Sal’s Amazing Post-Retirement Road Trip
Category: Bucket Lists
Oct. 29, 2024 — Sal Hyer is a former municipal employee who retired in early 2024. One of the dreams he and his wife Lisa had was to go on a long adventure across the country. He wanted to take his pickup truck, but Lisa did not want to stay in hotels. Compromise being the soul of marriage, they bought a camper. They started in July and plan on finishing the trip early November in Ft Myers, then live in Vermont for the winter. Theirs is definitely the adventure of a lifetime, we can barely contain our jealousy.
I wanted to drive my pickup truck but my wife did not want hotels so we have an RV. I am having more fun than I thought driving the big reg. I already have 7,000 miles training and using it. The Rv is a Newmar Dutch Star class A diesel pusher, and we towed a Jeep Wrangler, which was key. It was purchased Feb 2023. It was my wife’s idea to get it a year + early and it was a good one.
Sal Hyer
Their trip proved to be a series of looping circles – up to Canada, down to Florida, west to Wyoming, then east to Colorado, south to New Orleans, south and east back to Fort Myers. Day 1 of their adventure, July 24 found them at Black Bear Campground in Salisbury, MA. It was a good spot to begin, as it was near the beach in New Hampshire. From there they headed north, and continued on in ever expanding circles. Up through Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. With many stops in between. The stop in Ottawa was longer than planned because of a mechanical problem. The tow truck dropped the rig, causing a delay. In the end the repairs had to be made in the USA, so they changed directions and went on to Fort Myers to complete the repairs.
On the way to Florida
Once back on the road they started the southern route, all the way to Okeechobe, FL, with stops along the way in Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia. They always put in for the night at campgrounds and RV resorts, which they enjoyed as a base for area explorations.
From they headed across Alligator Alley to Fort Myers, a familiar haunt for the couple. Arriving on Day 37, they had to give up for several weeks as repairs were completed. It was a useful downtime though, as they spent 3 weeks exploring the area, including Captiva and Sanibel, playing golf, and relaxing.
Heading north on Day 65, they stayed in Leesburg, FL before cruising through Georgia on the way to “Bachelorette Town USA’, Nashville, TN. A highlight there was hearing the Gatlin Brothers and Sara Evans at the Grand Ole Opry. They even got to hang out with Sara for talk and more songs. Next up was a day of fishing in Benton, AL (Sal says fish are safe when he is out there!), followed up with several days exploring St. Louis and its famous arches.
Headed out west
Westward Ho, there were many amazing highlights along the way. Those included visits to the Badlands National Park and Custer State Park in South Dakota, plus the unmissable stop of Mount Rushmore. Onward from there was Wyoming’s Devils Tower and Yellowstone, and then Teton National Park and Jackson Hole.
First day in Wyoming. What a great place. I can’t explain the beauty and views. Cool stuff.
Sal
Headed south again, they enjoyed visits to the Moab, Utah, plus Park City. Both avid skiers, they checked out the slopes for the summertime view. Then on to Colorado and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Traveling east, Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas was a delight. New Orleans was the next stop, where they had an early bike morning ride and food tour.
Coming back east
The end of October found the traveling couple’s Day 110 on the Florida panhandle in Navarre. They explored some wonderful beaches, watched sunsets and sunrises, and met some nice people. Soon they will be completing their journey in Fort Myers, FL, although it is still a long drive.
Highlights: The friendly people at the RV parks
Sal
The views out the front window as we traveled
The easy of the road systems in the USA
The importance of visiting family
Bottom line
Sal and his wife had a dream, and they are living it out. They are a great example of how retirement can be a great adventure, if you plan and step up to fulfill that vision. Hats off!
Comments: How about you, do you have a big dream adventure that you want to live out once you retire? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Comments on "Sal’s Amazing Post-Retirement Road Trip"
Admin says:
Wow, I am jealous. Sounds like the trip of a lifetime. Way to act on your dreams!
Admin says:
Here is another update from Sal on their trip.
We had mechanical problems in Ottawa and spent a week there( hotel ) fixing the mechanical problems and making temporary repairs (to the front end from the tow truck damage with duck tape and screws the insurance company preferred me to come back to USA) so (1,600 miles) back to Fort Myers where they fixed it within 3 weeks. No one in Ottawa would help for months? We changed our plans from heading west to south to get it fixed. Steve Ratcliff with North Trail RV in Fort Myers help us out and his team there got us back on the road. We only spent 6 days in Florida’s getting the RV set up for the 3 week repairs (we flew back to CT for 3 weeks). North Trail and our insurance company Progressive did a great job getting us back on the road so we could continue the trip. I have lots more details on that if anyone is interested. Our plan was if we had problems we could change our plans and us the car as needed to get around. ( bikes just for fun)
Elle says:
My husband and I would like to do this but leave from the east coast and drive to the west coast (son lives in Cali). Of course, with stops along the way. We don't want to commit to buying an RV. Renting one and pulling a car would be the plan. With your experience, what type of RV would be the best rental (easiest to set up and most reliable for pulling our SUV)? Any other advice from your experience? Thank you!