"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood... And sorry I could not travel both. I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference." --Robert Frost

Sunday, July 5, 2015

One Year on the Road Anniversary

One Year Anniversary!


One year of living and working on the road while Full-time RVing has come and gone.  Boy did it go fast!  We started out leaving Placerville 6/28/14 while a wildfire was going on very close to home and we finished our first year with yet another wildfire!

   
                                            Placerville, CA                           Hope Valley, CA

We went across the northern part of the country and spent a month in Upstate NY visiting friends where we used to live.  We hit Fall just right in the Northeast in September and it continued as we drove down the Eastern Coast.  We visited Steve's family in Virginia, celebrated Thanksgiving in South Carolina and headed to Florida where we spent our first Christmas in the Keys.
   

                            October                         Thanksgiving in SC            Christmas in the Keys

The next few months we drove across the far south along the coast.  April found us staying with Steve's Dad in Arizona then we arrived back in Placerville, CA to wrap up our first year.  There were weddings, a graduation and friends and family to visit!

  
Jan - New Orleans, LA              Feb - San Antonio, TX                    Mar - City of Rocks, NM
  
     Apr - Superstition Mountains, AZ        May - Ramah, NM                  Jun - Hope Valley, CA

I was going to put together all kinds of graphs and info.  But it seemed overwhelming.  So I'll try to summarize.  This info is just for the last 6 months (Dec - Jun).

5,622 miles driven (just campground to campground, not sightseeing or personal)
28 stops (at campgrounds)
Shortest stay: overnight at Walmart or boondocking spot
Longest stay:  2 months moochdocking at my brothers
Avg Stay:  1 week
State Parks: 10
Boondocking: 5
Moochdocking: 2
Private Parks: 6
Other:  5

Now these could be a little misleading as I'd say 75% of the time we are in State Parks.  Our moochdocking was 2 months out of the last 6 months at my brothers as well as a week at a friends in TX.

Our boondocking was typically 5 days at a time.  Private Parks were usually overnighters, getting our rig fixed and the month we spent at Steve's Dad's in AZ.  We rarely stay at private parks.

Other could be a BLM, Forest Service Land, County Park, Rest Stop or a hotel.

Some favorite campgrounds of the last 6 months:  Knights Key, FL (private), Palmetto Island, LA (state)City of Rocks, NM (state), Lost Dutchman, AZ (state) and Scotts Lake Area, CA (boondock).

Any we hated?  Nope.

Food.  Best:  Royal Red Shrimp (Emerald Gulf, FL & AL), Crayfish, Frog legs, Oysters, Boudin Balls, and all other Cajun in LA, BBQ in TX and Mexican in New Mexico and Mexico.

  
         Royal Red Shrimp, FL/AL               Cajun Food, LA                          Oysters, LA & FL

  
                Boudin Balls, LA                             BBQ, TX                    Mexican Food, NM & Mexico

Most people wonder if we get sick of each other or lonely for friends.  Nope.  As a matter of fact, I'd say, surprisingly, we probably spent 30% of the time with friends.  Meeting up with family, friends in other states and RV friends is one of the best parts of this lifestyle!  And we do love when it's just the two of us!

Any problems?: Roof work (warranty) that was more of an inconvenience than a problem (hence the hotel stay), getting stuck in very deep mud and an intermittent trailer brake problem.  I swear, any RV repair works takes triple the time they estimate for it!

Working on the road.  How'd that go you ask?  Remarkably well.  After I find a place we really want to go, I check the Technomadia App, Coverage?.  It's worked 100% of the time for us.  And we prefer to be out in the boonies than near big cities or towns.

For the most part, the winter weather was great.  Colder than we thought in most of Florida and Alabama.  Dodged a couple of snow storms, both times in New Mexico in March and April.  Between December and June, the only really hot days were our last couple of weeks in Placerville, CA (90s).  Otherwise, it was mostly 60s and 70s.  Even April in Arizona.  They said it was cooler than normal and stayed mostly in the 70s.  Perfect for us!

Mods/Gadgets on the Rig:
Bigger tires, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Portable Solar Panels, 50 gal Collapsible Water Storage System , Sleep Number Bed, Screen Door Grab Bar, Slide Toppers, Area Rug, Ottoman, Bike Rack, Kayak Rack, LED Light in Closet/Washer-Dryer Space (we don't have a W/D, just big closet).

What's next up for the rest of 2015?
Some time with friends in Tetons & Yellowstone.  A first for the both of us, Glacier National Park where we'll be spending 3 weeks with RV Friends.  Time in Utah, some parks we've visited before, some new ones, In-Law time in Arizona then back to Placerville, CA for Thanksgiving through New Years.

How about a peek of 2016?
Winter (Jan - Mar) boondocking throughout Arizona with RV friends and most of the rest of the Spring/Summer/Fall just in Colorado.  How's that for slowing things down?!  Then holidays back in California.

We look forward to a second year filled with more adventure!  I'll close with one of my favorite poems that really sums up my life and our time on the road.  By Robert Frost.

The Road Not Taken
 
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

 And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
 

18 comments:

  1. Happy anniversary, Debbie and Steve! It really does seem like yesterday when we were all in Goshen.

    We have a large group at the park right now that is from Louisiana. One of them said "we take our food seriously", and I thought back to your NOLA posts when he said it. I believe him! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Oh that was some good food! Abbeville was our favorite!

      Delete
  2. An exciting wonderful year on the road. Good summary. And so much to look forward to. Keep on having fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sandie, hopefully we'll cross paths again somewhere along the way and this time I'll get to see those little cuties (doggies)!

      Delete
  3. Congratulations on your anniversary. So happy we were able to share some time with you and Steve during your first year and ours. Thank you for the tips, information and friendship. Looking forward to seeing you this winter in AZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, we are looking forward to spending time with you guys again in March! Hello to Glenda!

      Delete
  4. Congratulations on your first year. Sure goes fast. I'M sure you will enjoy the next one just as much. See ya down the road.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Allen. Maybe we'll see ya down in Q?

      Delete
  5. Congrats to you and Steve on your first year! Looks like you filled it with great experiences - and some awesome food :-) Here's to many more on the road.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jodee! It is amazing how far we've come in just this one year. Seemed so unknown at first, now it's so normal :-) I hope we'll see you in Quartzite in January.

      Delete
  6. Congrats on your first year, and a nice post summarizing it. Good Luck on your future travels.

    PS - We will be in Apache Junction Dec-April

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. We look forward to meeting you then in March while we're in AJ! We'll be at Canyon Vistas. Where will you be?

      Delete
  7. It looks like it was a fun year. The next will be just as fun I am sure.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congrats on the one year. Mine was not that long ago.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy Anniversary. We are so grateful to have seen you twice in your first year and anxiously looking forward to our third visit. Deb I admire your adventuresome sprint, fearlessness, boundless energy, and fantastic organizational skills. Steve I admire you sense of humor, your kindness, and your ability to go with the flow. You are a terrific couple and we are so happy to have met you.

    Much Love Trace and Lee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, blush, THANK YOU TRACE! You two are the best and were so happy to be part of the Class of 2014 that includes some pretty awesome people! See you two in Glacier!

      Delete

I’d love to hear from you! It’s more fun when you leave a comment!