I woke up in my own bed this morning and ran the familiar Portland downtown streets after a week of being a “Road Warrior.” Being on the road is tougher these day with the extra challenge of dodging all those nasty, invisible germs. We traveled to the “red state” of Florida, meaning that Coronavirus cases there are dangerously on the rise. However, it’s also a state that has been “open” longer than others. It seems only logical that given the chance to spread – it will, but if everyone sits at home and does nothing the economy will hemorrhage. We’re all trying to find that fine line between personal and financial wellness. Someone has to take a risk!

Our risk in traveling last week was carefully weighed against the pressing need to find retirement property before our apartment lease runs out. My son is thrilled that we’ve decided on Florida so we can once again share our lives. My grandson is going through those tough early-teen times and will need our support. I’ve already missed the first two birthday parties for the youngest grand daughter. The 11-year old dancer will also soon be a teenager. It’s time to be more than just long-distance Grandpa J! In the process, my wife and I will need to be “Road Warriors.” 

In late August we’ll take our next step in the moving process. We’ll do a cross-country drive that will take us through San Francisco & Palm Desert, California; Marana, Arizona; Marfa & Austin, Texas; New Orleans; and Jacksonville, Florida before we arrive at our planned homestead. We’ll leave that car at my son’s house in North Port and fly back to Portland once we’ve discussed all the design options on our new home with the builder. Next February, we’ll drive the other car down to Venice, Florida in tandem with the moving truck. In the meantime, there will probably be other back-and-forth flights to check on the building progress. It will be a complicated and expensive transition, followed by full retirement bliss. 

We don’t yet know the full status on our other “Road Warrior” activity. There are tentative late July plans to drive through Washington state and into Glacier National Park with stops in Walla-Walla and Canada. There’s still no word if the Canadian border is open or if our friends will be able and willing to join us. This all depends on what transpires over the next month in the way of viral concerns. Technically, we’re in self-quarantine these next few weeks to protect those in this area from what we might have picked-up in Florida. Hopefully, being a “Road Warrior” won’t come back to bite us in the ass.