On the Road Without James! WOOT! (I mean I miss him so much…)


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James is in France!

 

I dropped him off at the airport a few days ago and it’s been a Stef-and-Mel-Gone-Wild-in-the-RV show ever since. For me, that means historical fiction audiobooks read with British accents, roadside stops to check out kitschy tourist stands, and getting the whole Lance bed to myself.

Well ALMOST all to myself.

For Mel, having no James means getting away with things he normally can’t, like bossing me around with extra sneak attacks and getting on counters.

This pic is gonna drive James nuts.

One of the highlights of the Stef-Gone-Wild saga has been roadtripping to meet up with my lovely daughter Mackenzie. She lives 4 hours from us, so any excuse I get to go see her cute face makes me smile.

She turns 26 soon… so weird. Just yesterday she was 6!!!

And of course, no roadtrip is complete without reading books to cats:

 

Yeah really, it’s a thing. I met up with my daughter-in-law and the two grandmunchkins at an animal shelter. Apparently, there’s a program where they encourage kids to come in and spend time in the cat rooms reading books to cats. Who knew?

After this trip, the next big trip we take is Utah to Iowa, coming up in mid-July. We’ll be headed to Winnebago’s annual rally…GNR (Grand National Rally). Thousands come for this, and in our van section we’re expecting around 50 other vans. I’ll lead some workouts at the rally, James will lead some road rides, and we’ll jump from event to event throughout the whirlwind of a week. It’s sort of like a big family reunion and I look forward to it every year.

 

So there you go! Consider yourselves updated. Mel’s ready and raring to get back on the road, so I better hit it before he goes into full-on attack-cat mode. Although first I’m blending up a watermelon smoothie; posting recipe here tomorrow! Hard to beat roadtripping with an icy-cold healthy drink, an ankle-biting cat, the hubby away on a cycling-trip-of-a-lifetime, and a British-fiction audiobook! Life is so freaking amazing some days, isn’t it?

Wave if you see me roll by!

Mel took this one. 😉

xoxo, Stef (and Mel!)



After 15 years as an educator in both the public K-12 setting and the University level in Special Physical Education, Stef made the leap to her true passion… the fitness world. She’s currently a personal trainer and wellness coach specializing in seniors, medical conditions, and injuries. Stef loves running, cycling, and being “Mugga” to her two favorite mini-humans — Punky and Marshmallow. ❤️


    18 thoughts on “On the Road Without James! WOOT! (I mean I miss him so much…)

    1. Jill

      I’m trying very hard to decide what to get for my very first RV. I’m single (widowed) and older, and would be traveling with my little dog. I would never stay in one place more than a day or two. It’s my hope to travel to historical sites, visit family for SHORT periods, and just see the country. Could a single, older woman drive and take care of a Travato? I’m thinking the G as I believe the GL would be overkill. I’m not comfortable with propane, so I’d like to make sure I could run the AC and an induction plate with no generator. Please give me an honest answer, if you have the time. Thanks so much for any consideration.

      Reply
      1. James

        Hi Jill –
        First, I’d recommend you read our 8-step program for choosing your first RV. I’ve linked it there.
        Next – there are plenty of older (and younger) ladies who travel solo in a Travato with no issues. You can find lots of them in the Travato Owners and Wannabes group on Facebook, and they’d be happy to share their thoughts with you.
        Finally, there’s not an option for a Travato with no propane. At least not yet. And to run the air conditioner, it’s either Lithium, or the generator. You choose… they both work.

        Reply
    2. Leo Ahearn

      OK so we are looking at the B vans so we can take our cats with us. We use an Outfitter slide-in with the Tacoma today. Can you please tell us more about kitty travel and litter box placement in the Travato 59G? It is coming up as our preferred coach at this point. Thanks!

      Reply
      1. Stefany - Post author

        Hi Leo! We keep saying we’ll write a whole post about traveling with Mel, thanks for bringing this up as a reminder. We put the litter box under the bed, and others we know with G’s have turned one of those low cabinets under the bed into a litter box area, but that’s where our inverter is so not an option for us. Will get to work on that post with more details so stay tuned! Excited you’re considering a Travato; you’ll love it!

        Reply
    3. Alain

      I thought Mallorca was Jame’s 50th birthday present. You are spoiling the man…unless this was all a diabolical plot for him to feel obliged for your 50th birthday. You will need to be really original in your demands to top this. Something where he can prove his selfless love, like,,… A SAND CASTLE COMPETITION. But I do believe he’s got a few more years to mentally prepare.

      You are so right, solo trips are special. I’ve done a couple for cycling events. I love my wife, but some alone time is important. Especially as retirement gets closer. And I get the Queen bed to myself (that narrow Travato bed was a show stopper for us…LOL).

      Reply
      1. Stefany - Post author

        You’ve figured out my master plan Alain, ha! Yep he got 2 European trips for his 50th so fair is fair right? I still haven’t figured out what I’m going to request for my 50th but making him build a sand castle WOULD be pretty amusing knowing how much he loves sand!!!

        Reply
      2. Yoshi

        Hey Stef, you have to get word to James about the new 2019 Wonder RTB ! It has a garage like the recreational vehicles in Europe, which has a sliding tray to hold 2 bicycles! This may be the perfect model to do a test on. It does comes on a Ford chassis though, and I had hoped you could get a diesel generator to extend use than the propane it comes with. But I know the storage space is one of the most important factor for you to store your expensive bicycles. Look forward to the review.

        Reply
        1. Stefany - Post author

          LOL Yoshi, hi! We haven’t mentioned the new Wonder with the garage here on our website yet, but have talked about it on our social media…we’re SO EXCITED! Dean even did a shout-out in the reveal video to James to quit bugging him about wanting a garage model; HA! We’ve contacted Leisure asking where the RV will be as we’re hoping to catch up with it and do a review. Fingers crossed we make that happen soon!

    4. Kelli

      Such fun! That Mel is quite a photographer. Or more likely, it’s just that he had a gorgeous subject… I’ve been dreaming of a solo road trip. Thanks for the reminder that I need to get going on that!

      Reply
      1. Stefany - Post author

        You should definitely do it, Kelli! It has been such an incredible experience in so many different ways! xoxo

        Reply
    5. Ed Millner

      You might want to try the “After Cilmeri” by Sarah Woodbury book/audiobook series, its fiction based on non-fiction with a twist. Read the synopsis and see if its your cup of British tea.

      Reply
      1. Stefany - Post author

        Thanks for the suggestion Ed; I love getting book recommendations, they usually end up being my favorite reads! I’m going to go reserve it from Overdrive right now!

        Reply
    6. Noel

      Stef, if only you were able to relax and just live the dream – bahaha! Looking forward to seeing your Hakuna Matata in action in Iowa!

      Reply
      1. Stefany - Post author

        LOL, Noel! Excited to see you at the Winnebago rally too! Fingers crossed for good weather and great times!

        Reply

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