Driving coast to coast

Peter and Geri Cline, along with their dog, YumYum, had many adventures during a three-month road trip in their 24-foot RV. They visited family and friends all over the country, driving coast to coast.

Many dream, but few dare to buy a 24-foot RV and hit the road for a trip of a lifetime.

HOA2 residents Peter and Geri Cline started with a list of family and friends they wanted to visit, who live all over the country. Over the course of nearly three months, they traveled to meet siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles, former neighbors, and childhood, high school and college friends. The adventurous couple also made many new friends along the way, covering about 15,000 miles and 37 states.

Peter said, “Geri was the navigator and social coordinator; I was the driver.” Geri messaged friends and family, explaining when they might be coming through their areas. She calculated the driving distances and times. Peter pulled out the Rand McNally atlas to get the big picture. Peter shared the perils of driving through cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as navigating the narrow roadways in New York and Pennsylvania.

The Clines truly went coast to coast. They watched the waves crash along the California coast, letting their dog YumYum run free on Carmel Beach. They took in the views from Vancouver, ate lobster in Maine, and visited Geri’s high school prom date in Florida. They saw many people and states in between. “I appreciated the physical beauty of every state; they were all very different,” said Peter.

Geri and Peter visited the small town in Ohio where Peter’s father was born and sat with Geri’s 97-year-old uncle in Moultrie, Georgia, where Geri is from. They found time to sightsee, swinging into Cooperstown to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame, and appreciating the history in the small towns along the East Coast.

“It was comforting to know all my family and friends are doing well,” said Geri. “Peter and I have been together 10 years, and this trip gave me the opportunity to meet Peter’s family and friends, and for him to meet mine.” Peter added that the face-to-face conversations had more depth and meaning than a phone call.

On lodging locales, Geri explained, “We spent the night in a different home or RV park every night of the trip with two exceptions, where we stayed longer.” Being only 18 inches apart in the RV and navigating a trip this size would test most couples, and Geri and Peter said the trip brought them closer.

When asked what advice they would give someone contemplating a trip like this, Peter recommended having someone you can call with RV questions if you are new to driving a house on wheels. Geri said to make sure to have a comfortable mattress. They both exclaimed, “Just do it!”