Two Adventurers

By Donna B. McNicol
Stuart and Donna met in the spring of 2008 at an RV Rally in Gillette, Wyoming. Both were widowed. Both were full-time RVers, Stu in a 41' 5th wheel toyhauler and Donna in a small Class C pulling her car. Both were avid motorcycle enthusiasts although Donna had sold her last motorcycle a few months earlier.

Donna's 1999 Tioga and Suzuki
Stu's Medium Duty Freightliner and 41' KZ Escalade Toy Hauler

After meeting for dinner and closing the restaurant after five hours of chatting, they were pretty much inseparable. Eventually they sold Donna's RV, added a motorcycle for her and got married (April 2009).
Enjoying Valley of Fire State Park in Nevbada

They continued touring the country but found themselves looking for a little piece of land for that day when they hung up their keys. Middle Tennessee proved to be the perfect spot, quiet small town, decent medical facilities, only a couple of hours away from three major metropolitan areas and a moderate climate. They found five wooded acres and proceeded to set up an RV site.

They spent spring and summers on their property, fall visiting family in the Northeast and wintered in Florida. A bit of a rut but a comfortable one. One day they were watching the show International House Hunters on HGTV and saw an episode set in Ecuador. A year or two earlier they had seen a similar episode and joked about how they could live there.

After watching this episode they continued to discuss the possibility of living in another country. Donna did what she does best - research. She read everything she could find. She corresponded with Bryan and Dena Haines, the couple featured in the TV episode they watched. She even corresponded with folks that had moved to Ecuador and due to family health issues had to move back.

Long story short, they decided to take a month long exploratory trip to Cuenca, the city that drew them in with its climate, people, history and cost of living. In April of 2013, they flew to Ecuador. Thus it all began...their GRAND ADVENTURE!


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