About two years ago, shortly after Lowe came along, Ali and I started having conversations about what we were doing. What were our plans? Where did we want to go? What did we want to do?
We watched friends leave to cross the Pacific and for a few days we’d say, “Let’s just go, sail around again.” But a week later we’d both admit that we had zero desire to cruise the South Pacific again. We didn’t particularly like it the first time, and after a little reflection we’d realize it would be stupid to sail thousands of miles to do it again. I’d get the “let’s just sail around again” urge every four months or so. It always passed.
We really liked the idea of sailing South America. But the reality of that undertaking would eventually settle in as well. Sailing south along the west coast of South America—against the cold Humboldt Current—is not a light-hearted tropical romp. That trip is for people that enjoy sailing—whether idyllically or bashing into twenty-foot seas. It’s for real, hard-core type sailors—something we most definitely are not.
Then we’d settle on sailing to Panama. Yeah, Panama is cool. Then we can turn left, go straight, or turn right if we change our minds about the South Pacific.
For quite a while we lingered on that idea of sailing to Panama for a season, spending the summer months in a rented condo in the Casco Viejo neighborhood with the locals. That would be fun. Then go through the canal and spend a year in Cartagena, Colombia, renting a condo in the old city there during the worst of the summer heat.
Eventually we came to the conclusion that these were ridiculous plans. Why sail all of these hard-fought miles to leave the boat (paying hundreds of dollars a month for it to languish in a marina) and live ashore? It didn’t make any sense, but we disregarded this fact, and decided that this season we’d head south anyway. We’d bring the boat to Mazatlan this summer, install all sorts of goodies, fix or finish a dozen projects, and get underway in November.
Then the boat broke on the way to Mazatlan and ended up spending the summer in the desert instead—many long hours by bus away from us. No projects got done, and too much time was spent apart while trying to repair the engine.
On November 7th, finally underway again, the plan to sail to Panama remained.
By November 8th I was cursing the boat and its milky oil.
November 13th I was still bummed about the engine woes, but felt confident that I’d find and fix the problem and we’d sail south soon enough.
On November 16th I came home from another day on the boat and said to Ali, “I think I’m done.” That’s all it really took—a decision had finally been reached somewhere on the Sabalo Centro bus between the marina and Old Town.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“With boats. I think I’m done. This just isn’t the way I want to spend my time. Our time.” This had been in the back of my mind for months, but for some reason that day I was ready to accept it. The stupid thing is, the only reason I’d been having a hard time coming to that decision in the first place, is because I really loved our kids’ rooms. I loved how cosy and warm they were and how everything a child could ever want was within arms reach. For the first time in many many years I’d gotten sentimental over an inanimate object.
We talked. And we talked. We talked about how our cruising plans were actually pretty stupid. Cruising to places in order to get off the boat. That’s stupid. Boats are meant to be sailed and lived on, not to be used as an alternative to a car. And while we enjoyed cruising Mexico, we didn’t enjoy the part-time-ness of it. Being a part-time cruiser is far more difficult than being a full-time cruiser. It’s hard work to move on and off and on and off. And it’s a terrible waste of money.
We talked a lot about where we really wanted to travel. Central and South America is our only answer to that question right now. South Pacific? No thanks. Caribbean? I’d sooner have my teeth pulled. Africa? Yeah, but that’s years away by boat, and besides, a boat is not a great way to travel around Africa. SE Asia? Nope. Europe? Nope.
We love the Americas. We love the people, the space, the attitudes, the beaches, the deserts, the mountains—and we especially love the language and culture. Our kids are speaking Spanish amazingly well, and we don’t want to take them away from that yet. We want Spanish to be every bit as natural to them as English.
And we talked about how we wanted to travel this area of the world. Though that was a pretty short conversation. The answer: by motorhome. Because no matter how we travel the globe with our kids we always want to have a home with us. A home of our own.
By that night we were committed to a new course. Our latest boat chapter was coming to a close. It wasn’t an easy decision to sell Bumfuzzle, but we wanted to be free to travel the Americas, and as silly as it might sound, the boat wasn’t providing us freedom, it was providing us with compromises. Expensive compromises. Expensive in terms of money, but more importantly in terms of time. In cruising, life revolves around the seasons. There is just no way around it. You can’t just get up and go. Years slip by in this lifestyle. Literally slip by. And I guess no matter how we’ve tried we just can’t accept having idle feet just yet. We still feel like there is just too much to see and do to simply spend our time waiting for seasons—which is what happens when cruising this area of the world.
So we’re headed off to live the life of motorhome gypsies. Or Overlanders. Or Boondockers. Or whatever it is these people are called. Old fogies? Geriatrics? Bus bums?
On November 19th—three days after deciding we were done cruising for now—in true Bumfuzzle fashion, we bought an R.V. off of Craigslist, sight-unseen. Because really, what could possibly go wrong with that? I mean, it’s only forty-seven years old, and the owners assured us it’s real nice. And they’re from Iowa, so they wouldn’t lie to us. Right?
More details to come obviously, when we get our own camera on this work of art.
Since then things have been a little too crazy around here. Getting the boat in shape has been a challenge, but when you’re selling you have to take care of the list of things that you could have easily lived with, but a potential buyer isn’t going to. We also found out that the house we’ve been staying in was booked after December 18th, meaning we had to be out. And since we were getting the boat ready to sell we really didn’t want to move back aboard. Meaning, we now had a deadline to meet.
And it has been a lot of work to meet that deadline. The first engine fix didn’t pan out, which has required the total removal of the engine, and now a rebuild. So the inside of the boat has been in shambles while I worked on a dozen other projects and even hired a handyman for a few days to help bust out the list. Ali has been left with the job of two rambunctious kids, and a house full of belongings that needed to be pared down to just a few boxes.
I think, really, that if the boat had been working when I left San Carlos that we would have just continued on with what we were doing. We still would have been tied up here in Mazatlan for a while, but eventually we would have sailed out and turned south. How far? Who knows. I tend to believe that we wouldn’t have gone far. We both love this boat as a home, but we’re just not much into the sailing thing.
But the boat wasn’t working, and that gave us more time and more ammunition in the debate that had been going on in our heads. One day a friend who was talking about buying a new truck rig to travel and surf from said, “I still like boats and all, but if you can get to the same place over land, it seems like a better bargain. If you can’t get there over land, then by all means…”
Makes perfect sense to us.
Then one night shortly after that Ali said, “You know, our kids have never seen any ruins.”
To anybody else this may seem a trifle, but for us it was a reminder that with boat travel you really do get bogged down on the coasts. Venturing inland becomes a task that requires a Herculean effort. Especially when you’ve got kids in tow. When Ali and I were sailing around the world it was while we were traipsing around Italy—with the boat in a marina back in Malta—that we realized we really wanted to do a road trip next. You can’t even scratch the surface of a place like Italy with a boat. Much less Peru, the United States, Brazil, Nicaragua. And really, that holds true for just about any country that isn’t an island in the middle of the ocean.
So while it sounds sort of counterintuitive that we feel trapped by a lifestyle that purports to be the ultimate freedom, it really is how we feel. We love living on a boat, but we love traveling over land.
We haven’t had a moment this past month to think about our future in the blue bus, but now that we’re gearing up to go, we’re very excited. Excited for new adventures with the kids. To take them hiking up a mountain/hill, to watch them climb a pyramid, to have bonfires, to camp in the middle of the desert, to explore new cities big and small, to boondock on beaches, and to just drive.
And yeah, it’s the 18th. Time’s up. We’re flying to balmy Minnesota today—where all of our adventures somehow seem to originate from.
Casa Rodante, we’ll see you soon.
99 Comments on “Roll On”
I love it. Bill and I saw this coming, and I completely agree. I can’t wait to see your new RV and travels down to Peru etc. That is one place I am dying to go to soon. Grab a copy of Surfwise and load up the boards. ;*) Safe travels sweet family!
Iowa? What part of Iowa? We’ll be there next week. If it’s anywhere near Keokuk, drop us a line, and we’ll take you guys out for dinner.
Holy crap, you guys are so freakin awesome!
I highly recommend the caravan life! Our little guy was born in a 26 footer in the Netherlands, god that was a cosy rig, so many good memories!
I miss that excited feeling of the open road and the unknown we had living in the ‘van… just stuck enjoying the freezing Canadian winter now!
Enjoy!
I’m shocked & sad to say good-bye to Bumfuzzle… 🙁 BUT really excited for your new endeavor!! BTW, have you found a new owner for Bumfuzzle yet??
ALL THE BEST!!
WOW..you’ve been keeping things for US…:>)!! Hope it all works out. So to Iowa then drive back down to the boat. load your stuff, sell the boat and then onward…????? That’s the plan??
Good for you! Some very good friends recently made the same decision you just did and I think it’s a brave and exciting thing. You’ve gotten all you could want out of this phase of your life…. moving on! Can’t wait to follow your adventures on the blue bus. Which looks completely perfect by the way.
What wonderful opportunities you and Ali make happen for your family. Wishing you continued safe travels, and hope Ali’s family has a lot of extra warm clothes for you to bundle up while visiting them, and getting your new home in Iowa. I live in Wisconsin and man, it’s frickin’ cold!!!
As always, I look forward to reading your posts and seeing photos of daily life. You are an awesome story-teller!
All the best as 2013 comes to a close, and 2014 brings in the Bumfuzzles’ new adventures!
A RV? A hot air balloon would have more in line with the Bumfuzzle life style. You all have done the RV with the VW van. Oh well, good luck, clear roads and smooth ride or what ever the equivalent of “Calm winds and following seas” is for RVers.
WOW…big decision for you guys. Will the RV be named “bumfuzzle” ? Please tell me you’ll still be blogging, sharing your new lifestyle.
Awesome!!! Stoked we’ll see you guys on the road somewhere!
A surprise, and yet not, because in the course of living it’s natural for desires and priorities to change. The difference is that most people are too mired in inertia to adjust accordingly…but you’ve demonstrated repeatedly that your not afraid of making bold moves! Huzzah, Bums, for living to the fullest. I hope your land travels include a dose of coast, so our paths can someday intersect.
I too kind of saw the handwriting on the wall. I was not sure what you would do next and I was hoping you would head to the South Pacific, but with the boat engine problem (which btw would drive anyone crazy) was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I didn’t realize you did’nt like the SP. It makes sense you would want to get back on the road and based on your previous road trips you will have a great time doing it and sharing it with all of us. To the next Bumfuzzle vehicle!
Wow again!… a vintage motorhome would be just perfect for the 23014 Great Race from Ogunquit, Maine to Ocala, Florida…that would get your feet dry…and offer a chance to reconnect with some great people. Check out The Great Race.
Sad to read that your leaving the boat, especially with the last memories of it being so negative. Good luck on your future travels! I can’t wait to see pics of the new RV, and to read all about it on the blog. Merry Christmas!
I’ve been a follower for a while but never commented – until now! Yahoo, I can’t wait for your future RV posts. As others have said, you’ve a great storytelling voice and keen photographic eye. I’m an old ’80s RTW backpacker and getting ready to venture off again for retirement by RV. Meantime, I stay my itchy feet by reading whatever catches your attention on any particular day. Thanks for that!
oh, okay. I kinda freaked out on facebook, pre-reading, thinking y’all were going to iowa or something (why? previous comment or something? i don’t know). anyway, YEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!! Right ON! Want to caravan? We could take turns babysitting! 🙂
I 100% get it. For me, our boat is a means to an end. I love to travel but hate planes so a boat makes sense. A motorhome would make sense too, probably more so because buses are slightly less stupid than boats. Bon Voyage to you and the crew and I hope you guys have a blast on this nest adventure.
Please drive through St. Louis so I can buy you a beer on your way south 🙂
I LOVE THIS! This is what my husband and I are planning on doing!! WE are on a 2 year plan, currently, to have all debts paid off, so we can do what we love…which is travel! A motorhome with my husband and kids is my ultimate goal. This is fantastic and I cannot wait to hear how your travels unfold!
And welcome “home”….we are having a heat wave here in MN – a balmy 32 today!
I can’t wait to follow along on the new adventure. Rv living is so awesome. Good luck!
Interesting post! I came to a similar conclusion a year or so ago. I love boats, and being aboard, and especially the water (swimming, snorkeling, or just looking at it). And I also like to have my home with me. But after a couple of years of cruising I felt…. well, sort of trapped. By the long-term planning vis-a-vis the seasons/currents/wind, and worrying about it… that sort of thing. And I did miss exploring inland places. So now I have a small motorhome (and sometimes, a trailerable boat). So far it’s pretty fun!
Is that Dodge a Travco? Sweet!
Wahoooo! Now we get to go on another adventure with you and your family. I think it is great! Your kids are so lucky to have parents like you and Ali.
WOW! I am so excited for your new adventure!! I hope the Bumfuzzle Bus pulls into beautiful Traverse City, MI one of these days (I suggest summer time :), it would be fun to meet you guys and show you around.
Oh the things your kids have seen and will see-you are giving them such a gift! I hope you packed your warm jeans and your moon boots!
Merry Christmas!
Congratulations on setting a new course and finding a sweet land-yacht! I think you have taught me everything I really need to know about sailing, so thanks. We might just skip the boat phase and go right to an Airstream, so thanks again. Hope to see you out there – happy trails.
Shocked and exciting indeed. Loved your books about sailing ! Name suggestion for the RV might be “fume Buzzle” I guess. Gonna follow that part with great interest. Am at the start of what was your first bumfuzzle trip. Regards from SA !
“Look man, here’s what you need to do with that engine…”
Wow, Congratulations!! Very exciting. I’ve commented a couple of times before…my husband and I are leaving from Chicago next summer to start a RTW trip by motorcycles and CA/SA will be our first stops. Hopefully we’ll see you all somewhere along the way! Best of luck selling the boat and beginning your next adventure!
Congratulations on continuing the journey. I can’t wait to hear about your next adventure. As a certified old f@rt, two friends and I drove a 1968 Dodge Mobile Home across the country in the summer of 1969. It was an amazing few months that ended at Woodstock where we probably had fifty people over for pasta dinner. An awesome way to travel.
Be careful of the brakes fading to nothing coming down mountain passes. Don’t ask how I know.
Right 0n, Bums! But leave it to you guys. I thought our new-to-us 83 Dolphin motorhome was an oldie. But you guys top it with a 1967 Dodge, one of the original motorhomes and one of the rigs that captured my 16 year old wanderlust when I first saw them advertised in my folks’ copies of Trailer Life magazine. Too cool.
Lulu and I just drove back up to Oregon from La Paz and were marveling at how much easier it is than sailing. Winds going to blow the wrong way? Who cares? Seas from the north? BFD! All we worried about was hitting snow so we took the coastal route through northern California and Oregon.
Enjoy. We’re doing an Epic Road Trip through Mexico starting next fall. Maybe we’ll cross paths in some RV park although the chances are less than crossing paths in Baja although we never managed to do that either.
-Steve & Lulu
That’s great. Lifestyles are not written in stone. My plans for travel include a combination of just moving from place to place for mutimonth stays interspersed with multidestionation shorter trips – which are mostly to check out places for the next mutimonth stay. Anything goes. It’s not just to each his own, but to each whatever he feels like doing at any given time.
Like everyone else, I really look forward to reading about your family’s next adventure. Just put Bumfuzzle on the side of the motothome and don’t worry about changing the blog name. Have a great time!!!
Well, a turn of events. We did some “RV-ing” in a cab over camper with our two daughters. It was “Cozy”. Have always enjoyed your adventures and hope you will continue sharing them with us. Wishing all of you the very best.
Paul Thomas
A boat or an Rv it’s all about the kids now. Check out goanewiththewynns.com i think you are both trying to trade places.
Best of luck in the new life and travel mode. I was always hoping to see you somewhere in the Caribbean, my home and cruising ground for 4 decades – but not if you would have to be toothless – too many good island foods to try. A good roti or pate stand would certainly fit your style. I have been reading from the beginning of the catamaran sailing adventure and am up for another roadtrip saga – the kids will have the best time anyway until you make them the navigators. Ouest will be the Princess of the Highways and Lowe will be riding a motorbike before you know it.
Hope the boat sells in a timely fashion.
Good choice. . . My wife and I have a 32′ twin diesel cruiser docked at our property just off the intracoastal waterway. We enjoy using it for visiting friends, cocktail cruises and fishing; however, we enjoy the best of both worlds since we much prefer traveling in our motor home camper. Took a one month long cross country trip on the Oregon Trail up to British Columbia down Calif and back on Rte 40 last year . . . not nearly enough time. It is the best way to see the world and there are camping areas everywhere you go. Good Luck.
Serious?!!! You guys rock! My husband and I love traveling in our conversion van! I saw these two on television a year or so ago (www.gonewiththewynns.com) Their blog has some pretty great advice. I feel lucky to have come across your blog – I enjoy keeping up with all your adventures. You are so lucky!
WOW!
Congratulations on coming to such an awesome decision! I was wondering what was going on with the Bums spending so much time in the same spot! Excitedly awaiting your next adventure, I’m more of a boat person and know nothing of RV’s (being English they’re called caravans and nothing says old and decrepit like owning a caravan in the UK!) but I know it won’t be like that for you guys. I’m sure Lowe and Ouest will take to it like ducks to water!
Merry Christmas and safe travels.
Both sad and excited for you guys at the same time.
You, Ali, and the kids have served as an inspiration to my wife and me. We’re looking forward to your new adventures.
Blessings to you guys as you embark on, what, GasGuzzle?
Congratulations on your decision to ‘hit the land’……Have a great Christmas and Happy 2014!!! Stan & Marilyn
Pat if you get anywhere close to OKC, you better call! If I had only known, or if this one doesn’t work out There is one here , 1974 Travco in excellent shape. It is for sale too. I can see that 356 on a trailer already!
I can see the “you need to replace that dodge gas engine with a new Cummins diesel” comments now! LOL.
Yeah, living on a budget is always tough. I bet you would be cruising more if not for the tight budget.
Why all the sadness and surprise. This just seems like vintage Bumfuzzle to me. Let’ter RIP!
Put Bumfuzzle in storage. Buy Dodge Van (such a very good move… own a ’71 D100 with a slant 6 and auto here) and see the sights, then nudge to the coast and and sail home…
But whatever, keep writing. Keep living. Enjoy every day.
Cool!
Sounds like a new adventure is a brewin’.
I’m here and ready for any help you need with the blue bus or whatever. If you have any spare time and want to get together for a litlle kid friendly hang time, let me know.
I have lots of free time right now.
Love,
Magic
Wow, another adventure. A shame you had so many problems with the boat. I’m sure the kids will miss their home, but adapt to the new on very quickly.
I look forward to following your adventures, while I still try to figure out my own.
Like a few others, I kinda saw this one coming. And not that you owe anyone an explanation of your motives or thinking, Pat, but thank you for sharing. There may be those who will berate you guys for making this choice, but who cares . . . that’s their problem, not yours.
I’ve enjoyed many aspects of RVing over the past eight or so years, but of course there are a few things about it that become tiresome, or boring, or . . . well, any of the things that come with living any lifestyle. There’s an upside, and there’s a downside, but those won’t necessarily be the same for everyone.
I look forward to enjoying your undoubtedly entertaining take on the next phase of the Schulte’s lives in this blog. And I don’t see anything about the blog changing – just the mode of transportation.
I don’t yet know what it would be like RVing the backroads of Mexico, or Central and South America, but I encourage you to get back down there as quickly as you can. RVing in the US, I believe, will not be stimulating enough for the Bums.
As for this: “So we’re headed off to live the life of motorhome gypsies. Or Overlanders. Or Boondockers. Or whatever it is these people are called. Old fogies? Geriatrics? Bus bums?” I think I’d favor Bus Bums, because whenever someone gives you any crap about your choices, you can tell them, “Buss my bum!” 😉
I am so glad you are going to continue your adventures to find all the nooks and crannies of the world.
Even as a die-hard sailor, I have to agree with you they comes a day in every sailing adventure when you just know it is time to stop. I hope our day will not become reality for quite some time. But, who really knows when that feeling of “done” plans to encroach.
We wish you well in your plans to sell the boat and can’t wait to read more about the RV. Craigslist, sight-unseen ~ really brave!
Mark and Cindy
Go for it. Yall, and I do mean yall, only live once. And while you”re traveling through life on your MH, you can always keep an eye out for a good deal on a boat! ;-). Have a good trip, John
Awesome, Awesome, and Awesome!!! Please keep writing and posting pictures!!! We love you guys!!
SOOOO happy for you!!! Hope to meet you on the road one day!
How awesome and how exciting! A whole new chapter in your lives & you are all going to have so much fun. I hope will will continue to take us along on your new adventures! Safe travels 🙂
I’m born, raised, and still an Iowa resident. I think your RV purchase will be just fine. 🙂
What a perfect choice, instead of an RV straight off the assembly line. Best Wishes on your next phase.
One of my favorite things about Bumfuzzle is that it continues on even as the old boats and cars get sold off.
Hey it looks like you bought Cousin Eddie’s RV from National Lampoon’s Vacation:
http://www.opmlimos.com/images/vehicles/condor/condor4.png
http://rvrenovators.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/christmas-vacation-3.jpg
Awesome!
Very good choice considering you’ve already been around. We plan to do exactly the same thing when we return. Well done!
I can hardly wait to follow your new adventures. Welcome back home to MN and Merry Christmas.
Rock on, dudes. You all deserve to be happy, and to have more adventures to come. Totally support you. Will be following the journey!
where in iowa did you getthe sweet rv ??
So funny….we’ve been following your blog since the very beginning and had many conversations about “selling the farm” and hitting the seas….however, about 6 months ago, we set our date for checking out of corp america and changed our course to a motorhome. We’re flying down to Texas this week to buy it!! Congrats!! Hopefully we’ll see you on the road!
If you hoof it back down to central Mexico in time, the Monarchs are wintering over near Angangueo. See you there?
Could we list the boat on YachtWorld for you?
Most. Inspiring. Family. Ever. 😉
My family and I are so excited to follow you on your next chapter Bumfuzzles!
PS. Is the future Bumfuzzle is a dodge travco?! Those are the cutest RVs ever!
Pat and Ali, I love your blog and the life you lead with your kids. An RV is the perfect next step! I full timed it for 4 years and loved it….drove to Panama and back in 2004. Now I live in the SE corner of Mexico near the Belize border and have plenty of space for you to camp when you get there. I have a travelogue on the website that I used to sign in to comment here. Keep the blog coming and especially the photos please. Kathe
Hi Pat / Ali and kids
Another twist in the lives of the Bumfuzzles.
Look forward to the next blogs of your travels.
Stay safe and see you when you get here.
Cheers from sunny Queensland
Bruce
Cool beans
I’m in Des Moines, am I close to the RV? If so, maybe we can hook up. Marc
What a change. Congratulations figuring out what you really want to do 🙂
I am a Canadian from Toronto and as a long time reader we’re now in the weird position where I feel I actually know you quite well wereas you have no idea who the heck I am. It does feel a bit weird, but I hope you don’t mind me commenting. 🙂
I grew up sailing, and here in Toronto we have access to the Great Lakes and ultimately the sea via the St. Lawrence. When I got married and kids came along (our children are almost exactly as old as yours, except our second batch turned into twins, so three rambunctious boys it is) my wife and I knew that we wanted them to experience more than just city life. Typically, Torontonians tend to buy a cottage or cabin, but we used to own one and it was just too much work. By the time we had done all the chores that needed doing, an entire day of the weekend had disappeared. So, much to our friends surprise, we sold ours.
We then looked at alternatives. Our choice was either a boat, or an RV. I like sailing, but my wife looked at me and said “sailing is fine, but that’s all it ever is.”
As per usual, she was completely right. We both enjoy sailing, but it doesn’t get you into the forests, doesn’t get you into our beautiful provincial parks, doesn’t get you to pull over and chat with the Mennonites as they sell maple syrup from the side of the road.
So we went and bought a 1984 34′ triple axle Airstream instead. We put a bunk in the bedroom, so all the kids have their own beds. We remodeled the sofa, so it now turns into a comfortable full size queen bed. We then took it camping, to see what other changes and modifications we needed to make so this trailer would be perfect for us.
We loved it. The kids loved it, running around the forests, swimming in the lakes, helping me to build campfires, taking solar showers, cooking outside and then at the end of the day, snuggling up in their cozy 6’x7′ little room where, as you say, they have everything they need within arms reach.
Next spring, we’ll start making some of the improvements we want to make to make this trailer truly ours. The toilet will go and be replaced with a Nature’s Head composting model. The then useless black water tank will be used as additional grey water storage, giving us extended camping time without having to worry about dumping tanks. Solar will grow from the current paltry 100 watt panel to a more healthy 500 watt. All incandescent bulbs will be replaced with LED bulbs. There’ll be an interior paint job, but that can wait for a while. I’d like to install an outside shower, but again, there’s no urgency to that.
Once that’s done we can just park up in a Park, or on Crown Land, (equivalent to BLM land) and enjoy nature, unfettered by the need for any external power or supplies. We’re not commercial campground people, most are little more than glorified parking lots, so independence is important to us.
I think you’ll enjoy your next adventures. For us, this is a weekend and holiday lifestyle, I love my work too much to give it up just yet, but both my wife and I know that should we come to the decision to do this full time, we’d enjoy it tremendously.
I’ve been following your adventures for a couple of years, and I sort of saw this coming. We are artists who have been full-time in our motorhome for 13 yrs. It has just been perfect for us. We have traveled the US and made a good living doing it. We are a little older than you, but our sense of adventure hasn’t changed. We are now able to take more time off from the art show circuit and are looking to spend more time in some of the places we’ve been. The idea of going out of the US intrigues us and we are looking forward to hearing about your adventures. Good luck on your new journey and if we can be of any help, you have our e-mail.
Pat, Ali, Ouest, and Lowe:
Wow! Another wonderful adventure. We have many friends here in FL who are “overlanders,” some full time. Several friends have sold their homes and travel during the summer and come south to our park in the winter. It can be a great life! Wonderful and helpful people, great things to see and o–at your own pace.
As always, much luck, and I look forward to the next book!! Come to FL–not the coasts, but to the very interesting “interior,” and Mike will take you fishing on Lake Okeechobee. Love, Lorraine
I’m embarrassingly excited for you and this new chapter of your journey. Safe travels to you guys- what wonderful memories you and Ali are making for your family!
WOW!!!! Fantastic! Keep writing. We LOVE to read about your adventures. We had to go back to land for health reasons and our 42′ Brewer is now for sale. 🙁 We loved homeschooling our son.
SO GO! GO NOW! Enjoy! We will wait with bated breath to hear about the “new” bumfuzzle van. The van looks awesome.
We are now in Sarasota trying to figure how to still opt out of corporate life. (Lee is a kidney transplant recipient so it is challenging.) You will never regret time spent with your family.
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Excellent decision!! Not a surprising one either. Living aboard and traveling by boat can’t be much fun if you don’t actually LOVE the sailing part of the experience. We actually love sailing and our cruising life has been as much fun as our shoreside life. No place is perfect and though we love our home in southern California, we also love traveling, skiing, hiking, biking, and of course cruising, none of which we can do while sitting in our house. Life is short, so do the things you love to do, and don’t waste time on things you don’t.
May I recommend bringing in that RV to a reputable restoration shop to completely re-power it, your last boat has shown your mechanical prowl-ness, best to start out right this time.
SOOOO Excited for you!! I can’t wait to hear more about it, see pics of the RV, see you guys settle in. I LOVE it!! I certainly hope you will continue to write about your adventures.
It’s cold here in Minnesota, which you have come to realize by now.
Cheers to your next adventure!!
I’m VERY excited about this change in transportation/lifestyle!
I’ve been a solo RV traveler for 2.5 years now, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. Wish I had done it many years sooner. I love it, and I’ll bet you’ll love it even more, with your family along. And one really good thing, if you break down, you won’t sink. I can’t wait till you’re living in the rig. Will you call it Bumfuzzle, or give it a new name? Actually, “The Blue Bus” sounds really nice, very childlike and real. 🙂
Merry Christmas to you and Ali and the kids! And Happy New Year – 2014 is going to be such an adventure for you all.
Whoa, a twist in the story!
As long as you paint Bumfuzzle along the side of the RV with style, I’ll still read along 🙂
Enjoy your travels!
You guys always make me smile!! This is my first comment and I’ve been reading you since the VW days. We have a Westfalia camper we call our baby, Buttercup, and a 35′ sailboat that we bought a couple of years ago that I thought we would love as much. I love your comment, “We love living on a boat, but we love traveling over land.” We are always talking about going here and there in the Westy, but not so much in the boat. It may be time to let her go and hit the roads again, too. Can’t wait to see pics of the new RV. Love the colours!!
Merry Christmas
Cruising is only seasonal if you sit in a slip and let your engine rust. Considering you like to be moving a lot, you might want to invest in some good tools and learn to rebuild an engine or two.
I was kind of waiting for this with all of the boat issues you’d been having. I am SO excited to see all of this unfold. Intensely excited. Congratulations, and happy late birthday to my birthday-sharer Ouest!
Ps.. if you go through Phoenix on your way south and need a place to park/rest/repair stop by and say hello. Just email me…
Sad about the boat but RV’s are kool too!
Wow! I go away on a two day business trip to Albany, come back and check on my favorite traveling family and poof! You are off onto another adventure. You guys are my heroes….
Effin’ A Bums!!!!
It sounds like you are up for an exciting new chapter!
I noticed that you have a dodge motor home. My family and I lived an traveled in 1973 Dodge Champion. She was a great home and quite the conversation starter in the parks.
We are now living on a boat and hope to be off and travelling soon.
So you say ‘Roll On’, yet, hopefully, you will have less roll to deal with in your new adventure 😉
All the best on your new path and keep posting.
Can’t wait to see the new Bumfuzzle! Congrats on your new adventure, and also on getting home for the Holidays. I’m sure the Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles were thrilled! Merry Christmas Bums!
The thing I love about you guys is that you just do not ‘dance to the tune of others’. You continue to inspire so many of us. I hope you have a ball with the RV.
Good luck on your new Great Adventure. I’ll definitely keep on following your trips!
Good call, we’ve talked about doing this too. My bet? Y’all will have lots of fun, but you’ll be back in a boat in a few years! Looking forward to the next adventure!
Congratulations. Only more great {land} adventures to be enjoyed. Safe travels where ever you are!
Best of luck to all, and Feliz Navidad!
I think that anyone who has been following your website could see the end coming.
A while back I wrote you about plans for sailing and people around me ask what will I do when I get “old”, to which I told them, travel by R.V. and when that gets too much, I am sure one of those places I traveled to will draw me there to relax.
Life should be an adventure and a new one is just starting for you. It should be fun.
Merry Christmas
See you on the road, Bums!
We got off the boat a few years ago with our two kids and took a motorhome around Europe/UK for two years. It was one of the best decisions we made. We had such great adventures. Have fun xx
excellent decision and that is one great looking RV. Wish you and your family the best.
I don’t know how I missed this post, which explains the rapid conclusion of your time in Mexico. I followed your beautiful pictorial, “My Mazatlan” and thought that was it!
But I like the way you guys ferret out a plan, make a decision and then move on it. One thing you’ve proven…. you can certainly make a change and if it doesn’t work for you, you can change again. You are teaching the kids great flexibility with a constant – You and Ali and your family.
And Ali’s right (of course,) the kids are going to love the ruins. Ours did, even though they had to get there over land.
Carpe diem.
Hi there! I’ve never written but you inspired us to sail (well power) off into the sunset 3 years ago! We had many misadventures, fun times & scary moments aboard & don’t regret a bit of it! Now the boat is for sale so I decided to catch up with your blog…too funny! Your thoughts on cruising & leaving boating match ours perfectly:
“The boat wasn’t providing us freedom, it was providing us with compromises. Expensive compromises. Expensive in terms of money, but more importantly in terms of time. In cruising, life revolves around the seasons. There is just no way around it. You can’t just get up and go. Years slip by in this lifestyle. Literally slip by. And I guess no matter how we’ve tried we just can’t accept having idle feet just yet. We still feel like there is just too much to see and do to simply spend our time waiting for seasons—which is what happens when cruising this area of the world…with boat travel you really do get bogged down on the coasts. Venturing inland becomes a task that requires a Herculean effort…. When Ali and I were sailing around the world it was while we were traipsing around Italy—with the boat in a marina back in Malta—that we realized we really wanted to do a road trip next. You can’t even scratch the surface of a place like Italy with a boat. Much less Peru, the United States, Brazil, Nicaragua. And really, that holds true for just about any country that isn’t an island in the middle of the ocean.
So while it sounds sort of counterintuitive that we feel trapped by a lifestyle that purports to be the ultimate freedom, it really is how we feel. We love living on a boat, but we love traveling over land.”
I hope you won’t mind if I use this in our blog to explain to our friends why we ditched the boat? We just returned from 3 months backpacking thru Peru & Chile (no kids!) & LOVED it! Not possible with a boat!
Thanks again for your inspiration & keep on traveling!
Gail & Hans
Thanks Gail. Of course you may use that. It seems I’ve summed up the cruising experience for many. I guess it all boils down to what you’re looking for.
Sorry that motor killed the boat life for you.