Graduation Trip

by Barbara | Jun 11, 2025 | Barbara M 1 year project, Blog | 0 comments

Because Canada was closed last summer (and still is as of April of 2021) due to the pandemic, we weren’t able to use our timeshare week in Whistler, British Columbia for 2020. We were fortunate enough to trade our unused vacation to Orange Tree Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona where my dad lives, with a plan to celebrate my milestone.

My husband called this my “graduation trip” to celebrate my retirement after 44 years of public service. It was a fantastic experience and I highly recommend going somewhere a few days after your retirement, primarily so that there is a break in your routine. No looking back!

I had a week to make the transition and to pack a suitcase and my golf bag.  This amount of time seemed just about right.  We flew to Phoenix, rented a car, and drove to Tubac Golf Resort.  My husband wanted to do something special before our timeshare week, so he took me there because it was the location for shooting one of his favorite golf movies, starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo, Tin Cup.

He signed us up for the “Indulgent Golf Package” which is two nights in a historic Casita, two rounds of golf, and two breakfast burritos at the Cantina on the first hole. It was a magical place in the desert south of Green Valley, just north of the Mexican border.  I learned that the ranch was originally a land grant from the King of Spain to the Ortero family in 1685.  From this ranch, the family rose to prominence and became the “Cattle Kings of Arizona.”  In the 1950s, lead by Bing Crosby and other investors, the ranch was purchased and three 9 hole courses were constructed.  The longhorn cattle are still there and integrated into the course design.

I loved the historic feel of the place and as a beginning golfer, I appreciated the spacing of the women’s and men’s tees.  Even though I’m still learning, we were able to enjoy some rounds of golf with a different couple each day.  The husbands were pretty good golfers and both of the wives were beginners, so we could encourage each other.

At Orange Tree Resort we were in a wonderful central location north of Scottsdale.  We golfed three days and enjoyed meeting other couples and even had lunch with them after one of our rounds.  I truly appreciated that I was in a beautiful warm place, meeting new people, trying something new, and walking five or more miles in a park setting with water fountains. I had to remind myself that if I hadn’t retired, I would have been on a Zoom Call in my home office that day.

I also really enjoyed taking two hikes in the desert. By starting out early enough we were able to hike mostly in the 70-degree weather, but by noon temperatures were in the mid-90’s so having a pool to dip in during the lazy afternoons was amazing.  At the McDowell Mountain Regional Park, we saw hikers and many mountain bikers.  It has a rugged beauty and is a classic desert hike.  https://www.maricopacountyparks.net/mcdowell-mountain-regional-park-mm/

When we went to the visitor center we were asked whether we saw any rattlesnakes.  We said no!  The ranger shared that it is mating season and the rattlesnakes are all out and a little crazy.  Yikes!  It was probably good we didn’t realize that before we started hiking.

On our last evening before returning home, we went to Butterfly Wonderland. It was an inspiring way to end our trip. https://butterflywonderland.com We learned about the plight of Monarch Butterflies and experienced a tropical rainforest environment full of all kinds of butterflies, moths, birds, and koi.  I was in awe of what we learned and what we saw.

While it was good to return home to the spring-like weather of the Pacific Northwest after a ten-day trip to the desert, I’m so grateful for this time we had together to experience a different place, reconnect with family, make new friends, stretch my legs, swing my clubs and start the next chapter of my life. I’ve now graduated to feeling really retired!

The Jeep Wave

by Barbara | Oct 18, 2021 | Barbara M 1 year project, Blog | 0 comments

A few days after purchasing our motorhome which is allowing us to start this new chapter of our retirement life, we realized that it would be really convenient to have a towing vehicle.  What we didn’t think about before we made this monumental purchasing decision is that my Ford Explorer can’t be flat towed. When we found out that my husband’s F-150 could be towed, but it would need significant modifications involving welding, we took a minute to think further about it.

Some extensive research and talking with friends revealed that one of the best vehicles that can be safely towed behind a motorhome is a Jeep! We went on the search and it was almost too easy to find our Jeep and trade nearly straight across for our Ford. She has some big knobby tires and looks like she is ready for desert adventures!

In one afternoon I went from a quiet, smooth comfortable ride to the loudest, bounciest, and most uncomfortable vehicle I’ve ever driven. But I absolutely love it!  I feel like I’m driving a fun toy.  When I park now, I always look back as I walk away because she looks so awesome.

Driving home in our Jeep Wrangler JK after the trade was completed we were surprised that other Jeep drivers were waving at us.  We looked at each other and wondered, “What is this all about? Why are people waving?”

Unknowingly, the day we bought our “toad” (towing vehicle) we also joined an international club of fellow Jeep owners. A quick Google search revealed the origin story of the Jeep Wave.

“The roots of the Jeep Wave have a few different origin stories, two of which seem to stick the most. The first theory of the Jeep Wave was that the wave began during WWII as a way for U.S. soldiers to differentiate an ally from an enemy. Jeeps were often driven by soldiers during WWII and the wave was used to greet fellow soldiers when transporting supplies and carrying wounded soldiers.  The second theory is similar to the first, but that it started after the war. Many civilian Jeep owners during this time were most often returning veterans and the wave was a way for citizens to acknowledge the service of veterans and for other veteran Jeep drivers to greet a fellow soldier.”

I had no idea this would be such a blast!  Our Jeep has now been modified so that she can be towed and even has a hitch for our bike racks.  Since we joined the world of Jeeps I’ve joined a few facebook groups for Jeep Beginners and Jeep Life and I continue to learn more about Jeep culture. I’m loving the proud photos, the stories and commentary.

Jeep owners have a unique identity. They name their Jeeps, make all kinds of modifications, help each other if there is a break down, go out of their way to park near other Jeeps, sometimes leave little yellow ducks (called “ducking”) and have clubs that go on adventures together.

What started as a convenient way to have transportation while we are “snow-birding” has turned into a learning experience that is exciting and makes me smile.  I’m learning to watch for other Jeeps in my travels (something I never did before) and am perfecting my Jeep Wave!

Joining the Snowbird Migration

by Barbara | Oct 15, 2021 | Barbara M 1 year project, Blog | 0 comments

After a summer of fun following my retirement earlier in the spring, the weather has changed suddenly and Fall arrived one rainy weekend in the Pacific Northwest at the end of September. It was so sudden it caught many of us off-guard, including my husband and me.

With the cool, crisp days and leaves falling on our lawn, (just now starting to go from dead grass to lush green following a record hot and dry spring and summer,) we started revisiting our many conversations about winter plans.

Many of our international, already-booked trips have been canceled, a few getting full refunds, some not.  Any of our other ideas for future trips have been shelved for now and into the foreseeable future. It is too hard to keep booking adventures that never come to pass. With the Delta variant taking its toll on friends and family, canceling our plans seems like a small price to pay. 

As a couple, we are grateful for our health and the ability to retire earlier than many of our longtime but still working friends.  However, we believe that life is short and for us, the time to travel is now.  Every month we receive news that someone we love is suffering from a health event that will likely curtail their ability to enjoy the retirement lifestyle they have dreamed of. Or worse, classmates and even people younger than us are passing away before they are able to retire.

For the past thirteen months, we have weighed and considered what we should do this winter season. We have contacted property managers to find out about short-term rentals in warmer places, finding out we are “too late in the season” to be trying to book.  Countless hours conducting searches on the internet for places to fly or drive to in the US has resulted in more frustration.  It seems that travel is beginning to return to normal and the pent-up demand means that it is increasingly difficult to make arrangements.

We’ve looked at fifth-wheel trailers which require a new truck with more towing capacity.  We considered a tiny trailer light enough that our existing pickup could tow but we don’t fit. A few weeks ago we spent an entire day evaluating Class C motorhomes, online. We even called some dealers but no one had 2021 on the lot and the 2022’s are experiencing supply chain issues and won’t be available until mid to late spring.

Tempted by the idea of just ordering one and flying somewhere in Texas to pick it up, a kind and honest salesman said, “Never buy a motorhome until you’ve sat in and driven it.” Great advice!  We found a local dealer that had a few older used Class C motorhomes (they are on a truck chassis) and was shocked when I didn’t fit in the passenger seat.  My legs were too long and it was uncomfortable.  At 6’6”, my husband didn’t fit behind the wheel and his legs extended 6” past the end of the RV queen size bed.

We walked over to check out some used Class A motor homes (they look like a small bus) and it was an eye-opener.  We both fit in the seats and behind the wheel. Armed with that information we went home a bit dejected because the difference in price between a Class C and a Class A is significant, especially if you choose diesel models. We continued to talk throughout the day and night. Analyzing, researching, watching YouTube videos, reading blogs. It is notable that in some states you could purchase an entire new home on a piece of property for the same price as a motorhome.

The entire rainy weekend we looked at brands, models, and floor plans online.  We found an “Empty Nester” motorhome set up perfectly for two but also with the capacity to sleep our grandkids.  We loved her on paper but sometimes reality is something entirely different. 

We analyzed our finances, knowing that an RV is never an investment.  Rather it is a luxury lifestyle choice that allows you to have your own bed, bathroom, and kitchen (essentially a second home on wheels) that you can drive to state and national parks and park for a day, a week, or a month. We still weren’t sure what to do.

We continued searching and came up with nothing. Over and over again we hit dead ends.  Just when we nearly gave up, suddenly we found the make, model and year we wanted at a dealer about an hour north of our home. With the idea of just going to take a look and see if we fit, we called ahead to make sure we could walk through and maybe take a test drive. 

Less than ten minutes after arriving, as we were sitting in the living/kitchen area listening to the salesman, we both looked at each other and nodded.  After 41 years of marriage, we didn’t need words to communicate that we were “home.” We both got to drive her around the surrounding farmland on narrow country roads, the interstate, and the parking lot. My husband even fits in the king-size bed. We put our deposit down on our new home for the winter.  When we returned home that day, we both had different reactions.  My husband didn’t sleep for four nights. I slept great, dreaming of where we would go.

We have now officially joined the Snowbird migration south.  We have so much to do to get ready to go but from after Christmas through the middle of April 2022 we’ll be in California, Arizona, and Utah. Let the RV adventure begin!