Once upon a time...we had a dream!
Once upon a time...like a little over seven years ago, a married couple had a dream. They wanted to travel the U.S. in an RV from the East coast to the West coast and everything in-between. And wherever they liked some place a lot, they planned to stay for a while, exploring and documenting everything with pictures and videos. But as sometimes happens, even in fairytales, bad situations come up that almost win out over the good: unplanned, serious health problems came up to indefinitely postpone the couples’ dream and to delay their beloved plans. The journey had to be put-off more than once to a later day in the future.
If you haven’t guessed already, the couple is me and my husband. And after being in this country for almost 8 years, that dream of ours never died! We kept on dreaming with imaginary trips over Route 66 to California, to the Rocky Mountains, to Arizona, where we visited in our minds the biggest fry pan in the world, the world’s largest ball of string, slept in tepees and saw Yogi Bear in Yellowstone National Park and of course all the other interesting landmarks in our great country. Then, recently everything began to become more of a reality.
And now, after 2575 days the dreaming is finally over!! The dream comes true for us when on the 20th of January, my husband and I, will start our adventure journey "Across America" and we are soooooo excited and proud, not have had given up our dream. Believe in your dream and it will happen, that was our "guiding spirit" and it really works, people!
First, we will drive to find some "warm up days" in sunny Florida and will wait for more stable warmer weather conditions before heading West. If we come your way and if you have interesting places to recommend that we see, tell us about it - we will blog about it and of course you'll get a link back to your site! And if you have space and are open to let us park in your yard for a night, tell us that too....LOL...in return for your hospitality maybe we could do portraits of you and your family or your dog, sit your vacation home or just cut your grass...whatever it will be, name it...just drop us a note. It's always a pleasure to meet "old friends" or make new ones. We are very flexible in our time and ready for all kinds of good adventures :)
2009 will be a year of big changes, not only in the Whitehouse, but also for us too. I will blog about it here and of course there will be a new website made just for this journey. As long we have an Internet connection on the road we will provide you with all kind of exciting stories in the form of photos and also videos.
So stay tuned - don't miss anything!
And don't forget, we do love to hear from you with recommendations, tips and invitations...LOL...
Susanne and Dave
susanne2049@gmail.com
P.S....we also could use some sponsors for our "dream trip".... let us know if you have connections with someone or a business related to travel, RV trips, photography or fine arts, etc. who wants to invest in a "dream-team" and get great exposure all over the country?
67 comments:
Best wishes to you and your husband as you live your dream! I'll look forward to the chronicles of your travels in your new blog.
Thank you so much Sue! Your comments always mean a lot to me. :)
Wow, congrats on living the dream! I wish you the best. You know, at the end of the day, all we have are our memories, so I wish you many beautiful memories from this adventure!
As you approach California I can give you some tips on some "sites" you might like. (Oh, and looking for warm? It's 80 degrees here right now!!)
The "tip" I can give you for now is to remember that when in a pinch, Wal-Mart (all of them I believe) allow campers in all their parking lots. We always see overnighters here locally. The sheriff tries to make them move, but Wal-Mart encourages it so they stay.
So, whenever you get stuck somewhere without a place to park for the night - try and find a Wal-Mart to hold up in.
Best wishes to you!
-Barbara
www.barbaragordonphotography.com
www.barbaragordon.etsy.com
www.moonlightdreams.etsy.com
Thank you Barbara,
for your tips. I think hubby knew that about Wal-Marts and their friendliness to RV users and travelers. Very much appreciated, Barbara! :)
I'm looking forward to living the dream through you and your husband.
An Arkie's Musings
Thank you so much Richies!:)
Aw, Sue, What a nice post! I feel sad that you're leaving Charleston, but how can I really feel sad when you're fulfilling a dream? Have a safe journey, filled with lots of interesting and beautiful things. Stay in touch when you can. You will be greatly missed.
xxx
Thank you so much Lin,
for this warm and kind words, so much appreciated. :)
I am so thrilled for you!! What a wonderful adventure; I'll look forward to all the posts and pictures!
I've been reorganizing my travel site -you might find some inspiration there. The kids and I did some amazing hikes through southern Utah last summer... If anything sparks your interest, I'd be happy to share more by e-mail.
Have fun!!
Thanks Heather for the tip, I will look up your site and read! :)
Congratulations on being able to make your dream a reality. May your journey be filled with the most wonderful experiences and findings this year. Have fun and good luck to you both!
Thank you so much Nicole for all this nice words!
It sounds wonderful, Susanne, and echoes a dream I share with my husband, of doing this in the future!
Have a grand time, stay safe, and of course, take zillions of photos to share with us!
Oh Susanne, I am so excited for you two. It almost feels as if I'm going on the trip myself. I wish you all the best. I hope this trip will be even more than you have dreamed. ~ tricia
Hi Lynda
thanks for this kind comment. stay tuned and take it as a virtual exercise for your travel plans :)
Thank you Tricia,
I would love to take you with us :) Thanks for your nice comment.
I am looking forward to following your adventures, I am so excited for you two!
Thank you so much, Di! :)
Love the photography. Love the idea of 'living the dream' even more.
Every good wish for your travels.
Thank you for the good wishes, mth!:)
good luck!! take great photos!!
Dream and memories are the best things to have. I'm so happy to hear you are able to continue on your dream at this time. I will be following your blog to see how you are doing.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and commenting.
Hi Pia,
thanks for visiting and your kind comment. :)
Thank you Dakota Bear for your kind comment and the good wishes.:)
oh i can't wait to see what you see :) congrats on this opportunity and please be safe in your travels. you will bring joy to every spot you visit :)
We will travel with you through your blog. Enjoy the warm weather of florida for now. (Send my regards to St. Augustine - I have same fond memories of it)
Wow, Susanne - That's GREAT! You guys are going to have a blast! And I look forwaed to all the neat photos and commentary. HAVE FUN! :-_]
Nice to know that dreams can and do come true!!! Can't wait to see your x-country images.
2575 days later shows you guys never gave up, congratulations for that, hey if you're ever in the area we can take a look at the area the Saskatchewan Buzzard Coulee meteor fell,lol.
Excellent dreamy image!
I wish you all the best, on the road again :)
I urge to follow you on images...
SwissCharles
Thanks Mindy, thank you very much! It's very kind of you :)
Of course I will greet St.Augustin Photo Boost,
we will probably make a stop there too and have good food, because we LOVE it also, always stopped there on our travels before!
Hi Bill,
thank you so much for your kind comment.We will have big fun, yes :)
Thank you Marcie.
I know I will have a lot of shots and a hard time to choose the right ones for my blog:)
Hi Bob,
yes we'll come to Canada to see the meteors falling over us...LOL... but only in summer time, we are not made for cold days :)
Yes, SwissCharles...we will be on the road again...I like that song too :)
A dream come true and for two lovely talented people. I hope yopu have such a wonderful time and cant wait to share your journey. grea image too Sue.
Thanks for this compliment, Carol. Stay tuned with my blog. :)
May all your dreams come true.
Best wishes to you and your hubby.
Pk-photography
MARVELOUS! I came over here as soon as I could since I've been away (and ill too).
Good luck x millions, HAVE FUN.
Both the planning and the traveling is equally great. Well, the memories afterwards too, so actually it's 3 stages of travel. Or maybe 4. The dreaming stage comes first!
I'm so looking forward to your reports. I wanna do that trip too.
Oh, why is there so many interesting places in the world and so little time and money to do them all? *giggles*
Thank you Birdy,
for your best wishes!!! :)
I know, Lifecruiser,
life is way too short to do all the plans we still have in our minds, right? Stay tunded with us! :)
thanks for all your kind comments.
Good luck on your new travels, looking forward to all your new posts of your dream.
Thank you very much, Letitia! :)
Have to be short (sorry I haven't been around that much - my back still hurt!)
Wishing you a wonderful journey :-)
I'm sorry to hear you are not feeling well, Renny!
All the best for you too, get well soon - and thanks for taking your time and writing this comment!:)
Congratulations on being able to make your dream come true. If you can, spend time in New Mexico (from whence I came)...the light is spectacular...great for all media...you'll get great pictures. I hope you make it back this way some day. Charleston will be waiting.
Thank you very much, Beach Walker,
for this nice comment and for the good tips about NM.
Thank you for the comment on my blog. In answer to your question, I would suggest Northern New Mexico...Santa Fe and Taos and all the smaller towns in between. Put the Village of Chimayo on your list for sure. Try to get to Madrid, a small town east of Santa Fe and Las Vegas, a small city northeast of Santa Fe that owned the name way before Nevada named their city.
A little south toward Albuquerque, visit the Village of Corrales. The artistic community in New Mexico is quite prolific...you will enjoy it.
Thank you sooo much for all this nice recommendations.:) I've saved your tips and I will have them ready to read again and for use when we will be in that region in NM.
Very much appreciated, Beach Walker!
Susanne you go girl! I am looking forward to your adventures - boy it will be like watching a movie, lol.
BTW if you are fast enough, may be you make it for Bob's tour of the universe lol.
Anna :)
Terrific! Living your dream! I can't wait to read about your experiences. I hope you get to Mt. Rainier and all the great sights in the Pacific Northwest!
That was lovely. I wish David and you the most exiting experience you can have. Your post shows that dreams are sometimes becoming reality.
Like my small dream: To have an hour or two of access to internet. I do. Because of a friend of mine who lets me sit at his computer. And is now in the kitchen making coffee to cool him down. Because he cannot sit at his computer.
Alles Gute an Euch zwei für diesen Trip.
Heya Anna,
yes..my new job will making movies anyway, so you are right with "watching a movie"...do you have enough popcorn with you too..?.LOL...
Stay tuned Anna, I will not disappoint you:)
We will be in the NW too one day, I just don't know when that will be, Gran. Just stay with me :)
Thanks for your kind comment.
I'm so glad you got 5 minutes of his computer time, send your friend in the kitchen for another coffee or two...LOL..
Thanks for your good wishes Peter and I'll be back soon...I hope! :)
I am so happy for you that your dream is soon becoming a reality! let us know when you get to TX, and if you want to come south, you are welcome to stay at our house. I can't wait to see the record of your journey! bon voyage!!
Thank you so much Silken!!!! Thanks for the invitation, we both very very much appreciate that and we will be honored and happy, to meet you and your husband! Stay tuned with me, I'll be back blogging.:)
Oh Susanne, I'm so happy for you! Enjoy your time roaming around the country... and I look forward to seeing what wonders you find!
Thank you so much Angie,
for your kind comment and the good wishes. I'll be back soon :)
Oh, how exciting! Congratulations on the realisation of a dream. About the health issues - we so often take our health for granted & without it what have we got? I look forward to hearing all about your adventures Sue, but I unfortunately will remain a mental traveller.... at least for now.
Aaaah! Congratulations! If you swing by Tennessee drop me a line. Nashville is always an amazing place, with plenty of places to stay or "park." I'm so excited you're getting to live your dream and I look forward to hearing all about it!!
Good luck, Susanne! I lived in the US for over 15 years, but never got around to such a road trip. I'll have to experience it through your posts.
Thank you Suzanne,
yes come with us as a virtual traveler, I like that idea! Maybe are there some recommendations to visit places in your area? ;)
Thank you Rhi
for your comment. TN is on our plans, yes...but not in winter time. I have also a cousin in Nashville to visit, so I will contact you too :)
Hi Z,
I have a lot of space for ALL my virtual travelers, stay with me! :)
Thanks for your comment.
This was an absolutely beautiful post and what a perfect photo to go with it. It captured everything you wrote in words in an image of such beauty. Thank you!
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