A Trip Down Memory Lane

Today, May 9th, we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in the heart of Basque country, San Sebastian, Spain. It is pouring rain, so we don’t have plans to do much of anything other than snuggle up inside our cozy home, drink some tea, nibble on whatever we can find in our pantry and reminisce about where we have spent our anniversary over the past ten years. Tomorrow, in the sunshine, we have planned a pintxo tour in the old town, but today, we will take a trip down memory lane.

2013 – Sammamish, WA

Two significant events took place just a few days after our anniversary in 2013. First, we hopped on a plane from Seattle to Sacramento for a two-day RV Boot Camp with our friends Laurie and Odel from whom we took possession of our beloved Scoopy, a 2002 38′ Travel Supreme Class A motorhome. We learned to operate her slides, drive, back-up, park and a host of other tasks necessary to get Scoopy from one place to another and make her livable. Then, with equal measures of fear and excitement, we drove her back to Seattle.

Scoopy had two slides on the driver’s side which added an amazing amount of space. The floorpan was so well thought out and perfect for full-time living. We had a full-sized shower, a residential refrigerator and even a washer and dryer! Those screens over the windows allowed us to see out while no one could see in!
Laurie and Odel lived and traveled in Scoopy for nine years before we bought her! She was a well-traveled rig!

The second significant thing that happened was we started this blog during our inaugural trip, so we are also celebrating 10 years of sharing our full time travels with you, our dear readers! Since then, we have written over 300 blog posts and shared countless adventures in our U.S. and European travels. We appreciate all of you who choose to come along for the ride, especially those of you who have been with us from the beginning!

2014 – Sammamish, WA

Nine days before our anniversary in 2014, Steven retired and went to work downsizing. We had already sold the BAH, our big ass house on Pine Lake, and moved into a smaller home, but we didn’t get rid of anything, we just brought it all with us. So Steven’s job was to go through countless boxes of papers and do something with them. Anything, really, just get rid of them! He burned through two shredders, but he got it done! I retired May 30th and we got busy preparing for an estate sale. I hated all of this preparation, but when it was done, we put our house on the market and moved into Scoopy and prepared to travel full time. Thus began one of the happiest chapters of my life!

Steven’s retirement day at the animal clinic. Everyone seems equally happy, lol 🙂
At first glance, you would probably guess this is a photo during lockdown but you would be wrong. Steven spent weeks shredding old documents and the dust it created required a mask!
Retirement day! Early in the morning we drove Scoopy into the parking lot of the medical clinic where I worked so we could beat the traffic and get her positioned before the lot filled up. After work, we opened her up and had a party! Steven and I spent the night in the parking lot before returning her to storage.

2015 – Teton National Park

On our way to Washington for our daughter’s college graduation, we made a detour to Tetonia, ID for a couple of days and ended up staying three weeks. This is the location of Lot 5, the gorgeous little property that we had purchased in 2006, thinking we would retire there. Of course, retirement turned out to be something completely different, but we kept the land, thinking someday, maybe. Of course that day hasn’t come yet, and this year we finally sold Lot 5. We are still a little sad about it, that 4-peak Teton mountain view is hard to beat!

We loved to make the full circle drive from the Teton Valley across the mountains, through Teton National Park and Yellowstone and south back to Tetonia. It was always a gorgeous drive with lots of wildlife and stunning scenery.

2016 – Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada

Two years into fulltiming we decided to take on Alaska! Days before crossing the border into Canada we met Bill and Kelly Murray for the first time and decided to travel to Alaska together. That trip was amazing and continues to top our list of epic journeys we have had in our fulltiming lives. By the time we reached Dawson Creek on our anniversary, we had been traveling long days, so we parked up at the Walmart for two days. I cooked a bunch of food in preparation for more long days, but as it turns out, we settled in at the gorgeous Muncho Lake for four glorious days! Steven took off to take some photos and came back with stories of a mamma black bear with three cubs! We weren’t always good about keeping our blog current with our travels, but we managed to keep up on our Alaska trip!

Sunset at the Walmart parking lot in Dawson Creek.
A milestone photo taken at the beginning of the Alaska Highway. even though it was the “beginning”, we had already been on the road for days.
Steven happened upon this mamma bear with her 3 cubs (one is hidden from view).
Friends and fellow fulltime travelers, Bill and Kelly.

2017 – Gettysburg, PA

This is the only year we spent traveling on the east coast and it turned out to be a great trip! As we traveled through the low country in South Carolina, we picked up a huge box of shrimp and I set about trying multiple recipes for Shrimp and Grits. Of course, by the time our anniversary rolled around, I had perfected it to my liking and we documented the making of our anniversary dinner in a blog post, including the recipe!

We spent a few days immersed in the history of the Civil War battles that took place in the fields around Gettysburg. We saw live reenactments and artists’ renditions of the fierce fighting that saw 51,000 soldiers killed or wounded in just three days of battle. I remember that Pennsylvania surprised us with its beauty and all there was to see and do. We also learned about the Johnstown Flood, visited the Flight 93 Memorial and wandered around the grounds at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. May was an epic month in our 2017 travels!

Scoopy and Toadie Hopper at the South Confederate loop in the campground. Also, San a’s Works?
Actual re-enactment.

2018 – Eugene, OR

A fulltiming life isn’t all unicorns and rainbows (though mostly it is), sometimes we have to stop and take care of business. Our 20th anniversary stop in Eugene was all about repairs. Scoopy needed a few minor ones and adjustments on her slides, as well as a new windshield. This would be her fourth new windshield during our ownership, probably the seventh or more in her lifetime. Travel Supreme is famous for their windshield issues! Luckily, we had good insurance!

Scoopy waiting her turn for repairs.

Even though we were sitting at a repair shop for our anniversary, we were looking ahead to a cross-country trip along U.S. Highway 2 all the way from Washington state to Michigan, before turning around and driving back to Yellowstone to meet up with Bill and Kelly. It was during these long driving days that we finalized the details for our move to Europe. By the time we sold her, we had owned Scoopy for just over six years and had lived and traveled fulltime with her as our only home for four and a half. It was an amazing journey!

The end of an era. After 1,640 days, 50,208 miles, 49 states and 315 unique overnight locations, we said goodbye to Scoopy. Less than three months later, we were in France, living in Bijou.

2019 – Castrojeriz, Spain

This was the first anniversary that we spent in Europe, having only arrived less than three months before. But during that time we had purchased Bijou, our 2008 Hymer B544SL, kitted her out and promptly put her in storage so that we could walk the Camino de Santiago from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. On this anniversary we were in a little town located on Spain’s high, dry plains known as the Meseta. Guess what we had for dinner? Yep, paella. Even though this was only day 19 of our 42 day journey, I can tell by my Facebook post that we had already had plenty of it, because I was already complaining!

Rainy day on the usually dry Meseta.

2020 – Sens, France

Lockdown! I have so many memories of spending lockdown in a small city campground an hour south of Paris during the early days of the Covid pandemic. At first, we were scared and thought the world was ending. We were alone in a foreign country. We didn’t speak or understand the language and we were far from family and friends. By the time our anniversary rolled around, we had settled into a routine and were quite happy under the circumstances, enjoying our life in lockdown. For our celebration dinner we fired up the grill and prepared beef tenderloin and grilled veggies and even made a chocolate cake for dessert! This was really a treat, because we had been reluctant to use our gas oven for fear we might run out of propane. We didn’t know if we would be able to get more, so we used it sparingly.

The now familiar view of Bijou in lockdown at the aire in Sens, about an hour south of Paris. Over the three months we were there, the grass grew tall and the trees leafed out. It was really quite pretty and we were so grateful to have such a place to stay in uncertain times.
First trip to the grocery store, a Lidl, located across the street. It was a little nerve-wracking because I had not been out since lockdown began! That rig in front of us arrived a few days before and stayed almost the remainder of lockdown. Unfortunately, the occupant had a heart attack and was taken away by ambulance. We never saw him again, but we did inquire about him with the police. They were the ones who told us about his heart attack and that he had been taken and subsequently released from the hospital.
Anniversary dinner!
A delicious chocolate cake. It was like a brownie on the outside and ganache on the inside. We topped it with lemon mascarpone. Lemon and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor combos!

2021 – Bad Salzdetfurth, Germany

Almost a year later lockdown was still a thing in many countries, including France. We had just spent a month in our third lockdown, the second being in Croatia at the end of 2020 and this one at the same aire in Sens. From there we had traveled three hours to get our first Covid vaccine and returned six weeks later to get our second one. Once that was complete we made a run for the Swiss border, where things were a bit more relaxed. Three weeks after that, we crossed our fingers and rolled across the border into Germany hoping we didn’t get turned back. We didn’t.

Campgrounds and some stellplatz (German aires) were still closed, but there were a few places trying desperately to ride out the Covid lockdowns and keep their businesses afloat. In Bad Salzdetfurth, we came across a little restaurant with a big parking lot. We could stay the night and order dinner, which was prepared with white tablecloth, silverware and umpteen dishes, ready for pick up and self-served in Bijou. It was certainly a memorable anniversary and the food was delicious!

Steven carrying our anniversary dinner! It was a ton of food, although we didn’t know that when we ordered via email! I had schnitzel with mushroom sauce and Steven had duck with a bunch of sides. So delish.

2022 – Sofia, Bulgaria

Neither one of us has memories of our anniversary last year. We were parked up at a storage facility in Sofia recuperating from a 43-day walk from Aosta, Italy to Rome on the Via Francigena, plus another week of languishing in Rome waiting for Steven’s passport replacement to arrive from Dublin. I know, who languishes in Rome?! In our defense, we had just spent five weeks there in the fall of 2021 and had zero desire to walk anywhere or see anything. Mostly we were just exhausted and wanted to get home to Bijou. And when we did, it was so glorious to be home! We were in a totally unappealing setting, but we were so happy to be home. After a few days, the owner finally came to us and asked if we planned to leave. We didn’t want to, but after a few more days of rest, we finally did move on.

Arriving in Rome after 43 days of walking, a couple of weeks before our 24th anniversary.
This is the storage facility in Sofia where we stayed. Happy days!

2023 – San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain

And finally, today, celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in Spain. We actually left Spain a week ago and traveled to a couple of places along the coast in France. But when we thought about where we wanted to be, and what we wanted to do for our anniversary, we chose to return to Spain. We have not been to San Sebastian before and we are looking forward to visiting. More importantly, we are looking forward to eating! San Sebastian is a foodie paradise, with more Michelin stars per capita than any place in the world. We don’t plan on eating at any of those places, but we’re going on a pintxos crawl, and I think it will be spectacular!

We borrowed this photo of San Sebastian from the web since we arrived in the rain. Tomorrow will be sunny and we will go off on a food journey!

So there it is, a look back at a decade of wedding anniversary celebrations and amazing travels. What a privilege it has been to visit so many wonderful places and meet new friends along the way.


To be continued…


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57 Comments

  1. Sue and Doug

    Wishing the two of you a very happy 25th anniversary !!..
    Seems like a life time ago when we sat on ‘the wall’ at the BAH ..sending big hugs to you both on this momentous day !!..cheers to many more anniversaries and more adventures!!💛💛🍷🍷💛💛

    1. 2chouters

      The Wall of Fame!! We had a lot of RVers pass through and have their photo made on that wall. 🙂 Thanks for your well wishes, hope you guys are doing good!

  3. Nickie

    We met Laurie and Odel via our blogs in Livingston, Montana and we met up at the KOA in Ely, Nevada in a different year! Aren’t we lucky to travel … and meet new friends? Short answer: yes! Love your blog!

    1. 2chouters

      I think I remember Laurie blogging about their meet up with you guys in Montana! I read their blog religiously before we started traveling and then again as we traveled in Scoopy. It seemed like no matter where we went, we could go online to their blog and find a photo of Scoopy because she had been there before! 🙂

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you so much, Maggie! Hope all is going well with you and Joel and that you are feeling settled in your new home. I’m sure you miss Tuscany, but not, perhaps, the heat.

  5. Kelly

    Happy Anniversary! Wishing you many happy returns! Bill and I are happy to have spent a couple of your anniversaries with you guys! I think you’ve been with us for a couple of ours too! Sending love and hugs across the miles!

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you, Kelly! I remember when we celebrated your 33rd anniversary! We were on Highway 33, and the couple next to us was also celebrating their 33rd! It was kind of weird! 🙂 Hugs back atcha!

  6. Laurie

    Loved your recap! How often I long for the fullltimer life again – such a wonderful opportunity for adventures. Glad to see you making the absolute MOST of it. Happy anniversary.

    1. 2chouters

      Oh man, those early days were the happiest, most memorable days of our fulltiming life! I miss those days for sure, but I think things have changed so much that it would be impossible to recapture the magic. We did manage to recreate it in Europe, and those wheels are hard to stop, I think inertia takes over. We may just go until we fall off a cliff. 🙂

  8. Georgette Ford

    Happy Anniversary! Thank you for sharing the memories with us. You are both an inspiration. Hope to meet you on the road some day.

  9. Liz

    Happy 25th! What a lot you have packed into those years! Hope you are able to keep it up for another 25 (or at least as long as you want). Thanks for letting us come along for the ride. Love your stories and the photos.

    1. 2chouters

      Thank so much! Our plan is to continue, but beyond that, we’re not sure. Whatever our future holds, I know it will be exciting, if only to us. 🙂

  11. Catherine Wolfe

    25 wonderful years together! Congratulations to both of y’all and best wishes for many more years of happiness! I’m so happy for your years of globetrotting! Thanks for sharing your travels!

  13. Vernon Hauser

    Happy Anniversary and wish you many more. I remember a lot of what you wrote about, you didn’t know I had tagged along for so long did you. I was a little heartbroken to learn that you were no longer Idaho property owners. All the best for your future.

    1. 2chouters

      Waaaah! I am really so sad about selling Lot 5, but we just can’t see our future in the Teton Valley. It has sure changed since we bought that property in 2006. I kind of wish we had built on it back then and not just sat on the land. As it is now, it has become very, very expensive and touristy. It kind of lost its luster for us. Anyway, thanks for your well wishes, as always, it is good to hear from you!

  14. Laurel

    I think I’ve been with you guys from almost the beginning of your adventures. Reading your trip down memory lane, I remember vividly many of your anniversaries over the past 10 years! Happy 25th, and keep on enjoying life and each other!

    1. 2chouters

      You have been with a very long time and yet, we’ve never managed to meet up in person! I don’t even remember what happened to our planned get-together in Oregon, probably something wrong with Scoopy. LOL! One of these days…!!

    1. 2chouters

      Thanks, Cindy! The food tour was beyond fabulous! It wasn’t organized, we just put it together ourselves and wow, we should do this professionally! 🙂

    1. 2chouters

      Oh my gosh, Alfred Hitchpop!! We loved him so much. We sold him to friends, who enjoyed camping for a few years, then they sold him to a family with three small children. We got to see a few photos of this family enjoying their camping. And we all kept his name! How fun is that? Ah, talk about memory lane! 🙂

  21. Jodee Gravel

    What a fun and poignant post! I too remember most of these stops and it’s impossible to pick a favorite. Although the white tablecloth and silverware pickup dinner seems pretty memorable 🙂 LOL that neither of you remember your storage lot recuperation. The two of you saying goodbye to Scoopy and Toadie is a rough one! Congratulations on 25 special years together and hears to many, many more. Love you guys.

    1. 2chouters

      Awww, thanks, Jodie. Isn’t that photo of us saying bye to Scoopy just so sadly epic? It is one of my favorite photos, ever! We left right after that, got about 45 minutes down the highway and Steven realized he had left his computer stashed in Scoopy! We had to go back, good thing we had kept a key!! 🙂 Miss you guys!

  22. Jim and Diana

    I know you loved Lot 5, but I understand your reason for selling it. Had we not built when we did, our prices would have went through the roof (literally!). You two have done an amazing job of experiencing Europe, from finding some really cool places to knowing when to kick back and regroup. Life is good. :). J

    1. 2chouters

      Yeah, as sad as it was to sell, the timing was right. Building was no longer an option for us, not only were costs through the roof, but the entire valley has become so touristy. Anyhoo, that chapter has closed. We look forward to getting a tour of your new place one of these days, in the meantime, post some photos!! 🙂

  24. Saralisa Prange

    Happy 25th wedding anniversary! Wishing you many more happy years together.
    I have been enjoying your travel blogs and the beautiful pictures. You really capture the countries and cities you visit.

    1. 2chouters

      Lisa, it is so good to hear from you!!! Thank you for your kind words, it is so nice to know you are following along on our travels and that you are enjoying the photos. We always knew Steven had talent, right? 🙂

  25. Saralisa Prange

    Hi Linda and Steven,

    I have loved your blogs over the past several years. How can I re-access the blogs prior to 4/9/22? Something bizarre happened to my email account on 4/8/2022 and I lost all my emails from 4/8/2022 and earlier, including emails I had saved in folders.
    You both look happy and healthy and enjoying full time RVing.
    Love you both.

    1. 2chouters

      Lisa, if you want to go back and read a specific blog post, you can log on to the site at http://www.thechouters.com

      After that, there is a search bar on the right side of the page where you can put in keywords to find posts. For example, if you type in “Norway”, those posts should come up in the results. In theory, anyway. 🙂

      But if there is something specific you are searing for and can’t find it, just send us an email: 2Chouters@gmail.com and we can help!

    1. 2chouters

      You’re right about that not always being easy part. Sometimes “25” feels like 25 lifetimes. 🙂 But mostly, we just like each other a lot and that’s what gets us through. And traveling. 🙂 Good to hear from you, hope you guys are doing well!

  27. Ann Hay

    You folks posted on my blog about six years ago (or so?) and I’ve been reading and catching up on your blog ever since. I love it! What wonderful stories you tell, and the photos are gorgeous. Please know that there are folks like I am that read your blog avidly and adore it but don’t comment much. Travel on! 🙂

    1. 2chouters

      Ann, I remember you! Traveling around Washington state, the place I call home. I have been to so many of the places you have visited and written about. Thanks for letting us know you are still out there following along with us!

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