“I
wanted to see as much of North America as I could. I wanted
to rebuild my life.”
In
1964, I left Canada and went to work in the Bahamas. I
lived in Freeport, Grand Bahamas Island. Many people thought
I had it made living in the Bahamas – no snow, going
to the beach everyday and beautiful weather. They were
right for the first three months, but after awhile the
beach became boring, having to travel the same roads everyday
was monotonous and the only way off the island was on
a plane. In 1969, when it came time to go home, I was
more than ready.
One of the first things I did when I got home was go on
a trip around Ontario. It only lasted three days, but
I was able to achieve my goal, not travelling the same
road twice! Ontario was beautiful, and the more I travelled,
the more I wanted to see.
In 1970 I bought my first RV, it was a Volkswagen Campervan.
I got married to a wonderful woman, Lois, and we would
travel every time we got some time off from work. It could
be a weekend or an entire week, it didn’t matter,
off we went. In 1972 I traded the Volkswagen for a 1972
Funcraft on a Ford Van, and in 1974 I traded the Funcraft
for a brand new 1974 21-foot Winnebago Brave. I was only
28-years-old and I owned my own motorhome. In 1976 we
had a beautiful baby girl, April, and she would travel
with us.
In 1977 Lois and April were killed in a car crash. I wasn’t
there; my world came crashing down around me. This was
the very first time I had encountered death. I had read
about similar tragedies in the newspapers and heard about
it on the news, but those didn’t seem real, I didn’t
know those people.
For months everything around me didn’t matter and
finally one day, I had to get away. I hadn’t started
the motorhome up in a long time, but I decided to go out
west and see what I could find. I wanted to get away from
everything.
 Usually,
I would drive until 5:00 P.M. or 6:00 P.M. in the evening
and then pull into the nearest campground. This particular
day, I decided to get off the road early. I was south
of Colorado Springs and the campground was on the side
of a mountain. As I drove up to the office, I noticed
the road went up the side of the mountain and the campground
was on the first flat area. I parked, pulled out my lawn
chair and sat down looking east. I could see as far as
the eye could see, the view was fabulous. I turned around
and looked up the mountain and saw a ledge about 300 or
400 feet up and a pathway leading up to it. I climbed
the path to the ledge and sat down again looking east
– to this day I haven’t forgotten the spectacular
view I beheld up there.
As I sat there, I contemplated my life. My wife was twenty-four,
my daughter was eight months and they were both gone.
Looking out at the view of the land, I realized how short
life is. It wouldn’t matter if I had ten dollars,
or ten million dollars in the bank, when my time was up,
it was up. So what was I going to do with my life? I looked
down at my motorhome and looked at all that beautiful
country. I knew I wanted to see as much of North America
as I could. I didn’t want to sit around, I wanted
to move and I wanted to rebuild my life. Sitting on that
ledge, I realized how precious life is and the importance
of making the most of it. The toughest thing of all was
realizing that there’s too much of the world to
see in one lifetime.
When I came down from that mountain, my whole life had
changed. I realized the short time I had with Lois and
April was beautiful and I was lucky to have had that time
with them. Now it was time to live life to the fullest
– to enjoy everyday and see as much of this land
as I could.
When I met Karen, the first thing I showed her was my
motorhome, not my house. I wanted her to know that this
is my life. My job is just a means to make money so I
could see North America. Travelling in my motorhome is
my purpose, meeting the people, feeling the land, enjoying
the greatest thing in life – life itself.
Today I own a 38-foot diesel pusher built by Newmar. Diesel
fuel is around $1.00 a litre and I carry around 125 gallons
of fuel. When I fill my tank I look at it as an investment
that will take me to many places, increasing my knowledge
of this truly remarkable land, meeting wonderful people
and bringing me personal fulfillment.
As I grow older, I know that one day I’ll no longer
be able to RV, but that’s ok, as I’ll be able
to look back on a life full of adventure, fun and enjoyment.
Who could ask for anything better?
Take care & enjoy life
M.B. & Karen Wilson
Wagon Masters
wagontrains@bellnet.ca (Top) |
