Hello Y'all,

  I'm not a southerner, but more or less a wannabe after 6 months traveling. So please excuse the Y'all. My wife and I are from Michigan, and believe it or not, there are some michiganders also that say it. I do have to say I have deep affections for the southeast, and I love a good cajun boil. We are in the southwest now, and my wife can get the mexican food she likes so much.

      We planned on going on the road for approximately a month before we knew we would do it. We had an old house that we converted into a duplex for sale, and decided that if it sold, we would go. The idea came very simply. We were at a family even and I was telling some of her uncles how I wanted to get an rv,travel the country, and fish in every stream and lake I can. My wife was in the other room while we had that conversation. Well, the next day my wife told me about a dream she had where we were driving all over in an rv seeing beautiful sites. "I'm ready for a change," I said. "Lets just decided to do it now and not look back." I was working as a barber struggling in a cut-throat town of gossipy men and women, and the usual routine of overeating every night was making me depressed. I used to travel a lot, and have even went over seas, and honestly thought the gypsy in me was dead. 

  My first apprehension was leaving my family. My parents both were within a couple hours, but I would make the drive every two to three weeks through all the Detroit traffic to see them. They are both in the stage of life when their health isn't that great, and I appreciate every moment I get to spend with them. We were at odds when I was younger, me being a bit rebellious, but over the years things smoothed out. When I look at what matters most in life for me it is God and family. When I realized I could spend some time with my dad in Florida in the winter, I did the math and figured I could get more days in with him in a month than I could in a year, especially with him staying on the 6 month snowbird schedule. That pretty much sealed the deal in my mind.

  We wanted a farm before the house sold, but the market was such a racket. We were already sick of property taxes. We were sick of all the "auctions" on houses we wanted with farmland. We would get our hopes up for a place only to find out it was already sold, and the realitor kept the sign up so the person who bought it could just have it for sale for more as soon as it closed, or we got outbid. We thought we exhausted all of our resources, and the last thing we wanted to do was rent after being landlords. We never dreamed we would try this, but here we are.

  In September our house sold. We stayed with her parents in Northern Michigan until we found our 2008 Four Winds class c. We are learning as we go. Both of us are much happier. Everyday isn't like a trip to the Wonka Factory, but that is just life. We are in it for the good and bad, making a few friends along the way chasing a dream which we are not completely sure of the details, but we'll figure it out.

  I cannot fail to mention we are traveling with two dogs, who love their new life as much as we do. We don't have to leave them locked up in the house all day while we work. I used to hate that feeling. I would find myself running late all the time because it was so hard to tear myself away from them. Their names are Frankie and Maya. Frankie is a feisty but loving boston terrier, while Maya is a calm and sweet retired greyhound. 

  We are keeping a travel journal, which I would appreciate you reading. Some people hate blogs, some like them. Some people think you're just out to make money, while others just want to read the content. I am sure plenty of you also have blogs, and you would know barely any money rolls in. I say you can't please everyone like the song goes. I mainly want to share our story, and I have spent years writing poetry and short fiction most of my life while I worked full time, and traveling now has allowed me more time to do it without pressure. I mainly want to share my point of view, and think people would enjoy what I have to say as I mainly focus on the people I meet and experiences I have. You can see us at

pavlovamericanroadtrip.blogspot.com

  We are learning along the way, but appreciate the support. Best of luck to you all!

  James