Yes, we agree when people point out that we’re living our best lives as we travel around the country in our RV. Still, we do miss friends and family.

Fortunately, we’re occasionally able to connect with far-flung folks who we care about. Those visits are among the highlights of this incredible journey. We’ve made memories in some very special places and started a tradition of taking photos of guests in our “living room”. Here are a few standout stops from this past year:

On our very first day of this four-month trip, we stopped to see John’s Aunt Irene in Kelso. She met us in the parking lot of her apartment building and we invited her into the tiny home on wheels for lunch. After catching up on family news, we went into her place for dessert and talked Seahawks. It was so good to spend some time with her and a little hard to say so long. See you next time, Aunt Irene!

Another stop that seemed way too short involved a stop at former Spokesman-Review artist Bridget Sawicki’s home in the suburbs of Austin, Texas. We were on our way to the Luck Reunion last spring, and it was great to catch up with Bridget and her adorable daughter, Casey.

We hosted our first indoor dinner party after a storm in Malibu dashed plans for an outdoor meal overlooking the Pacific. Randy and Kathy were good sports about supping on Sriracha-seared salmon as the wind dramatically rocked the rig. When the SoCal couple came to see us a few weeks later in Palm Springs, we were able to pull off an al fresco Taco Tuesday feast.

It was a warm-and-fuzzy reunion with our adult child, who traveled by bus from Los Angeles to Palm Springs to celebrate Christmas. Though it’s a tight fit to sleep three in our 23-footer, we managed to make it work for three days and nights by spending lots of time outside, hiking, biking and dining.

Last spring, we were thrilled when former S-R editor Ken Sands joined us for a weekend of hitting high points in three states. He drove from his home in Washington, D.C., to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, an arduous road trip that took eight hours. After dinner and a Scotch tasting, he soon rallied for some adventuring.

A fall trip to Leavenworth included an appearance of one of our oldest family members and the youngest. It was heartwarming to watch our grand niece Lucy snuggle with Kelly family matriarch Auntie Eileen on the banks of the Icicle River at one of our favorite RV parks.

Thanks for spending time with us, and we hope to see more of y’all soon.

 

ClickIt scores a win

The National RV Show last weekend was a huge success for ClickIt RV. The North Spokane dealership saw a lot of success at the popular show at the Spokane Convention Center, said Tonya Yeager, ClickIt’s spokeswoman.

 

Reminder: This week's RV show

The annual Inland Northwest RV Show at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center is on through Jan. 26. It features more than 200 RVs from five dealers. The participating dealerships are RnR RV Center Liberty Lake, RnR RV Center North Spokane, Parkway RV from Deer Park, Airstream of Spokane, and RVs Northwest. Admission is $10, with children under 12 admitted free.

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