10 years retired. Life is good.

[bikeama]

10 years retired

I have now been retired for 10 years and what great years they have been.

My little FWC truck camper has served me well.

• Have driven around the good old USA twice. From Niagara Falls to Key West.
• Made another long trip to Minnesota with all the kids.
• Multiple trips to the eastern Sierra for fall leaves.
• Went to Oregon to see a Total Eclipse.

Last-minute edit. We have sold our FWC truck camper and replaced it with a Coachmen Beyond Class B for our next 10 years of camping. More trip reports coming.

Made multiple trips to Europe when my daughter Jenny lived there.

• Veronica and I Eurorail/backpacked for weeks around Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy.
• Rented a motorcycle twice to ride the Swiss Alps. The first trip was just me and Veronica. Had my 67th birthday in St Moritz! The second trip was with three other couples we have known for years. Got to ride the Chunnel on that trip.
• Went to the Christmas markets in Germany, Switzerland, and Barcelona.
• Saw the Superprestigio Motorcycle Race in Barcelona.
• Rented a car and toured the Black Forest.
• Toured the Alsace wine country with our daughter and son in law.

Bought our retirement home and have done improvements every year.

• Removed the mounds from the front yard and new turf.
• Removed the Pine and Palm trees.
• Transplanted the Orange and Bose Pear from our old home.
• New HVAC.
• Installed dual pane windows.
• Remodeled Master Bath.
• Put solar pool heater on the roof.
• Finally did a major remodel removing two walls and installed our dream kitchen.

Three motorcycles since in the last 10 years, I still enjoy riding.

• BMW K1600GT.
• Ducati Multistrada S Touring.
• BMW S1000XR.

Best of all Family.

• I have spent the last 44 years and counting with the love of my life.
• Both daughters are married to great guys.
• Now have 3 granddaughters and one grandson.
• Two granddaughters born in Stockton where we live
• One granddaughter born in Switzerland and we were there.
• The grandson born in Texas and we are there as I type this.
• Everyone is healthy and safe.

The only low point was my sister's passing in 2020.

Life is still good, retire as early as you can there are no guarantees in life. :thumbup

 

[GB500guy]

Congratulations Bill, way to go. Amen to retiring as soon as practical!

-Bill

 

[Grissom]

:thumbup:thumbup
:hail


I had a 90ish year old neighbor (at the time) who told me to retire as soon as I possibly could

I have had one vacation in the last 19yrs :thumbdown

I have a father who is going to be 88 and has zero need for money but continues to work on a daily basis (family business) He always said work before pleasure.

Assuming Covid or cancer doesn't get me in 2021 - I will turn 60, become a Grandpa and our son will graduate from Medical School and hopefully he and our daughter in law move back to the West Coast.

I am going to show my dad your "Life is Good" when he comes in this morning

 

[East Bay Mike]

Good thread.

I like to take about 2 months of vacation/year.

I don’t plan on ever retiring. I’d rather go places and do fun stuff while I’m somewhat young.

Plus I don’t assume I’m going to live to a very old age.

That’s just me.

 

[East Bay Mike]

How long does it take to really drive around the country? If I do it I’ll stay in motels/air bnbs.

 

[auntiebling]

How long does it take to really drive around the country? If I do it I’ll stay in motels/air bnbs.

the current record coast to coast is around 24 hours, but that isn't Around The Country.

it's a solid day of driving just to get from one Famous Point of Interest to another. I'd plan on 2 months to really do a decent job of it, only seeing the Famous Stuff

 

[bikeama]

How long does it take to really drive around the country? If I do it I’ll stay in motels/air bnbs.

2 months and you may want to do more. On our first trip, we did not see Key West. We were ready to head west when we got to Jacksonville. I am lucky my wife likes to camp as much as I do. My little FWC served us well. I really like National and State Parks.

 

[two wheel tramp]

10 years retired

I have now been retired for 10 years and what great years they have been.

My little FWC truck camper has served me well.

• Have driven around the good old USA twice. From Niagara Falls to Key West.
• Made another long trip to Minnesota with all the kids.
• Multiple trips to the eastern Sierra for fall leaves.
• Went to Oregon to see a Total Eclipse.

Last-minute edit. We have sold our FWC truck camper and replaced it with a Coachmen Beyond Class B for our next 10 years of camping. More trip reports coming.

Made multiple trips to Europe when my daughter Jenny lived there.

• Veronica and I Eurorail/backpacked for weeks around Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy.
• Rented a motorcycle twice to ride the Swiss Alps. The first trip was just me and Veronica. Had my 67th birthday in St Moritz! The second trip was with three other couples we have known for years. Got to ride the Chunnel on that trip.
• Went to the Christmas markets in Germany, Switzerland, and Barcelona.
• Saw the Superprestigio Motorcycle Race in Barcelona.
• Rented a car and toured the Black Forest.
• Toured the Alsace wine country with our daughter and son in law.

Bought our retirement home and have done improvements every year.

• Removed the mounds from the front yard and new turf.
• Removed the Pine and Palm trees.
• Transplanted the Orange and Bose Pear from our old home.
• New HVAC.
• Installed dual pane windows.
• Remodeled Master Bath.
• Put solar pool heater on the roof.
• Finally did a major remodel removing two walls and installed our dream kitchen.

Three motorcycles since in the last 10 years, I still enjoy riding.

• BMW K1600GT.
• Ducati Multistrada S Touring.
• BMW S1000XR.

Best of all Family.

• I have spent the last 44 years and counting with the love of my life.
• Both daughters are married to great guys.
• Now have 3 granddaughters and one grandson.
• Two granddaughters born in Stockton where we live
• One granddaughter born in Switzerland and we were there.
• The grandson born in Texas and we are there as I type this.
• Everyone is healthy and safe.

The only low point was my sister's passing in 2020.

Life is still good, retire as early as you can there are no guarantees in life. :thumbup

I love that you're living the good life! I am working to retire at 60.

 

[greenmonster]

What a great thread. You’re so lucky, I still have a 17 year old high school senior at home and I’m in my 60’s so I’ve got a way to go before I can hang it up. My dream is that she’ll join the Navy this year and get out of here so we can sell the house.

 

[FLH03RIDER]

YAY, Mr. and Mrs. Bill !!! :thumbup

 

[ScottRNelson]

I still have about five years to go to reach ten years. But I'm enjoying life.

My wife and I had intended to travel a lot, which has mostly been shut down for a year. I was in New Zealand a year ago and that was the last serious traveling. Had to cancel the drive down the Pacific coast and visit to Mt. Rushmore. Will do those this year.

Still managed to go out riding about once a week until it started snowing around here. Will get out today for a bit because it will hit the magic number of 45 degrees.

I appreciate the good circumstances that I find myself in. We managed to put enough away for a comfortable retirement and we're in good health. I hope many of the rest of you can make it to this point too. :cool

 

[bikewanker]

10 months retired!
No regrets!
Really a good news bad news year for me. “Retired” from work because of covid good, less air travel because of covid bad. Throw in severance and unemployment as good. Finally really making plans to move to the Reno Retire Ranch which is difficult because I’ve enjoyed my slum studio in Burlingame for 18 years.
Understandingly bad that the first official BARF Rally is many months away. I suspect I’ll be sufficiently bored in a few months and take off riding.
Please PM me if you’re considering going on even a 2 day ride!:ride
Maybe this year I’ll make Bill’s Birthday Ride. :laughing

Sincerely, bored and smiling.

 

[DucatiHoney]

I've been working 22 years and while I enjoy my job, it's stressful. I was ready to retire 5 years ago, but I've got a little less than 20 to go. I need to start scaling back the type of projects I take on about 10 years before I exit, so really, I have about a decade of doing what I'm doing at the current pace. I starting socking away hard-core about a year ago, but I've been saving since I was 25. I'm going to do more painting (watercolors) and sketching, maybe teach a little again, want to learn the cello and another language, grow a big garden, sculpt, learn to weld...

 

[CDONA]

I bailed back in "04,
On my second RV too.
Ride there for a rally and camp.
or
Drag all your stuff and party for months.


Maynard G. Krebs called it, , ,

WORK

 

[Eldritch]

the current record coast to coast is around 24 hours, but that isn't Around The Country.

it's a solid day of driving just to get from one Famous Point of Interest to another. I'd plan on 2 months to really do a decent job of it, only seeing the Famous Stuff

I mean, the Cannonball Run record is like 26 hours, but that is nonstop team driving at excessive speeds. The drive from end to end is about 2850 miles.

That means 26 hours is an AVERAGE SPEED of 110 mph non-stop. Increase actual driving speed to accommodate for fuel stops...

We used to drive back to New York with the family a bunch when I was a kid, it usually took us about 4 days without much sight seeing, but regular stops for food and bathroom breaks and sleep.

 

[Eldritch]

2 months and you may want to do more. On our first trip, we did not see Key West. We were ready to head west when we got to Jacksonville. I am lucky my wife likes to camp as much as I do. My little FWC served us well. I really like National and State Parks.

Keep enjoying it!

the current record coast to coast is around 24 hours, but that isn't Around The Country.

it's a solid day of driving just to get from one Famous Point of Interest to another. I'd plan on 2 months to really do a decent job of it, only seeing the Famous Stuff

I mean, the Cannonball Run record is like 26 hours, but that is nonstop team driving at excessive speeds. The drive from end to end is about 2850 miles.

That means 26 hours is an AVERAGE SPEED of 110 mph non-stop. Increase actual driving speed to accommodate for fuel stops...

We used to drive back to New York with the family a bunch when I was a kid, it usually took us about 4 days without much sight seeing, but regular stops for food and bathroom breaks and sleep.

I've been working 22 years and while I enjoy my job, it's stressful. I was ready to retire 5 years ago, but I've got a little less than 20 to go. I need to start scaling back the type of projects I take on about 10 years before I exit, so really, I have about a decade of doing what I'm doing at the current pace. I starting socking away hard-core about a year ago, but I've been saving since I was 25. I'm going to do more painting (watercolors) and sketching, maybe teach a little again, want to learn the cello and another language, grow a big garden, sculpt, learn to weld...

Can make retirement travel more fun, what language?

 

[greenmonster]

I've been working 22 years and while I enjoy my job, it's stressful. I was ready to retire 5 years ago, but I've got a little less than 20 to go. I need to start scaling back the type of projects I take on about 10 years before I exit, so really, I have about a decade of doing what I'm doing at the current pace. I starting socking away hard-core about a year ago, but I've been saving since I was 25. I'm going to do more painting (watercolors) and sketching, maybe teach a little again, want to learn the cello and another language, grow a big garden, sculpt, learn to weld...

Very smart to start saving at 25. That’s so hard to do at that age, especially when your income starts to rise and you want to trade in the old Toyota for a new BMW, or you want to move to a nicer place that costs more. Then you have a couple of kids and they need a lot of stuff...Life

 

[GAJ]

The only low point was my sister's passing in 2020.

Life is still good, retire as early as you can there are no guarantees in life. :thumbup

Congrats; you've been a busy guy! :thumbup

Retired at age 51 in '08 and don't miss that 24/7/365 job on iota.

My first long road trip was just this year driving from here to Miami to deliver a car.

It was fantastic.

10 drive with three nights in Austin and 3 nights in New Orleans just before the Covid wave.

I've mastered the art of puttering. :laughing

 

[auntiebling]

I mean, the Cannonball Run record is like 26 hours, but that is nonstop team driving at excessive speeds. The drive from end to end is about 2850 miles.

That means 26 hours is an AVERAGE SPEED of 110 mph non-stop. Increase actual driving speed to accommodate for fuel stops...

We used to drive back to New York with the family a bunch when I was a kid, it usually took us about 4 days without much sight seeing, but regular stops for food and bathroom breaks and sleep.

right. that's hustling. there is no upper limit on how long it takes to drive around the country because there is an absolutely mind boggling area to traverse, and Things To See numbers near Grains of Sand on a beach

the cannonball record has been set and reset like... 3 times since covid started. there could easily be a couple more that haven't advertised it yet

 

[Bay Arean]

Enjoying this thread. Ms BA is a few years older than me (she's retired, I'm not) and has decided NO more tent camping. She wants to get some kind of vehicle or trailer. I keep putting it off because I get to be the insurer, guy who has to know about maintenance storage i.e., worrier, and pilot. We haven't even settled on whether pop-up, tow along hardbody or all-in-one.

I balk at the mileage and gas expense and also, the fact that in every campground, the trailers only sections are pretty obnoxious compared to tent sites. Astroturf and generators and daycanopies and barky little dogs.

Two summers ago, we went up through Oregon over to Idaho then Wyoming. THose are really places you want a driver-RV because unlike California, there really is not either a campground or even motel when you need em because the distances are so much greater. That really softened me up on owning something like that. The thought of driving an RV within California is pretty unattractive.

Anyway, learning by reading. Thanks and good luck.