December '24 Canlife Correspondence - What a Wild Ride!
“Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.” ~John Lennon
We hung this quote on the wall of Hamlet before we left our home and community in the fall of 2012. And, this past autumn, it's become our mantra. Nothing about this fall season has gone as planned or expected, leaving us simply treading water for far too long. It's a good reminder (once again) that even though we live a life of freedom and travel, sometimes life has other plans for us.
Our "hometown" in the Blue Ridge Mountains was severely impacted by Hurricane Helene in late September. Our hearts wrenched as we watched the impact of the devasting flooding from afar. We drove across country from Oregon to North Carolina to help with the clean up, which took an extra couple of weeks due to several early season snowstorms that slowed us down. Just when we found a meaningful flood relief project that we could sink our teeth into, we learned that Hutch's 84 year old mom was nearing the end of her life...in Michigan.
Margaret Llewellyn Hutchison was many things to many people, daughter, granddaughter, niece, friend, student, wife, teacher, banking executive, passionate traveler, but most importantly, to me, she was Mom. But, how can I encompass the life of my mother in just a few lines?
Three weeks ago, we got the call from my dad, the kind that we all fear. She was back in the ER and her time seemed very near. After a few years of declining health, a Parkinson's diagnosis, and several trips to the hospital, we knew that any visit, any call might be our last. We got a flight, packed a bag, and hurried off to the airport.
Palliative care would make her comfortable... there was nothing left to do but gather, wait, and witness. We spent Margaret Hutchison's last week together as a family, my brothers, father and sister all around. We encircled her in the love we all shared, the love she gave throughout her 84 years.
On Friday, December 6th, she took her last breath and passed peacefully with family at her bedside -- can't really ask for anything more, can we?
We remember her as the woman who gave us life, unending love, a passion for travel, a vital sense of direction, and high standards. Her curiosity was infectious and amid our lively dinner table conjecture sessions she'd leap up, faster than Google, and grab the encyclopedia to fact check our wild hypotheses, prove a point, or teach us something.
She was the driver in our family, fighting the good fight against the Hutchison inertia. Whether it was school, homework, music, swimming practice, she always got us started. And once rolling, we were unstoppable.
As a young woman growing up in Lexington, KY, she bristled at the lack of athletic opportunities for herself, but found an outlet through a performing dance troupe and back country camping trips with the boy scouts. Yes, you read that right.
As a swimming Mom of four, she turned her keen eye for detail on our progress in the pool and became something of an expert. She had her opinions, never hesitated to voice them, but always let us find our own way with ourselves and our coaches.
She always showed up, whether it was a swim meet, concert, performance, or conversation over the dish sink chores that we often shared. She showed up for phone calls, and drove through the night to visit her kids scattered across the country.
She was the first person who I called with some small victory to share and the only one that I wanted to talk to when my heart was broken.
She never stopped being my mom, and never will.
I'm at peace for you and your journey, Mom, but just sad for us on this side who have only your stories, memories, and the other pieces of your legacy. And just like this small tribute, it will have to be enough.
I love you and miss you.
RV Travel Apps to Maximize Fun & Minimize Camping Expenses
How were we able to travel from Oregon to North Carolina and only spend $143 on camping fees for a 31 day trip...with only a couple of same day reservations? Check out our recent video to discover the apps we use and how they work to help us find unique, beautiful, fun, and nearly free campsites all across the country! Be sure to look for special discount codes in the video description!
Hurricane Helene: Volunteer Flood Relief in Appalachia
While Boone, NC (our hometown) is nearly back to normal now, the surrounding area is still reeling with devastation... and winter weather to boot!
The amazing Ashley Galleher (a former university student of ours) transformed her business Zionville Ramp Company into a full scale, temporary, resource center for flood victims -- the Stateline Resource Center that straddles the NC/TN border. She got us hooked up with a single grandma who is raising her grandson in her grandmother's 100 year old farmhouse. The flood destroyed much of the property, backed up the septic system, rerouted the local creeks, flooded portions of the kitchen and laundry area, and completely wiped out the only bathroom in the house.
We've spent our free time completely rebuilding the bathroom from the studs up while helping her navigate some of the other challenges! It's been a big job of removing all the rot, and slowly putting everything back together. While we are not professionals, we've done our fair share of light construction, plumbing, electrical, tiling, and painting in our former and current home, and those of our friends and family. We are thrilled to be able to put these skills to use! While we still have several more days of finishing work ahead of us, the bathroom now has a functioning toilet, water heater, shower, and sink! Stay tuned for the BIG REVEAL in next month's newsletter...
If you'd like to volunteer your TIME, reach out and we'll help you get connected. And, if you care to DONATE to those folks who are still rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Helene, here's a great way to share the wealth.
National Park Blog Series: Great Smoky National Park - An RV Camping & Travel Guide
Join us each month as we give you a personal tour of one of America's 63 National Parks! We have partnered with RV Trader to share our experiences and highlight the best hikes, scenic drives, RV camping, and activities in each park.
Our 2025 winter RV show season is right around the corner...and we are gearing up for our biggest season yet. We'll be traveling to the Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast for 5 shows in 7 weeks!
Join us for discussions about some of our favorite subjects -- "Exploring America's National Parks" to "Sizing a Solar Powered System for your RV" and "Gourmet Camp Cooking & Baking" to "Strategies for Reducing RV Travel Costs"...and more!
We'd love to see your smiling faces at some of our shows:
January
Grand Rapids, MI (Jan 16-19)
Charlotte, NC (Jan 24-26)
Huntsville, AL (Jan 31-Feb 2)
February
Raleigh, NC (Feb 14-16)
Providence, RI (Feb 21-23)
For complete show details, tickets, and the RV lifestyle seminar topics we'll be presenting at each show, check out our Upcoming Events.
Overwhelmed by what's available out there? Over the past decade of attending and speaking at RV shows, we've learned some things about how to make the most of an RV show. We put together some helpful tips to help you get organized, find the RV that's best for you, as well as save you time and money. Check out our blog and download our RV Show Shopping spreadsheet for details.
Video of the Month: ShadowFlux Solar Panel
Ever wish there was a solar panel that worked well in shaded conditions? As RVers, we can't always park our rigs in the perfect sunny spot. Unless we happen to be in the middle of a desert, it's inevitable that we'll have shade in our campsite at some point during each day.
We just finished a review Renogy's brand new 200W ShadowFlux panel. We tested it in a head to head match against a traditional 200W panel -- in both flat and angled orientations. Check out our video review to see how it performed. Spoiler Alert! We are pretty impressed with this new panel's performance.
As always, be sure to reach out with your solar questions and use our promo code CANLIFE at renogy.com to save up to 10% off any Renogy components.
Blog of the Month: RVing with a Disability
Dealing with a temporary or permanent disability, but still want to see the country? RV travel is not only possible, it can be much easier than moving in and out of hotels, navigating airports, and finding public transportation that can accommodate walkers and wheelchairs. You get to sleep in your own comfy bed, cook in your own custom kitchen, and have everything with you to accommodate your special needs. Some RV manufacturers even specialize in customizing RVs to accommodate mobility equipment! Find out more in our recent blog.
This month we return the the older states, east of the Mississippi, who still adopted the Latin language for official things. Since life has required 4 trips to the Great Lake State in as many months, we thought this appropriate. The translation reads like a 19th century travel guide: "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you." Do many people actually seek out a peninsula, or does it just find them?
Central Michigan wasn't my parent's first choice to settle down, in fact Mom didn't want to move there in 1974 at all. They both had sort of fallen in love with the east coast while attending and working at several noble institutions of higher learning. But when my father got a visiting faculty position in the Chemistry department at Alma College, we all went along for the ride.
Central Michigan wasn't my parent's first choice to settle down, in fact Mom didn't want to move there in 1974 at all. They both had sort of fallen in love with the east coast while attending and working at several noble institutions of higher learning. But when my father got a visiting faculty position in the Chemistry department at Alma College, we all went along for the ride.
Alma Michigan didn't exactly make a great first impression in 1974. Turning off highway 27 and heading west into town brought you straight through the oil refinery with its industrial smells, waste fuel torch burning into the stratosphere, and some of the flattest farming fields of corn, soybeans, and sugar beets as far as the eye could see. Alma revealed its charms slowly and after my dad's one year teaching position turned into tenure track -- Mom, Dad, and all of us began to love our new home. Mom found her way into the community, making friends, connections, and a safe place for her kids to grow up. Alma offered many great things, small town safety, and friendly neighbors who watched after each other's flock with the same attention as their own.
Water is everywhere on this peninsula, and getting out into it, onto it, and next to it became our family obsession. We were swimmers, so the only thing I ever remember ever packing when we went on vacation was a bathing suit, goggles, and towel, the rest just sorted itself out. We sailed and swam our way around the state, and felt blessed that fate had led us to this small town in the middle of the mitten. Since then, we have returned in Hamlet numerous times to explore much of the coastline that surrounds both the mitten and the UP.
Even after her kids had flown to the four corners of the country and my parents had both retired, they chose to stay in their adopted home state rather than relocate to some other place their wide travels had lead them. I mean, they could have gone anywhere...
Mom may not have known that a pleasant peninsula was what she'd been seeking, but it's what she found -- and her love for this state, and adopted home, was fierce. May we each find our own pleasant places -- whenever we need them.
Parting Image: Shari spotted this incredible "snowy rainbow" in northern Michigan, just a couple of miles from Hutch's parents house. She captured this moment in time while traveling to the hospital to be with Mom during her last few days. As folks who gain much solace from nature, this image represents a sense of peace for our entire family. We hope it brings you the peace you are seeking in the coming year!
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