Week 997-1000 - You Can Always Come Home - 10-19-2025

You Can Always Come Home

(Song and lyrics by Alan Jackson @2015 Press the play arrow)

We're heading home.

Google Maps says you only need 12 hours. We took 12 days as our first mentor Craig encouraged us.

1) After the wedding of Jennifer and Adam, we stayed five more days in Paso Robles, California. We stayed to celebrate our oldest son John's 50th birthday, we love you John.
2) Our first stop was just 47 miles to the Oceano CA Elks Lodge which is a short walk to the Pacific Ocean. We stayed two days, per Craig, to enjoy our next trip.

1) Our next drive of 113 miles landed us at Rincon Parkway. This was our 8th visit, but it was different. The 128 beach side sites are just 46 feet in length. Prior visits were with the MotherShip and the ScooterShip, total of 44 feet. This time with the JeepShip we are 64 feet, so can we fit? We made reservations at $54/night dry camping, not knowing if we could fit! Will someone have leftover space for our Jeep?

2) We got to our assigned site and look for a helpful neighbor. Amazingly the site in front of us let us park our car on their site. As Ellen parked the car, the helpful friend Duane turns out to be a close friend to Ellen's brother Larry! Good friend, small world, God's miracles.

By evening or ...

... by day, there is God inspired beauty.

Cruising down the California coast it is hard to find RV spaces in the summer. We stayed two days at the Oceanside CA Elks and then headed East on Hwy 8. Our destination was the The Palms RV Resort in Yuma, Arizona. We will meet our friends Steve and Susan who own several RV lots.

We got to The Palms in Yuma, AZ, 5 days before Steve and Susan came. No problem, this summer we specialized in house sitting: 5 days at Chad/Emily's, 14 days at Steve/Susan's and 12 days at Mario/Melissa's. Steve and Susan arrived and we spent five great days with them at their southern home.

At last we are back at Home at Palm Creek Resort and Residences, Casa Grande, Arizona.

Not only is the resort physically beautiful, it is full of the friends we have met over 20 years of travel.

Our RV travels began in 2006. We left California in the MotherShip see a little bit of America. As it turned out, we never came back to live at Home. When we sold our house in 2020, our son John asked, "Dad, what are you going to do, drive till you drop?" We said "That's sound good!"

"Home is where your heart is." That's a well known phrase, but what does it mean? Our home is with the Lord, here on Earth or when we go to be with Him. For us "Home is where we park it.".

As we traveled, our Home was with many people. Home was with Ben and Sid, our neighbors in California for 13 years. In 2007 they bought a Monaco like ours and we met them across the nation.

Home was with Clint and Jackie who we met while winning a Gold Medal in pickleball. We stayed at their house in Rancho Mirage every year until they moved.

Home was with relatives, friends and new acquaintances as we have parked the MotherShip at 48 different homes across North America.

Home was with Gordon and Karen, pickleball partners and travelers we met a dozen times.

Home is with Dennis and Jean who we met at Golden Village Palms in Hemet, California in 2014. We have visited their house in Washington five times and we are with them each winter in Palm Creek.

Home is with Jim and LaRae who we become best friends in five minutes in Tuscon in 2022. They are also now at Palm Creek during the winter.

Home is with Emily and Chad who created a full hookup site at their house. They say "You Can Always Come Home" and stay as long as you like.

Home is with Melissa and Mario who also put in full hookups at their property. They say "You Can Always Come Home" and stay as long as you like.

Home is with Ellen's entire family who have always said "You Can Always Come Home".

This is our 1,000th week of travel and we can praise God for blessing us with hundreds of people that we had a chance to spend time with.

For now, we're at Palm Creek, but we know "We Can Always Come Home".

With love, Pete and Ellen

"We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord".
2 Corinthians 5:8

Photos from 2006-2025