Tim Ray turns 80 this month and has lived his whole life in New Hampshire.

Currently he resides in Rumley, a small city about 115 miles northwest of Boston.

A few years ago, Ray and his wife drove a motorhome through the midwest and the southwest, then home.

"I was so glad to be back," says the former mechanical manufacturing plant employee who now works full time as a rest area attendant.

In frank, New Englander style, he adds: "It's just better."

What exactly makes the "Live Free or Die" state so great?

"The people are good. "And you have the mountains."

It's kind of cold, though, isn't it?

"You get used to that."

Summer is the best time of year, Ray says. He has fond memories of trips to the the Maine coast with his six children.