[string music begins, a single contemplative note] [birds chirp] [soft piano notes] Jo Lynn Decker always imagined she’d see
the world after she retired. But at 60, her husband had already convinced
her they were too old and sickly to travel. So she sat, trapped in an apartment in Post
Falls, Idaho, dreaming of America. Then, she discovered a man on YouTube named
Bob Wells… [Bob] Hi, folks! I love my life. You can have it, too. Bob travels across the country, living out
of his van and making videos about how to do it on a budget. Jo Lynn started watching his videos religiously. [Bob] This time could be the perfect opportunity
for you. Not just living for things and for money and
for the golden years, which are never going to come. What I’m trying to do is offer you hope. Bob has inspired countless senior citizens
to move into their vehicles. When he announced he was donating a converted
minivan to someone in need of a home, Jo Lynn applied… and won. She left everything behind, including her
husband, and flew to southern Oregon to start a radical new chapter in her life. [Nomad] This is Jo Lynn. Jo Lynn, here’s Bob. Hi! Hi! I’ve been hearing all about you. Oh, thank you so much. You have done so much for my life. Welcome home. Oh wow! Oh my gosh. Look at this. This is all mine. Yes. It’s mine. It is all yours. I had given up. I had given up and I just was asking God to
take me home. I didn’t want to live anymore. I knew there were good people out there. It’s just I’d never seen very many of
them. Pinch me. Pinch me. Thank you. The women of my age, we were brought up to
get married, have the children, have the house, and do what our husbands say. I think this is the first time I’ve really,
truly felt free. [honks horn] [laughs] [Nomad] This is Jo Lynn. She’s an NNN, our newest newbie nomad. We’re so happy to have you with us. Jo Lynn joined a caravan of senior nomads
who were camping in the forest. This isn’t luxury camping. There’s no plumbing. They call it boondocking, and it’s a lifestyle
that takes some getting used to. [Jo Lynn] My vegetables and my oranges. Oh, look at all this space. Caravans are ideal places for newbie nomads
like Jo Lynn to learn the ropes. For about two weeks, my partner and I camped
alongside the caravan. Almost all of the nomads we met were solo
travelers. Many of them women, dusting themselves off
from divorce or the loss of a spouse. [Jo Lynn] We’re toasting to happy trails,
boondocking, nomading, and being old. Awesome. OK! Thank you. You bet. [Jo Lynn] There’s a light switch in there? There should be a light switch somewhere. OK. OK [whispers] What am I going to do? [sigh of exhaustion] Hey, you know, we thought, we have some time
to share with one another. We thought it might be a nice idea if we could
share some stories about ourselves. But not too long. [honks clown horn] We’re all misfits, right? It’s like the island of broken toys here. All of you that are new are going to find
out, it's a big world out there, and your imagination is your best ally. [Jo Lynn] I was looking out my window at 3 o'clock this
morning when I happened to wake up, and it was a little cool. And I actually got where I could see a big
part of the sky, and I actually got to point out to myself the big dipper and the little
dipper. And they were so… and falling stars! [Nomad] And you saw a falling star? Yeah. [Nomad] Yes! [adventurous Western music] When temperatures dropped, the nomads moved
south to Nevada, migrating like snowbirds. Good morning, God. Thank you for another day. [Jo Lynn] It’s a lot harder out here than I thought
it would be. It takes a lot more energy, a lot more courage
than I ever thought it would. Growing up, after I got into foster homes,
being told all my life that you aren’t worth anything. You’re stupid. You’re an idiot. These words were ingrained in me. And I came to believe them. I came to believe I’m just a piece of trash on the ground. [fire crackles] [background conversation about gear] [Nomad] Do you run your furnace? Yes, I run my furnace. But the furnace uses the propane. Right, but it still has a fan. But it still has, right. And that runs it perfectly. [Little girl] I have a riddle. [Jo Lynn] What’s your riddle? What’s in front of you, but you can’t
see it? Air!
[laughs] No! Not air. [Nomad] OK, I want the question. I wasn’t paying attention. What’s in front of you, but you can’t
see it? OK, I give up. So what’s the answer? The answer is, the future. Oh! [laughter] [Woman's voice] Hey, Jo Lynn, I got this, too. For, like, your dash and stuff. [Jo Lynn] Oh, OK. Thank you. After three months on the road, Jo Lynn realized she wasn’t ready for life as a nomad — not yet. She drove east to Kansas City to be near family. [Radio ad] What are you going to do with that
vehicle you no longer need? You can donate it to Family Life Radio. [Jo Lynn] Think I still have dust in here from the desert. She couldn’t afford an apartment on her
modest disability income, so she moved in with Doreane, a family friend who is also
recently divorced. [Jo Lynn] I’m gonna take a break, Doreane. You go right ahead, hun. OK, I gotta sit down for a bit. About a year ago, Doreane was diagnosed with
a fatal lung disease and was given only two weeks to live. But she keeps defying the odds. She’ll qualify for a lung transplant if
she can build up her strength. [Physical therapist in video conference] In. Jo, is this number five? [Laughs] I’m not counting. Jo Lynn is getting stronger, too. [Therapist] Try to relax those shoulders. Like you’re trying to give yourself a double
chin. [Doreane] You mean I don’t already have one? [Jo Lynn] I don’t need to try. [Jo Lynn] I just want to be the best friend
and sister to Doreane. Being there for when she’s sick. Being there for when she's going through her
surgeries. [Jo Lynn] Yeah, I’m not ready for a relationship,
either. [Doreane] I will never get married again. No. Me neither. [Doreane]I had two horrible marriages. Every time I got sick, they’d go and leave. But I want to go traveling again. I’ve never been to California. Been to Vegas. You know one thing that I’d really like
to do? What? Jump out of an airplane. [Doreane] I would love to do that, but my body couldn’t do it no more. Aww. Well, you could go and watch me. I will. [Jo Lynn laughs] I’m a little old for that anyway in my opinion. And I’d love to watch you jump out of it. [adventurous Western music] [Jo Lynn] Once Doreane gets her new lungs,
we’re going to start traveling. Sort of like Thelma and Louise on the road [laughs]. [open road music and the sound of wind in the trees]
