Grey Gypsies

Thats what Im calling the hordes of retirees that I see plying the Northern Highways.

Its not meant to be a derogatory phrase at all, and though I may choose to travel in a more "spartan" style, I am doing more or less the same as they are...Traveling around on the roads and seeing the country in a style that I am comfortable with.

I have to say though that I was a bit surprised at how many of them there are...LOTS.
And another trend that I have noted is that they often travel in groups (not unlike the motorbike travelers that I have also noted crowding the roads)... Mostly the groups have been in threes and fours, but I have seen a couple of large groups, and one with over twenty very large RVs (Buses and large "fifth wheels")... And in each one of these huge vehicles as it passed me in the opposite direction, there were two little old grey haired people staring out at me from behind the huge windows :))

I believe these large groups are often organized "adventure caravans" and I have no problem with them other than the fact that they can be a major congestion issue for traffic to pass them when the road gets steep and curvy.
They must also pose quite a challenge to RV parks and roadside cafes when the whole horde descends on a little place all at once... but too much business is probably better than not enough I guess.

As I said, in general, I have no problem with these tourists and I think its a good thing if more people get out and see their country and appreciate how big and beautiful it is. I have taken the time to chat to a few of them and it seems that many of them own their big RVs for quite a few years, and they seem to go traveling for many months of the year. They dont seem to sell their homes though, they seem to spend four to six months of the year at home each year... I wonder how many years it takes of traveling in this style before you run out of new places to go?


Anyway there are lots and lots of them out and about... and apparently there is likely to be lots and lots more of them as the "baby boomers" retire in their droves over the next decade or so.

For myself though, I dont have enough money to retire just yet, so it'll be a while before I get one of those big RVs ... Maybe Ill stick to my motorbike for a while yet :)