On the Road Again

Ok, I've been bad about updating the blog. After New Zealand in 2014 we went home, worked and life was good, but not very exciting. We did some cool vacations, mostly clothing optional cruises with Bare Necessities, but most days in beautiful Naples, Florida were the same. Boring...

One day Theresa and I were talking philosophy and realized once again that the stuff we own, owns us too. We felt a bit enslaved by our possessions. It seemed like we had fallen into groundhog day, where every day is wonderful but predictable. Then I read some useful words... "I refuse to live the same day for 90 years and call it a life!" This shook me, as that was where we were headed. Getting old is bad enough. We didn't want to stop living too. So we decided to turn the page. shake things up, and have some adventures before we retire to some place where they will feed us baby food and change our diapers. Enter the motor home...

We shopped for a serious motorhome in which we could travel for a few years, plans chiseled in Jell-O, Our intent was to see things we hadn't seen, visit exotic places, and try to do much of it in the nude! It's more fun that way!

In August 2016 we located a suitable camper. It's a 2007 Newmar, Mountain Aire, 4528. This 45' coach sports a 450 HP Cummins Diesel, 8 wheels, a big 6 speed Allison transmission, one bedroom and one and a half baths. We fitted it with a new GPS, TV, AV Sound System, Washer/Dryer Combo, motorcycle lift, and a monster computer.

Ready to roll! New Car, and Scooter. World, here we come!

The old Honda Goldwing of our 2008-2009 lap around the country had to go as it was longer than the 103" width of the bus. We replaced it with a 650 cc Suzuki Bergman Scooter. No braggin' rights at Sturgis but it will do 115 mph!

We started our travels with a 2007 Saturn Vue Red Line as our toad vehicle but soon longed for a bit more luxury. On the last day of the month and the last day of the quarter we scored a great deal on a 2017 Lincoln MKX, outfitted it with towing lights, brakes and a Blue Ox tow bar. Off we go.

Theresa takes the wheel!

All this new and used stuff came with a price that strains the monthly checks of a couple of retired cops. Sure the government treats us well, and we had saved diligently throughout our lives, but we needed another small income source to pull this off with minimum financial worry. We had an idea!

Theresa and I love to skinny-dip and have been on many Bare Necessities Cruises. We have enticed many fellow nudists to cruise with us because this is the most fun, educational, and interesting way to see the world. We have traveled on these clothing optional cruises since 1997 and love them. When we gush about the cruises, people started telling us we are great at sales! Not so in my mind. When you discover something you love, that expands your life, sends you down a wider road to better living, you want to share it with others. Successfully encouraging a friend to join us on a nude cruise is like giving them a gift! That's the big payoff. Still, we had to find a way to fill the 150 gallon fuel tank so we sought employment with Bare Necessities as their "Roving Ambassadors". Now, when we bring someone aboard, they help pay our expenses. Win-win!

Cruisin' with some of our friends.

 To enlighten people about the wonderfulness that is a Bare Necessities Cruise, we thought it best to travel around the country and visit all the AANR Nudist Resorts that could accommodate our big bus. We could have promotional events to share our information and since I have some experience at writing and photography, I thought I should write a column for the AANR magazine, "The Bulletin", about each resort we visit.

AANR is The American Association for Nude Recreation and it is the protective umbrella that keeps nude beaches and resorts legal. Their magazine and website inform us about vacation options, nudist philosophy, and entertain us with useful articles and much more. With our unusual skill set, it would be a shame to visit these resorts and not take photos and write for the magazine. Now our "Travel Spotlight" column can be found in most issues. We won't get rich doing this but we enjoy it, and the compliments from our readers. Especially the occasional caller who wants to cruise, having read my articles. It also gets us invited to some beautiful resorts... win-win!

We are also members of a few travel clubs that RVers love. Our favorite is The Escapees. This group is focused on the needs of full-time travelers and those who, like us, work from their campers. Please consider a membership if you travel by RV. If you use our names, Harry and Theresa Hanbury and member number 18,477, they will help fill our fuel tank too. See https://www.escapees.com/ for details.

Enough blogging for one day. Tonight we are camping with friends at beautiful Suwannee Valley Resort in White Springs, Florida. Visit this place to enjoy great food, company, music, dancing, and an immaculate pool and hot tub.  Later this week we head to Texas and Arizona to the 59th Escapade. A national rally of Escapee members. We expect minor adventures along the way. I'll write more then...