Our first year of living and traveling full time in our RV passed very quickly. We have learned a lot about this lifestyle (and ourselves) as we venture across the country in our home on wheels. With the arrival of 2020 this month, I thought it would be fun to look back at what we have accomplished during our inaugural year on the road.
Here is a quick recap of the year’s adventures, which I’ve divided into 4 main trips. If you are new to our blog (or maybe just missed a post) I’ve included links to the full posts for more detailed information.
Part 1: Sept 11- Oct 30, 2018
We left San Angelo with the goal of heading northeast to attend the Entegra University owner’s course at Middlebury Indiana, but we also found some great fun along the way. You can see from the map above that our travels took us from Texas to Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan before our stay in Indiana. Here are a few highlights of each stop, but you can click the blue link to see each full post with lots more detail and pictures.
San Antonio, Texas: Riverwalk, Tower of Americas, friends
Ponca, Arkansas: Ozark Mountains, zip lining, Grand Canyon of the Ozarks
Booneville, Missouri: Clydesdales VIP tour, biking the Katy Trail
Chicago, Illinois: The Bean, Jane & Jeff, city tour, deep dish pizza, Chicago 360
Hopkins, Michigan: Air Zoo, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, canoeing
Middlebury, Indiana: Entegra University, Entegra Factory, Amish bakeries, new friends
San Angelo, Texas: Family, friends
Part 2: Oct 30, 2018 - Jan 9, 2019
After spending a quick week at home, we headed west with the goal of attending our niece Sarah’s wedding in Albuquerque. We left San Angelo and stopped at Canyon, Texas, before heading to Santa Fe and Albuquerque. As you can see on the map above, we decided to make the return trip a little different by visiting Oklahoma City and then central Texas. Here are a few highlights of each stop, but you can click the blue link to see each full post with lots more detail and pictures.
Canyon, Texas: Bar-Z Winery, Palo Duro Canyon, Big Tex
Santa Fe, New Mexico: Mom & Manny, art, cathedrals, chocolate shops, miraculous stairway
Albuquerque, New Mexico: Sarah & KC’s wedding, Sandia Mountains, petroglyphs
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: OKC National Memorial, Bricktown, holiday lights
Central Texas: Magnolia Silos, Dr Pepper museum, caverns, Thanksgiving with Kim
San Angelo, Texas: Family, friends, Christmas, holiday parties
Part 3: Jan 9 - Jun 17, 2019
After spending the holidays at home, we ventured east toward Florida with the goal of attending the Tampa RV Show and then picking up our new coach in Atlanta. We had plans to see more of the southeast, but rainy and cold weather deterred us for a few months. As you can see from the map above, we did finally get to the Georgia and South Carolina coast before heading up to Tennessee to see my godparents. Here are a few highlights of each stop, but you can click the blue link to see each full post with lots more detail and pictures.
Our First RV Show: Entegra rally, new friends, so many RVs
Tampa, Florida: Brendan & Cheri, Strawberry Festival, kayaking, alligators
Orange City, Florida: biking, manatees, ice cream
Hardeeville, South Carolina: Hilton Head, Savannah, Bob & Dana, beaches
Atlanta, Georgia: Stone Mountain, new coach, World of Coke, Olympic Park
Wauchula, Florida: Stu & Sue, spring training, The Ringling, banyan trees, kayaking
Knoxville, Tennessee: John & Cindy, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Pidgeon Forge
San Angelo, Texas: Family, friends, Caitlyn’s graduation, birthdays
Part 4: Jun 17 - Dec 31, 2019
In June, I flew to a cousins reunion in North Carolina. Then we traveled to Dallas for some coach warranty work before heading up to Colorado. The goal of this trip was to head west to Nevada for a workamping job. As you can see from the map above, we planned our route to see many of the national parks in Colorado and Utah on the way. We also couldn’t miss a stop at the Grand Canyon. Here are a few highlights of each stop, but you can click the blue link to see each full post with lots more detail and pictures.
Nags Head, North Carolina: Cousins reunion, beaches, family, lighthouse
Pikes Peak Region of Colorado: Family, wolves, Cripple Creek, Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods
Western Slope of Colorado: Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Ouray
Utah’s Mighty Five: Arches, Hoodoos, white water kayaking, ATV trip, canyons
Arizona canyons: North Rim, South Rim, Antelope Canyon, kayaking, 1/2 marathon
Reno, Nevada: Workamping, new friends, snow, Steve & Joan
San Angelo, Texas: Christmas, family, friends, Sammie & Chloe
So that’s a summary of our first year (plus 3 months to even it out). Each trip had an original goal and then we just sort of planned stops around getting there. We stayed anywhere from 1 night to a month or more in different locations, based on why we were there. I think we have decided that a week is a good length of time if we are visiting one destination (park, city, etc), whereas a month is good if we want to explore a whole area (for example, surrounding towns/attractions 50 miles in each direction from a location). At least that’s what we think now after our 1 year of experience!
This review just covers our traveling adventures. Please make sure to check out my RV Life and Wellness pages from the main menu for other posts about our life on the road. Happy 2020 and may it bring many wonderful new adventures!
… And to think we knew you at the beginning of your Journey. Indeed we both just thought about how you guys are doing as we pulled into Jasper Lake RV Park two days ago in Hardeeville, SC (near Hilton Head). Good memories of sharing RV travels/ sites, campfires, golf, bowling, dining together! Happy Trails! (We’re going to explore southern shore of Lake Michigan and on up to Mackinac Island this Summer)
Oh we love our memories at Lake Jasper with you two! Yes, you were there at the start:) We hope you enjoy your time in South Carolina and your travels this summer. We will be in Indiana in May and are going on a 63 day caravan tour of Alaska in July and August. Hopefully we can meet up again one day!
Amazing first year Robin! But you need to come back to Tampa😄❤️
Thanks Cheri–it has been lots of fun. And we do plan on coming back to Florida in January 2021, so definitely want to see y’all again. When is Katie’s wedding?
What a fun filled and exciting year of travel! I have enjoyed your travel blog very much and look forward to more post about your future adventures ahead! 🙂
Thanks Sandi– we are happy you are following along with us!