Europe - The Last Hurrah

Putting it in Drive

Blue is filled. Gray and black are empty. Oil level is correct. Diesel is topped off. Tire pressure is perfect. Everything is right with the world. 

“I turn the engine over and my body just comes alive… and we're all just runaways!” ~The Killers~

I’m a man who has traveled a bit so pay attention when I tell you that for a road trip lifestyle…It doesn’t get better than Europe. What you get for 200 KM can’t be rivaled anywhere else on this spinning blue marble. Experiencing different food, architecture, language, culture, and biome is the jackpot road trip brass ring. You could swap those out 3 times in 200 kilometers in Europe. Or, you could drive 200 miles in the USA or Australia and get exactly the same thing. If you aren’t going to sell the kids and rent the house and spend years driving around Europe then at least do yourself a solid and at a minimum rent a motorhome in Europe for 2 weeks. You won’t regret it. Because believe me – I miss it.

The Full Rewind

In August 2025 mom suffered extreme back pain and we parked Encore in some horrible woman’s barn and went back to the USA to help. It was open ended and we had no idea how this would shake out. 

“I run good but I’m hard to start. And my brakes are bad so I’m hard to stop.”

~Morphine~

We got married in Dec 2025. I was about to turn 59. It is my first and only marriage. I’m a late bloomer who finds commitment incredibly easy. 

We lived a very sedentary American existence. We played tennis, participated in Taco-Tuesdays, shopped at Costco and dreamed of our return to Europe.

By January mom had made a very robust recovery and we made plans to continue our travels with a compromise: We would buy a freedom machine here in the new world and explore North America. Europe was still our blue ribbon, but its 10-time zone distance and 20+ hour flight time made it all a bridge too far. We started shopping and with tons of help from my dear friend Mark Sessions we bought a truck and drove to Provo Utah to buy a trailer. I wrote a rhyming reverse haiku, just for you, to commemorate this auspicious occasion:

Bought a Truck Bought a trailer 

Gonna hit the road

Time off for good behavior 

We parked everything and flew back to Europe to sell Encore. The plan was a 90 day stay for a leisurely pace with maximum profit and pleasure. We even nailed the timing as we arrived mid-March. But it was not to be. Birdy Mae tumbled, split her head open and moved into the hospital. Aleja dashed back to the USA the next day to help and I rushed the sale to get back 2 weeks later. This dispatch is our wrap up love letter to Europe with a little forward-looking tickler. 

Encore Sold & We Flew Back to Phx

We have been back in Phoenix looking after The Momma for the last 2 months. My brother arrives tomorrow and 2 days later we embark on the next adventure. 

Euro Summation

2022 / Year 1 - 11 months

2023 / Year 2 – 11 months

2024 / Year 3 – 9 months (This is the formula that works the best: it avoids the cold winters, & honors the Schengen zone. I hate the Schengen zone)

2025 / Year 4 – 5 months only

Jan 2022 - May 2026

Europe just keeps surprising us.
Some random small village in France this year that I don't even remember. The photos below are a few more from 2026.

We are really going to miss the great people we met along the way

Even made it into northern Spain

We were lucky enough to get 3 rather full years and a couple more partial visits thrown in for good measure. Some day we will return, but it is at least 3 years off. 

A Change of Focus

Cities, architecture, and language differences are now off the table, but varied cuisines, different biomes and glorious parks and forests will now vie for our attention. We’ve changed size (that has ruled out cities), mode and continents. It’s a large modification but one I’m eager to enjoy. 

Born in The USA!

Yes, I was born in the USA and raised right here amongst her splendor. Though I have lived abroad for over 16 years, I’m tickled to be back. I look and sound like every other guy at Home Depot, I understand & love football, can sing the songs at the baseball park, and my wife now has her green card and smiles at all of our cultural favs. I drive a big Ford truck, don’t flinch at small arms fire, can talk about conduit, drool for IPA, tolerate bandanas & tattoos, and look forward to all you can eat with the morbidly obese. Even got a Sam's club card. I'm back!!

The Plan. Don't get hung up with the finger drawn squiggle line.
It won't be accurate, but maybe close. (sorry Nevada). It starts Friday July 3 2026!! FREEDOM!!

“Change, nothin' stays the same

Unchained, and ya hit the ground runnin'” ~Van Halen~

Your man on point,

Capt Bobby

Andorra, France and an Early Exit

What we drove in 2025

Goodbye Italy

The ferry from Sardinia to Barcelona was a calm 12 hours across a flat Balearic Sea. We got to pet some dogs onboard the big vessel as we baked beneath the Mediterranean sun. 

We hid that first night in the overpriced parking lot of a hospital. The madness that is Barcelona in June is a velocity that I can no longer match. The next morning, we made a rhumb line for a small village we had stayed at 2 years ago just so we could stock the freezer with Pastis de Xocolata. It’s the most sinfully delicious thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. If the Catalonians ever secede from Spain, you will see it on their flag. 

Andorra

And that was it for Spain. 2 nights only due to the abrupt pain in the ass that is the damn Schengen Zone.

But we aren't crazy - we did sample the delicious food

And we bought a Jamon Iberrico!!

Andorra La Vella (the capital of Andorra) essentially follows a river
as it tumbles through an alpine valley. Really pretty. 

We entered Andorra, and we loved it. I think of it as the Singapore of Europe. Surrounded by the big boys but surviving through malls, casinos and duty-free offerings. That’s where the similarities end. It’s a microstate landlocked in the Pyrenees Mountains sandwiched between Spain and France. Other examples of a microstate include: Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. 

We stayed at this campground so long they gave us free shirts!

So many Colombianos in Andorra

A Rush To The Alps

From the Pyrenees to the Alps on a single tank of diesel. I was pushing it. We pulled into the service station on fumes but I wanted to type the previous sentence. We spent only 2 nights in transit on this long drive from Andorra to Le Bourg-d’Oisans. There was another Euro heatwave and we came here to hide from the furnace that is the South of France in the summer. 

This little village was our basecamp in the mountains from which we launched our adventures. We ended up staying for 3 weeks. I can’t recommend it enough and I am counting the days until I can return. 

We even got hail in June!!

Heatwave Ends

With the heat wave in remission we made a stop as we headed south in a jewel called Grignan.

And another called Florac

Matthew Evert

Remember this friend of mine? We sped from the Alps back to southern France and scooped him up in Toulouse. We had a camping and “small-town France” experience and then dropped him in Bordeaux. Ask him to tell you about the treasure hunt we orchestrated for him while he was in Andorra. Oh the silly things we do. 

One must admit - he has perfected his Viking look!

My afternoon nap extinguishes my daytime buzz and reinvigorates me for my nighttime buzz. 2 buzzes per day is the goal. Any more and your cutting corners and showing off. Stay humble.

Bordeaux

If you like red wine but have no idea what to buy – play the odds and get a Bordeaux. It’s hard to go wrong in this region of France. We parked on the vintners’ fields and sampled along the way.

Most of the following pix were taken in or around St Emilion,
which is the epicenter of Bordeaux' wine culture

The remnants of an ancient structure on their property allowed them to charge a premium

The real dream is parking on the property of the vintner and sampling their wines among the community of fellow mohos. Utterly charming with wonderful dogs to choose from

Ancient medieval relics Bob? - But of course!

Aubeterre-sur-Dronne.
You know AB has gone native when you see the Aperol Spritz

Brittany

It’s a massive peninsula that was its own country and only united with France in 1532, while Francisco Pizarro was conquering the Incas. 

We’d never been before. It was new and wonderful and check out these little quaint villages.

Rochefort-en-Terre

Rochefort-en-Terre

Rochefort-en-Terre

Lyons-la-Foret

Saint Suliac

My Mom Broke Down

My brother lives in Tokyo and flew to Phoenix to visit our mother on July 1. The next day she awoke in screaming pain to a back ailment. 2 urgent care visits, plus a trip to the emergency room, and an ambulance ride to the hospital later it turns out she has 2 bulging disks and sciatica. Not unusual for an 88-year-old but extremely painful. We changed our return tickets.

Europe – The Height of Civilization

France is good at nearly everything. You already know about the food, wine and architecture, but there is another underlying element that sweetens daily life – their commitment to small detail beauty. My video tribute:

It’s not just France. It’s Europe in general. (I need to give credit to Aleja for the following) - Disney, who is the inventor of the Magic Kingdom, used Europe as a template. So, if you need any convincing that Europe is the magical place on Earth. There it is. 

A Huge Life Change

Your satisfaction level is a simple formula: Quality of Life Divided by Envy. I had an extremely high quality of life for the last 20 years as I wallowed around the world in my retired state of constant travel. Envy – not me. I had it made and I knew it. 

Find what makes you feel more alive, grab it firmly with both hands, and throttle it while pulling it closer. For me that’s travel. When I got on that plane home, I didn’t know the travel would take a 7-month hiatus. No one is ever going to cry for me and my situation but I’m complaining a little none the less. Humans don’t deal well with change, and yet, I don’t deal well with the lack of change. However, things are improving and one of those things is my mom. She’s off the pain meds and back to walking around the block. She just keeps surprising us all. And because she is back on her feet…Aleja and I are returning to Europe…Tomorrow!

Your man on point,

Capt Bobby

What we've driven in 4 years, color coded by year