Our Great “Merican” Road Trip has begun. Over the past nine days, we have flown to Ft. Lauderdale, then Chicago, taken a train and driven the RV over 400 miles.
In Ft. Lauderdale we were fortunate enough to stay with a long lost friend of Lindsay’s, Neill Suarez. He gave her one the tattoos that you can see on her arms while she was living in Quito, Ecuador in 2001. Another reconnection thanks to Facebook!
We then rented a car and drove to Big Pine Key to stay with my cousin Tom Erb. Here, we registered the RV and got a cool environmental license plate.
Then we flew to Chicago to stay with another old friend, Elsie Ovrahim and we rented Divvy bikes to tour the lakeshore with Mary Jo and Amber Janzen.

After a Greyhound bus to Lawrence, Michigan to meet the seller of the RV, Ed Hagen, we drove up to meet my cousin Julia Savoy for the night. She had helped us by inspecting and finalizing the purchase of the RV while we were still in Mexico.

Lindsay and I seem to both enjoy living in small quarters, so I chose this 21 foot RV. It reportedly gets good gas mileage, too!

Everything we need is in here. Well, at least for a road trip!
The very next day, since we were so close, drove into Indiana to see my family.


We got into the fall, harvest spirit and added some dashboard decor from the Brookston Apple and Popcorn Festival.
A few days later we arriving in Bedford, IN to visit my brother, Brent at just the right time to stock up on fresh veggies!


Today, after our first night in Brent’s driveway, we have properly tested all of the amenities onboard the RV, and are currently on our way to visit Ursa, IL. Apparently, according to Lindsay, the Mississippi River has a scenic drive along it. Ursa has a free camping area that we are planning to use.
I am posting this from the driver’s seat, as Lindsay is driving her first motor home. You can follow our path on a live map by clicking here, just scroll down a bit and you’ll see a map with our Last Known Position!