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After 2 wonderful weeks in Pagosa Springs, we were excited to be on the move again. As we hitched up and headed out of town, the excitement we felt the day we first hit the road was bubbling up again.
We drove a little over an hour to Bayfield, Co where we had a 3 night stay booked. It was a chance to get a few last things in place before heading into the wild of Colorado's old mining country. There isn't much to do in Bayfield but it's 20 minutes from Durango. If we could have found a place right in Durango, we probably would have stayed there instead, but since we tend to fly by the seat of our pants, we were happy to be near by and in such a nice park. The loneliness of being on the road really started to hit us when we arrived in Bayfield. After a good night's sleep, we still couldn't shake the feeling of isolation so on Saturday morning we drove into Durango for the day. We checked out some cool shops in town and found people to talk bikes and gear with. It didn't fully satisfy the need to be with friends but it did scratch the itch a little. It was enough to cheer us up and help float us through till we would meet up with friends a few days later. Calling home and catching up with family on Sunday was another nice pick-me-up. Since we hit the road fulltime our connections with family and friends have become more important than ever. Does this make us want to run back to where we came from and quit all this fulltime RV nonsense? Absolutely not. But it does remind us not to take the people in our life for granted. It reminds us to reach out the people who are on our mind and to savor the precious time we have with them. But full time RVers aren't the only ones with loved ones who live far away. What creative or meaningful ways have you found that help you stay connected with distant loved ones? Please comment below--we want to hear from you!
10 Comments
Tess
8/9/2016 08:25:39 pm
Its true. I've been living away from my folks and siblings since college, and being mobile will be a great way to see more of my family.
Steve
8/9/2016 02:09:22 pm
It's touching to read about your connections to family and friends and how important they are. It's also comforting to know they are there when you need them. Happy trails...I hope to see you on the road. I live in the Denver area and hit the roads to the mountains quite a bit.
Diane C
8/9/2016 02:30:49 pm
My husband and I live 6 hours away from our family. We drive back to see them every few months. Due to my husband's work schedule, sometimes I just go by myself. I found that Snapchat helped me a LOT with feeling less isolated. Those little snippets of my nieces' and nephew's lives help immensely. Other than that, Facebook and phone calls. One of the reasons that we want to travel is to visit relatives and family that live all over the US, some of whom I have never met! You two had a pretty good network of family and friends. My family has always been my friends...I'm an introvert and don't really need people other than my family, so I don't anticipate having as big a difficulty with loneliness. But...we'll see! 8/9/2016 03:26:20 pm
I wondered if this would be something to deal with. I've loved reading and watching of your adventures. You make it look so fun - sort of like a full-time vacation, or maybe like I use to imagine retirement. (That makes me laugh!) You have each other, and doing this together has got to take some of the sting out of the loneliness. This is a wave, and you'll be fine. And so what if you decide this wasn't exactly all you thought it would be? That's what life is about anyway, isn't it?
Tess
8/9/2016 08:48:37 pm
For sure. The thing that took me by surprise the most was realizing how much I slacked off in my relationships with family members who lived far away, because I had friends and people who were with me everyday who I could lean on. Being on the road has helped Steve and I lean on each other more and its helped both of us be more proactive in our relationships with our families.
Bonnie
8/9/2016 05:04:27 pm
Social media is a big help. Setting up a personal IG account is really great because while you LOVE sharing pics and info to all your followers, there are those moments that you just want to share with your "besties". Text when you see something you know these people would love, with a pic or not. If I'm thinking of someone, I take a selfie and then send it saying "just thinking of you"! Forward articles you think they would like. Buy a few stamps and send a handwritten note - Sometimes when I am sitting and I Have a legal pad, it's amazing how much time and pages go by when I start an old fashioned letter! remember postcards?? We all still like getting real mail!
Tess
8/9/2016 08:53:41 pm
I love it! Love it all! And I'm totally with you on the snail mail. I've been a big handwritten letter writer my whole life. When we downsized from our house, I was really surprised to see how many letters I'd exchanged over the years with lots of different friends and family. I'm really going to miss being able to receive hand written letters from my BF in CA now that I don't have a mail box. At least I can send her snail mail even if she has to email her replies.
Peg
8/9/2016 07:44:53 pm
Ironically I know more about what is happening in your lives since you've been gone. I love it!
Tess
8/9/2016 09:03:40 pm
Ha ha, we haven't been awesome about keeping up with the extended family :/ We love hearing from you in the comments! Leave a Reply. |
AuthorSteve and Tess love to explore nature, whether it be backpacking, packrafting, mountain biking, hiking, or just wandering. The more we explore, the more we realize just how little we've seen. Archives
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