First night on the road at the Danbury, CT welcome center
New Year’s Day 2024 is an excellent time to let you all know about my brand-new, months-long winter adventure. I left Maine on December 20 pulling my 2020 Grand Design Imagine XLS 17MKE camping trailer with my 2017 Ford F150, which still has not turned 50,000 miles on the odometer.
Mila, Mom, and Greg after Christmas dinner in the Masonic Village Grand Lodge
Two days and 630 miles later, I arrived at the Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, PA. I had reserved a spot in the RV parking lot here, where residents store their RVs and family members can temporarily park while visiting. My parents’ cozy apartment would be home base for almost two weeks in between family trips to VA for my son’s 30th birthday and later to celebrate Christmas. Taylor hosted us for brunch and a tour of the home he recently built on the family farm where he is the fourth generation working the land.
Our Airbnb on Gwynn’s Island in the Chesapeake Bay came with two kayaks. The warmest, calmest hours were just warm and calm enough to enjoy cruising the shore. Megan spotted a plum-colored jellyfish jetting through the clear, cold water, propelled by a host of delicate, translucent tentacles.
Of course, the best part of the last couple of weeks has been the time together: sunny adorable Millie enjoying her first Christmas, the conversations and food, the traditions old and new. There could be no better beginning to my journey.
Laurie Apgar Chandler 