By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers
… AND GREAT-GRANDMA. I’d like your help.
Hundreds of folks in attendance at last November’s 49ers Encampment in Death Valley cheered loudly paying tribute to a 90-year-old veteran attending the 5-day conclave. He had driven his motorhome to Furnace Creek to join the happy throngs last year as he has done for numerous years before. [I don’t remember much more than that about him.]
About a year earlier, we were parked in a military campground, where I struck up a conversation with a neighbor who was traveling alone in his travel trailer. He mentioned that his wife decided to stay home this trip, but encouraged him to take off on his own in pursuit of his love of RVing. I was startled when he told me he had just celebrated his 80th birthday.
Last month in the Costco Connection, I read an article that started out “I’M AN 85-YEAR-OLD woman who travels full time in a 23-foot RV.” She was proud to say that she doesn’t stay in campgrounds.
Since it’s not my usual policy to ask the age of those we encounter in our travels, I haven’t built up a file of “the generation ahead of mine” [those of you who remember FDR] who continue to ply the highways and campgrounds of America in RVs. We all meet people who are proud to say they are 80 or 90, but others prefer to hide their age until it contributes significantly to the conversation.
That’s why I’m asking for your help. If you are of that generation and still taking the rig out from time-to-time or full-time, I’d like to hear from you. If it’s your parents, grandparents or neighbors who are still enjoying the RV life, I welcome your contribution. Or, if you have an issue with octogenarians and nonagenarians on the road, let RV.net readers know what you think.
To tell your story briefly or give your thoughts on the subject, I welcome your comments below. I’d like to know what kind of rig you have, including length, how long you’ve had it, and how often you use it.
If you have a longer story to tell or are willing to be interviewed, please email me directly at neverboredRVers@gmail.com. Write your story in the email … or let me know the best way to get in touch for more information – email or phone call (include your time zone). Sending one or two photos would be great.
Once I get a few stories, I plan to combine them into a magazine article, or, at least, a series of blogs.
Many of us pre-octogenarian RVers wonder what’s in our future. We love the life, but for how long can we keep it up? What are some of the unexpected health and lifestyle situations ahead for us? It would be good for us to know what may be down the road and over the horizon.
From the “Never-Bored RVers,” We’ll see you on down the road.
© All photos by Barry Zander. All rights reserved