The view hasn’t always been from the driver’s seat. They wouldn’t let me pilot the Northwest Airlines Boeing 757, but I could still see the Rocky Mountains from my aisle seat on the return trip to Phoenix. The outbound red eye trip was not scenic as I tried to get a few winks of sleep.  The quick trip to  Detroit/Toledo area to visit my mother got me thinking just how flexible and mobile our full-timing life really is. On a personal note, my mother has now recovered from her bout with pneumonia and is on the way to recovery. 

Sitting in a cramped airline seat gives one a lot of time to think and I couldn’t help but think about my trip as it  related to the full-timer’s lifestyle. First of all, it was comforting to my family to know that I was so accessible when it came to family emergencies. We were in the middle of Lake Powell on a houseboat when I first heard of my mother’s illness on our cell phone and here I was a few days later winging my way east. They know we are always in touch and can respond quickly. While my thoughts centered around my mother’s health, I couldn’t help but contrast the air travel with our wonderful motorhome. For three and a half hours I was confined to a cramped seat with very little leg room and couldn’t look forward to stopping for a cup of coffee or a visit to the bathroom.  I found that my motorhome copilot was much better at serving coffee while in transit than the busy airline attendants. Also, she is a much better conversationalist and than my bored seat companions who were likewise looking forward to landing and ending the ordeal. 

It was with great anticipation that I returned home---to our motorhome. Can you imagine having breakfast at a Toledo airport and later that afternoon traveling in your own house across  the Arizona desert. Barb picked me up at the airport early in the afternoon and as soon as we arrived home, I unpacked and got the motorhome ready to travel. By 4:00 o’clock we were on our way to California. Once more I was firmly in the driver’s seat and enjoying every minute of it.  After an overnight stay at the first rest area in California, we continued on to the scenic area north of Los Angeles where we would join other Escapee Club members for another great rally. What a life! A week long houseboat trip on Lake Powell; a quick trip to Toledo and now the beautiful mountains of California.