When Jerry was finally able to retire on July 1, 1998 after 32 years with the L.A. Dept. of Water & Power, he and Kathy decided to sell their house in Simi Valley and move North.
They had looked in several places over the years, but hadn't found that perfect place. Then, earlier last year they took a trip to Chico in Northern California and fell in love with it. They found that the weather was very similar to that of Southern California, the area was peaceful and the people very friendly.
On July 7 they put their house up for sale and two days later it was sold! Kathy and Jerry rushed up to Chico hoping to find a home, but were very disappointed to find that there was nothing that offered the RV access that they would need. Finally, on their last day there they found a great little subdivision with a house they would have to watch grow over the next four months.
What to do now? Where were they going to live in the meantime?
One of their big dreams was to buy a motorhome and travel.......the problem was solved! They ordered their motorhome to be picked up on August 21.
The Excellent Adventure begins.........
On Friday, August 21 Jerry and Kathy got into their cars, literally jammed packed full of everything they would need for the next three months of motorhome living, with boat in tow, and headed out on their adventure. Two days earlier the movers had packed up and left with all the household belongings that would be stored in Chico until their house was finished.
When they arrived at Dan Gamel RV Center in Chico to pick up their motorhome it was late and they were exhausted. Much to their relief the manager asked them to stay overnight on the premises and hooked them up to electricity and water and locked them inside the gates, with a key to the lock just in case they needed to go somewhere.
This was the view from their front door!
On Sunday, Sept. 6, relatives arrived from North and South under the guise of "checking out" where we lived. In reality they were being sneaky and thought that Kathy wouldn't be smart enough to figure out that they wanted to celebrate her 50th birthday!!
Kathy Celebrates Her 50th Birthday On The River!
Time passed quickly on the river and RV life was better than they thought it would be. As the date of completion on their home neared though, they became more and more anxious to settle into a regular routine again. Finally, on the day before Thanksgiving they were given the OK to move into their new house.
The Thigpen home is always open to family and friends.......
That goes for the Summer house too......
For information about Chico and Butte County click on the links below.