A Year in Review of Two New RVers
July 2013- July 2014
What a year! In July, the US Supreme Court upheld that Prop 8 was indeed unconstitutional! Donald and I were elated and we wasted no time in scheduling our appointment to get married, On July 9, 2013, Donald and I were officially married, after 18 years. Our marriage ceremony was quiet and simple, with our best friend Shirley and our god-daughter Randi, as our witnesses. I wont say we did it on the cheap, however, I did make sure we were coordinated in Donald's favorite color; yellow.
The drought finally caught up to us, and we had to bite the bullet and dig a new well. We found a great digger through very reliable referrals and we ended up getting more for our money. After drawing down our savings account and ending up with more water than we could use, the well was ultimately dug and our landscaping could now get the appropriate water they needed. Our grass was never greener!
Just as my summer vacation was drawing to a close, Donald had been wanting to get an RV. He had been doing a lot of research online, and you could tell he really wanted one. I on other hand had my doubts. After all, we would be trapped in a vehicle as a condition of any trip.....could we handle it? On the last week of my vacation, we stopped by Giant RV in Murrieta, "just to look". A few hours later, we had signed the loan documents and would be picking up our very first 30 ft travel trailer. We decided on a travel trailer because we had heard stories of people buying RVs and years later having them sit in storage for many years.
We immediately joined a travel club called Rainbow RV. The club is a gay and lesbian RV group that has several trips throughout the year. Our first trip was in August, to Paso Robles for the annual winemakers cook-off. We hooked up the trailer, loaded Molly and drove up the 101 for 7 hours. We couldn't believe how beautiful the drive was. I kept noticing several bells along the 101 and we laughed after googling that those were the Camino Real Bells that linked the Mission Trail! It quickly became a game of ours to spot a bell. We arrived in Paso Robles and met such wonderful people. The hosts of the event, Rick and Steve, were especially welcoming. Our neighbors, Carole and Theresa were also very friendly and actually helped us quite a bit setting up the trailer at the camp group for the first time. All the people we met on on our first trip were truly amazing.
Not wanting to wait until October until our next scheduled Rainbow RV trip, we went to Palm Desert for Labor Day weekend. We discovered that the desert gets pretty hot in the trailer and our AC would barely keep it to 80 degrees, we ultimately had to buy an additional portable AC to help keep it cool in the trailer. While the weather was unbearably hot, we still had a great time cooking outdoors and taking Molly for walks. The place was pretty deserted, so it felt as if we had the entire resort to ourselves.
In October, we went to the annual Rainbow RV Pismo West Coast Rally and had a blast! Again we met such wonderful people, and reconnected with existing friends from Paso Robles. It was great to see friendships strengthen and new ones develop. We had never been to Pismo and we enjoyed being so close to the water and took several walks along the beach with Molly. There was something very cathartic about the location. Our dog Molly, loved her daily walks to the beach and I couldn’t help but take plenty of pictures so I could capture those special moments.
November took us back to Palm Desert for Palm Springs Pride with Rainbow RV, and Chula Vista for the Thanksgiving. We were so impressed with the Emerald RV park we went back to stay for Thanksgiving week. In December, we attended the Christmas event with Rainbow RV and really enjoyed seeing all the Christmas decorations as we walked through the park. Again, having caught the Christmas spirit, we decided to spend a week during Christmas back in Chula Vista! The weather was great!
We parked our trailer for the Winter until May when Tucalota event occured. The campground was literally less than 10 minutes from our home, but we enjoyed it just as much! This was my first experience in a rustic campground, and I have to admit it, I still enjoyed it! In June, we made the trek out to Julian and again had a great time!
As I sit here and reflect on where we are with our lives, literally one year from the next, I can’t believe how fulfilled my life is with my husband Donald! I also can’t believe all the wonderful new friends we have made along the way! I can honestly say, after a year, that I love camping! Maybe I love it so much because no matter how rustic the campground is we have the comforts of home with us wherever we go and I have the love of my life sleeping right next to me? Perhaps it is the opportunity to go to new places and have a change of scenery? Or just maybe, it is the special people that we get to interact with and share laughter, break break, and just relax with? Perhaps it is all of the above? One thing that is certain, this would not have been possible without Rainbow RV. Tim and Greg, you two have created something so special and unique, thank you! I hope you realize how you tow have played an important part of our lives! To our Rainbow RV friends and family, we look forward to many more years to come!
With Much Love,
Luis and Donald