By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

After traveling more than 6,000 miles, Norm Fox was greeted with open arms when he arrived at Henry Ford Village this past April—one stop of many on his six-week cross-country trip from his home at Wind Crest, in Highlands Ranch, Colo.

Since Wind Crest is part of the Erickson family of retirement communities, Fox decided to visit each of the other 19 sister communities throughout the U.S., including Henry Ford Village.

“I decided to take a road trip to visit family and friends in Texas, Florida, upstate New York, Washington, and West Virginia,” Fox says. “When I  realized the trip would take me to neighboring Erickson campuses, I decided to stop at each one.”

Like coming home
While at Henry Ford Village he appeared on “Larry Live,” a show on the community’s self-run cable TV station hosted by Executive Director Larry Vidovic. Fox also toured the campus, visited the historic Henry Ford Birthplace Park, and  ate lunch at the Great Lakes Restaurant.

“I’ve eaten at all the Erickson communities now. They were all very good,” Fox says. After dinner each night during his trip, Fox faithfully sent updates via e-mail to his ever-growing fan club. “At the beginning of the trip, I promised about five people back home that I would send them e-mails to keep them posted,” Fox says. “Eventually my list grew to 30. It was overwhelming but good fun.”

He says his neighbors at Wind Crest are still talking about his six-week road trip.

8,000 miles and counting
Fox, who traveled often while he worked as an aerospace engineer for Martin Marietta in Colorado, says he still loves to be on the move. He’s accumulated more than 45 years of experience camping and driving an RV.

Altogether Fox drove 8,415 miles in his 2003 blue Ford Explorer by the time he arrived back in Colorado. “Probably 1,000 of those miles was me being lost,” Fox says with a chuckle. “My late wife Sandy was always the navigator,” he says.