But didn’t I mention that we are traveling in an RV? Sarah (and Tim, for that matter) in an RV? Surely, that must be a typo. Believe it or not, it’s true. Two people who swore they would never even set foot in an RV are traveling in one for nine months. And not just any RV, but one that is about the size of a large walk-in closet.
You might ask why we have selected this mode of transportation. It’s simple, really. It’s all because of the cat! You see, Tim had a cat when I met him in 2008, and I quickly grew to love her. When I broached the idea to Tim of taking an extended road trip, I had thought we would travel in a car. But what about Kitty? If we left her with someone for nine months, she would no longer be our cat when we returned. Traveling with her in the car, however, did not seem to be feasible. So the idea of an RV slowly emerged as the only way to go. You can read more about Kitty here, and how we selected our RV here and here. The cat made us do it! Consequently, we have named our RV “The World’s Most Expensive Kat Karrier,” or “Kat Karrier” for short. Despite opinions to the contrary, we really are not “crazy cat people.”
Let me tell you a little about us so you can see how we got to where we are today.
TIM
Tim was born in Fort Morgan, Colorado, and is currently the Museum Curator at Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado. Prior to that, he worked for the National Park Service at Pecos National Historical Park in New Mexico and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona. Before joining the National Park Service, Tim worked as an archeologist for private companies and universities throughout the west.
During Tim’s career he has had ample opportunity (call it need!) to camp out in tents in order to do his job. So the idea of an RV trip doesn’t really equate with “camping” as far as he is concerned.
Tim’s interests other than archeology and museums include architectural design, art, natural history, political science, world affairs, economics, cooking and feline psychology.
This trip is a sabbatical of sorts for Tim. His very understanding supervisors at Rocky Mountain National Park have allowed him to use his accumulated leave and then take a leave of absence for the remaining time. The nine-month time frame will allow him to return to work in June 2012 in time to complete the extensive annual reports that are due in September.
SARAH
I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and am currently enjoying a life of leisure. After working for the City of Miami for 24 years as the City’s Historic Preservation Officer, I took early retirement in 2005. The first thing I did after leaving the city was to take a solo, seven-week Retirement Road Trip across the country. This trip only whetted my appetite for a longer trip. For the next few years, I indulged my gypsy soul. I moved to the west, living in Montana for a year, and then setting out on another open-ended road trip, which I called “Wide Open Spaces.” National parks, charming small towns, scenic byways, museums and historic properties were the main themes of both trips.
I fulfilled one of my dreams, which was to work in a national park, during the summer of 2008 when I worked at Grand Teton National Park. From there, I moved to Rocky Mountain National Park in November to work as a full-time volunteer. My stint at Rocky led me to the museum facility where I met Tim. I found much more than I had bargained for, and Tim and I were married in October 2009.
Although I love living in Estes Park, Colorado, the itch to hit the road surfaced once again. I had always wanted to travel for an entire year. Just one problem. I am retired, but Tim was still working and loves his job. Rather than wait impatiently until Tim was eligible for retirement, I suggested the possibility of a leave of absence. That way, Tim could travel now and then work for as long as he wanted. To my surprise, everyone bought into the plan, and Tim and I seriously started planning for the trip during the summer of 2010.
Neither Tim nor I socially network – no Facebook, no Twitter. This blog is our link to the outside world.
We invite you to travel vicariously with us as we take our trip of a lifetime. It’s sure to be an adventure.
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