As they drove off into the sunset of their retirement dream, they admit a fear of the unknown nibbled at their enthusiasm. They questioned their rationale in leaving behind a permanent home, good friends, possessions, a steady paycheck, and familiar schedules.

Escaping the stress in Larry's profession as an insurance adjuster topped their list of reasons for going. Yet, worries that jobs on the road would not provide his family the comforts they had previously afforded with his paycheck stood out on the minus column. Larry was also concerned that he and Debbie had no medical insurance.

As a security blanket, he quietly tucked away a $100 dollar bill, assuring himself that the "mad" money would buy enough fuel to return them from "wherever" to Treasure Lake, their home Coast-to-Coast park in Missouri. "I know we can always find service jobs of some kind in Branson's entertainment venues," he finally admitted to Debbie as they headed out on their adventure.

To offset their medical expenses, each month the Conners put aside money equal to an independently purchased insurance policy. "We use that fund for check-ups and dental bills," Debbie says. "We know that if we have a major illness, we could instantly have a bill in the thousands of dollars. But we're banking on our good health to carry us through until we can acquire some other sort of medical coverage."

And the energetic couple believes the freedom of their full-time RVing lifestyle has added to their good health and present happiness. "I had urged Larry to take this leap of faith," Debbie continues. "It was scary in the beginning to leave behind our traditional life. But we gained a communion with nature, fresh air, restful sleep, renewed spirits, peace, and more friends than we ever imagined. We want for nothing in our self-contained home on wheels. And the view through our picture window changes whenever we get the urge to move."

Old hands on the camping trail, the Conners noted that starting out had the familiar feeling of their previous fun-filled vacations with two young children. There was no debate about first heading for Monument, near Colorado Springs, Colorado, to hike and visit mountain towns.

After a few weeks, the romance of the road beckoned the new full-timers west to Montana and Glacier National Park. That first summer, they also enrolled at the annual week-long "Life On Wheels RV Conference" at the University of Idaho in Moscow.

"It had been years since we had attended college classes, but we quickly got into the swing of packing books and a schedule under our arms and heading off to 8:00 classes," Debbie states. "Instead of English and math, we learned practical aspects of full-timing--boondocking, generators, the amount of weight a particular rig can carry, what to pack, and how to earn dollars on the road."

Deciding they needed a rest to sort out all the tips they had picked up for living in their RV, Larry and Debbie stopped off at Coast to Coast's Lewis-Clark Resort in Kamiah, Idaho. But the resort kept them busy with cook-outs, bluegrass bands, group games, a parade and a rodeo.

Wherever the Conners stop, they look for a church. And Kamiah was no exception. Forming instant friendships among the Idaho congregation, Larry and Debbie were treated to Sunday lunch, homemade ice cream, and an invitation to pick fresh raspberries from one family's bushes.

While in Kamiah, Larry and Debbie received a message from the owner of Rainbow Falls Park in Woodland Park, Colorado, asking them to take a summer job. Anxious to relive their previous memories of fragrant spruces surrounding their camp site and brilliant, but short-lived, late afternoon lightning storms overhead, they headed their motorhome for the destination-type park. Unfortunately, Larry's work, which required hours of standing, aggravated a previous back and leg injury. He resumed physical therapy and took his doctor's advice to stay off his feet for a couple of months.

Returning to their Branson, Missouri, park in the fall, the Conners accepted the challenge of a few months as coordinators on a special Treasure Lake project. Before heading south to warm their toes under the winter sun around San Antonio, Texas, they took in Branson's special Christmas shows and a dazzling light display at Silver Dollar City, a theme park that takes folks back to mountain customs in the nineteenth century.

While in San Antonio, Texas, Larry enrolled in a course at Leonard's Training Programs to renew his Texas Insurance Adjuster's license just in case. His idea was to pick up some extra income working an occasional storm during the spring and summer seasons. As it turned out, he became acquainted with one of the instructors who recognized Larry's knowledge in the profession and often asked him to assist with the classes. By the end of the week, an idea formed in his head. He inquired with the branch manager at Leonard's about their need for additional instructors.

In a later discussion about his employment with the company's owner, Larry discovered that Leonard'sTraining Programs is approved by the Texas Board of Insurance and the Texas Legislature as one of the state's leading educators for training in real estate, insurance and computer programs. Leonard's had a need for instructors with the flexibility to travel and employed Larry as a Property Instructor with the school.

Based in Houston, the Conners travel to various locations throughout Texas where Larry conducts the week-long sessions training people for a test to acquire their license for insurance adjusting. He has the possibility of traveling to other states with the company and the option to set his own schedule. For example, if he wants to take off a month to travel during the summer, Leonard's approves. After working for a designated period, Larry qualifies for medical coverage.

"I'm looking forward to a long and cordial relationship with this new company," Larry states. "It's good to be back in a group with helpful and friendly co-workers. And the best part is that we get to live our dream of travel while I utilize my previous job skills. It's a 'plum' of a job!"

Settled in a combination mobile home/RV park in Spring, Texas, Debbie fits right in with the other park wives who take in weekly garage sales and exchange knowledge on particular crafts. She jokingly says she has to get up at 4:00 a.m. in order to do her housework and be ready for the day's activities. After the husbands return from work, they get together with other couples for cards and games.

The Conners acknowledge they still have a lot to leam about the RVing lifestyle. But in their relatively brief time on the full-time road, they have seen places they might never have seen if they had continued in their former lifestyle until a traditional retirement age. Do they have regrets? "Only one," Larry states. "We wish we could--or would--have traded our old securities in a traditional job for adventures on the road many years sooner!"