Nearly ten months on the road in an RV, homeschooling our kids, taking roads less traveled to experience as much of this great land of ours as possible and we would do it all over again in a heart beat. The following contains some of the things we perhaps underestimated when planning our adventure.
The generosity of family, friends and strangers – Along the way we have been completely humbled by peoples generosity. Family, old friends, new friends, park rangers and complete strangers have generously given time, directions, local knowledge, a meal (or many), a place to park for the night (or several), taken care of our dog, provided once in a lifetime experiences and have just been generally nice. These moments are what has made our adventure so wonderful. They touch us deeply and fill our hearts with appreciation for each and every person we have the good fortune to encounter.
Peter, the owner of Crown Winery power washing the Tennessee mud off our vehicles after I got in a bit deep in his parking area. In his regal English accent said, “If you don’t get it off now, it’ll be stuck on there until June”. Since it was March I let him go to work. A memorable evening and early morning tour around his property, he continued to treat us as distinguished guests.
Cost of Camping – We established a nightly budget for campground accommodations based upon past experience, advice from a trusted source and internet research. Occasionally, however our budget gets completely blown. While State Parks are our preference and typically offer a lower nightly rate than private campgrounds they are not always located where you want to go. Most State Parks offer water and electric hook-ups and many also offer camp sites with no hook ups. Fewer amenities can mean a lower rate, but not always.
We found State Park campgrounds to range from eight dollars to seventy five dollars per night depending upon amenities and location. California seems to carry the highest State Park camping fees. We have camped for free in the yards of friends, family, the occasional church and Walmart parking lots. Although the free Walmart stay is usually accompanied by a grocery bill. Private parks range from twenty-five dollars on up depending upon location and amenities. The private RV parks that carry the “Resort” moniker are always carry a higher price. Thankfully we have had very few high priced nights. Excluding our time in the Florida Keys and thanks to many friends and family we have kept close to our nightly budget.
Exercise: I had planned on losing a couple pounds and staying fit. I might as well insert a huge laugh here, (HA, HA). Our routine at home consists of regular exercise. On the road we inconsistently hike, bike and paddle board. We always try to integrate hiking and biking into our explorations. We have found that an exercise routine takes a more diligent approach while traveling. So if you think it is hard fitting it in at home, when you get on the road it can be even more difficult. Never mind thinking you have all this spare time to get it done. There is school, travel days, camp set up and break down, sight seeing, visits to museums, historical sites and attractions. Visits with family and friends over great food. There always seems to be something going on not to mention the occasional injury. Exercise is something that must be prioritized. We love the days we are out and active.
Clothing: It crossed my mind we would be buying clothing while on the road. However with three growing kids it has been more than I expected. Truthfully I didn’t think about it at all. What? You need shirts, shoes, and socks? What do you mean you broke your flip flops? That jacket doesn’t fit? The wake up call was when all three kids needed shoes because they were worn out. We seem to have purchased the most clothing for our daughter who has sprouted up over the last eight months. The boys wear their clothes until they either don’t fit anymore or until they are too ratty with dirt and holes.
I tried to improvise where possible.
Propane – Cold weather, our daughters baking and daily cooking had us burning through more propane than expected. Propane also fuels our refrigerator when not hooked up to electricity. In cold weather if there’s no electrical hook ups to run our electric heater then we burn through more propane.
Pricing for propane varies based upon market fluctuation and where you purchase. Not always easy to find, we are thankful when we get a deal. While the expense for propane is not astronomical we had no clue how much we would be using until we were on the road for a while. It took a while to get to know our tank and how long we could go between fill ups.
Fire Wood – What is camping without campfires and Smores? Campfires provide a great time for family bonding and require… yes, you guessed it, wood. With the spread of destructive insects most states encourage you to buy local wood where you burn so you do not transport harmful pests. Some parks allow you to gather fallen wood to burn but we have found them to be far and few between.
As a result, at five bucks plus per bundle add in the cost of Smores, it’s an expense I never thought about when preparing for the trip. We became resourceful and asked the occasional construction site for scraps.
Medical Expenses – Yes, medical expenses. Our daughter has braces and we knew they may require some attention along the way. I never thought much about any of us getting hurt. We carry over priced and under covered medical insurance but there is a massive deductible. When one of our kids required x-rays, I immediately told them they would have to work off the expense.
All kidding aside it would have been prudent to earmark some cash for minor medical.
Toll roads – You mean I have to pay to drive on this poor excuse for a road? New York state reached deeper into our pockets than any other state. It seemed every time we hit a toll they wanted between eighteen and forty dollars, OUCH! Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida also required tolls but no one hit us like New York. This is another piece of the budget puzzle I missed.
How time flies – We have regularly stayed in touch with a few friends and family back home. Knowing life would go on while we were away, still didn’t prepare us for how fast time has gone by. We are conscious about being present every day to soak in our experiences which seems to veil the march of time. When we first discussed taking this trip we didn’t picture what it might look like six, seven, eight months in. Now that we have hit those benchmarks it doesn’t feel like we have been on the road that long. While the kids go through periodic bouts of homesickness no one is ready to head for home just yet. Our advice is to try and enjoy every minute, even the hard parts because you’ll be back in the rat race before you know it.
How many people think about doing this – You mean we are not the only ones? When we share what we are doing with people inevitably they respond with, “I always wanted to do that or I wish I could do that”, which makes us feel all the more grateful for seizing the opportunity and appreciative of all the people who generously open their homes, their hearts, their time, their help and are giving us the adventure of a lifetime.
And lastly, How much time I would be able to spend working on our blog – It’s Late June and I am posting about early March. I had no idea that living this adventure and the lack of available internet connection would stand in the way of keeping current. So if your following us, it’s just a bit behind.
Although we had never been here before it held an eerie familiarity. Come to find out this was the location for the Jim Carey movie, The Truman Show.
There are a half dozen Airstream trailers converted to food trucks on the opposite side behind the amphitheater.
The Haunted House looking so inviting.
Pushing thirteen hours of the happiest place on earth we stopped in the middle of the parade route to get one last shot.
While not expressly written, evidently weapon filled pinatas are on the list too. Kyra unimpressed with the list of “No’s”.
Even though we were only here for a couple of nights we settled in scoring the last available site.
The high water marker is a constant reminder of the potential dangers here.
So are the fearless raccoons. Whatever you do, don’t turn around.
As well as the carnivorous Osprey.
The do however allow beautiful sunsets.
The Manatees and Sharks are a popular attraction even mid week late in the day .
The stars of the inlet. Manatees migrate here in large numbers.
The best site in the park happened to be our friends. The site of good times.
It’s February and almost like a West Coast summer evening.
Trust your harness.
Mom displaying beautiful form. She had walked across the single cable only to realize you are supposed to swing by a rope into the cargo net. She came back to go at it like Tarzan.
Kyra crushing it hands free.
Did I mention alligators?
My early morning revealed a mysterious side of the park.
Our campsite deep in the Palmetto forest.
Is Irish Christmas in February? The campground host still waiting for Ol’ Saint Leprechaun.
This is the only place on the planet where alligators and crocodiles coexist. If you look at the everglades on Google earth you can zoom into the Flamingo Campground at the southwestern tip of mainland Florida. Despite the name Flamingo, there are none to be found, they have migrated elsewhere as their ideal ecosystem has changed. The area is wild and inhospitable to say the least. In fact there are signs posted claiming that during the summer months, the Everglades are inhospitable to humans. To say the mosquitos are abundant would be an understatement.
We experienced a “bearable” mosquito day and it was a challenge keeping them off. In fact the area in which we were camping is the area where the federal government and chemical companies alike come to test their mosquito repellents. We tried homeopathic remedies first but shortly resorted to DEET as it was the only thing to keep them at bay. The kids said one night in the Everglades would be enough and we agreed.
They were closing for the day so we headed across the parking lot to the Marina and discovered our first crocodile of the trip.
The kids were freaking out. It swam into a drainage culvert directly below our feet. We were three feet above him as he inched his way into the pipe. It was tempting to reach down and touch him. Our smarts and the threat of a five thousand dollar fine for feeding or harassing any animals in the park kept us from making any such attempt. The temperatures were mild but after one night and an attempt to take a walk, the mosquitos sent us packing.
South Florida with it’s alligators, panthers, anacondas and all it’s other wild creatures is a must visit. Take DEET.
Fifty miles per hour was slow enough to catch a glimpse of wildlife and fast enough to not overly irritate the drivers behind us. Under way less than ten minutes on highway 41 AKA, “Alligator Ally”, a minivan was entering the roadway heading towards us at the same time a person was running across the road in about the same spot. As we slowed, the person stopped in the middle of the road and turned around. I’m thinking, “what the”? He started back toward the van to prevent it from coming into our lane. As we closed in, passing closely, the fellow reached into the window of the van steering it back to the safety of the shoulder. With my heart in my throat and thankful for our safety we realized the guy had stopped to take a picture of a massive gator on our side of the road. He had failed to place his van in park and his quick action averted a catastrophe.
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