Jane Olson and Dallas Stephens, Traveling: The RV Life

Dallas Crump Stephens and Jane Thompson Olson

Dallas Crump Stephens

Mike Pennell and I have been RVing in one form or another for 30 years.  We started with a small trailer, and have had 10 different types of RVs – a 5th wheeler, 35 and 40 foot motorhomes, small trailers, and now a 25 foot Diesel Motorhome.  Our home base is now in Jacksonville, Florida.

We have enjoyed traveling the U.S. at our own pace with our clothes, food, and bedding on board.  No hauling suitcases or packing and unpacking.  We can stop anyplace that we are curious about and stay as long as we wish.  Freedom!

In our early years of RVing, most of the other RVers were older than we were. By now, we have caught up, and we are the older.  RVers are the friendliest group of people you could ever meet.  When camping, people stop to chat, and always wave.  We love to swap stories of where we’ve been, where we are going, and places to stay.

We are fortunate to have been to every state but Oregon.  So many National Parks, historic sites that I could never name them all.  This is a beautiful and amazing country!

More and more young people are taking up RVing, even with small children.  I’m so glad to see that happening as the exposure to this country and it’s wide open spaces is so educational.

We have met wonderful people from all different places and walks of life, and made lasting friendships.  This is a lifestyle that I am so happy we have experienced, and we are continuing to do as long as we can!

Jane Thompson Elder Olson

We are “newbies” in the world of RV travel. In late May of 2020, after binge watching TV series, completing multiple jigsaw puzzles and crosswords, reading many books, we became “stir crazy.”  My friend Dallas had posted a picture of their RV at a campground. Hmmm…. Then another friend told us about her planned RV adventures for the summer.

Two days later, we started looking at small (25’s) RVs. The internet was a huge help as we narrowed our search for a specific manufacturer and model. We soon discovered that these RVs were selling quickly, so we made a quick trip to Minneapolis  and bought a used 25′ Unity Leisure Travel Van that was in perfect condition. It even had a “box” on the back for us to haul our bikes and other items. Just like sailboats, RVs usually are named.  We decided on “Jam Van “in memory of a fellow sailor and RVer. (Right, Jam Van)

On July 16th, 2020, we left our home in Park Ridge, IL, for our first adventure. The joy and freedom of traveling in an RV reminded us of the travels we took on our 44′ sailboat except that we didn’t have to worry about the anchor dragging, shallow water, or to a certain extent, the weather. It’s great to travel with your own food, bed, kitchen, bathroom, clothes, etc.  Since we had lived on our sailboat while traveling for nine months, we knew what living together in small spaces was like. You learn quickly to pick your battles!  The operational learning curve wasn’t so steep, since we had dealt with generators, inverters, diesel engines, holding tanks, and maintaining your own water and sewer systems. (Left, Cozy Kitchen)

We stayed at RV campgrounds, state and national parks, vineyards, distilleries, breweries, farms and golf courses. We joined a great group called Harvest Hosts, which gave us the opportunity to stay at these locations for free. The expectation is that you will buy wine, beer, farm produce and/or meat or play golf. This worked perfectly for us: wine tastings in Michigan, golf in the foothills of the Tetons, gin slushies in Jackson, WY, fresh raspberries from a farm in Idaho, wine at an Abbey in Colorado and many more stops. (Right, Always room for golf clubs)

Adventure #2 began on October 31st, 2020, and came to an abrupt halt for me on March 15th (see Traveling with Surprises).  One of the reasons we love our Jam Van travels is that we go where we want and at our own pace. Highlights of this adventure were Thanksgiving week with a Wisconsin friend in Apalachicola, FL; stops to visit NC friends and relatives; a three week stay with best friends in Oriental, NC, where we lived for 13+ years;  a week in Hilton Head, SC, one of our favorite places to visit; a week stay in St. Mary’s, GA, where we hung out with good friends Dallas Crump Stephens and Mike; a stay in Jacksonville, FL, for more time with Dallas; and time in the Sunshine State before heading to Gulf Shores, AL, for the month of March, where we loved the many bike trails in the state park and the beautiful white sand beaches.

When we stop to visit friends, we always stay in the Jam Van at night, which makes a visit so easy. (Right, parking in a friend’s driveway) My husband Paul visited twelve states before returning home in April. Because of my early return due to issues from my bike accident, I missed Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. One of our next trips will include Louisiana and Texas for sure!! Watch for Jam Van adventure #3 coming in the fall. 

There are lots of folks out there in all sizes and shapes of RVs. Everyone is friendly but COVID-19 meant there weren’t  potlucks and get-togethers where you meet fellow campers. Sometimes you end up visiting with people while wearing your mask (or not) and standing apart. Other times we talked to no one else. 

This way of travel is not for everyone but it works great for us!! The United States is an incredibly beautiful and amazing country with so many places to visit.