We made it. Seems like just yesterday we set out on our adventure to find a new home. We soon realized our home was with us all along. Home is not just a place but is the people we spend it with. Our family of 3 and a our princess dog have been away from our stick and brick home for 365 days and nights. We have celebrated 3 birthdays, We celebrated our 4th Wedding Anniversary, and visited 15 states. We went to Alaska on a 7 day cruise. Amber has flown “home” twice. We have had a broken ankle, a visit to Thor Warranty, seen snow, seen both the Pacific and Atlantic, and seen Bigfoot in Oregon.
We lived everyday to the fullest and with minimal stuff. We eat at home most nights and play most weekends. We learn how to make do with what we have, we worry about the weight of our bus, we learn that we have to work as a team to get anything done, but most importantly we smile more and love more.
We have walked over the Hoover Dam, learned about the Mormon Religion, seen a Meteor Crater, and even attempted to go to the top of the Gateway Arch. Visited Yellowstone 3 times and still not finish. Ate frozen meals for 2 weeks because we did not want to dump our tanks while our home was getting repaired. We managed to get a year and half of school done all while sometimes struggling to find good internet service. Izzy has seen more doctors and groomers than when we lived in a brick and mortar house. Bobbi went white water rafting for the first time and can’t wait to go again. Amber tried sushi for the first time and now wants to make it at home. Visited our first college campus and now Amber is getting excited about going away to school.
Russ has flown 4 times for client work. And yet Bobbi has still not driven the bus. Our walkie talkies has lost battery power once during our first year. We have avoided most traffic jams where ever we have traveled. Only ditched our plans of stay three times. We stayed in a city that did not have AT&T service, but we made do. We hand fed giraffes in Tyler, Texas and went to the biggest zoo (to us), San Diego Zoo. We ate at In and Out, found a doughnut shop in every city, and eaten dinner on The Roof. Visited places that were used in movies and television (Breaking Bad, Goonies, Sleepless in Seattle, Blues Brothers…). We watched an reenactment of the last spike driven in Promontory, Utah.
So much has happened in one year, that we can’t list them all. Lots of firsts and lots of adventure. We have only just begun and we are still on our way to continue to redefine the American Dream.
Here are our year 1 Highlights:
- 22 States Lived In (We consider this >2 nights in any one state)
- National Parks Visited – 7
- National Sites Visited – 20
- Offbeat Attractions Visited – 156
- State Capitals Visited – 6 +1 Providence
- Presidential Libraries Visited – 3
- Number of Campgrounds Stayed In – 39
- Average Stay at Campground – 10 days
- Longest Stay in one State – 63 days – California
- Shortest Stay in one State – 2 days – Georgia
- Miles Traveled in Motor Home – 8,247 miles
- Shortest Distance Traveled – 4 miles
- Longest Distance Traveled – 439 miles
- Average Distance Traveled Per Month – 616 miles
- Miles Driven in Mini – 25,000 miles
- Fuel Cost of Motor Home – $2,956
- Campsite Fees for one year – $12,875
- Highest Amount paid for Campsite – $57.78 – Yellowstone Edge RV Park
- Lowest Amount paid for Campsite – $22.93 – White River Campground
- Boon Docking Nights – 20
- Average Cost of Campsite – $27.96 per night
- Furthest West – Portland, Oregon
- Furthest East – Marengo, Ohio
- Furthest South – Escondido, California
- Furthest North – Bothell, Washington
- Instagram Followers – 1289
- Facebook Followers – 87
- Twitter Followers – 118
- Magnets Collected – 68
- Postcards Sent – 114
- Churches we have visited -11
Upon entering year two of our journey we are exploring to visit the eastern seaboard. Be sure to follow our travels. We hope to meet you all soon.
