Wow! I have so loved reading this thread. Thanks for sharing Morgan, and the rest of you. I can relate to health issues, though mine are quite different.
As a solo septuagenarian grandmother Downunder, I visit North America every year to see children and grandchildren. My E150 HiTop Conversion Van is my little home during those times and I spend a lot of time in between visiting family and friends travelling.
I have never felt 'unsafe' or had safety issues. I have a couple of times felt uncomfortable, and, as mentioned above, just moved on. Neither do I carry a weapon of any type. I keep my car keys by my bed figuring I will hit the 'panic' button if needed.
For me it is much more important to be able to get from my bed into the driver's seat and make a quick get away, if necessary.
On the whole, I agree, you are more likely to come to grief on the road than camping out in the boondocks. (Just as you are more likely to get killed on the way to the airport, than in a plane crash.)
Being confident, or at least looking confident is essential to show others you won't be messed with. This is the one thing I am finding harder and harder to do now that I can barely get around without my walking stick. Just as I feel more vulnerable using the mobility scooters provided in large supermarkets and department stores.
In 2012 I bought my van and lived in it for six months, including a trip to AK, YT and NWT. Three months after arriving home I missed my little home so much, that I bought a VW Transporter, which is in the process of being converted into a basic camper (no plumbing). Now I can hit the road and go camping in the summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
There is no affective treatment, nor a cure for the condition in my feet, so one day all this will come to an end. But until then I plan to make the most of life on the road, meeting new folk and seeing as much as I can of at least two continents.
Maybe I will see you on the road, somewhere, Morgan.
Lifey
