Thanks for your encouragement.
It's just me. I used to go camping with girlfriends. That's a minimum requirement if they're going to tolerate me.
Last year, I was a trip leader on a cross country bicycle trip. I got to ride every fourth day, because I was driving a van the others. I drove that van coast to coast, twice last year. We slept in many churches and city parks. Also got to ride my bike through many states and some incredible scenery, including US-50 in Nevada, 'America’s Loneliest Road.' It was a 80+ mile, incredible ride that day. I won't forget it.
We had a great group of riders with us, one of which was 70yo, riding with his daughter. I got to meet this years group on the east coast, and ride their first few miles with them. I'm thinking of being a rider next year.
Traveling and working away from home, as in my childhood home, has it's issues. There are things like a parent's health to consider, and there's the inevitable.
My dad passed away last month. He was fighting a loosing battle, and mom was taking care of him at home. Anyone who's been in that situation, as a primary care giver, knows that it's a 24/7 job. There were simply things she had to put off, to focus on dad. It was and still is tough on her. There's still paperwork being taken care of, and he was a veteran, so things to work with the VA on, which can be frustratingly slow. He did get military funeral honors, and mom received the flag. That was a very solemn moment.
I'm home for the rest of the year, helping around the place, mostly doing outside work so mom can rest and focus on the last of the paperwork. She also has an elderly mother, in a nursing facility, that she has to manage affairs for.
Traveling is a mixed bag. There's no something for nothing. Choices are made and have to be lived with, just like with anything in life, staying put or moving about.
As for the truck, I could start a separate thread on maintenance and modifications. It's a driving restoration, and I've put more $$ into it than the purchase price. If you look at just some of the pictures in this thread, you'll notice things like the camper shell change, to an actual Ford shell, which took a while to find in decent condition. You'll notice that the shell got fresh paint. The wheels finally got center caps. The grill insert was replaced with a new one. Those are just the visible things.
I put a new Edelbrock AVS 2 carb on this year, a rear hitch, a oversized rear fuel tank in (55 gallon total capacity between the two now), a new window regulator, and a more, like new hood hinges and LED lighting throughout. Well, and even more.
This truck gets drove, so anything that goes onto it, will get tested in real world conditions.
The story of three wheels and a man...