83 and have hung up the keys

[D_E_Bishop]

Over the years I have seen posts asking, when is it time to hang up the keys, well for this guy it is 82 years and 9 months. I suppose I could buy a "B" or "B +" and we could still do some traveling but it would only work for a year or two.

Seven months ago I realized that after driving the towed to the storage yard, moving clothes and supplies into the RV and hooking up the towed was taking two to four hours and then after three or four hours on the road I needed a nap. Degenerative spinal discs and inflammatory Poly Arthritis was slowing me down and causing a lot of pain, it even sent me to the ER a few months ago.

So we sat down and talked about travel and decided that driving a four wheeler or flying and driving was the best we could do with our health issues. Five days ago it was clear and warn so we went to the RV to get some of our kitchen supplies to take to our OR home. A guy stopped at the RV and asked if we were interested in selling, I said sure and we got our price less cost of 6 new tires and new front brakes. No need to place a for sale ad or dicker. He and his son met us at the RV, we filled out papers, visited the bank to deposit the cash and in three hours it was gone, we took our eldest out to lunch for helping fill out the papers and counting the cash, told the storage yard we wouldn't be a tenant any longer, cancelled the insurance, transferred the title with DMV and we were having a cold drink in the living room back at home.

I think the old saying about a boat owners two happiest days are buying and selling but in this case, about 02:00 am, I woke and almost cried, the memories came flooding back from our first camping trip with a borrowed tent and Coleman stove with a 4yo and a 5yo, to our last trip up to OR in Sept. in the Winnie.

I'll miss it and miss all of you, at least we did it till we just couldn't do it anymore. No more Pendleton Shirts smelling like a campfire, no more kids and grandkids giving gooey S'more kisses, no more sunrises at "Q"

To quote Bob Hope, "Thanks for the Memories".

David

[olfarmer]

It is sad to have to give it up but sometimes there is no choice. We are 78 and have been camping and RVing all of our married life. My wifes health has caused us to quit traveling. We still have the MH but have only used it for 3 days the last 2 years at a family reunion at a county park about 40 miles from our home. I sure miss going to Texas for a bit in winter and to Montana or Colorado in the summer! The Winnebago is a 2001 with about 30k miles on it so it is not real valuable and I haven't tried to sell it. I just can't get myself to let go of it. 😞

[D_E_Bishop]

To all of you great travelers, thanks for your good wishes. We bought a second home when we make our last trip to Oregon and it will be our primary depository of those things that we picked up on our travels. I named the house "Rivendell", that is the "Last Homey Place East of the Mountains" in Tolkien's tales of Middle Earth. It is our sanctuary and we are surrounded by ENTs and their kind, yet only blocks to family and healthcare providers.

If a couple of whitehaired folks honk and wave at you while your on the road in your RV, it's just us saluting you and wishing safe travels.

David and Sharon

[ford_truck_guy]

Well David, just because your out of the game, that does not mean you have to give US up too !

You can stay here and contribute as a senior member that joined us in 2001..... You have a lot to give..

Enjoy the next chapter of your life, enjoy ! !

Joe

[ferndaleflyer]

So I run my mouth and get a head cold as soon as I got down here to Myrtle. But so far so good. Went to a old car museum and the man at the door was from where I was born and the owner lives where I live now. 1000 mi apart. Life is still good.

[oldave]

The things that cause many to curtail or stop RVing as we age are individually different. For some, it's losing interest, for others it's physical limitations, and there are cognitive issues. Cognitive such as recognizing danger & following directions etc.
Oh and there is the money, it ain't cheap for diesel and Rv parks
I'll be 83 next Dec and probably not what I was in my earlier yrs, but I try to compensate. I don't drive a thousand miles or at night. LOL
Still going tho, just not near as often as I'd like to.
The main cause of our cutting back is all of our traveling friends have either died or aged out. We thank God every day that we are still in pretty good shape, so many people our age are either sick or gone.

[dodge_guy]

Sorry to hear that. Good luck on your retirement from RVing.
On the plus side it’s good to know I have potentially 31 more years!

[Cloud_Dancer]

I'm 83,...and hoping I can stay in the game for another 7 years. I'll keep you posted. Have fun.

[valhalla360]

It's tough but time comes for us all. Travel might take a different form but do what you can, while you can.

You should be commended for acknowledging your limitations before they might wind up hurting someone else.

[Tom_Barb]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
I'll be 82 in a week. .

me too, looking forward to our next trip.

[wallynm]

Just read my signature!

D.E.Bishop wrote:
Over the years I have seen posts asking, when is it time to hang up the keys, well for this guy it is 82 years and 9 months. I suppose I could buy a "B" or "B +" and we could still do some traveling but it would only work for a year or two.

Seven months ago I realized that after driving the towed to the storage yard, moving clothes and supplies into the RV and hooking up the towed was taking two to four hours and then after three or four hours on the road I needed a nap. Degenerative spinal discs and inflammatory Poly Arthritis was slowing me down and causing a lot of pain, it even sent me to the ER a few months ago.

So we sat down and talked about travel and decided that driving a four wheeler or flying and driving was the best we could do with our health issues. Five days ago it was clear and warn so we went to the RV to get some of our kitchen supplies to take to our OR home. A guy stopped at the RV and asked if we were interested in selling, I said sure and we got our price less cost of 6 new tires and new front brakes. No need to place a for sale ad or dicker. He and his son met us at the RV, we filled out papers, visited the bank to deposit the cash and in three hours it was gone, we took our eldest out to lunch for helping fill out the papers and counting the cash, told the storage yard we wouldn't be a tenant any longer, cancelled the insurance, transferred the title with DMV and we were having a cold drink in the living room back at home.

I think the old saying about a boat owners two happiest days are buying and selling but in this case, about 02:00 am, I woke and almost cried, the memories came flooding back from our first camping trip with a borrowed tent and Coleman stove with a 4yo and a 5yo, to our last trip up to OR in Sept. in the Winnie.

I'll miss it and miss all of you, at least we did it till we just couldn't do it anymore. No more Pendleton Shirts smelling like a campfire, no more kids and grandkids giving gooey S'more kisses, no more sunrises at "Q"

To quote Bob Hope, "Thanks for the Memories".

David

[2oldman]

samsontdog wrote:
It seems for me when I turned 70 there was more and more things that are harder to do.

Same here. 70 was when many RV chores started getting more challenging. Never gave it a thought until then.

[samsontdog]

I am 86 and my
Wife is 84. We have a camping trip planned this summer
for two and a half months. It seems for me when I turned 70 there was more and more things that are harder to do. I am not ready to stop camping and towing my 34 ft TT. But it might not be many more yrs. I am going to try to make it to 90

[ScottG]

Best of luck to you David. I hope you continue to travel and enjoy yourself for many years to come.

[RLS7201]

David,
Sorry to see you leave the RV world.
You comments about thrashing around loading and unloading is the reason we have a full service RV pad next to the house. We grab a hand full of clothes from the closet and walk to the RV closet.
Hopefully our 80 year old bodies will be able to RV for a few more years.
Right now I have the transmission out and the engine is almost ready to remove. Running gear needs to be refreshed.

Richard