It is the journey that matters, in the end

Currently In: Downers Grove, IL !!!!

This is my final blog post...

It was 19 short months ago that we pulled the motorhome, with our Red Jeep attached, out of this town.   While we have mixed feelings about leaving our nomadic lifestyle, the overwhelming emotion is one of gratitude for everything we experienced.  Here is our last spot at Quincy Bay.

The stats on our journey:
- we put 19,979 miles on the RV
- we put over 16,000  miles on our Jeep
- we were in 40 states (including Delaware and Oklahoma without the RV)
- we spent the night in 85 campgrounds/RV parks, 1 Walmart and the RV Hall of Fame parking lot
- we visited 30 National Parks, numerous Monuments and Historical Parks, and 1 Scenic Riverway
- we attended Mass at 63 churches and 1 converted campground rec room
- I took more than 8,000 photos
- Johnny hit his head dozens of times getting in and out of the compartments down below
- we met hundreds of fantastic people
- we saw thousands upon thousands of cows grazing in the pastures across the country

Johnny is hooking up our car for the last time.

Things I wish I had known/done differently:
- I wish I had purchased a better camera and taken a photography class
- I wish I had sent more postcards, especially to my mother
- Space heaters! We bought a few almost 4 months in and used them almost everyday

Things I am grateful for:
- my husband: driver, fix-it guy, nature narrator, hiking partner, and adventure seeker
- The Great Outdoors and the National Park Service
- our new RV friends: you have an open invitation to visit us anytime!
- our non-RV friends and family: your support and visits along with texts, emails and phone calls have meant the world to us.  We are especially glad to have reconnected with so many people in different places across the country

I realized about 3 weeks into updating this blog that, while I hope readers would enjoy it, I was really creating a travel journal for Johnny and me.  So I included details on places and people that would help us remember our impressions when we reminisce our adventures.  Thank you for going on the journey with us!