2014 & Year 5 Round-Up -> 5,000 Miles, Aliens, Painted Hills And An Island Adventure
Every year, as we wind down our year of travels I look back at our adventures and write a little summary post. It’s always fun to do this, even though it takes time to work through all the details and I’m almost always amazed at how much we accomplished.
By pretty much any standard we are “slow” RVers. Most of the folks I know travel over 10-20 thousand miles per year, criss-crossing the country and seeing countless states & stops. We realized in our first year, after we did such a trip (and it almost killed our RV wanderlust), that we just weren’t built for that kind of traveling. Our second year we slowed down, motored back out west and that’s where we’ve been ever since.
The point is you can travel extensive distances in your RV, if you want to, but you don’t have to. Fulltime RVing is a lifestyle, just like any other, and one size does not fit all. You can cross countries & oceans, or puddle round a few thousand miles and have just as good of a time, and you can cater that to your budget, interests and the extent of your travel lust. It’s all a choice.
This year we planned a ~5,000 mile extravaganza with 4 months of volunteer work (in the summer months) and two brand new states. Our final tally ended up at 4,959 miles traveled with “the beast” including 43 stops, 4 ferry crossings, one Island Hop and a visit with Aliens. The vast majority of these legs were short ones. In fact 21 (just about half) of our drives were below 100 miles and our shortest travel day was a measly 35 miles! JUST our kind of relaxed pace.
Arizona Boondocking
Our year started where it ended, in gorgeous Borrego Springs, CA. We spent the next few months traveling and boondocking around Arizona exploring a few old spots and a ton of new ones. Highlights of the trip included seeing the Organ Pipe cactus in southern AZ, experiencing the grasslands of Buenos Aires and eating mole in the cute, little town of Tubac. We tagged in a few social get-togethers, and did our usual trip to Mexico for our dentals, but otherwise it was just several months of bumming around and free-camping on Arizona Public Land, my most favorite thing to do in winter.
Little Green Men In Nevada
From there we passed into a brand new (for us) state, Nevada. I’d dreamt about traveling the Extraterrestrial Highway since my teenage years and it ended up being the perfect geek-out for us. We started the trip with several adventure-filled weeks at Lake Mead where we discovered the hidden gem of Valley of Fire State Park and progressed deeper into the state to unexpected wildlife, amazing petroglyphs and, finally, little green men.
What followed was a brief and rather exciting abduction, but thankfully Paul was returned to me, and we were able to continue for a wonderfully unpopulated drive through the west of the State, before it was finally time to leave 5 months of boondocking and enter back into the green of the PNW. Nevada was one of the most remote and unexpected places we’ve been in our RVing years and there’s no doubt we want to return.
Painted Hills, Beer & Wine In Oregon
Ahhh….green, lush Oregon. For the first time ever we drove through the Eastern part of the state. Our goal was to hit a spot that had been on my wish-list for many years and my-oh-my what a treat it was. The geological sculpture that is John Day and The Painted Hills is something everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. We spent a week in the area, absorbing it’s most intense and totally unique beauty. Put this on your lists folks!
From John Day we splurged on a month of gastronomy, from beautiful Bend (can you say endless outdoor adventures and 18 craft breweries!) to the wine valley of McMinnville and the fabulous Spruce Goose. With bellies full and wallet somewhat emptier, we settled down for a month of volunteering at gorgeous North Head Lighthouse on the southern WA coast. The first half the year was complete.
WA Coast Discovery
With the warmth of July on our heels we commenced our WA coast discovery, another brand new route for us. From beautiful Cape Disappointment we followed the ocean to the fishing village of Westport, the remote (and humid) gorgeousness of Kalaloch, the werewolf-populated reservation at La Push and finally our most NW edge, the wild and untamed Cape Flattery. We bagged 3 new lighthouses in the process and experienced all of the moist, wild, crazy nature of the Olympic Peninsula. Well worth it!
From the edge of WA we drove inwards to catch the lavender festival at Sequim, bagged yet another fabulous lighthouse (with 11-mile hike no less), followed by a few weeks of civilization at the historic (and fabulous) Port Townsend. We topped the trip with our first ferry crossing and a quick wisk across Whidbey Island. Our WA coast discovery trip was complete.
Epic Island Adventure
Now came our Island Adventure. Late 2012 I had the crazy idea that it would be awesome to take “the beast” onto an Island and just live there for a while. After a several months of intense searching we landed a volunteer job at the top of Mount Constitution on Orcas Island, a place no beast had ever been. It was a epic trip to get there, and an even more epic drive to get to the top of the mountain, but what a cool spot! Our month there was yet another of the highlights of our year, and we enjoyed trips around the Island, trips to San Juan Island and Lopez Island and a few more lighthouses. It was an Island living experience we’ll never forget
Cape Blanco & Hwy 395
Having reached the apex of our northward journey we met the end of summer by driving south to another old-time favorite volunteer position at Cape Blanco Lighthouse. Our two months there were magical, as they always are, and the Cape pushed the limits of beauty and craziness, sending us off with a 90 MPH wind storm, the likes of which we’d never seen before and hope never to see again. Whoo wheee!
From here we decided to join up with buddies Technomadia and, despite the lateness of fall, caravan down our ever favorite Hwy 395. It was a gorgeous, epic drive with winter nipping our heels, but a fabulous mix of hot springs, scenic boondocking sites & meet-ups with other nomads. We ended the trip with a stop at Trona Pinnacles followed by a month of jello-blobbing at Sam’s Family Spa, and a completion of our year circle with Christmas in Borrego Springs.
That’s it folks. Amazing what a mere 5,000 miles can hold, is it not? Next post I’ll be doing a review of our favorite campgrounds of the year next as well as an update on how much we spent on camping fees. I’ve kept a detailed map of all our trip stops, routes and blog posts (linked in) in the pic below so if you’re looking for an evening (or ten) or reading, just click and enjoy!
I have no idea if we can make 2015 as epic as this year, but your bet your RV wheels we’re going to give it a try. Here’s to more adventures next year!
Related Posts:
*cheers* to a well lived year on the road! And we are so blessed to have spent so much of it with you guys.
We feel the same way 🙂
Nina
Can I just say I love your blog! Hubby and I will set out on our adventure in 2 years and you have given us so much valuable information. Oh the places we will see!
Thanks and good luck w/ your upcoming plans!
Nina
And a grand year it was…I am sure 2015 will either equal or better it…here’s to having fun trying…
We’re certainly going to do our best 🙂 Hope we get to see each other again this year too.
Nina
Hi Nina,
Your blog is such a wonderful resource for my wife and I, and I hope you and Paul keep traveling and blogging forever so we can just follow you around (both virtually and physically!)
I tried to create a Google Map for a recent three month trip we completed to the Canadian Maritimes and using the Google Maps engine (and instructions you so kindly provided awhile back) was only able to enter 10 points. I’m wondering if I need to upgrade to the Google Maps Pro version to get beyond that limitation? I can’t seem to find any documentation to answer this question so I am turning to you.
Thanks,
Bob
Huh! Well, all I can say is that I haven’t paid for any kind of Pro version of Google Maps. I just use the plain old regular version. Not sure why it’s limiting the number of entry points to 10?
Wish I could help more. Maybe a Google of the Google problem will churn up some answers for you.
Nina
Will do. I was hoping the fix was as simple as paying a few $ for the pro version but I will dig deeper!
Sorry no idea. I just use the regular version, but when I open up maps I do ask to open the “original” version. At least I get that option on my 2014 map. Could be because I started the map in the older version of Google Maps…before they upgraded it? Just speculating here. Could also be I run into the same issue as you when I start my 2015 map, so I’ll look into it too.
Nina
Great fun and I’ve enjoyed being along for the ride!
For us, it is a question yet to be answered as to whether we turn north or continue east once we have spent a couple more months here in the desert. The great thing about RV’ing is that plans don’t have to be preordained. We will know when we know. It is not a question of can or can’t but one of which do we want to do more, now.
Again, thanks for letting us tag along.
We’re flip-flopping around on our Spring plans too. Not sure if we’ll head back to NV, over to NM or down another route. We’ll have to see where the mood takes us.
Nina
Nina,
I would guess that many RVers that put on a ton of miles do so as a kind of “bucket list” to check off as many US States as possible. I totally agree with your limited driving plan, but different things for different people.
You guys have still not been to Montana. That is a beautiful place with some of the nicest people in the USA. I personally prefer the western part of MT, and that is just over the border from ID. You might consider adding that to your plans. It was John Steinbeck’s favorite State and I think my number two. Oregon is my number three and I think high on your list.
Yup, many RVers also only plan for a fixed number of years on the road so I can totally understand that they want to hit as many of the “bucket list” items as possible. Like you said different strokes for different folks.
Montana has been on our “list” for many years. It’s one of the states I definitely want to see, especially since I know the wide, open spaces will appeal to me.
Nina
Hi, wow wonderful article, I would so love to be able to do that lifestyle. We are looking at begining our motorhome life by taking little 2 go 3 week jaunts away from home. Living near the geographical center of North America, we can branch out in three directions with no need for a passport, and so long as I am home in time for my monthly meeting with my Doctor I guess I will be OK. Living in the warm South is so inviting, especially today when the mercury is hoovering around 1 degree above 0F and windchill’s are around -20F. Ah but South Dakota! You need to plan a trip out our way, around the Sturgis Motor Cycle Meet man that’s living! And the Black Hills, right next to the Bad Lands of South Dakota, then up to Medora North Dakota for the show and to see the place where Teddy Roosevelt loved so much he nearly adopted it as a home. Lake Skakawea a HUGE man made dam on the Missouri River, a wonderful place to camp with some really nice campgrounds, then down the highway to Mandan ND where Fort Abraham Lincoln sits, once commanded by General Custer, his last post, and the location his great march into history began, again a beautiful campground maintained by the State. We regularly camp there right on the banks of the Missouri river where the Heart River joins it on the trip to the gulf. Next on to Glenn Ullun, and south to the Heart Butte Damn, where the down river campground is perhaps one of the most scenic in the Western North Dakota, well hidden below the dam and on the Heart river with campsites overlooking the wilds in the river valley. Next South on HWY 49 till you come to South Dakota, then a bit west to my home in Lemmon SD, home of the largest petrified wood park in the world with all sorts of things built out of the native petrified wood, including two castles both filled with a museum containing things from the local past. Now South on Highway 73 to camp at Lewella John’s campground, right off the highway, or if you want more privacy at the Shade Hill State Campground, both offer nice campsites, electricity only and John’s full hookups available with shower house etc at the Shade-hill campground, near the location where back in the early days of exploration, one member of the party of exploration (Hugh Glass) ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Glass ) was mauled by a grizzly bear, and after nursing him for three days, the expedition left him with two members to watch till he died, then bury him on the prairie. The two left behind became frightened by the local Indians, and left, leaving their friend to die. The man did not die, and half blinded with only one good arm, and one good leg, made his way some 300 miles back to Fort Pierre where he caught up with the expedition. A couple of movies about this incident have been made, there is a monument where, according to records, the incident took place on a bluff overlooking the Shade Hill Dam. Then on south to Faith SD and their historic fossil find, and on to the Black Hills, with a stop in Sturgis, and on to Deadwood with their wild west shows and casino’s, and neighboring Lead home of the Homestake Gold Mine, recently closed and converted to the deepest underground laboratory in the world.
After touring the Hills, on to Wyoming and the Devils Tower again camping is available near the tower. Then on to Yellowstone National Park, and you are back in your familiar territory.
Just a suggestion, but I think you would find some wonderful times, eating pitchfork fondu and watching the wonderful show put on in Medora, and the rest, real history here about, even a short trip to the enchanted highway where a local farmer has taken old farm machinery and a welding torch to create some huge art all beside the highway, like the farm family that stands some four story tall, pheasants that are larger then elephants, and more.
So if you are seeking adventure, come on out and enjoy the Dakota’s.
We visited the Black Hills of SD our very first year on the road (the week before the Sturgis motorcyle event in fact) and enjoyed them tremendously. We also managed a few more areas in SD while we were in the area, but we’ve definitely only “touched” the tip of what there is to do there. Cheers for the tips. The beauty of RVing is that there is always new stuff to see.
Nina
Nice wrap to a great year.
I need to learn to chill / adjust to non-competitive retirement.
I travelled about 15K miles this year from a home base. Longest day 550+ miles. 2000 miles in 5days, different trip. 2000 miles in 9 days current trip.
Liking your recent posts and lifestyle…best wishes for the new year.
Phew….550 miles. That’s waaaay too long a day for us. You certainly get to see alot of stuff tho’. Give it some time & you’ll find your balance. Remember you’re not on vacation…you’re living life 🙂
Nina
What a great year! There are so many ways to live the RV lifestyle.
Yup. And no one way is the right one either. I knew a couple who spent 10 years on the road never staying more than 3 nights in one spot and always moving more than 200 miles between stops. That pace would have killed us, but for them it worked perfectly.
Nina
Well, you guys had a great year and have clocked in lots of mileage of fun and adventures. And the best part is, you just planned our route when we get back to the West 🙂
Looking forward to your 2015, Cheers to you, Nina, Paul and the paws!
And oh a big THANK YOU, Nina, your blog is my number one referrer to our site, Lowestravels.com for the year 2014.
How did you do that? We do like your traffic.
Why thank you MonaLisa. No idea how I do it…must be my animal magnetism (blog magnetism?) LOL
Nina
Glad I could be of service 🙂 Now, get your butts back out here!
Nina
Great year wrap up, and congrats on the five year milestone.
Before you both wrap up on your lust of RV travels – do work a trip to Alaska into your schedule.
We did our Retirement Victory Tour to Alaska this year, 11K miles in four months – and it was soo much more then either of us had ever dreamed of…
I suspect you’d complement Sue T.’s Alaskan shots with hour photography – and thank goodness your habit is not using film these days…
Stay warm, as you have a few cold days headed your way.
Best,
Smitty
Alaska will definitely happen at some point. We’ve backpacked there (in the past), but never taken the beast up there. One day….
Nina
This is how you do it!
We like to think so 🙂
Nina
Looks like a fabulous year and I love the the visual of the travel map- brings it all into focus! Wishing you two a healthy and adventurer-full year ahead!
Thanks Lisa! You guys has quite the travels this year too. I’m glad we got to share a few meets along the way.
Nina
What a wonderful year you have had and I’m sure 2015 will be just as, if not more, exciting. Bill and I are still in the dream stages since we have another year plus of work, and you, among other full-timers, are so encouraging with your adventure blogs. We can’t wait! I love to read the comments on your blog too as that is sometimes how we find out about others in this same stage and perhaps someone from Canada like us to share information with. I know it will be emotional to sell our house and leave Canada for 6 mths (we are restricted to 180 days out of country) but I love to hear how liberating it is! Thank you and keep up the great posts!
I love the comments too! It keeps me connected to my readers. And we know so many Canadians now, especially from our winter spots. You guys will have lots of good company when you finally decide to make the leap.
Nina
I was already thinking the year went fast, but reading this post it seems to have gone in a blink! I remember looking forward to your stops in Nevada like it was last week 🙂 This was a great wrap-up, and the map is a wonderful resource for spending time in the West. Can’t wait to see what 2015 has in store for you and Paul and the critters!
I feel the same way. Where did the year go?? Seems only yesterday I was in planning stages and now it’s all done. Time to get my butt in gear and plan 2015!
Nina
Wonderful post Nina–this trip we made from Montana to NM then to AR now back to NM and AZ about killed us!! It feels so good to be settled in one spot for a while!! We are thinking that kind of travel in the RV is not for us! Every other year we spend Christmas in AR but I’m thinking plane tickets are in order the next time!!
It’s a loooong way, and even tho I know the Cowboy is a driving fiend it’s gotta be tiring even for him. Glad you’re settled now. We know where you are so if we come that way I’ll be sure to look you up!
Nina
What a wonderful recap. I am so honored to have been along for a little tiny piece of the Island Adventure. It was without a doubt, one of my most treasured memories from 2014!
I sure hope I get to meet up with you guys again while making memories for 2015!
My best, Suzanne
It was SO much fun to have a fellow lighthouse nut along for part of our ride. Such great memories. Our hike to Dungeness Spit and the boat ride to Patos remain two of my fondest memories from the year. Right up there with the aliens 🙂
Nina
I am always amazed we we look back at our travels by all that we do and the great adventures we have had. Clearly, you had an amazing 2014. Thanks for “taking us along” and best wishes for a safe travels in 2015.
Happy New Year!!
Thanks for coming along for the ride Rick & JoAnne! Maybe we’ll cross paths again this year.
Nina
What a wonderful year! We are *finally* on the road and will be making our way out west this spring! Can’t wait! Hope to meet up with you all at some point!
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Shelly & Mark
Congratulations!!! Many fine adventures ahead of you. Hope the road is everything you wish it to be!
Nina
Any update on the State of Calif’s acquisition of the boondocking area? I have been keeping an eye and I have not seen anything.
Looks like it fell through. The state park boundary signs have not moved, so I’m thinking they ran out of money for the acquisition. We’ve not seen any Rangers this year either.
Nina
Nice to have a reminder of all of the new sites, new locations, a new state, and lots of new experiences you’ve had over the course of the year. That’s a lot of accomplishments in 12 months!
And the best part is – only 5000 miles driven to achieve all of that. Impressive!
Congrats, and continued fulltiming successes throughout the coming year as well. I’ll continue to tag along on my virtual ride-along. 🙂
Great to have you along for the ride, Rowanova. We certainly enjoyed discovering your home state this past year, and may well be back again next year. Jello plans are forming…
Nina
Thank you for being such a wonderful resource. We cut the anchor on 12/16/2014. We are southbound away from the cold.
Like the song goes:
How does it feel, how does it feel?
To be without a home.
Like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone.
Many systems are still not operational on our 1988 Holiday Rambler AlumaLite. But we have spent a lot of $$$ on chassis work to allow her to roll.
On her shakedown cruise we have found a max of 150 miles per day is enough. Overnights are a PITA and we are trying to spend at least 2-4 nights per location. Today we fixed a parking lite/turn signal that was not operational. Tomorrow the vertically challenged and svelte lass will fix a shut off valve on our hot water heater that has been leaking for some time after we stop at Lowes for parts (I have just learned the value in spending some time on a concrete pad “to see if she pees”). So for now we have no hot water. But tomorrow will bring another fix and further southbound movement.
To me, this is a lifestyle that requires ingenuity, planning and foresight. We avoid the interstates and take the smaller highways so we can see what is left of the real America. We love it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Sounds like you’ve already found your groove…and yes, the lifestyle takes patience and a relaxed attitude. In the 5 years we’ve been on the road we’ve never had 100% of the rig working 100% of the time. It’s more like 80%. That’s part of life on the road. Hope it brings you many enjoyable years!
Nina
Who needs more miles when there’s so much to see with less distances. Great wrap up.
That’s certainly our philosophy 🙂
Nina
You guys need to see Roswell New Mexico to get the full impact of Aliens. Don’t miss the museum. Rachael NV is a kick. I spend at least two days there a season shootin the breeze with the locals and the visitors too, both have lots of stories about UFO’s and Area 51. Keep your camera handy when traveling out west. Strange things happen out in the lonely deserts on deserted roads.
Already did!! We went to Roswell our second year on the road. Loved the town and the museum.
Nina
Awesome recap of the year and I love how you weaved in links to the earlier posts! I’m going to read a second time just so I can pop over those other links into a new window and not lose my place. Looking forward to Paul & your posts in 2015, Happy New Year!
Thanks for the compliment. It takes a while to put a post like this together, but I really enjoy looking back on the year and reliving our memories.
Nina
We’ve enjoyed many of the same beautiful locations this year, but the Painted Hills of John Day was, thanks to you, a 1st for us, and absolute sensory overload!
I’m SO glad you made it there. The Painted Hills are something I’m going to remember and savor for a long, long time. What a place!
Nina
What a wonderful year you had, Nina, and what beautiful, lyrical descriptions you give in this post! You saw some of our favorite spots, and you’ve put a few places on our bucket list too. Happy “slow” travels in 2015!!
I’ve gotten lots of great ideas from your fabulous blog too! Hoping to hit some of your 2014 spots in our own 2015.
Nina
Enjoyed following your 2014 travels as we stayed in many of the same places. Look forward to seeing where you’ll be heading next year. Happy New Year to you, Paul and the pets!
Happy New Year to you too!
Nina
Such beautiful places – what a year you had! And we enjoyed “riding” along on your blog!
Happy New Year!
Brenda
Likewise with your blog Island Girl! We’ll be seeing you soooooon!
Nina
Another fabulous year under your belts. Here’s wishing you both more grand adventures in 2015, a year filled with abundance! Happy New Year! Hope to see you both soon. 🙂
We hope to see you too LuAnn! Happy New Year to you and your lovely hubby.
Nina
Have you been to the Painted Desert in AZ? It is at the northern end of the Petrified Forest National Park. Unbelievable shades of red and blue stripe the hills of the badlands, making for a stunning site.
We have not, actually but it’s been on my radar for years. Maybe this year!
Nina
Love your blog/website/writing/photos, Nina. I’m a fan. Got a question though from a nervious not yet newbie (we plan to head out in a year or two, never having RV’d before.)After researching RVs we decided a class A deisel under 35′ would suit us; get us in most of the parks and wild places we want to visit. However after mulling over this blog, specifically, you’re comment about 20k miles first year and then considerably less after that, I’m wondering if starting out we should reconsider and think about a smaller class C, and then move up to a larger RV later. I admit, I’m intimidated at the thought of driving a class A towing a toad. Throughly impressed by you getting the Beast down the mountain, on the ferry, etc. Anyway, the class C’s look a lot easier to drive and if we’re going to be traveling from place to place the first year, maybe that’s the way to go. Thank you so much for sharing your experiance, and I look forward to following your journeys.
The question of size is always a very individual one. I actually don’t see driving as the main issue. Honestly driving a big Class A is super easy once you understand how they turn & how they handle. You’ll get the hang of it in no time. What’s more important is the balance between comfort & maneuverability. Also, finances do come into play.
For many fulltime RVers comfort is #1 so they go for the bigger rigs and just work around the rest of the issues. For others, being more nimble is key so they go for the smaller rigs. I have to admit that fulltimers in smaller rigs are probably the minority, although we’re meeting more & more of them on the road, especially the younger folks & families. For example, right now we’re parked next to a bunch of fulltime Airstreamers, most of whom are 40’s and younger.
If you’re planning alot of miles & want to be as flexible as possible I DO recommend a smaller rig whether that be a smaller Class A, or a Class C or a truck/trailer combo. They’re easier to fit (anywhere), they’re super easy to drive (most smaller rigs do NOT require a special licence), plus they’re cheaper in insurance, fuel mileage AND repairs/maintenance (for example, many Class C’s can be repaired at regular car shops & take smaller/cheaper tires). When you add all of these things up it does lead to more flexible RVing as well as lower costs overall.
The biggest negatives of a Class C are layout. Obviously they’re not as comfy as Class A and have alot less storage space. Plus tow capacity is lower so if you want to tow a car (which I DO recommend) you need to find a lighter vehicle to tow.
It’s a balance. My advice is to get inside the various rigs, imagine yourself living in them, test drive etc. Look at tow capacities and also get some insurance costs (for comparison) on the types you’re looking at.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
Nina
Wonderful advice, Nina! Thank you so much!
By reading this, it appears you keep a daily log of how many miles you drive? What other information do you keep tabs on? Do you use a specific log book or something you made up yourself?
Enjoy 2015, wherever the road leads…