I am often asked where is the most beautiful place we have visited or which trip we enjoyed the most. That is hard to answer because every place we have visited is great, but there have been three trips that jump out as a "trip of a lifetime." I'm not talking about short two week trips like we did in the Canadian Rockies or in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. Both of those were trips that we enjoyed to the utmost, but to qualify as a "real trip" it must be at least two months long.

The first memorable trip (2003) was to the Canadian Maritimes with fulltiming friends Rich and Diane Emond. The trip began in Maine and ended in New York two months and ten days later. During that trip we visited New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. We ferried the motorhome three times and once left the motorhome in storage and took a ferry to Labrador and stayted in a housekeeping cottage. During that trip we saw beautiful country, went deep sea fishing and whale watching, sampled foods we had never heard of before, and became Newfies for a few days. Traveling with the Emonds and sharing sightseeing and meals with them every day was an added benefit. Yes, at the end of two months and ten days together we were still friends.

Our next memorable trip (2004) was traveling the Lewis and Clark Trail with Don and Gloria Martin (my sister). We started the trip in St. Louis and ninety-nine days later we reached the Pacific Ocean, then we spent another two weeks traveling down the coast of Oregon and California. During that trip we visited thirteen states and followed the Missouri River to the Rockies and then the Columbia River to the ocean. We learned much history about our country, spent forty-two days in western Montana, trout fished beside our motorhomes, visited national parks, stayed off interstate highways and lived in back-road America. Don and Gloria had never been out west and we had a fun time showing them scenery they had only seen in pictures and on screen.

I won't rank this year's trip (2006) above the other two, but it was equal to them - just different. And man, What a Trip!!!  Most of the trip we traveled alone, but we did spent the first part of the trip with the Emonds. This trip lasted five months and eighteen days and that was after we spent a month in Arizona and in Mexico. I wrote about the trip in thirteen parts - Travels In The West - Parts 1 - 13.

During our travels we stayed off interstate highways except for three short drives as we visited small town America of the west. We toured twenty-two National Parks and Monuments and experienced some of the most awesome and beautiful country we have ever seen. Instead of turning on the radio while driving the motorhome or Honda CR-V we talked and we seldom watched TV at night. When we topped a mountain or turned around a bend we both looked excitedly to see what lie before us and then we pointed out and talked about the scenery so both of us could share and enjoy it.

This was a trip we had planned two times before, but emergency health and family issues called us back to Kentucky. What fun to travel and not know where we would spend the night until we found a place to park the motorhome - sometimes in a national forest, in the desert or beside a lake. Freedom - total freedom.

Before planning a trip like this make sure your spouse is your best friend and you share the same interests. I am lucky to have Linda and she thinks I'm a nice guy. Hope to keep her fooled.

We have several other trips of two months or longer planned including the Great River Road, the western USA, Calgary and British Columbia, Historic Route 66, the Lincoln Highway, New England, the Canadian Maritimes again, and some other trips. We are in our eighth year of traveling fulltime and it will take another ten years to complete the trips.

Life is Great - What a Trip!!!