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Year Four of Retirement During the 2020 Pandemic

Year Four of Retirement

Winter Travel

Our year four of retirement began better than most of my adult life. In January and February we took two distinctly different trips, both of which were wonderful.

Phoenix

We were fortunate in January to spend several days in Phoenix, Phoenix, A Winter Getaway in the Desert. It was a outstanding winter trip! The weather was dry and warm and we were well entertained by local sights including the Arizona Capital Museum, Desert Botanical Garden, Japanese Friendship Garden, and Phoenix Art Museum. Our hotel, The Hilton, was in the heart of downtown and near some incredible restaurants. Our meals on this trip were outstanding, better than most of our travels.

However, we did not exclusively stay in the city. One day, we took the Metro to Scottsdale and on another an Uber to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home. I highly recommended both.

Year Four of Retirement Scottsdale — Downtown Scottsdale

Camping in Florida

For almost a year, we’ve had a winter trip planned along Florida’s coastline, with most stops at state parks. We met friends at several of the campgrounds, which greatly enhanced our trip. Highlights of our trip were Topsail State Park, the Florida Keys, and Everglades National Park. This was truly a dream trip!

Enjoying the beach at Topsail State Park

COVID-19

Just after our winter travel, it became known that COVID-19 was a serious thing. Undoubtedly, 2020 will go down in infamy for its devastating impacts. It was horrific for many families with loss of life and livelihood. Some survived, but with lasting impacts to health. We actively strived to avoid exposure to the virus and it appears we have succeeded. The promise of a vaccine in a few months does much to brighten our hopes for next year.

Quarantine Activities

We spent much more time at home this year than our other retirement years. So, there was the search for things to keep me entertained and engaged. My husband is more comfortable than I just puttering around.

Sewing

I entertained myself by dusting off my limited 40 year-old sewing skills on a used machine I bought from a friend. I made many masks and altered a few of my clothes. It is good to have a working sewing machine again.

Year four of retirement, masks are the norm — Masks are the new normal

Painting

Paint by Number kits helped me while away many hours and I found the painting to be quite relaxing. After completing one kit, I ordered a custom one using a personal photo. I think we are recognizable in the painting below.

My husband actually painted a kit too, but he was far more freestyle than I. I believe he has more actual talent.

Exercise

Lastly, as a person who had a regular routine at our local gym, I needed a way to continue my exercise. We had purchased a stationary bike before the pandemic and it helped immensely. However, a major part of my exercise regimen was Body Pump classes with weights. Just using hand weights was not doing it for me. I learned that Les Mills classes, including Body Pump, was available by subscription. So, I ordered weights and a bench and could do those classes I loved at home. I do miss seeing my friends at the gym though.

Pandemic Camping

When the pandemic lessened during the summer, we took several camping trips. The breaks really made it easier getting through the isolation. We felt that camping was relatively safe because we were social distancing.

The Midwest

We took an amazing five-week trip to the Midwest in the summer, Midwest Camping in a Pandemic. It was different camping for us however. We like to eat out a lot while camping. This trip we had a few outdoor meals that were great, but so many were in our car or camper. Museums and libraries that we would normally visit were closed, but we did get to visit the Lincoln Library. Masks and a reservation were required to limit the number of people. We also visited parks and gardens, which greatly enhanced our trip.

Our amazing lunch at Jack Stack in Kansas City

Camping With Friends

We met some friends at Myrtle Beach, Pandemic Camping with Friends .
It was a wonderful time, but the weather could have been better. A couple of days were sunny, but there was a lot of wind and rain.

We also met our SE T@B group for a couple of short trips, one at Vogel State Park and the other at Fort Mountain. While we made these two trips, we cancelled three others because the weather was colder and virus cases increased dramatically.

Family During Year Four of Retirement

Sadly, our time with family suffered during the pandemic. We were fortunate to spend several weeks with our son and his wife who stayed with us, but didn’t see the rest of the family very much. The photo below is our granddaughters and one of their friends who visited us once. Our visits with family members were mostly outdoors or limited time inside with masks. There were no birthday parties nor holidays gatherings. A very strange year indeed!

We ventured out to a local restaurant for my husband’s birthday. It was a bit hot, but felt luxurious.

Health

My lung issues escalated this year. This meant many rounds of antibiotics and steroids, plus a cough has not gone away. At one point, my doctor was recommending a hospital visit. I managed to stay home though. Using a nebulizer daily has become a part of my routine. I am happy that it has not prevented me from doing most things I enjoy and am grateful for that.

Retirement Year Four means using a nebulizer — Using a nebulizer daily

I am delighted to say that my husband’s health has been good! The knee replacement is all healed and he is doing better than when we first retired.

Year Four Retirement and a New Family Member

We have considered getting a puppy for awhile, but were concerned it would limit our travel. It is still a concern, but we took the plunge. We picked up Sophie a week before Christmas. She is such a sweet pup, but despite our research, far more work than we realized. We are committed though to getting through the puppy stage.

Year four of retirement, a new puppy — Sophie, Our New Goldendoodle

In Conclusion

We were truly blessed this year, especially knowing that so many have died or suffered greatly with the virus. The economic toll that has been experienced by a large portion of our population is also heartbreaking. I hope that we can come together in 2021— physically and emotionally. Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year!

Midwest Camping in a Pandemic

Midwest Camping

We planned a camping trip to the Midwest this summer, but were concerned about the risks because of the pandemic. Big Guy and I are both high-risk for multiple reasons. Ultimately, we decided that travel would be safer during the summer than the fall. Another consideration, we are older and have health issues and do not know how long we will be able to travel. So, Carpe Diem, we decided to seize the day!

Our Path

We hope to ultimately camp in all fifty states. This summer we planned to pick up some middle America. It was a pretty ambitious plan, considering the pandemic. We did not really know what to expect or what kind of shutdowns might occur.

Midwest Camping — Five New States on our Map!

We camped in five new states: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. Arkansas and Tennessee were stopovers to get to our new camping areas. We visited fourteen campgrounds, which included several state parks, a Corps of Engineers (COE), a county park, and private campgrounds. Rates varied from $10 a night to $50. The COE was the $10 and the $50 rate included full hookups, a nice laundry, and a pool.

Midwest camping map — Our trip to the Midwest

Links to Posts for Each State

I do a memory post of our trips. If you would like to read about any of our new states, below are links.

Illinois Camping During a Pandemic

Wisconsin Camping During Covid-19

Minnesota Camping in a Pandemic

Iowa Camping During a Pandemic

Missouri Camping in a Pandemic

Midwest Camping and Meals on the Road

Checking out local cuisine is one of our favorite things to do while camping. However, this trip was vastly different. Our plan allowed for takeout or outdoor seating. In some of the camping areas, restaurants offered little or no outside seating. However, we were able to find some great outdoor options in Iowa and Missouri. In fact, we had our best barbecue ever at Jack Stack Barbecue

Many, if not most, fast food was drive through only. That worked if unhitched, but was a problem when towing our tall camper. We consumed so many meals in our SUV! I got very tired of that.

Normally, we would have a few breakfasts out. This trip, breakfast was always in the campground. Lunch and dinner was often in the campground as well.

Midwest Camping and Safety From Covid

While we wanted this trip, it would not be worth it if we contracted Covid. We tried to be careful by staying outdoors and distanced from others most of the time. Our masks were always on when we had to go inside where there were other people.

We visited a few museums, including the Lincoln Presidential Library. Most places required a reservation to limit the number of people. Almost all required masks. The only time I felt at risk at an attraction was the Mark Twain Home. It was not requiring masks. When a group came into the small area where tickets were sold, we waited outside until they had moved on.

The occasional stop for groceries was also somewhat risky. Almost everyone wore masks in some places and at others almost no one did. When the stores were crowded, it seemed the most risky. We did not shop on weekends or at night to try and minimize the number of people shopping.

Health Issues

I have a lung condition that has become considerably worse in the last year. My doctor has me using a nebulizer twice daily, which takes a good bit of time and effort for the process. Sadly, it added a level of complexity to our trip.

Midwest Camping and using a nebulizer — Nebulizing, My Twice Daily Activity

Activities on the Road

We spent much more time at the campgrounds this trip. A couple of the campgrounds had nice pools, which we enjoyed.

I am happy to say that we also went on several hikes/walks. It was nice to be outside among nature. Ultimately, we spent lots of time at the campgrounds.

We were seeking safe things to do outside. So, we visited two botanical gardens, a sculpture park, and several beautiful parks.

Beautiful Park in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Now that we have made it back home and enough time has passed that we can feel confident we did not contract the virus, I am so glad we took this trip! But, we have cancelled our planned fall trip because many of the states we were going to visit have travel restrictions.

Hopefully we will be camping again before too long. Stay safe out there!

Illinois Camping During a Pandemic

Illinois Camping

Illinois was a new camping state for us. Previously, we visited Chicago, but were not camping. So, we camped five nights at three different campgrounds: one was a state park and the other two were private.

The pandemic was definitely a concern, but we considered the risk and had planned ways to reduce our chance in infection, Travel Amid Covid19 for At-Risk Campers. Covid-19 greatly hampered our ability to do what we most love—taking in the local sights and experiencing local cuisine. However, we still managed to do a few things that were high on our priority list.

Eldon Hazlet State Park

Our first Illinois camping site was in Carlyle. The park was lovely with large sites and lots of shade. Unfortunately, we had one of the few that were in full sun and it was during a heat wave. Setting up our camper in that blistering heat was most unpleasant. We were drenched in sweat in no time.

Our site was very large though, with a shady backyard on the lake. Carlyle Lake is an enormous reservoir which covers 25,000 acres. Carlyle is the largest lake in Illinois and the largest lake located solely in one state. If fishing or boating is your thing, this campground is for you.

We were at Hazlet for two nights and pretty much stayed in the campground. I saw a groundhog for the first time in the wild. There were all over the campground, but they are shy creatures who would not let you get too close. I thought they were kinda cute!

Illinois camping and wildlife — One of the numerous groundhogs in the campground

Nearby Eldon Hazlet State Park

We drove to a nearby beach on the lake, but did not go swimming. I did, however, dip my toes in the water.

After the beach, we drove into nearby Carlyle, a very small town. The town was cute, but pretty much shut down. We got ice cream through the drive through at the local Dairy Queen.

Our camping experience at Hazlet was good overall. Our neighbors on one side were very nice and friendly, but on a Friday night we had very noisy neighbors on the other side that were up till wee hours in the morning. I had to restrain my husband from going to talk to them. You never know what kind a person you might encounter. We wore masks the few times we were briefly indoors and practiced social distancing. I feel we were safe.

The Land of Lincoln

We seek Presidential Libraries in our travels and were very happy that the Lincoln Library was open. For that reason, camping near Springfield was a must.

Illinois Camping at Double J Campground

Our favorite Illinois campground was Double J Campground in Chatham, which is about ten miles south of Springfield. Full hookups with lots of shade trees was nice. Immaculate bathhouses, large pool, well-appointed laundry, and Route 66-themed carpet golf sealed the deal. We loved this campground!

We had an afternoon free to enjoy the pool. Though we kept our distance, we had some nice interactions with some Illinois residents. They were very friendly.

After the pool, we took the opportunity to do a little laundry. So, we were ready to spend the next day in Springfield.

Lincoln Presidential Library

Abraham Lincoln’s life and presidency is probably the best known of all American presidents. It is certainly true for me. Because of this, there were fewer new insights at this library than there would be in one where I did not know very much about the president. I did feel a great sense of sorrow for all he went through and gratitude for what he accomplished.

There were multiple wax figures and portraits and a couple of shows.

The Lincoln Home

The Lincoln home was where he lived for seventeen years while he practiced law. It was where his children were born. I suspect he was very happy during those years. Many of the homes of his neighbors are still standing on the street, which is closed to traffic. There is information provided about his neighbors and their relationships to the Lincolns.

Sadly, the home was not open for tours because of the pandemic. I would have loved to tour it. Hopefully, we will have an opportunity to take the tour one day.

Illinois Camping at Blackhawk Valley Campground

Blackhawk Valley Campground was a one night stopover to break up the miles to our next stop. It was a pleasant campground with full hookups, but no pool.

There is a river and a tiny little beach area.

Meals in Illinois

Most of our meals were in our camper, which is not our norm. We did not eat inside any restaurant, but we did have a couple of meals where they offered outside dining. Our first meal was in Camden at a strip mall. It was hot outside, but still nice to not have to cook. Service was excellent, but we were not crazy about the food.

Our second and favorite meal was at Obed & Issac’s. It is located in the house below and we were able to snag a table on the front porch. There were only two other people on the porch and they were at least twelve feet away.

I had chicken and waffles and my husband had an omelet. The food was very good and the service was excellent. We were grateful to have been able to have this dining experience, given the circumstances.

Illinois Camping Conclusion

Overall, Illinois camping was good for us and the people were friendly and accommodating. I mourn some of the things we were unable to see and do, but am grateful for this opportunity to visit this state and travel with my sweet husband.