The travel bug bit this member long before he owned an RV.
April 2018
I recently found an old photo that brought back warm memories of life on the road. Even though I just celebrated my 10th anniversary behind the wheel of my Winnebago View motorhome, my fascination with traveling the byways of America goes back many years.
I enlisted in the Air Force in 1968 and was stationed mostly in the States, because of my job. As a result, each new assignment brought many opportunities to explore the world around me. During those early years of traveling the interstate, I always enjoyed stopping at Stuckey’s travel centers as I crisscrossed the country on leave. My favorite hobby was to collect decals from the different states I visited, then display them on the side window of my 1971 Chevy van, my then-“home on wheels.”
Those were fun years, which brought me to many places, such as the Gulf Coast, New England, the Grand Canyon, the Rockies — places I never knew until I joined the service.
I was in my 20s then, and that old, reliable Chevy van is long gone. Fast forward to 10 years ago, when it was love at first sight! That’s when I saw a brand-new 2008 Winnebago View sitting on the dealer’s lot, and the travel bug inside me came back to life. I now was able to pick up where I left off in my younger years.
Enter the picture of my Chevy van. Until I found that photo, I didn’t realize I was reliving an old hobby I had started more than 40 years ago. Instead of decals, I had begun collecting souvenir license plates. Each new RV adventure meant collecting new plates for my motorhome ladder, just like I would do with those old-school state decals for the van. As new plates were added, older ones came to rest in other locations around the house, reminders of all the great places I have been fortunate to experience.
In the years that followed, I have enjoyed how my plates serve as conversation starters at campgrounds, as fellow RVers meet and greet one another after a long day on the road. Once a young boy commented that he liked my plates. I told him how fun it was to collect them, and that when my RV is parked at home, I can always remember places I’ve been blessed to have seen.
Speaking of plates, one of the first ones I attached was my FMCA membership plate back in 2009! Right after I purchased my View, I tried several camper-related memberships, but my best experience has been with FMCA. It’s more than just the tangible benefits; I feel part of a community.
In 2015 I attended my first Northeast Area Rally, in Essex Junction, Vermont. At this writing, I’m excited about attending my first FMCA International Convention and RV Expo, along with the RV Basics course, in Perry, Georgia.
So, once again, until I found that old picture of my van, it didn’t dawn on me that collecting state memorabilia is a hobby I had years ago and, by coincidence, started back up with my RV. Thanks to our RV lifestyle, I have been able to recapture memories of a young, 20-year-old serviceman seeing our country for the first time through the windshield of a Chevy van. And a fun, old hobby was brought back to life.
See you on the road.