Editor’s Note: This article opens The Road and the Lessons It Taught Me, a series reflecting on thirty years of RV travel and the unexpected lessons the journey has taught me. While each article stands on its own, together they explore how the road changed not only where I traveled, but how I came to see the world differently.
The journey begins with a look back at how a simple decision to escape winter became a thirty-year adventure that continues to shape the way I experience the world.
Thirty years ago this month, we pointed our RV south and began our first snowbird journey.
We thought we were escaping winter.
We had no idea we were beginning a way of life.
Thirty years later, almost everything has changed.
Technology transformed how we travel. RVing became mainstream. The road itself became busier.
Yet the greatest changes weren’t happening around us.
They were happening within us.
What began as a way to escape Canadian winters became a journey through remarkable landscapes, small towns, historic places, and unexpected friendships. More importantly, it became a journey of discovery that continues to shape how I see travel, people, and the world around me.
Looking back, I realize the miles were only part of the story.
A different world
When RVing meant paper maps and pay phones
It is difficult to explain to someone who wasn’t there just how different the world was thirty years ago.
The term weblog had only recently been coined. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and smartphones didn’t exist. GPS was still a novelty and “being connected” often meant finding a pay phone.
RVing was different too.
It wasn’t trendy. Few people lived on the road full-time and the familiar bumper stickers—”We’re Spending Our Children’s Inheritance” and “Grandma and Grandpa’s Playhouse”—captured how many people viewed the lifestyle.
We didn’t think of ourselves as pioneers or trendsetters.
We were simply looking for warmer winters and a different way to travel.
None of us could have imagined how much the RV lifestyle—and the world around it—would change over the next three decades.
Looking back now, I realize we weren’t just beginning a new way to spend our winters.
We were stepping into the journey of a lifetime.
The road opened up
Discovering a country one mile at a time
Once we began traveling, we quickly discovered that RVing was about far more than escaping winter.
The miles carried us into landscapes we had only imagined and introduced us to a country far larger, more diverse, and more remarkable than we understood.
We walked the ground where Custer and the 7th Cavalry made their final stand at Little Bighorn. We watched bison roam the grasslands of South Dakota and Antelope Island State Park in Utah. We followed Utah’s magnificent Scenic Byway 12 where every turn revealed another landscape that seemed impossible to surpass.
We touched glaciers in the Canadian Rockies, stood beside the rivers explored by Lewis and Clark, marveled at California’s giant sequoias, and watched the Pacific Ocean meet the cliffs of the Oregon coast.
The road introduced us to places that became lasting memories.
We traveled Route 66 and fed the wild burros of Oatman, Arizona. We rode historic railroads through landscapes that could not be fully appreciated from the highway—the Grand Canyon Railway, the Verde Canyon Railroad, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, and the Mount Washington Cog Railway.
We came to appreciate America in ways deeper than we ever expected.
The beauty of the land was only part of the experience. We discovered history, culture, and communities that reminded us how much there was still to learn. We found ourselves welcomed by strangers, surprised by small towns, and continually reminded that there was always something new waiting around the next bend.
We have not seen it all.
But after thirty years on the road, we have seen enough to know that the journey never really ends.
There is always another road.
Another landscape.
Another story waiting to be discovered.
When places became more than destinations
Learning to slow down and experience the journey
Over time, we discovered that the greatest rewards of RV travel were not always found at the places marked on a map.
They were found in the moments between destinations.
We learned to walk trails instead of simply viewing landscapes from the roadside. A short hike revealed details easily missed from behind the windshield—the sound of birds, the texture of plants, and the changing light across the landscape.
We began carrying cameras, not just to preserve memories, but because photography taught us to see with new eyes—to pay closer attention. A landscape became more than a view. A bird became more than a shape moving through the trees. A quiet moment became something worth noticing.
Birding became another way of understanding the places we traveled. Learning a bird’s name was only the beginning. Over time, we began noticing its habits, its environment, and the connection between a creature and the place that shaped it.
The same was true of the towns we visited.
Some of our favorite memories came not from famous attractions but from communities that invited us to slow down and stay awhile. We fell in love with Santa Fe, New Mexico; Shipshewana, Indiana; Fairhope, Alabama; and dozens of smaller towns whose character could never be captured in a travel brochure.
The artists of Bisbee and Jerome, Arizona, the murals of Tremonton, Utah, and the cowboy spirit of Sheridan, Wyoming, and Medora, North Dakota, reminded us that every place has a story waiting to be discovered.
Even food became part of the journey.
Every region had its own flavors and traditions. We enjoyed seafood along the Gulf Coast, barbecue and chicken-fried steak in Texas, chile in New Mexico, Royal Red Shrimp in Alabama, Hot Brown in Kentucky, and bratwurst in Wisconsin.
But the meals we remember most are not only about the food.
They are about the people, conversations, and moments surrounding the table.
Thirty years on the road taught us that travel is not simply about collecting places.
It is about creating connections.
The destinations may have been the reason we left home.
The experiences are what made the journey meaningful.
The road changed too
Thirty years of travel—and the lessons that remained
When we began our snowbird journey thirty years ago, we could not have imagined how much would change.
The RVs changed. Technology changed. The way we planned and shared our travels changed. Paper maps gave way to GPS and information that once required hours of searching became available instantly.
But the greatest changes were not in the equipment or technology.
They were in us.
For every year of travel, I kept a journal. Looking back through those pages today is like opening a window into another time. The places we visited come back to life—the people we met, the unexpected discoveries, the moments that seemed ordinary at the time but became lasting memories.
The journals remind me that travel is not only measured by miles or destinations.
It is measured by experiences.
A conversation with someone we met along the way. A small town we almost passed by. A trail that revealed something unexpected. A moment that made us stop and appreciate where we were.
Over thirty years, our reasons for traveling have changed. We have learned to slow down, pay closer attention, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.
The road has taught us that discovery does not have an expiration date.
We are not still traveling because we have seen everything.
We are still traveling because we know we have not.
There is always another road, another story, another place waiting to reveal itself.
The journey continues.
More than a journey
How RVing became a way to learn, connect, and give back
When we began RVing, we were the ones asking questions.
We attended rallies to learn from those who had already traveled the road. We joined clubs, listened to experienced RVers, and discovered a community filled with people willing to share their knowledge and stories.
The RV lifestyle is built on that spirit of sharing.
Over time, we became part of that community ourselves. We became active in RV clubs, presented seminars, and began sharing what we had learned with others who were just beginning their own journeys.
The more we received from RVing, the more we wanted to give back.
Writing became another way to do that.
Over the years, I wrote for several RV publications, including Good Sam, sharing stories, information, and experiences with fellow travelers. Writing allowed me to preserve memories, but it also allowed me to help others discover the same enjoyment and confidence that RVing had brought into our lives.
Some of our closest friendships also came through RVing. We became especially close with three other couples who shared our love of hiking and exploring the Southwest and later Texas. The trails we walked and the miles we traveled together became part of the story of our lives.
Today, my website continues that same tradition.
It is simply another way of giving back to a lifestyle that has given us so much.
After thirty years, I realize that RVing was never only about the places we visited. It was about the people who shared the road, the knowledge that was passed along, and the friendships that made the journey richer.
The greatest journeys are not measured only by the miles traveled.
They are measured by what we learn, what we share, and what we leave behind.
Thirty years … and still looking down the road
What the journey has taught me
Thirty years ago, we began a journey without knowing where it would lead.
We thought we were simply escaping winter and exploring new places. We had no idea that RVing would become a way of life—a journey that would introduce us to landscapes we never imagined, people we would never forget, and lessons we could never have learned any other way.
The road gave us far more than destinations.
It taught us to slow down. It taught us that places are more than locations on a map. They are stories, memories, and connections waiting to be discovered.
Over the years, RVing changed the way we experienced the world. We learned from those who traveled before us, shared what we learned with others, built friendships, and became part of a community that continues to enrich our lives.
Looking back through old journals, photographs, and stories from those years, I realize the journey was never only about where we went.
It was about who we became along the way.
We have not seen everything.
We never will.
But perhaps that is part of the gift. After thirty years, there are still roads to travel, places to discover, and stories waiting around the next bend.
The greatest reward of this lifestyle has not been the miles behind us.
It has been learning to appreciate the moments along the way.
Thirty years later, we are still looking down the road.
And we are still discovering what is waiting there.
Next in the series: Senior RVing: Why I Am Not Giving Up RV Life at 85
The journey continues with a reflection on why the road still calls, and why curiosity, adventure, and discovery do not have an expiration date.
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Editor’s note
This article was originally published in October 2026. Information reflects what was accurate at the time of writing. Conditions, access, and amenities may change over time, so please verify current details before planning your trip.
To maintain transparency and editorial independence, this website contains no ads, no sponsored content, and no affiliate links—just firsthand RV travel experiences and practical information for fellow travelers.