Tow Tow Tow Your Boat
Our retirement dream is to travel the country in a fifth wheel to fish and explore. Pete will tow the RV with one vehicle and I will tow the boat with another. We intend to explore every fishy corner of the country, heading off at a moment’s notice to whichever lake is hot at that time. Since we’ll need two vehicles to do it, and there are only two of us (plus the dog, but he’s a terrible driver), I guess that means I better learn how to tow the boat. I’ve done it a few times out of necessity, but I’m still not 100 percent comfortable with the process.
I understand the need to make wide turns, to allow more braking space between cars, and to make sure there are two car lengths between cars before changing lanes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it, but I still don’t love it, so until we cross that bridge, while Pete does the towing here's a list of what I do from the passenger seat.
I’m the Queen of satellite radio. He likes rap. I like today's hits. We compromise on the Rolling Stones.
Call my sister to catch up but she never answers.
Call my dad who always answers (even if he’s in the shower or about to get a colonoscopy). He talks a lot and he asks a lot of questions, so it gets us almost all the way home, no matter how far the drive. Mission accomplished.
Talk about what I should write about for this blog and then I forget my brilliant ideas because I don't write them down.
Halfway home I start worrying about the other drivers not stopping when Pete's backing the boat into the driveway. We live on a busy street and someone is always crowding our bumper. I worry that Pete may get out and yell at them.
Pete and I continue to debate the pros and cons of living up north in the summertime and driving south during the winter or living in the south and driving up north in the summertime. [Spoiler alert: we’ll be living up north!]
No matter what time it is, it’s never too early to start wondering what we’ll have for dinner. [Spoiler alert: Pete usually wants Mexican and I often give in]
Bet on where traffic will come to a complete stop on 495, the dreaded DC Beltway.
Count the days until our next Anglers Inn trip – have you contacted me to book your next trip?
Checked the analytics on our Half Past First Cast Instagram and Facebook sites, no matter what they are I’m disappointed that they’re not higher.
I usually post something to Instagram on the way home – probably a picture of the fish I caught (assuming it’s bigger than what Pete caught)
I make sure that I book my Orange Theory Fitness workouts for the week – need strength and endurance for all the big fish caught (and to haul all of our luggage through the airport)
Somehow with all this going on I almost always doze off for a few. Don’t tell Pete, he hasn’t noticed this behind my sunglasses.
I sing – really well. I have perfect pitch in the car and the shower, don’t you?
I watch for brake lights because I don't think Pete sees them as quickly as I think he should. This often leads to stomping on the non-existent passenger-side brake pedal!
Watch Pete eat, drop crumbs all over his seat his car and not care, then not clean up what he drops when he gets home. This makes me crazy. But it’s his Suburban. When the tow vehicle is mine we’ll have a different set of rules.
Talk about our bucket list trips. Next on the current list” Argentina, Guyana, Seychelles and round two of Africa.
Most importantly I loathe the fact that retirement is not coming fast enough. I don’t want life to fly by, but I want to be on the road all the time.
When we do tow separately, I’ll probably be white knuckled for the first few tows, probably still listen to the Rolling Stones, still try and get in touch with my sister, sing for the entire song and not be told to be quiet (apparently Pete doesn’t think I have perfect pitch), watch for Pete’s brake lights and continue to make lists of sights to see, people to meet, cool things to purchase, great gear we’ve used and of course where to fish.
