I thought for my first post I’d start with how we began traveling full time and where we’ve been in 2022, 2023, and 2024. It all started back in 2021 after COVID. The world had changed in many ways, and not always for the better. I was working from home, and Jenn was back in the classroom teaching. After a few months, Jenn decided she’d had enough; it was time for a career change. Without getting too deep into it, the environment had become super toxic, and she was ready for a change. One night, we were talking, and Jenn asked, “What if I left teaching, we sold the house, and we started traveling now?” I said, “Ok. Let’s do it.” So the process began. Buying an RV and traveling was something we planned to do when we retired, but why not do it now? I cleared it with work, and Jenn found a new career in HR, also working remotely.

2022: The Prep Year

In 2022, we began the process, and it was a very busy year. We started looking for the right RV, downsizing our lives, and getting our house in Massachusetts ready to sell. The whole process took the entire year. We traveled to Tampa, FL; Elkhart, IN; and Hershey, PA, to look at RVs and decide what to buy. We also had to go through everything we owned and start downsizing. That meant selling my boat, two motorcycles, Jenn’s car, holding many yard sales, donating to charity, setting up “free tables” to give stuff away, and making trips to the transfer station to throw stuff out. Going from 2,800 square feet to 450, you have to purge a lot of stuff and going in we had no idea how difficult this would be. We also got the house ready to sell. I did some repairs and upgrades to get it market-ready. We found out the house needed a new septic system, which was a big deal for selling, and it was installed in late 2022.

2023: The Big Move

2023 was another whirlwind. We put the house on the market in the spring, and it sold in under 48 hours, which was just crazy. Now it was very real, and we had 45 days to finish downsizing, pack, and move to Florida. We didn’t want to order the RV until we knew when we could move into it, so we decided to move to Florida to establish residency and handle all that stuff. We sent everything we didn’t need immediately to Florida in a 1800PackRat container, and everything we needed right away, we stuffed into my little 10’ enclosed trailer I used to haul our motorcycles. Off we went on a 3-day trip. That poor trailer was so overloaded it was amazing it made it to Florida with only one minor issue, a fender fell off in South Carolina, which I reattached with screws borrowed from elsewhere on the trailer and duct tape. We rented a house from Jenn’s cousin in St. Petersburg, which worked out great. It gave us a chance to order the RV, buy a new truck (it was a challenge to find a dual-rear-wheel truck anywhere), and sort out what we were taking in the RV and what was going into storage.

We ended up having to move again. Our RV was delayed while it was being painted, and Jenn’s cousin needed her house back. We moved a few miles away to Gulfport, FL, where Jenn found a rental and was looking for a short-term tenant who didn’t mind pets. We had to be out by the new year, which we hoped would work out timing-wise with the RV. Jenn also had shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff while we were in Gulfport, which meant we had to stay in Florida longer for her physical therapy. In December, our RV was finally ready, so we packed our things, loaded them into a U-Haul trailer, and headed to Knoxville, TN, to pick up our new home. We really liked Gulfport, and it was kind of a bummer to leave, but we were ready to start this new chapter.

We made the trip to Knoxville, spent a few nights at the dealership to shake down the RV, and made sure everything was 100% before returning to Florida. Needless to say, it wasn’t, but they fixed most of the issues we found. A few items needed to be addressed later, some at the manufacturer. Jenn booked us a stay at Red Oaks Campground in Bushnell, FL, one of the few places she could find that wasn’t fully booked. It also gave her a chance to do her physical therapy in town. We left Knoxville and took 3 nights to get back to Florida, staying at a couple of Harvest Hosts on the way, a cattle farm, and a pecan farm. I’ll explain more about Harvest Hosts another time. We learned a few things: never arrive at night (the cattle farm’s driveway was narrow, and I nearly put the RV in a ditch that I could not see), there are over 100 varieties of pecans (who knew?), and never fully trust the RV GPS or “idiot box,” as I call it. In North Carolina, it wanted us to go down roads that didn’t exist, and in Bushnell, Florida, it took us down a road we had no business being on. We barely made it under an oak tree. One wrong move, and we’d have torn the roof off our new RV. One bright spot from that GPS fiasco: we met Larry Davis, who watched us navigate 17th Street and was flabbergasted that we made it without damage. Larry became a great friend and made us feel welcome at Red Oaks, like part of the community.

2024: Hitting the Road

In 2024, we spent the first quarter at Red Oaks while Jenn recovered and we got the hang of our new RV. I also started the first phase of a solar system, installing 1,500 watts of solar panels and replacing the lead-acid batteries with lithium iron phosphate ones. In early April, we left Florida to head north. Our first stop was a Harvest Host in Georgia, then a week at a small campground near Columbia, South Carolina, where we visited Congaree National Park. From there, we moved to our first-ever Thousand Trails park in Advance, NC. We spent two weeks there and loved it. They put us in a huge open site, and we enjoyed the pond and hiking trails for the dogs. As a NASCAR fan, I was in heaven exploring the NASCAR Hall of Fame and team museums. The RCR museum is a shrine to Dale Earnhardt, who was my favorite by far. It was part history, part sadness for what was lost when he died. I must’ve taken over 1,000 pictures and spent hours there.

After Advance, we headed to a KOA in Murphy, NC, for a week. It was peaceful with a massive dog park for our mutts. Jenn and I rode the Tail of the Dragon on our TWs, a bucket-list item I finally checked off. From there, we went to Sevierville, TN, for a huge DRV rally with over 80 DRV RVs. We had a good time meeting other DRV owners. Then it was off to Knoxville, about 45 minutes away, where the dealer finished our new RV punch list, repaired a couple of broken things, and installed a water heater upgrade. We also had dinner with a friend of Jenn’s who lives nearby, someone she hadn’t seen in years.

Next, we hit Kentucky. Our first stop was a Harvest Host at a dairy farm that used all its milk for cheese. We toured the cheese-making room and saw an automated cow milker that the cows raced to use. We bought cheese, crackers, and charcuterie for a nice lunch. They had fresh eggs for sale, but none were available, so we paid for two dozen to pick up the next day. We camped on a knoll overlooking their pasture, a peaceful spot where the cows watched us, and our cats watched them back. The owner’s grandson delivered our eggs the next morning. Our next stop was a Thousand Trails park just inside Mammoth Cave National Park. The park needed work, but we enjoyed it because it was a national park. Being in Central Time gave us extra afternoon hours since we work on Eastern Time. We explored Mammoth Cave’s visitor center and did a cave tour. I was amazed by the whole thing; Jenn was geeking out over the science aspect of it. Not all tours were open yet, so we want to go back. We also drove 45 minutes to Bowling Green to visit the Corvette Museum, which we both loved. We packed a lot into our short stay and want to return to explore more caves and the Bourbon Trail.

From Kentucky, we headed to Indiana to a Thousand Trails park surrounded by cornfields. It was nice with lots of trails for the dogs, but our site was barely big enough for our RV. We made it work and enjoyed our stay. Then we went to the DRV factory in Howe, IN, to fix a few things, including a poorly built Lippert entry door. They replaced the door entirely and repainted it to match the RV. We stayed in a hotel in Mishawaka, IN, for the week, checking out Notre Dame’s church and grotto and Indiana Dunes National Park while we were there.

After the repairs, we went to a Thousand Trails park in Ohio. We loved this park; the sites were big, and it had a peaceful vibe. We were only there a few days, but found it relaxing. Jefferson, the nearby town, was quiet with not much going on, which suited us fine. We discovered a winery and distillery scene near Lake Erie, great for grape growing. One winery used a relocated church as a tasting room, and another had an Italian restaurant that we really liked. We also found a small craft distillery that we enjoyed. Next, we hit a Harvest Host winery in Pennsylvania with rolling hills of grapes. Jenn did a tasting and bought a couple of bottles. Then we went to a Thousand Trails in Hershey, PA. It was huge and busy, but we liked it. We only had a week, so we hit Hershey’s chocolate store and did some shopping.

Our next stop was a Harvest Host in the Catskills, NY, at a maple sugar shack up on a mountain. It was a great spot for a night, but tough to get in and out. The neighbor’s dog, Jake, a massive Alaskan Malamute, greeted us and got along great with our dogs. The sugar shack was self-serve since the owners were in Alaska. They had different grades of syrup and maple cotton candy for sale. We bought a big bottle of dark maple syrup and some cotton candy, both of which were amazing, especially the cotton candy. It was a peaceful night, but we probably won’t return with this RV, it’s just too big for this spot. Jake saw us off, and getting out was a nightmare: a small parking area, a tight road, and ditches on both sides made turning out directly impossible with our rig. I had to snake the RV between a barn and a tractor to turn around in a field. Without that field, I don’t know how we’d have made it.

Next was “home” for me, a park in Massachusetts near where I grew up. It was great seeing familiar faces, but our week there felt too short, and we never stopped moving. We moved to another park in Massachusetts, near our friends Dave and Emily, and hung out there almost daily. It was nice being “home,” but after a couple of weeks, we headed to Lincoln, NH, to a small park for two weeks. We barely fit, but it was quiet and right on the river. We were 30 minutes from my friend John, and we visited him and his wife a few times. Our dogs loved seeing their dog, Jimmi, and Sophie had fun harassing their chickens and exploring the woods behind the house. I took a motorcycle ride through Orford, NH, where my grandparents had a house. My mom’s family used to gather there every summer, and there were lots of great memories for me. We also did the gondola ride at Cannon Mountain while we were there and went on a dinner train ride in the White Mountains.

We had one crazy experience in Lincoln. The guy in the RV next to us almost set his rig on fire. He was spraying Flex Seal near the propane water heater, and it caught fire. Jenn saw it, I grabbed our extinguisher, and put it out fast. The guy came back with an 8oz bottle of water to “fight” the fire; his family was still inside the entire time, his son inches from the flames. He acted like it was no big deal and just a normal day. Later, he sprayed white spray paint over the burn marks, right near the heater again. He already lit it on fire once. What could possibly go wrong?

Next was Jenn’s “home” in southern Maine for almost a month. We saw her parents, siblings, my sister, and friends. The park was great with a massive site, though power was spotty. We ran our generator and relied on our batteries as well when needed. We threw a party for Jenn’s mom’s 80th birthday at our RV. I also prepped for solar phase two, adding more unistrut on the roof to mount more panels. Then we moved to a Thousand Trails park near Bar Harbor, ME, for three weeks. Dave and Emily visited, and we explored Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor’s touristy spots. I installed more solar panels and a second solar charge controller, bringing our total to 3,000 watts, with room for more. From there, we went to “Club Paul,” my friend’s place near Houlton, ME. We boondocked in his huge field for a week, running on solar and battery in perfect weather, high 60s during the day with cool nights. We only used the generator for the dishwasher. John and his wife came for the weekend, and Paul showed us around on ATVs. Our friend Kenny came too. It was a great time, good food, and good company. We need to do it again soon and stay longer.

We stopped at a Harvest Host in Maine, Bacon Maple Farm, for a night. Our friend Larry, who summers nearby, met us for dinner. We talk to Larry weekly, so it was awesome to see him. Then we went to Newport, VT, to a campground overlooking Lake Memphremagog. We’d been there before on a motorcycle trip, so we knew the area. The fall colors were starting to appear, and the view was incredible. We loved the poutine at East Side Restaurant, and Jenn’s parents visited for a few days. It’s one of our favorite spots so far. Next was a Vermont Harvest Host at a distillery. Jenn got maple bourbon for Old Fashioneds, but the spot was just a parking lot; it was nothing special.

Back to Pennsylvania at Thousand Trails Timothy Lake South. We won’t return to this park unless we have to. The park had a weird vibe, lots of run-down seasonal units, and broken utilities. They also have a stray cat problem that broke my heart. We have cats, so seeing homeless ones was tough. I found a mom and three kittens nearby and started feeding them. They were starving and ate everything I put out for them. Until one day, the mom moved them, and I only saw them once again on the other side of the park. It was heartbreaking. Then our cat Larry escaped one night when the door wasn’t latched. He must’ve seen the other cats and wanted to see what was going on. We spent a day trying to catch him; he was so scared, and every time he saw us, he hid in a storm drain. I got a Have-A-Heart trap at Tractor Supply to try to get him, but Jenn coaxed him back while I was on my way to buy it. He clung to me all night, super spooked. I was so relieved that he was home; we weren’t leaving without him.

After two weeks, we hit a Virginia Harvest Host, this time a brewery, where we had beer and lunch. We met my cousin Jennifer and her son for dinner nearby. Then we went to a Thousand Trails in Gaston, NC, for two weeks. We probably won’t return with this RV. The park is great, but it’s not built for a 46’ trailer like ours. Small sites, narrow roads, and trees made it really difficult to navigate. Our site was so tight that we barely fit, and the ranger’s help was the only reason we made it in. The trailer hung over a drop-off, and we had 3’ to another drop-off on the door side, so every time we walked out, it felt like we would fall down a hill. Still, the lake was peaceful, and the dogs loved it there. It’d be perfect for a smaller rig. Working was tough here too since it was too treed for Starlink, and cell service was spotty at best.

Next was a South Carolina Harvest Host vegetable farm, our first multi-day stay since I had to work Saturday. The owners were so nice. We arrived as they were heading to a farmers’ market and let us buy from their harvest. We bought squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and more, and spent way over the $30 Harvest Hosts asks for, and filled our fridge. They lit a fire pit and invited other guests and us to join. It was a special night, connecting in a way we hadn’t at other Harvest Hosts. The next day, we hit their farmers market, where I bought their smoked brisket for lunch; it was fantastic. That night, their daughter joined us by the fire, roasting marshmallows. We’ll definitely return.

We spent a week at a park in Savannah, GA. It was tight but okay, and they’re building bigger sites. We ran into Larry, who was caravanning back to Florida with his cousin. We met them for a fun dinner. Back in Florida, we stayed at a Thousand Trails in Clermont on a golf course. We loved it, despite hurricane flooding. There is a community vibe there, which was great; Jenn was even asked to join the ladies’ softball team. We went to “taco night,” which was fun as well. We stopped by St. Pete and Gulfport while we were in Tampa to run an errand, and the damage in Gulfport from Hurricane Debby was sad to see. Then we hit a brand-new Thousand Trails in Cape Coral, with big-rig-friendly sites. We visited my uncle Russ, aunt Bev, and saw Hurricane Ian’s lingering damage on Sanibel Island, entire areas just wiped out. In Homestead/Miami, we stayed at another Thousand Trails with small sites and lots of construction noise. We explored the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks and did a fun airboat tour while we were there.

The Keys and Beyond

In November, we hit Stock Island, just outside Key West, at a small campground backed up to the water, which was a slice of paradise. Dave and Emily joined us here for the week. Jenn and Emily rented scooters, Dave and I rode the TW200s, and we explored Duval Street daily. We did a shark boat tour, historic and haunted bus tours, a rum distillery tour, visited the Ernest Hemingway house, a jet ski tour around Key West, and ate at amazing restaurants. It was a blast. Then we moved to Fiesta Key, a Thousand Trails an hour north, for three weeks. It was nice, right on the water, but tight sites and far from everything. We made a full Thanksgiving dinner with a grill-roasted turkey breast, and the park had a big dinner as well, but we decided to go with our original plan and do our own thing. I started phase three of our power system, a challenge when the nearest hardware store is 45 minutes away. We liked this park, but it’s not a place we would go back to often.

Next was Vero Beach’s Thousand Trails. Online reviews were iffy, but we loved it. The park was well-kept with a strong community vibe. We played bingo with seasonal residents and enjoyed our site, though parking the truck was tight. We made a rib roast Christmas dinner, and I worked on our power system, ripping out the factory inverter, adding new ones, rewiring, doubling the battery bank, and switching to 24 volts. Having Lowe’s and Tractor Supply nearby helped. I’ll post about that process later.

Our last stop in 2024 was Thousand Trails Orlando. First impressions were rough. We arrived literally 30 seconds early, and the gate guy told us to turn around. Another ranger said to check in, but that got us a written warning for not following directions, totally frustrating, but I let it go. Our site near the cabins was great since Jenn’s parents rented one for a week. We hit Universal Studios for New Year’s, hoping for holiday decor, especially in Harry Potter land, but it was sparse. The new Jurassic Park roller coaster was incredible (Jenn wasn’t a fan), and we revisited old favorites. The new park they are building hasn’t opened yet. Not sure we will go back to TT Orlando since it’s not our kind of park.

That’s our story so far! Stay tuned for more adventures.