Last Friday, we sold YOLO. While there is some relief that we were able to sell our RV, I’ve been feeling very sentimental about saying goodbye to YOLO. Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve said goodbye to houses I’ve lived in and loved, but nothing quite compares to the sadness I’m experiencing now. It’s strange and it makes complete sense, too. This video captures some of what I was feeling last Friday (and for context, the reason I was in a Sam’s Club parking lot is because I was waiting to hear from Juliana that there was indeed a big enough parking lot for YOLO at the bank we were meeting the buyers at!)
For Mother’s Day, my brother had the idea of getting our mom one of those digital photo frames, so she and my dad could have a steady photo stream of kids, grandkids, pets, and family in digital rotation. As I type this post, in my mind’s eye, on the digital photo frame that resides there, thousands of YOLO pictures and memories flash by. Each image is a portal, and as I rest my gaze on it, I travel through time and space to various places and experiences from our trip.
On our very first day, YOLO took us to Montrose, South Dakota, where we visited the Porter Sculpture Park, and celebrated having made it through day one! YOLO got us over the mountains to Chelan, WA. YOLO kept us dry on the Olympic Peninsula and down the West Coast. YOLO explored the Arizona deserts with us; even the final cleaning and wash couldn’t remove all of the dust we pick up over the months in the Southwest and in Baja. YOLO navigated the narrow and gorgeous highway of Big Sur, ultimately backing into a very tight campsite at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. YOLO took us through Mexicali, to San Felipe, and the narrows highways to Guerrero Negro, and ultimately, to the bottom of the Baja Peninsula; YOLO climbed mountain passes as we left Arizona, and kept us warm when the snow fell in Yellowstone. And through it all, YOLO faithfully pulled “Hondi” (Jesse’s name for our Honda Fit) behind us.
YOLO made us work hard to discover her secrets (who knew the fuse for the radio, dvd, and cameras would be under the stairs? or that the fuse for the power mirrors was an in-line fuse under the steering column, miles away from the rest of the fuses? or that the oven needed to have the pilot light lit first with an extra long match before the oven itself would turn on?) But once we figured these things out, there was a kind of joy of really getting to know YOLO, and all her quirks.
YOLO housed us, but was more than a house. YOLO housed our new found friends, too, as we gathered to talk, to play games, to share stories. YOLO, and the space in YOLO, helped us created new patterns and ways of being as a family. We cooked many meals in YOLO, including some outstanding gluten free brownies in the oven we finally figured out, thanks to our oldest and his friends.
Over our year on the road, YOLO became part of our family. YOLO was good to us and good for us. This chapter of our lives, with YOLO as our fifth family member, has come to a close. But there are more chapters and adventures to come, I’m sure. We are grateful for this time and for this rig that kept us safe and together.
Day one, first stop, Montrose, South Dakota. Very relieved that we arrived in one piece!
YOLO on Bainbridge Island, WA
YOLO among the redwoods near Crescent City, CA.
YOLO in Pacifica CA, near San Francisco, where our door nearly blew off in an atmospheric river.
YOLO in Puertecitos, Baja.
YOLO with our traveling tribe, in Santispac Beach, Baja.
Valley of the Gods, Utah
YOLO Blending into the snow scape at Fishing Bridge RV Park in Yellowstone
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