So It’s Been One Year…
I can’t believe it’s been a year since we hooked up Frankenstein the pop-up to the envoy and started traveling full-time.
Thanks to the pandemic the year we planned really got thrown for a loop. We ended up spending three months self-quarantining in the Kisatchie National Forest of Louisiana during the height of the pandemic. Even with our extended stay in the pelican state we still got to travel to 13 different states.
We made camp in 26 different locations mainly boondocking and dispersed camping. We are completely self-sufficient so never require hook-ups. In fact we only spent a total of $60 dollars for camping all year!
We had a lot of fun, but some bad as well so let’s get that out of the way:
- We escaped floods twice in Alabama barely making it out the second time. (Frankenstein actually got flooded and we had to dry him out for 3 days.)
- We spent a scary night in 60 MPH winds in Badlands thinking the pup would blow away (it actually knocked in the door).
- Dexter was attacked by another dog.
- The envoy blew up after we spent $1200 to fix it and ended up having to buy a new truck.
- We replaced 2 generators (we then bought a better quality one).
- We had a drunk driver race through camp and almost take us out before crashing in the lake.
- A couple connections on our solar system got fried while connected to power that went out.
- The WORST was when a tapestry caught fire and almost burnt down Frankenstein…that was scary.
Now that we got that all out of the way let me just say this year was AMAZING!!!
We kayaked with alligators, hiked the badlands and pet a wild deer. We saw our first pelicans, swam in the Missouri river and walked under waterfalls. We hiked hundreds of miles and dipped our toes in so many bodies of water.
We camped in forests, grasslands and on the banks of lakes and rivers. We watched the sun rise and set on the horizon too many times to count.
We spent weeks not seeing another soul and just enjoying the wonder of nature. We also met amazing people along our journey.
We rearranged and redecorated the inside of Frankenstein multiple times and after a year I think we finally got it the way that truly works for us. We have also got our outdoor kitchen and bathroom/shower set up working to perfection.
In July a new addition was added to our little traveling family when we found Everest on the side of the road. He ended up being a perfect fit like he was destined to be with us.
In less than a week we will be leaving our family in Ohio and starting our second year of travel. The plan this year is to spend the majority of our time out west. Wintering in New Mexico and Arizona and spending the summer in Washington and Oregon.
We only got to hit one National Park last year, because of COVID-19 restrictions. We are planning to hit as many as possible in the coming year and I’m super excited about that.
I started working on this blog this year to chronicle our journey. We finally got a design finalized and think we have everything functioning properly now.
Over the next couple months I hope to catch up on all the posts I have planned including over 20 campsite reviews. We have stayed at some amazing places for free and can’t wait to share them with you. We have also visited some cool places and hiked some great trails.
At first, deciding to buy a pup and travel full-time was scary and exciting all at the same time. But now that a year has come and gone I got to say…best decision we ever made.
We are blessed to be able to work from the road and able to travel. We made this decision now because our kids are grown and we are still physically able to do this. Who knows if we still would be able to in 10 years or even one.
I know it sounds so damn cliche, but live each day like it’s your last because none of us really does know what tomorrow holds. If traveling has been something that’s been on your mind for a while do yourself a favor and just do it. Even if it’s not full-time plan a weekend trip or carve out a week for some adventure.
Explore the world while you still can and truly live your life.
I can not wait to see what this next year holds for us and am so excited to see what adventures await us!