Steve and Diane Owens

Steve and Diane Owens are retired and were happy nomads on the American highways for the past 12 years. They traveled in a Class A motor coach, Steve writes about their experiences and Diane photographs their sights. Since retiring, the couple has been to all 50 states and most of the Canadian provinces without an agenda or schedule. Contact Steve and Diane at ourownsweetime@gmail.com.

Articles by Steve and Diane Owens

• Retracing reminiscences from the Blue Ridge Mountains

  Monday, March 16, 2020

  Within the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, we found the Peaks of Otter to be a charming escape from the anxieties and fears of today's world. These mountains provide quiet sanctuary, and there’s no shortage of interesting trivia. Its name comes from the Cherokee word "Otari," meaning "high places," and perhaps from otters downriver. Early settlers included Polly Wood, a widow who opened the area’s first inn in 1834 within her log cabin home where settlers could stay the night and get a meal.

• Beneath the Arizona skies: A Colorado River road trip

  Monday, February 24, 2020

  It was a gray morning as we left Sierra Vista and the headed north up the San Pedro Valley. The sun was just beginning to rise above the Dragoon Mountains, casting a warm glow on our SUV. Interstate 10 this Sunday morning was light of traffic all the way to Interstate 8. We are not fond of I-10 north of Tucson, a hazardous three-lane highway in many places, with most people driving like crazy fools. This morning, the fools are still sleeping and we feel safe.

• Chiricahua National Monument: The land of standing rocks

  Monday, October 14, 2019

  It was a beautiful morning, so Diane suggested we take a day trip to the Chiricahua National Forest about 90 miles to our east. The forest includes a National Monument, with the greater part a wilderness untouched since the early 1400s, when the Chiricahua Apaches made it their home. This beautiful land was all Apache land. They never owned it, just lived upon it without causing damage. One of the four main tribes, the Chokonen, lived in and around the National Monument.

• The loneliest road in America

  Monday, September 23, 2019

  After many years, we are heading back to California for a visit. Our destination is the east side of the Sierra Nevadas: Tahoe, Mono Lake, Yosemite, and Stanislaus Forest. But first we must cross the vast desert land called Nevada. We have selected the "Loneliest Road in America" — Highway 50 — as our travel companion, a distance of about 600 miles from Provo, Utah, to the California border below Carson City. U.S. 50 is an incredible road, and a driver should be prepared for long distances between towns, high mountain passes, and winding narrow roads with many hairpin turns and no shoulders or guardrails.

• New Hampshire’s North Woods provide rare relaxation

  Monday, August 12, 2019

  The North Woods area of New Hampshire is such a distinctively relaxing American region. It reminded us of our travels through British Columbia. At the Moose River RV Park in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont, locals told us to be extra careful driving on New Hampshire Highway 3. "Be very watchful of moose on the highway," they said. The countryside with the meadows and wetlands is ideal for moose yet the only animal we saw was a squirrel crossing the road. Hardly a cause for an accident!

• An adventure on Arizona’s amazing Apache Trail

  Monday, July 15, 2019

  We love the rugged, wild and untamed country of Arizona. People talk of visiting foreign lands, and I agree that such trips are thrilling. As a young lad in the Navy I visited many a foreign port, trips to countless far-off cities and hamlets, the isles of the Caribbean, and even the ice fields of the Arctic. It was a wonderful time but it was nothing compared to the magnificent beauty of my own country. Today, we will pass along the Apache Trail. In the early 1800s, various Apache tribes used it while moving to the cool forest of the Sitgreaves. In later years, the trail was a stagecoach route through the Superstition Mountains and Four Peaks Wilderness Areas.

• Cochise County: A beautiful little corner of Arizona

  Friday, May 24, 2019

  It's a beautiful morning in the San Pedro Valley as I sit on my patio and gaze out among the desert landscape. Patches of sunlight brighten the shaded areas of the cacti. Arizona is a beautiful and diverse state. Where we live in Cochise County, the desert is in full bloom of marvelous colors. Following the trail along the San Pedro River, we admire the tall, green cottonwoods and the cool, mossy riverbank where we stop from time to time among the flowering cacti and mesquite to take in a deep breath of clean-scented air.

• A trip to Grand Teton National Park provides majestic views

  Monday, May 13, 2019

  Our first trip to Grand Teton National Park was in April 1967 when our son was just a babe. We have many fine memories of our various visits to this land. Each time we are close we anxiously look forward to a return. This was no exception. Once you leave Dubois, Wyoming, and follow the Wind River into the mountain country, the terrain uplifts into higher and higher peaks with a combination of interesting rock formations and a forest of evergreen pine and grassy meadows.

• A journey on the Blue Ridge Parkway: Part 2

  Monday, April 15, 2019

  ​After leaving Mount Airy, we drove to Pilot Mountain, a rugged mountain rock with walls rising 1,400 feet above the valley floor. To the native Saura Indians, the mountain was known as "Jomeokee," the Great Guide, or "Pilot." The mountain is noteworthy as it provided a guide to Native Americans and early European hunters in the area. Returning to the Parkway at Fancy Gap, we proceeded south into the rural heart of North Carolina. At MP 213, we arrived at the Blue Ridge Music Center, where from May through October visitors can enjoy the sounds of the time-honored South.

• A journey on the Blue Ridge Parkway

  Monday, April 01, 2019

  The Blue Ridge Parkway is a captivating roadway that continues for 469 miles into North Carolina and beyond. It is a byway into the heart of the Appalachian Mountains and a narrow, meandering ridge road of stunning scenic sights, impressive historic points of interest and exploration adventures. Soaring to the crest of the Appalachians, the drive provides vista after vista of misty mountains once explored by Daniel Boone. It is not a road to travel quickly; it is a highway of relaxation, leisure and a getaway from the stress and anxiety of our world today.

• Virginia’s picturesque Skyline Drive is for lovers

  Monday, March 18, 2019

  Is it true when people say, "Virginia is for Lovers"? Perhaps! I believe Virginia is for anyone who admires natural beauty with rolling hills, sandy seashores and majestic mountains. It is a land that possesses hospitable colonial charm in an age that has "gone with the wind." It is a land where people appreciate the memoirs of great men who formed our republic. Old Virginia is rich in the annals of America’s most turbulent years.

• An April snow in the Black Hills

  Monday, February 18, 2019

  Diane and I first visited Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota with our young son on a cross-country trip in the summer of 1967. Much has changed and much has remained the same. Since that trip, we have returned several times since retiring. It’s such a wild, wonderful countryside that keeps drawing us back. We arrived at the Game Lodge Campgrounds in the Black Hills on a Thursday afternoon. It was a beautiful warm spring day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the trees were showing a bit of green. It’s amazing how quickly conditions change, because in the morning we awoke to a winter wonderland. It snowed all night and morning, leaving at least 4 inches of snow covering my vehicle.

• Embracing my life of being a scamp

  Monday, January 14, 2019

  It is a 900-mile drive to Sierra Vista, Arizona, from Morrison, Colorado. During the trip I had ample time to think about various issues running through my head. I have been influenced by many people, much of what I have read, and particularly my nomadic lifestyle. All my life I have traveled, even in my former occupations. I love to travel; I am a vagabond, a wanderer, a rolling stone. I am a scamp, born under a wandering star, and I don’t know if I will ever stop!

• A grand return

  Monday, December 03, 2018

  I can’t remember when the idea of extensive travel flashed through my mind. Perhaps when I was a young man and I took my first great road trip across this magnificent country. Somewhere along the way a seed was planted. Perhaps it was crossing the great American plains, or hiking in the magnificent Rocky Mountains, or just relaxing with a cold beer in the desert with my uncle in Arizona. Whatever the case, that seed took hold and years later germinated, grew and finally blossomed. In retirement, my wife, Diane, and I were not ready to sit on our porch for years.

• Autumn’s chill signals the RV winter migration

  Monday, October 17, 2016

  I'm writing this today on the first day of autumn — our favorite season of the year. The night breeze is cool, allowing windows to be open and sleep to come easy. The days are getting shorter here in South Dakota, and it's dark when I arise. In the early morning hours, a blanket is necessary and snuggling is wanting.

• O Canada: Swimming with the sharks

  Monday, July 25, 2016

  Whitehorse is typically Yukon; it started as an old frontier town on the historic Yukon River, the recreational and cultural oasis of the north woods. In the 1890s, Klondike stampeders landed here to dry out and repack their supplies on the way to the gold fields.

• O Canada: Yukon’s South Klondike Highway

  Monday, June 06, 2016

  With each setback, there are opportunities. While we waited for parts to repair our coach, we took advantage of the time to visit a favorite town on the Alaskan coast. We left Whitehorse for Skagway right after breakfast. We traveled the South Klondike Highway following the Watson River, one of the many tributaries of the famed Yukon River.

• O Canada: Repairs in Whitehorse

  Monday, May 23, 2016

  What a gal, my Diane! After our breakdown and short-term crisis, we were unable to tow our vehicle. Diane slid behind the wheel, put a CD in the player and was ready to drive Jeep the 300 miles or so to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory.

• O Canada: Trouble on the road

  Tuesday, May 03, 2016

  ​Several days into our trip up the Alcan, it's been a hell of a journey by anyone's standards — surely not a Sunday drive "down the shore." Most of the folks we met along the way were retired road nomads; the first vanguard of the pilgrimage north to the "Last Frontier." A few weeks later, younger folks on extended vacations would begin arriving on their way to fun spots in the Yukon or Alaska. They come with their families, trailers and SUVs loaded down with children, dogs, toys, camping gear, kayaks on the roof, and of course bicycles strapped to the back bumper.

• O Canada: Relaxing in the wilderness

  Monday, April 18, 2016

  ​Leaving Fort Nelson after the first leg of our journey, the Alaska Highway (known as the Alcan) veers west and twists and turns through the northern Canadian Rockies for the next 200 miles toward Steamboat. The landscape is densely forested with many magnificent vistas, where mighty rivers run rapid and disappear into the wilderness.

• O Canada: What to expect on your RV trip to Alaska

  Monday, March 28, 2016

  As many RVers are beginning to plan their summer travels, I'd like to suggest a trip through Canada to Alaska. It's a terrific adventure with beautiful scenery and nature. We made this journey several years ago, and here are some of the things we learned along the way.

• Enjoying the fruits of our labor in the Finger Lakes region

  Monday, March 07, 2016

  With our vehicle problems finally behind us, Diane and I were ready to get back to our retirement plans and having fun. Before leaving on this trip, I recall my grandson was telling me it wasn't fair that he had to go to school while I was traveling around the country. I told him, "It's your job to go to school and get a good education, and it's my job to travel and have fun. Somebody has to do it!" It didn't seem to go over well.

• A wonderful wake-up call in sleepy Seneca Falls

  Monday, February 01, 2016

  After driving the Jeep in New York's Finger Lakes region, I knew something was definitely wrong. There's nothing like a morning problem to make your day. As a teenager living nearby, I was always impressed with Cayuga Lake and the surrounding countryside. It is really delightful. If you're looking for a vacation spot, perhaps you should consider Cayuga State Park. Even with my vehicle problems, I am delighted to be back for a visit.

• A crunching sound marked our first big RV mistake

  Monday, January 11, 2016

  Knowing a desperate man was running loose — a man who had escaped from prison and had killed another — kept me awake most of the night. When the sun rose, we were already up and about. Although it put a damper on our stay at Willow Bay in Pennsylvania, we were excited to continue our trip. So around the same curve, we came right back into the police roadblock.

• 2 nights of caution provide a lesson

  Monday, December 07, 2015

  In Clarion, Pennsylvania, we found a Comfort Inn. This was "Bathtub Night." The next morning after breakfast, we proceeded north on Pa. 66 into some beautiful mountain country leading through the Allegheny National Forest. At Kane, a small country town, we connected with Pa. 321 on our way to Willow Bay Campgrounds. As we soon discovered through two examples, living the RV life can present a certain amount of danger.

• Hiking in the Black Forest of Pennsylvania

  Monday, November 23, 2015

  Pennsylvania is a beautiful state after you leave Philadelphia and its surrounding communities. Once you reach the farming communities, it's delightful — especially in autumn when the harvest has begun.

• Chasing the colors of autumn in our RV

  Monday, November 09, 2015

  It has always been our desire to chase the changing autumn foliage south from the North Woods of Maine to the Outer Banks beaches in North Carolina. Today, I thought, we begin. We are really going to do it! It was a beautiful morning when we left Indian Branch to begin our maiden run. But first we needed to fill the gas tank. I stood watching the little cost calculator on the pump spinning like a Las Vegas one-armed bandit passing $100 and quickly heading for $120, then $150.

• A new beginning: Why the full-time RV life is worth it

  Tuesday, October 27, 2015

  Diane and I have been on the road for nine unbelievable and incredible fun years. We have traveled more than 100,000 miles, visited every state in our union as well as many Canadian provinces. Yet we remember our first days as if they happened just yesterday — time has a way of passing so quickly.

• Getting organized in our new motor home

  Tuesday, September 22, 2015

  After a harrowing start to the first trip in our new motor home, we spent the night at Indian Branch RV Park, near Folsom, New Jersey. I appreciated the fact the owner provided a "pull through" site rather than one requiring I back into it. I just didn't feel up to the task. It was a rather stressful day, not a day we expected.

• A frightening first trip in our new motor home

  Tuesday, August 11, 2015

  Driving our new RV for the first time, I was as tense as a stretched rubber band. Highway congestion ahead? Fantastic! For once in my life, I was happy to see a traffic jam. Vehicles approaching the Delaware River Bridge were merging into one lane and fighting for a place in line. The gods were smiling on me; slow was what I wanted at that moment.

• The story of our 1st day in the motor home

  Monday, July 27, 2015

  The phone rang, and our coach was ready for delivery. It was Aug. 4, 2006, the day we took possession of our motor home. We were so excited; like kids in a candy store. The dealership asked us to be early. When we arrived, they gave us two huge instruction books. One pertained to the chassis, and the other to all the appliances and bells and whistles inside the coach. It was only the beginning of a draining, but rewarding, day.

• Homeless and ready to hit the road

  Tuesday, July 14, 2015

  Homeless! Diane and I are homeless. Our stick house is gone forever, and with it we acquired a new degree of independence. We have freedom to travel without an agenda, deadline or schedule.

• The comfort and freedom of retiring to a motor home

  Tuesday, June 23, 2015

  Americans cram so much into their lives that they tend to schedule headaches. If you are not multitasking, something must be wrong. Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. I can tell you from experience, days will seem shorter and promises longer. Then, one morning you wake and all you have to show for your life is a litany of "I’m going to do that someday." Diane and I learned years ago life is too short; it’s not a race. In our motor home, we have learned to slow down.

• Making the choice: Finding the right RV

  Monday, June 01, 2015

  Diane and I stood in our driveway and watched as a stranger rode away with our Honda Gold Wing. It broke our heart. Our motorcycle was a great source of enjoyment and freedom for 14 years. We met friendly and interesting people on our rides, so selling "Free Spirit" was another trying decision in our quest to travel the country full-time in an RV. In its place, we purchased a 4-by-4 Jeep capable of off-road fun.

• Why we decided to travel North America in an RV

  Tuesday, May 12, 2015

  ​I was born under a wandering star. The excitement of travel has always been a part of my being. I left college after my second year; I was bored. I had this unrelenting urge. I kept wondering what was over that hill and beyond that river. I wanted to meet and talk with people from unfamiliar places, to appreciate other people's way of life, and to visit far-away cities and towns.

• Living life on ‘our own sweet time’

  Tuesday, April 28, 2015

  ​I can't remember when the idea first flashed through my mind. Perhaps the seed was planted when I was a young man and took my first great road trip across this magnificent country. It took years for the seed to germinate, but somewhere along the way it grew and finally bloomed.

• Surviving the first year of RV full-timing

  Tuesday, April 14, 2015

  Over the years, people have asked us, "What is it like living every day in a motorhome?" I usually reply, "Just like living in a stick house with wheels." My wife, Diane, and I are accustomed to the full-time RV lifestyle now, but it did take some time to adjust. The first year of travel had its moments — starting with the decision to sell our house and hit the road.