Earwig - Sunday, February 28, 2016

You never know who you'll meet! This week, we had the pleasure of spending time with two Aussies staying a few days at Travelers World Carefree RV Resort.

Global Travellers is how Ian Hunt and Penelope (or Pen) Kentish describe themselves which is certainly apt. Their home is in the Southern Highlands of Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state (south of Sydney).

Ten months ago, they shipped their 22' Isuzu 4x4 Global Warrior all-terrain vehicle from Sydney to Los Angeles and started a year-long North American expedition. The all-terrain vehicle is fully self-contained so they are able to "free camp" or boondock. Of course, the steering wheel is on the right side of the vehicle which must make driving in the U.S. quite interesting.

Isuzu 4 x 4

This Isuzu can take them through the Australian Outback and they have used it in Death Valley and Marble Canyon. It's not your typical lightweight 4x4 used in Moab or BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to off-road on small, rocky roads: no. This baby weighs 6 tons!

Ian and Pen are retired, but they used to be headhunters: recruiters in a temp. agency. Ian has two grown children and five grandchildren. Pen has one son, but no grandchildren. Their kids and grandkids live in Melbourne, about a 7-1/2 hour drive from them. Fortunately they do see them 3-4 times per year. They love traveling, but the trade-off is they miss their families.

In the Australian Southern Highlands, they live on approximately an acre which is part of a much bigger ranch. They have views of the ranch and own chickens. While they are on their world travels, they rent out their home.

[As an aside, 3-1/2 years ago, we were in the Southern Highlands of Australia and spent a week exploring around the area where Pen and Ian live. Here is a link to our blog from the day we explored in their neighborhood of national parks and waterfalls: Australia Southern Highland Waterfalls.]

"'Er we go" license plate = Earwig or "The Wiggy"

Ian and Pen from Wildes Meadow, NSW, Australia

Ian and Pen

From Los Angeles, Ian and Pen traveled to Phoenix, Death Valley, Yosemite, then through the Northwest all the way to Alaska. From Alaska, their travels took them north across Canada to Newfoundland. From their blog, Travels in the Earwig, I learned that they

"have driven to: the most Westerly (Homer, Alaska), the most Northerly, (Yellowknife, North West Territories), most Easterly (Cape Spear. Newfoundland), and now at Key West (the most Southerly) points on the North American Continent. We didn’t start our journey intending to achieve these milestones."

Oh, the things they have seen: the Dempster Highway in Alaska, the Canadian Rockies, Cape Breton Island (where they were able to attend the Celtic Colors Music Festival) and the Cabot Trail; Boston, New York, Washington DC, Gettysburg, Blue Ridge Parkway, Nashville, Grand Ol' Opry, Huntsville's NASA Space Center, Tallahassee and Key West Florida; a cruise to Nassau, Bahamas; Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center, and Walt Disney World.

Eunice, Louisiana, impressed them with their parade during Mardi Gras. Called the Run, this  parade of horses and costumed characters on flatbeds starts in the countryside and makes its way into Eunice. 

Ian and Pen particularly enjoy going to music festivals or music entertainment venues, such as the Grand Ol' Opry. In addition to live music, they have a large collection of music they listen to when they travel.

Now here they are at Travelers World RV Resort enjoying all that San Antonio has to offer. Yesterday, they went to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo to watch Xtreme Bull Riding, and they loved it. Today they opted to spend time at The Alamo.

When asked what surprised them most about the U.S., they replied, "The 'generosity of spirit' of the people, and the diversity of the landscape." Wonderful people have greeted them wherever they travel.

From San Antonio, they head off into the sunset toward New Mexico, St. George, Utah, and Las Vegas. Canada and the U.S. are the first two countries they will check off their list of 85 countries they hope to visit during their retirement.

We wish you safe travels on the remainder of your United States itinerary, Ian and Penelope. It was a pleasure meeting and visiting with you.

If you see "The Wiggy" on your travels in the next couple of months, be sure to say hello to Ian and Pen. They are delightful. Or you can keep up with them on their Facebook page: Travels in the Earwig.