My Last Monday

What makes this all possible?  This 9000 mile journey?  My husband’s retirement.  After 30+ years Mark is leaving the world of Surety.

Five years ago he told his boss he was retiring and planning for this trip began.  Countless hours on the internet researching RVs with Two and Half Men quietly playing on the TV in the background.

Three years ago Mark got this brilliant idea to monitor his countdown with a stack of quarters.  One coin for each quarter left to work, 12 in all sitting on the window sill in his office.  The coins are numbered and as each calendar quarter passed he signed one and gave it away to a co-worker.

RV research continued, the bible for the Alaska Highway was acquired (The Milepost), and route planning began.  Two and a Half Men and Last Man Standing quietly played on the TV in the background.  Planning was Mark’s go to activity at the end of a long day.  The trip was the incentive to show up for work every day despite losing interest long ago.

A year ago planning turned into action.  Mark bought a new truck and six months later our home on wheels, our 2011 Aljo Ultra-Lite travel trailer by Skyline.

One quarter remains on the window sill in Mark’s office.  Now the days are measured by the number of Mondays he has left to work.  Every weekend he announces to anyone and everyone,  “I have 7 Mondays left, I have 5 Mondays left, I have 3 Mondays left, tomorrow is my last Monday.”

A few months ago Mark’s company announced it had been bought.  The deal closes on his retirement date.  As anyone who has ever gone through this knows, the future in this situation is uncertain; there may not have been a place for Mark when the dust settled.  It’s a sign, confirming an excellent choice in retirement dates.

Mark’s boss asked if he had any reservations about retiring.  I do have reservations, he replied, but they are for campsites on the road to Alaska.

If you missed the post about our route, click here.  There’s a map and everything.