cduprey

Just a month ago my hubby and I took our maiden trip with our new tow vehicle. We are new to RV'ing and had finally broken down and bought a little toad. We were headed home from Buellton on Hwy 101S and were enjoying the bicyclists riding along the side of the road to our right. All of a sudden, about a quarter of a mile ahead, a cyclist lost his balance and went down right in front of us. We were doing 60 MPH in a 35' gas rig. My husband hit the brakes, as we slowed, we realized that we were not going to stop in time. He was directly in front of us sprawled out across the entire lane. This was very bad. We were going to kill a man and we couldn't do anything about it, I thought. Not my hubby, my hero. With his fast thinking, he immediately figured," I can't control the steering when braking." He quickly switched from the brake to the gas, a very bold and brave move, and steered hard left. Thank God there was no car in that lane to our left or there would have been a very severe accident. As we saw him and his bike disappear under my side of the front end, and come out by the steps at the side, we quickly regained control of our rocking rig and pulled over to the side. MIRACULOUSLY, about an eighth of a mile behind us, were a group of drivers helping the gentleman up. His helmet was dented and had flown off of his head, his bike was a crumpled mess, but he escaped with just scratches. We were all very lucky that day, but I'd rather say blessed as I don't believe in luck.

Several years (1999) ago my father passed away. His initial gift to me came from his life insurance plan. It was a small amount of money, about $7,000. I thought to myself, not enough to gain much interest or to use for the children's education. What could I do with this money that the children would remember their grandpa for it? As I lay in bed recouperating from a rear end collision and reading a AAA magazine, I saw an ad for a "Memorial Weekend Special" from Cruise America. A great deal on the rental of a Class C motorhome for the Memorial Weekend. I thought "Wow, what a great memory for the kids!". Off I went to the Cruise America office and worked a deal for 5 consecutive weekend packages, but back to back with no break. That covered about 25 days of rental.They went for it! In June of that year, with 3 of our 5 kids in tow, we headed out from So. California S.E. as far as New Orleans, North as far as North Dakota (Mt Rushmore) and then back west through Washington, Oregon and down through California. Each child picked their favorite place so in between we saw the Grand Canyon, Presley Mansion, Sun Studios, Branson, Mo., Old Faithful, and lots of other exciting points of interest that are still talked about today. Most importantly, on about the 3rd day, just as I had just fixed another cup of coffee and a bagel for my hubby at the wheel. was when I heard those words of "love". My hubby, Mark, turned to me and said, "Yep, I could definitely see us doing this when we retire!". That's about as romantic as it gets for him. And here we are. We now have a 35' Class A Tiffin Alegro Open Road that the grandchildren travel in with us. We are absolutely in love with it, the country, and all of the time that we spend together! However, all things said, the most precious part of this all is that, because of my father's generosity and a willing hubby, our children have wonderful memories, a love of traveling, and an appreciation for their beautiful country and the sacrifices made to keep it free. Thank you for the opportunity to tell our story and to share in everyone else's story too.