North Idaho couple sells it all, hits the road
In October, Coeur d’Alene residents Jay and Jeanie Froehlich will put it all behind them and hit the road.
The Froelichs, both in their early 50s, say they’re not retiring. They’re escaping.
Their escape vehicle: A 20-foot, 2015 Lance four-seasons travel trailer.
“It’s exciting, to think that we’re not retiring; we’re quitting, we’re separating,” Jeanie said last week, sounding as exuberant as a kid at Christmas. “We’re walking away from our house and all of our worldly possession and now we own a truck and a trailer and two bicycles.
“It’s kind of scary,” she admitted. “It’s an adventure, for sure, but how many people get to say they walked way?”
The Froehlichs adventure began with a visit to the 2013 Spokane RV Show, where they were able to compare and contrast several vehicles in a single location. They knew they wanted a trailer that was small enough that they could easily tow it behind Jay’s half-ton GMC pickup, but large enough “that we wouldn’t kill each other,” Jeanie said.
She wanted a walk-around bed — “She didn’t want me crawling over her at night,” cracked Jay — and their 20-footer was “about the smallest size we could find that had one.”
They also wanted to be able to camp in national parks, which often do not accommodate larger rigs.
“The other thing we looked for was quality,” Jeanie said. “We looked at so many trailers; you could really tell the difference in how they were made. Some didn’t feel as sturdy; some even felt chintzy. We were willing to pay a little more for something that was built well.”
Because they knew they’d be traveling late in the year, they chose a four-seasons model. In addition to extending the traveling season, its extra insulation will help keep them cool in the summer months.
When they depart, the Froehlichs plan to drive east, across the Northern Tier, with New England as their destination, Jeanie said: “Our goal is to see Maine in October.”
They’ll visit family in North Dakota friends in Florida. Otherwise, they’ll make it up as they go, she said. Jay hopes to take in some major-college football games and they may hit a pro stadium or two. Otherwise, they expect to stumble upon unforeseen adventures and opportunities.
“We’re not going to put any time limits on ourselves,” Jeannie said. “We even heard about one place in Texas where you can park your RV and it’s a dollar a month.”
As members of their local Elks and Eagles lodges, they’ll be able to take advantage of the services and facilities those groups offer members who are traveling.
When we talked, the Froehlics had undertaken two overnight outings and are just beginning to confront the many contingencies that arise, including learning how to live with another person in a small space.
“I don’t think there are many people I could do this with,” Jeanie said. “Jay’s about the most easy-going guy around.”
Still, she confessed to being “a bit of a slob” and will likely need Jay’s help remembering to stash her dirty clothes; “He’s a little bit more of a neatnick; I’m sure he’s going to have to keep after me for a while on that one.”
But doesn’t she worry about taking on a new lifestyle, wholesale?
“I don’t think so,” she said, laughing. “I wanted to get license plates that said, ‘No regrets,’” but it wasn’t available.”
Don Adair is a Spokane-based freelance writer. Contact him at don@dadair.com.
