“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” – Albert Einstein
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.”
― Henry David Thoreau
Why the settled future?
Perhaps those quotes are not the most appropriate to this decision to end my nomadic wandering and take up a settled existence in Tucson. However, reading those quotes about six months ago caused me to make the change in my life.
This need for change is who I am. I was employed for 35 years in Information Technology. Things change in 35 years. It was called Data Processing back in the 1960s. During those pre-retirement years, something had to change in the major job responsibilities to keep my interest. I could not repeat the same process over and over. I was a bad slave. There had to be something new in the job; a new product; new process. Something new was required that would challenge the brain cells.
The "new" would last for about two to three years. Five years was the limit. Ten years was unheard of. Twelve years of living in a home on wheels is the longest I've lived anywhere since leaving the farm for university. Twelve years is also longer than I was ever employed with a single company.
It was time for change.
Do I know what I want. Not really.
What if the Tucson home base doesn't work out?
The plan is to lease/rent an apartment. If it turns out the Tucson settled life is not what was imagined, I can move to the next imagined future. That imagined future might be another urban area. It is not likely that it would be a return to nomadic wandering, but sometimes the past is more attractive than the imagined future. It could happen.
What about those hot summers of Tucson?
For some summer months of 2014, my plan is to drive the newly purchased vehicle to some mountain village and rent a space for a month or two to explore and hike that local area. Yes. That can be expensive. However, there are some pretty significant costs to the upkeep and driving costs of a truck and trailer.
Why not keep the Wandrin Wagon for summer travel?
The Wandrin Wagon may not sell. In that event, it will be part of the travel plans for the summer of 2014.
Considering the Wandrin Wagon (2004 24 foot New Horizons fifth wheel) was designed for this single guy, the unit will not have a wide appeal to those in the market for a small trailer. Designed for boon docking with solar and battery power to spare, it is ideal for that single planning to live in the deserts of the southwest for the winters. The truck (2000 Ford F-350 diesel) will be kept until the trailer is sold. The truck and trailer combination would be an inexpensive way to check out full timing for that single person.
Will the blog be continued?
The blog will probably go on. In the past, some of the blog posts were not written about nomadic travels. That diversity of subject material will continue. Perhaps future posts will be more wondering than wandering.
