The Beast! I named her that after we went up and over Smokey Mountain in Nova Scotia. I saw a sign flash by that revealed the elevation of the mountain I was about to climb, and was afraid for a bit. I'd read so much about RV's that didn't have enough power for their weight, but my Beast ate that mountain for brunch, and was looking forward to dessert!

We had 14 months of fun traveling together, but my family and friends are in and around New York, and my apartment is in NYC! Nowhere in the city to park The Beast for the winter months. I finally found a storage spot over the George Washington Bridge in New Jersey, that I could get to or from on public transportation, and I parked her there for a while. But I worried that she'd be damaged or invaded by mice in the winter months, so I put for sale ads on RV Trader and Craigslist.

I had to admit to myself that I was done with RVing on this scale. This Winnebago was perfect for me to live in full-time, but too large for the little east coast trips I plan to take, now that my post-retirement odyssey was done.

The Beast in her new home in Mattituck on Long Island.

The first thing I did after the sale was to buy a new tent. I can car or van camp going forward, as long as I'm not sleeping on the ground I'm good. I have an AeroBed, and the family camping gear is at my son's house, so when I need to get out of the city, or my Sisters on the Fly sisters have an event, I can go. I miss my RV, but this is a more manageable scale for me, for now.

Of course, I still want to get a van and build it out as a camper, but I've got some European travel planned for this year. I'm connecting with friends in Brussels, and we will road trip the coast of France to Normandy and Brittany, where we will spend a week together on the Isle de Batz. I'm really looking forward to that. And then there's Iceland. And Ireland. Dunno, it may be a little while until I get that van. ;-)