Technically, our second 12 months on the road ended in October. As life goes, time slipped away ... so as we prepare to welcome the New Year, I have decided that it is a good time to "recap" our second RVenturous year on the road.
Our Second Year on the Road:
The "Numbers"
Doug developed a spreadsheet this past year, so we have been able to keep track of our travel miles and fuel. The Wildebeest still likes her diesel diet, but we are happy that the MPG average is improving after a few visits to the RV service "spa".
Since October 2016, the Wildebeest has traveled 7085 miles. For those of you who are curious or just want to feel better the next time you fill up your car ...
Average price of diesel/gallon ... $2.60
Average miles per gallon ... 7
Total cost of diesel for the 15 months ... $2843
Since Oct 2016, we have lived in 53 different "homes" ... each with a unique and beautiful "yard" such as our view of Picacho Peak, Arizona (above) and Grand Lagoon at St Andrew's State Park in Florida (below).
Nine of these "homes" could be considered a "one night stand" as we boondocked overnight in the parking lots of Walmarts, casinos, Sierra Trading Post, and RV repair shops. While these stays are considered "free", the nights spent at the repair shops in Utah and Michigan were not quite a "bargain".
Our second year on the road brought us into 21 states of which 13 were new stops for the Wildebeest.
We are happy to add Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Louisiana to RVenture location map that can be accessed here.
During our second year journey, we were able to visit and photograph seven State Capitol Buildings including:
Denver, Colorado
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Phoenix, Arizona
Cheyenne, Wyoming
In September, when we made a car road trip to Virginia for a family wedding, we were able to visit the State Capitol buildings of:
Richmond, Virginia
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
and the National Capitol Building in Washington DC
We were able to increase our construction skills and meet a lot of great people as we volunteered on five more Habitat for Humanity builds.
We enjoyed working and getting to know the communities of:
Kearney, Nebraska
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Baraboo, Wisconsin
Marquette, Michigan
Mandeville, Louisiana
As any RV owner knows, the number of RV repairs/improvements can be endless. In January, Doug took out our RV washer/dryer and repurposed the cabinet for more storage. In May, while I worked in Rochester, Doug busied himself with repairing the heater, tracking down the cause of a leaky window,
... and successfully reinstalling the awning above our door. When I saw how much the professional mechanics charge per hour, I have decided that I definitely need to keep him around!
We visited 13 National Parks, Monuments, Seashores, and Lakeshores including:
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Bandelier National Monument
White Sands National Monument
Organ Mountains National Monument
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Saguaro National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Zion National Park
Bryce National Park
Gettysburg National Military Park
Mammoth Cave National Park
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Gulf Island National Seashore.
We bought the "America the Beautiful" pass last January for $80 and happy to say that we definitely got our money's worth!
Our favorite National Park so far: the beautiful Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park.
Mammoth Cave National Park was the only park that was disappointing for us. The only way to "see" the caves is to pay at least $15 each (some tours cost even more) to be packed in a small portion of the caves with about 100 other people. It was slow going through small narrow passages with not much opportunity to really see and learn about this unique cave system.
Our Second Year on the Road:
The "Favorites"
... wonderful natural encounters with blue herons, monarch butterflies and with "Lefty" the resident alligator.
During this second year on the road, Doug continued his search of local craft breweries. His favorite: Accomplice Beer Company in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Their "self serve" tap room allowed him to try small amounts of a number of beers.
Since he also started collecting coasters from the breweries that we visit, it is always a win-win situation when I can visit a national park that just happens to have a craft brewery with their own coaster nearby.
Our favorite restaurant this year was MishMash in San Diego, California. Located next door to Iron Fist Brewery, they hand delivered their unique and delicious sandwiches as we enjoyed the SoCal sunshine on the patio.
Our favorite natural area this year had to be the southern California desert in the midst of their super bloom this past spring.
We enjoyed the hiker's paradise that included beautiful blooming cacti in the warm sunshine,
... and the cool refuge of the desert oasis.
We continue to appreciate the welcoming embrace of our faith community wherever we may be. The beautiful southwestern art, lively congregation, and delicious Mexican lunch at St Genevieve made it a welcoming "home" while we were working with Habitat for Humanity in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
But as the saying goes, "there is no place like home", and we always look forward to joining in the praise when our travels bring us back to Rochester.
We discovered some primo biking paths around the San Diego harbor,
... but still rate the bike paths around Minneapolis and St Paul as our favorite.
We were able to visit a favorite tourist attraction three times when we were near Pensacola, Florida. The National Naval Aviation Museum tours gave me (the history buff) wonderful stories of so many heroes. Being able to watch the Blue Angels air shows close up kept us coming back!
Our Second Year on the Road:
The Everyday Surprises ... Better Known as Blessings
While we love our travels, our favorite times are when we can drop in and stay a while ... with family and friends!
Whether we are relaxing around the campfire at Lake Carlos,
... or shopping/sightseeing with one of our favorite camping buddies,
... or visiting friends who continue to grow more precious each time we see them,
... or seeing young campers develop into beautiful teenagers while volunteering at Camp Ihduhapi,
... or spending Mother's day with these two special young men,
... or gathering with family at the college baseball world series,
... or boondocking in their backyard and hanging out on the front porch with Doug's family,
... or capturing the precious smile of one of our newest hometown friends,
...we are grateful for the blessing of another RVenturous year together!
So, what's in store for 2018?
RVentures goes "international" tomorrow as we fly to Bogota, Colombia for a two week visit with Doug's college friend!
Until next time ... appreciate the blessings of your special travel companions ... and enjoy the adventures in the New Year!
