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'It really made us grow closer': Family buys RV, travels country amid pandemic

'It really made us grow closer': Family buys RV, travels country amid pandemic
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. REPORTER: YOU COULD SAY THE WINTERS FAMILY OF ANNAPOLIS IS LIVING AN ENVIOUS LIFE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC BEING SOCIALLY DISTANT AT SOME OF AMERICA’S MOST WIDE OPEN SPACES LIKE CRATER LAKE IN UTAH OR THE GRAND CANYON. AT THE START OF THE PANDEMIC THEY BOUGHT AN RV AND HEADED WEST. PATRICIA WINTERS TALKED WITH US FROM THE RV STATIONED AT A CAMPGROUND NEAR JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING. >> THE KIDS ARE ABSOLUTELY LOVING IT. THEY KEEP ASKING ME IF THEY CAN LIVE IN THE CAMPER. THEY WANT TO GO HOME TO SEE THEIR FRIENDS. THEY MISS THEIR FRIENDS AND OUR FAMILY OF COURSE, BUT THEY REALLY LOVE IT. REPORTER: THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF EXPLORING FOR PATRICIA AND HER HUSBAND, A SALESMAN WHO IS WORKING REMOTELY, AND THEIR KIDS , SOAKING IN THE VISTAS AT PLACES LIKE MT. RAINIER ADMIRING 1000-YEAR-OLD TREES AT THE REDWOOD FOREST SEEING OLD FAITHFUL, EVEN GETTING AN EDUCATIONAL LESSON AT A FORT WHERE LEWIS AND CLARK ONCE LIVED. >> THE EXPERIENCE OF SEEING ALL OF THESE NATIONAL PARKS HAS BEEN AMAZING. MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE NEVER SEEN MOST OF THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY. REPORTER: AND THEIR CLASSROOM VIEW COULDN’T BE MORE BEAUTIFUL. ZOOM SCHOOL AT PLACES LIKE THEIR WYOMING CAMPGROUND THAT’S NOT SO BAD EITHER. BECAUSE THEY ARE A FEW HOURS BEHIND IT MEANS GETTING UP EARLIER AND WIFI CAN BE SPOTTY TOO. THERE ARE EDUCATIONAL TRIPS LIKE GETTING SWORN IN AS RANGERS AT THE DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT IN UTAH. THE PLAN TO COME BACK TO ANNAPOLIS IS NOT SET IN STONE YET. >> WE DON’T HAVE A DATE YET. WE’RE KIND OF WAITING TO HEAR WHAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SAYS ABOUT WHEN THEY HAVE TO GO BACK TO IN-PERSON LEARNING. I TOTALLY RECOMMEND IT IF YOU CAN DO IT. IT’S AMAZING TO SEE THE COUNTRY. I FEEL FOR US, WE ARE BEING SAFE BECAUSE WE AREN’T INTERACTING WITH MANY PEOPLE. WE GO ON HIKING TRAILS. WE STAY IN OUR CAMPER. REPORTER: BUT THE BEST PART PATRICIA WINTERS SAYS IT’S THE FAMILY TIME. THEY’D NEVER GET AT HOME IN ANNAPOLIS. >> IT’S BEEN A REALLY AWESOME EXPERIENCE FOR OUR FAMILY. REALLY MADE US GROW CLOSER. MY KIDS ARE GETTING A LONG SO MUCH BETTER THAN THEY WOULD AT HOME. IT’S MIRACULOUS. REPORTER: DEPENDING ON HOW THE WEATHER SHAPES UP AND HOW MUCH LONGER VIRTUAL SCHOOL WILL BE AN OPTION THE WINTERS FAMILY SAYS THEY PLAN TO DO SOME SKIING OUT WEST AND THEN HEAD TO MO
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'It really made us grow closer': Family buys RV, travels country amid pandemic
A Maryland family who picked up and traveled across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic is having the time of their lives and isn't looking back. You could say the Winters family, of Annapolis, is living an envious life during the coronavirus pandemic, all while being socially distant at some of America's most wide-open spaces, like Crater Lake in Utah, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park.At the start of the pandemic, Patricia Winters and her husband, an IT salesman, bought an RV and headed west. Winters talked with sister station WBAL from the RV stationed at a campground near Jackson Hole, Wyoming."The kids are absolutely loving it," Winters said. "They keep asking me if they can live in the camper, like, 'Do we need to go home?' They want to go home to see their friends. They miss their friends and our family, of course, but they really love it."There has been much exploring for Winters, her husband and their three kids, Colby, 12, Logan, 10, and Gavin, 8. They are busy soaking in the vistas at places like Mount Rainier, and admiring the 1,000-year-old trees at the Redwood Forest. They've visited Old Faithful and even received an educational lesson at a fort where Lewis and Clark once lived. They've also been sworn is as rangers at the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. "The experience of seeing all of these national parks has been amazing. My husband and I have never seen most of this part of the country," Winters said.And their classroom view couldn't be more beautiful. Zoom school at places like their Wyoming campground isn't so bad either, with snow-capped mountains in the background that come to a point just like a newly sharpened pencil. Because the Winters family is a few hours behind, it means getting up earlier, and it also means afternoons are for exploring. And Wi-Fi can be spotty, too, so they've upgraded their cellphone data plans and added a hot spot when things get tricky.Winters is not sure when they plan to come back home. "We don't have a date yet. We're kind of waiting to hear what the school system says about when they have to go back to in-person learning," she said. "I totally recommend it if you can do it. It's amazing to see the country. I feel, for us, we are being safe because we aren't interacting with many people. We go on hiking trails and we stay in our camper."But Winters said the best part is the time is all of the family time, which they never get at home in Annapolis. "It has been a really awesome experience for our family. It really made us grow closer. My kids are getting along so much better than they would at home. It's miraculous," she said. Depending on how the weather shapes up and how much longer virtual school will be an option, Winters said they plan to do some skiing out west and then head to Mount Rushmore. If virtual school becomes an issue, she said there's always homeschooling.

A Maryland family who picked up and traveled across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic is having the time of their lives and isn't looking back.

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You could say the Winters family, of Annapolis, is living an envious life during the coronavirus pandemic, all while being socially distant at some of America's most wide-open spaces, like Crater Lake in Utah, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park.

At the start of the pandemic, Patricia Winters and her husband, an IT salesman, bought an RV and headed west. Winters talked with sister station WBAL from the RV stationed at a campground near Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

"The kids are absolutely loving it," Winters said. "They keep asking me if they can live in the camper, like, 'Do we need to go home?' They want to go home to see their friends. They miss their friends and our family, of course, but they really love it."

There has been much exploring for Winters, her husband and their three kids, Colby, 12, Logan, 10, and Gavin, 8. They are busy soaking in the vistas at places like Mount Rainier, and admiring the 1,000-year-old trees at the Redwood Forest. They've visited Old Faithful and even received an educational lesson at a fort where Lewis and Clark once lived. They've also been sworn is as rangers at the Dinosaur National Monument in Utah.

"The experience of seeing all of these national parks has been amazing. My husband and I have never seen most of this part of the country," Winters said.

And their classroom view couldn't be more beautiful. Zoom school at places like their Wyoming campground isn't so bad either, with snow-capped mountains in the background that come to a point just like a newly sharpened pencil.

Because the Winters family is a few hours behind, it means getting up earlier, and it also means afternoons are for exploring. And Wi-Fi can be spotty, too, so they've upgraded their cellphone data plans and added a hot spot when things get tricky.

Winters is not sure when they plan to come back home.

"We don't have a date yet. We're kind of waiting to hear what the school system says about when they have to go back to in-person learning," she said. "I totally recommend it if you can do it. It's amazing to see the country. I feel, for us, we are being safe because we aren't interacting with many people. We go on hiking trails and we stay in our camper."

But Winters said the best part is the time is all of the family time, which they never get at home in Annapolis.

"It has been a really awesome experience for our family. It really made us grow closer. My kids are getting along so much better than they would at home. It's miraculous," she said.

Depending on how the weather shapes up and how much longer virtual school will be an option, Winters said they plan to do some skiing out west and then head to Mount Rushmore. If virtual school becomes an issue, she said there's always homeschooling.