When Bob Baldwin of Longview retired in 1994, he and his wife enrolled in a sailing trip to the San Juan Islands aboard a 150-foot schooner with Road Scholar, a “university of the world” inspiring adults to learn, discover and travel.
After his wife suddenly became ill and passed away within a year, Bob was ready to cancel the trip, but he decided to go anyway.
That trip changed his life.
Bob hadn’t done much traveling before he retired, and he said that his experiences with Road Scholar “really opened the world” to him.
Since his sailing program in Puget Sound, he has hiked the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska and cycled all around Europe. He has explored Greece, the Netherlands and beyond with the organization Grandparent Adventures. These adventures have included his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
This August, Bob will celebrate his 91st birthday while on his 50thRoad Scholar program to Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks.
Bob’s granddaughter Katie Morris can attest to the adventures she’s had with her grandfather.
“He is a remarkable man,” says Katie. “He loves to travel and learn. My grandpa always looks at programs to get his grandkids and now great-grandkids involved in.”
Bob Baldwin worked as a forester for Weyerhaeuser. “He experienced the Mount St. Helens eruption,” reports Katie. “He was also part of the recovery and replanting efforts. As you drive up toward the mountain, he planted many of those trees!” she exclaimed. In addition to his trips with Road Scholar and Grandparents Adventures, Bob has volunteered extensively at the Mount St. Helens, ever since his retirement from Weyerhaeuser.
Bob says he can’t wait to get back on the road again after the isolation of the COVID quarantine.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting new people from all over. The whole experience is something to look forward to. Not just sitting at home and doing the same mundane things. I like to be challenged, get out and see things.”
Bob’s story really shows us all that you’re never too old to learn and explore the world, even when you’re going on your own.
