By Valerie Coffey
We had to go to New Orleans for one dream of mine to come true.
Do you remember your childhood dreams? Did you dream of getting married to a royal (or never being married)? Having a big family (or not)? Having a nice home with a garden and a white picket fence? Having a nice car? A successful career? How about being an astronaut, fireman, supermodel, or actor? Some people dream of being a talented cook and opening a restaurant.
Not me. It’s a dream of mine to sing like a rock star in front of a crowd of enthusiastic fans.
Some dreams you have to work so hard for, that they are a special kind of reward when they happen. But like many dreams, being a rock star is a far-fetched one. The “American Idol” ideal takes so much talent and great gobs of luck, that I never for a second tried to pursue it. Besides, when American Idol started, I was 34, eight years past the cutoff age.
Someone I can relate to: the first American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson, performing at the MGM Grand Vegas VIP New Years Eve event.
But sometimes you get a sampling of a dream come true, even without trying.
By Valerie C. Coffey
We left our sticks & bricks home in Massachusetts forever on August 14, 2014, driving away in our brand new Thor Tuscany 45-foot motorcoach for a year or more traveling the US.
Taking delivery of our new Thor Tuscany in June 2014.
We sold our homes, sold a lifetime of belongings, dropped of the kids at college, continued our jobs on the road, and have had the kick-ass adventure of a lifetime this past year, and have seen so much of the US! We have learned so much!
People commonly ask us — What’s the best thing you’ve seen? — an impossible thing to answer, because it’s entirely personal, based on our pre-RVing experiences, values, prevailing weather and our mood at the time. In one year, we have hit 42 states and have driven 25,000 miles in the RV with an additional 15,000 in the Hyundai Veloster tow car.
We have stayed at well over 100 different sites, including luxury RV resorts, campgrounds, RV parks that resemble parking lots, state parks, and national parks. We have managed to completely avoid an overnight stay in the parking lot of a 24-hr WalMart!
But we do have some answers!!
What is THE BEST THING we’ve seen??
We are in Seattle!
Anniversary present from Mitch: a GoPro Hero4! I am now taking awesome pictures like THIS!
This is Mitch hiking around Mt. Saint Helens. That thing is really half gone! (Mt. Saint Helens, I mean. Not Mitch. Although read my next post about his injury.)
It’s amazing how far the explosive blast and landslide went.
You can still see it smoking in the picture if you look very closely.
The weather is absolutely perfect here! The wild flowers are in full bloom.
Where are YOU today??
—
Read my next post: What Happened to Mitch’s Face: A Series of Unfortunate Events
By Valerie Coffey
When Mitch and I planned over a year ago to visit San Francisco on our year-(plus)-long RV trip, spending time in the city was not the goal. We were in the area to pick up a friend and abscond to enjoy Napa’s wine country on Memorial Day weekend. The City by the Bay on a holiday weekend is a crush of traffic and tourists, which should be avoided…by everyone.
A cruise ship passes under the Golden Gate Bridge on its way out to sea. San Francisco shines in the background.
But as we got closer, my friend had to cancel and we decided to see the City by the Bay. So we designated one day, Thursday, to spend exploring.
San Francisco is like a home of sorts to me; I’ve been there numerous times since middle school for field trips from my then-hometown of Reno, for business conferences, and visits to see a college friend. I can feel my way around the city fairly well.
Mitch had been to the city for business, but he never had time to see much. So, it was up to me (Valerie) to plan the perfect one-day SFO experience for Mitch. My plan can work for anyone. So here it is!
Continue reading
A new post from RVLuckyorWhat!
This collection is in response to the photo challenge, “Wall.”
Standing on a staircase with a pink and orange wall
Here’s a fun collection of photos of a variety of interesting…
we’ve seen in our seven months of travels in our 45-foot motorhome around the US!
—
Next post:
Austin is a Gas!
All About Us: Runnin’ Down the Dream
By Valerie Coffey
THEY ARE BOTH ORANGE!
When I saw the Daily Post’s photo challenge: “Orange you glad it’s photo challenge time?” I couldn’t resist. Since August, we’ve seen many shades of orange: from the orangey-pink rocks of the Grand Canyon to fiery orange sunsets in the Florida Keys.Here is a citrus-y collection of The Mitch & Val Roadshow’s orangest experiences in seven months of full-time RV travel around the U.S so far, in rough chronological order. Hover your mouse over each image for more information.
By Valerie Coffey
Welcome to my blog, RVLuckyOrWhat!
My name is Valerie and I’m a full-time RVer originally from Massachusetts. Mitch and I are touring the U.S. in a 45-foot-long 2014 Thor Tuscany 45LT motorcoach we call the HMS Love Shack. We tow a 2014 Hyundai Veloster to tool around in when the Love Shack is parked.
RVLuckyOrWhat 