We asked readers to share uplifting stories of how they are coping during the coronavirus outbreak. We heard from one couple whose motorhome has become more than a means of exploring new places.
By Mary Lynne Hoegstrom, F472784
August 2020
Three years ago, my husband, Paul, and I bought our 2016 Thor Motor Coach Hurricane 34F motorhome thinking, “This is what folks do in retirement.” He is still working, but I retired from the Federal Aviation Administration in April 2019 to start the big plans for “glamping” adventures.
We already have been lucky enough to see most of the famous national parks from coast to coast. However, our favorite trip is to the Lake Dillon area in the Colorado Rockies, where both children live. Now vacation travel is different. It’s traveling in an RV!
For us, part of the fun of traveling by motorhome involves hosting onboard dinners with good friends as we cross the country. On our way to a recent Ohio family wedding, we stopped at Carlyle Lake/Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area in Illinois to see our college friends. That’s where the photo that appears on the cover of this magazine was taken.
Who knew that purchasing a Type A motorhome to keep a marriage happy during retirement also would keep a marriage happy during the pandemic stay-at-home days? Who knew that building a large RV “hangar” on our Oklahoma ranch property (to protect our new investment against inclement weather) would work so well during the coronavirus outbreak?
Since Paul is still employed at his U.S. Department of Defense job supporting the Air Force, he is required to work from home. In order to truly focus on his tasks, off he walks each morning to our RV hangar.
The beautiful motorhome is the perfect spot in which to work! It came with everything — air conditioning, comfortable seating, a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a stereo, and computer hookups. In fact, he found that he could be more productive working from his motorhome office, because he was isolated from the distraction of the house, such as telephones, pets, and vacuuming. What’s more, with fewer snack distractions than in his regular office, he lost more than 10 pounds.
Plus, the view is so pleasant from the big front windshield. It faces the pool, as well as hundreds of trees on our rolling property. He could see spring 2020 come into bloom. For the first time, he heard the birds sing all day long!
Who knew that this motorhome would keep our marriage happy during the pandemic and allow us to appreciate what surrounds us every day?
We now know.