Looking Back - Where We've Been

We were sitting here feeling a bit sorry for ourselves.  Thinking about being quarantined and isolated during the pandemic, and not traveling anywhere this upcoming winter. The motorhome is winterized and not going anywhere.

But then...

We started thinking.  Remembering.  Reminiscing.  Feeling more grateful. 

• We have been to the Atlantic Ocean,  the Pacific Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico.
• We have dipped our toes into all five of the Great Lakes. 
• We have been to Canada and Mexico.
• We have seen all the "have to's" like The Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls, White Sands, The Alamo and many national and state parks in between. 
• We have gone 1.25 miles beneath the surface of the earth (75 stories down) at Carlsbad Caverns. 
• We have wound up and down though foggy mists in the Smokey Mountains on narrow gravel roads. 
• We have eaten fresh lobster in New England, Gulf shrimp and jambalaya in New Orleans, fresh beef steaks in Nebraska and Indian Fry Bread in Michigan. 
• We have been escorted off a military base after taking a wrong turn.
• We have literally been "Standing on a Corner in Winslow, Arizona", being stranded there for five days waiting for motorhome parts.
• We have seen deer, moose, bighorn sheep, snakes, alligators, and a bobcat.
• We have camped in parks, boondocked in the desert, parked in people's driveways, parked in a friend's barnyard with llamas peeking in the windows (thanks Rosie), parked in a cherry orchard, and even on an abandoned airstrip, (thanks Roger and Lila).
• We've loved the deserts of the Southwest, the forests of the Northwoods, the sand beaches of Florida, and the flat Plains of the Midwest.
• We've had a motorhome stolen while on sale on a consignment lot, and the police convinced the thief 3 months later to pay us for it.
• We've camped at the "Last Free Place on Earth" (The Slabs) and saw military bombing maneuvers at night over the Chocolate Mountains.
• We put a motorhome on a ferry to go out to camp on an island.
• 3 favorite campsites: Rattlesnake Point at Elephant Butte New Mexico, Burnet Island State Park in Wisconsin, and a little WE Energies remote site in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
• We've watched beautiful sunrises, amazing sunsets, and hunkered down during snow storms, heat waves, gale force winds, and dust storms.
• We've stayed in fancy campgrounds at $50 a night or more, and have boondocked for free on BLM land and National Forest dispersed camping.
• We've toured museums and missions, explored historical locations, observed reenactments and saw history in the making.
• We read an autobiography book, and tracked down the author's original location of a deserted ranch in Arizona. Thanks to Al and Kelly.
• We have camped in tents, old pop-ups, trailers and motorhomes. 
• All along the way, we have met the most interesting and wonderful people. Some by chance, some by planned meeting over connections on social media, and some by good friendships and relatives in our family tree.

Upon reflection, we guess we really don't have anything to complain about. 

Do we?

Our final resting place will be with our ashes scattered on an island at a small National Forest Campground that I frequented often as a child... where Steve and I both feel at peace. 

We don't feel sorry for ourselves any more.

We feel blessed.