HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2021!
The year started off with the promise of things getting back to normal but sadly it still has a long way to go. We hope that this letter finds you healthy, calm and carrying on.
We really didn't know what to expect this year but decided to “go with what we got”. While waiting for our turn at vaccinations, we mostly limited our adventures so we could stay healthy and spend our time safely with family.
Our 2020 RV caravan following the Lewis and Clark path had been canceled and pushed to this year so we were excited be vaccinated and back on track. In May we headed to Missouri to meet up with 24 other RVs and, after 6 weeks on the road with them, I can say we really couldn't have asked for a better group. It really was an epic adventure!
Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery had to “go with what they got” too, having to float their limited supplies upstream and find everything else along the way. Having learned in detail about their trek and its many, many obstacles to overcome, it is a miracle they returned at all. It really could have all ended in disaster. Several times. We appreciate now, even more, the luxury and comfort of our modern RV and having all of today's technology at our fingertips (clean water, healthy food, safe medicine, relatively few grizzly bears, decent weather forecasts, GPS, Google Maps, satellite TV, TOILET PAPER 
).
There is no way this letter can cover the amazing experiences we had following the path of these 2 great explorers (and everyone that helped them). Maren invested time every day to document in our blog the wonderful things that we saw. You can find all the details at https://marenandjeffrey.blogspot.com/
While our RV adventure ended in Oregon (L and C still had a perilous return trip east) we headed to Washington state for the summer. The weather was really beautiful (again) and we could see ourselves returning for more summers, if it wasn't so darn far from our Florida winter habit!
Our return trip east took us back through Colorado. We really enjoy the Colorado Springs area and after several visits, the Pikes Peak Cog train was finally refurbished and running again. Smoke from a distant fire obscured the view a little bit, but the view from 14,000 feet and the train ride up/down was worth it. The local zoo also has a great giraffe “tower”, so Maren is extra happy. 🦒
Once back in Austin, we got the usual annual doctor's visits out of the way in record time. Each year our time in Austin gets shorter and shorter, but we get the important stuff done and head back to Florida in early November.
Next year's plan includes winter in Florida, a spring visit to the Raleigh area, several summer stops in the mid-west, then on to Yellowstone followed by another RV caravan. This caravan explores many of the southwest national parks and hopefully we'll have another great group to travel with.
Regardless of what the world throws at us, we hope your new year will be the best ever. Stay safe, stay healthy and God bless.
Jeffrey & Maren 
