who are newly retired. This new generation of retirees we’re meeting is active and physically fit, and they love to kayak, cycle, hike, and generally get out there and do something. There are a lot of kindred spirits out there.
4. We have our own comfortable bed to sleep in — This was perhaps the biggest surprise. It’s actually comfortable! Honestly, we think we sleep better in our motorhome than just about any place. Even home. Certainly better than hotel rooms. We need not worry about bed bugs, dirty rooms, mold, or any of the other variables that make staying in hotels and motels so unpredictable. We prefer our own germs to strangers’ germs. When we visit relatives, our Type B easily fits in their driveway, and more often than not, Jennifer and I will choose to sleep in our coach. We have our own bed in there, and we don’t have to drag luggage in and out.
5. Our dog is always welcome — Again, this is true for all motorhome users. In fact, I’d bet that a top reason many travel by RV is so they can bring their pets. By many, my guess would be 75 percent or more. Jennifer and I are not fanatics about our dog, Tai, a 70-pound Norwegian elkhound. But we do enjoy his company. That’s why we have a dog. And he adds to the joy of traveling. There’s no better way to explore a new spot than by taking a walk with your dog. Tai loves our coach. We love taking him. We save money by not having to board him somewhere. We take him most everywhere. Not always. There are times when we have a story to cover or a place to visit where we can’t take him, and then we leave him with family. Sometimes, we can find a doggie day care in the location we visit that will take care of him while we hike or explore places he can’t go. But, generally speaking, where we go, Tai goes. That, we believe, is as it should be.
So, there you have it — our top five joys about the motorhome lifestyle. There are other benefits, like being able to prepare your own healthful food and traveling at your own pace, stopping where you like, moving on when you feel like it. Add to these the ability to see and experience this amazing land up close, down the back roads, meeting the locals, eating fresh fruits and vegetables bought from roadside stands, and learning about the local history. Still, it’s often hard to explain to those non-RVing friends who wonder why you’re gone all the time.
It’s been a great two years. This year looks even better. We have long trips planned up the east coast to Cape Cod, out west to Oregon, and down to the Texas Hill Country, plus lots of spots in between.
Next month, Jennifer and I look forward to meeting many of you in Perry, Georgia, at the big FMCA Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase. Look us up and say “Hi.”
This motorhome life is truly a blessing.
Veteran journalist Mike Wendland, F426141, FMCA’s official on-the-road reporter, travels the country with his wife, Jennifer, and their Norwegian elkhound, Tai, aboard the couple’s Roadtrek Type B motorhome. Mike can be reached at openmike@fmca.com.