2018 was a big year for us. It may go down as one of our best years ever.
We realized our dream of travelling around the country in an RV for an extended period of time. We took off on our journey in late December of 2017 and wound up visiting 22 states and driving nearly 20,000 miles! We got to spend 6 months as a wandering family of four, day-in and day-out. Each new place was both better (and worse) than the last place.
First, we fell in love with Florida in the depths of winter. The endless days of warm weather and sunshine meant countless hours at the pool. We made it to Naples to see Karissa’s parents, Disney World to see Cinderella and Elsa, and the greater Tampa area, amongst a few other stops.
We finally got up the courage to brave temperatures below 70 in late February. The first stop was Biloxi, Mississippi, home of the longest man-made beach in the world and the oldest lighthouse on the Gulf Coast. Then, a week in rural Louisiana where we had a waterpark resort all to ourselves.
Texas in the early spring is wonderful. We visited old friends in Houston, dry camped (literally) on the beach in Corpus Christi, fell in love with San Antonio, got disappointed by Austin, and enjoyed Waco.
Moving west brought new cultures and vistas, but less familiarity. We found aliens, green chile, and adventure in New Mexico. Loved the dry heat of Arizona; exploring the open spaces, National Parks, and mountains. We spent a week each in Tucson and Flagstaff (parked in Karissa’s brother’s driveway). It was wonderful.
We made it as far west as Las Vegas, where we met up with long lost friends who were also living the RV life. From there, we ran up Utah and across Wyoming to meet more friends in Fort Collins, Colorado, a fun little city. We visited my Uncle Ken and Aunt Kay in Boulder, which is another town we loved. An impromptu stay at their Crestone, Colorado, property was the highest elevation we had for a night of sleep.
Round two through New Mexico meant becoming art connoisseurs in Santa Fe. More great New Mexican food and a thriving art scene was a great way to wrap up our time out west.
We stopped at Cadillac Ranch and in Paris, Texas, home of the Eiffel Tower (with a cowboy hat), on the way to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. We spent a few days digging through the diamond fields, but don’t think we found any diamonds.
We re-lived Ryan’s childhood memories in Branson, Missouri. We saw Dolly Parton’s Stamped Dinner Show and watched Emerson take his first steps at an antique shop.
The final stop of our RV road trip was Elkader, Iowa, where we spent Memorial Day weekend with Ryan’s Grandma and many of his cousins. It was great to spend a few days there.
We spent most of the summer at the family lake house in Wisconsin – surrounded by cousins, aunts & uncles, and grandparents.
August meant it was time for Karissa to get ready to go back to her job as a teacher. She also began a side-gig as a Norwex Independent Sales Consultant. We made it to the local pool a few times and just enjoyed being home.
Adelaide started preschool in September. She loves the structure of a schedule. Ryan and the kids really got into their new groove as October came and we became members of the YMCA. Ryan and Emerson go to the Y while Adelaide is at school. Adelaide began speech therapy again. Wednesdays became library days with Grandma Cathy when Grandpa Loren brings McDonald’s for lunch. And Adelaide began dance class every Thursday.
We’re wrapping up 2018 the way we started it – in Florida for Christmas and New Year’s in the RV. We’d originally planned to sell it after the big adventure, but there’s more RV adventure in our tank in the year ahead.
We hope your 2018 was as wonderful as ours.
Happy New Year!
Great adventures, great family.
Thanks!
Grandma Cathy passed on the blog so I can/could see the many joys she experiences being Mom and Grandma! Love the family commitment you personify! Sharon Wadle
Thanks for finding the site and following our stories. We’re doing our best to have the best family adventure we can. It’s been fun so far!