As nostalgia has the ability to evoke strong feelings, we’ve been thinking back on our days spent travelling and enjoying the RV lifestyle. Yes, we adore our new home base in Seattle, but Leslie was feeling the pull of the road during a recent trip to Leavenworth. This is the story of her road trip.
Visit with family: Things are going well, I have a full social schedule these days, and being able to get back in touch with people brought me to see my brother Chris and my beloved Auntie Eileen east of the Cascades. First up, a bockwurst at Leavenworth Sausage Garden, where a local business named Cured makes those iconic German sausages. Whoa, what a boy! Excellent.
Upon arriving at The Blue Elk Inn, my favourite place to stay when visiting the Bavarian Village, I spent the afternoon catching up with my late father’s older sister, who has always been like a mother to me. She is kind and sassy. She has been a fervent supporter of our Going Mobile cause and is now ninety years old. Her unwavering advice to us is to “go for it while you can” because life is short. Roger that, we say to that!
Having been the home of my grandparents, who moved there in the early 1920s after leaving their native South Dakota, Leavenworth has always had a particular place in my heart. Numerous family members trailed after, and upon asking my aunt to tally the number of family members in Leavenworth, she became disoriented when she reached 200.
Over the years, as wealthy West Siders have accumulated real estate and driven away the working class, things have drastically changed. (Does this sound familiar?) I still can’t help but have a strong emotional bond with the place. A good example would be cousin Rob going up to bat during the weekly softball game when my brother and I went for a walk down by the river after supper. Naturally, he scored, and after we hugged, Chris and I went back for our walk. I treasured every second of that wonderful moment, which captured life in a little village.
As an aside, we enjoy camping in Lake Wenatchee State Park and Icicle River RV Park when we’re visiting the region in our RV.
The next day, I saw the constant procession of RVs travelling east on U.S. 2 on my way back west. Everything flew by, from the most luxurious class A vehicles to the most basic DIY vans. Right now is a great time to go camping, and I had a terrible case of FOMO.
Johnny and I therefore started deciding where to go next as soon as I came home. Though we are appreciative of our cosy home base, we will be travelling north to Vancouver Island in September. (If you have any recommendations, please email goingmobile@spokesman.com with your favourite locations).
Sometimes we really do miss living in an RV full-time. However, it’s possible that the stark reality of having to deal with broken and uneven objects is being muffled by the fuzzy light of reminiscence. Despite all the detours and turns we’ve taken, we feel up to the challenge even if we’re still getting to know this new chapter.