The Art Of Slo-Mo RVing, Friends & Moochdocking – Lake Wateree, SC
Our ultimate goal was to get to Virginia and in fairly short order too (trying to escape that Southern heat ya know), but we had ~430 miles of asphalt between us and the mountains. For some folks that might look like a single drive, but in “beastly slo-mo” style that meant a minimum of 2 drives. Slo-Mo is a real thing for us, not because we can’t travel faster, but simply because we prefer not to….and it keeps us sane too!
We approach Fulltime RVing as a lifestyle not a vacation, although it took about a year for us to figure out what that really meant. Our first year on the road we drove like we were on an extended road trip, zooming like mad chickens across the entire country, staying no longer than 3-4 days at each campsite. By the end of it we had seen a ton but we were beyond exhausted, literally so worn out by travel that we seriously thought about giving up on RVing altogether. There was simply no way we could keep up that pace!
Once we figured that out however, and slowed down (like…way down) we actually started to enjoy the journey. Our 2nd year we did way better, and by the third year we were pro’s at the whole slo-mo thing.
Other folks might do it differently, but the way we plan our travels is that we rarely drive more than~150-250 miles in a day, we always plan to get into camp by the early afternoon (gotta be in time for happy hour you know) and, apart from rare exceptions we always try to plan good, solid stay-time at each place we go. Plus we’ll typically try to stay totally still for at least a few months a year (thro’ volunteering, boondocking or monthly stays). Adopting this mode of travel has saved our entire RV lifestyle!
But to get back to this blog post, we had ~430 miles of driving to do which meant we needed a stop somewhere in-between. We’ve got several resources that we regularly use when we need an overnight parking stop like this (e.g. Harvest Hosts, Overnight RV Parking & Days End), but in this case we decided to do something different. And where we ended up takes us back to a random random encounter we had at Ridgeway State Park in Colorado around 6 years ago. It’s where we met Sam, and like the vast majority of RVers we meet on the road, we struck up an instant connection. I’ve written about this phenomenon many times on the blog before, and even after 8 years on the road it’s still one of the most unexpected twists we’ve encountered since we started RVing.
Before we embarked on our journey we always imagined RVing would be a rather solitary adventure. We’d travel around and see stuff, but it would be just Paul, me and the pets. There was nothing wrong with that (in fact we were quite happy with the prospect), but what surprised us is that it didn’t turn out like that at all!
We started meeting people in campgrounds almost right away, struck up conversations with folks we met walking the dog, and developed meaningful friendships that have lasted the entire time we’ve been on the road. As time went on we met younger couples and even entire communities of young travelers. And all this happened waaaay before my blog had 10 views a day or even waaay before XScapers or RVillage or Instagram or any of the many snazzy online connection communities that exist today.
By year 3 we had so many friends on the road we were being social practically all the time, and these days there’s practically not a campground that we go to where we don’t know somebody.
I believe it’s the very act of RVing that brings people together. Call it wanderlust, or a sense of adventure but the folks that chose this lifestyle have the natural urge to explore, and that very nature opens the mind and creates the ability to form quick and (often) deep connections in short order. We’re more social now than we’ve EVER been in our lives, and it’s a pretty amazing thing.
So when Sam contacted me out of the blue almost 6 years after we’d first met him in CO and offered us a spot to stay by his property in SC on our way north, it was just one of those serendipitous RVing connections coming back to life. It just so happens his spot was exactly on our northern route and it just so happens it was around ~200 miles from our last stop, exactly the kind of distance we were looking for.
“If it fits your schedule you’re welcome to come by” he wrote. And some time later he sweetened the deal by saying “I’m cooking ribs on Saturday and all my spices, mixes and sauces are homemade”
How could we resist THAT??
We’ve “moochdocked” like this several times before, often with folks we’ve only met once or twice (one time with a blog reader we’d never met at all!), and it’s always turned out to be a great experience.
Again, it’s something I’d likely never have done before RVing (what, stay at someone’s place you barely know??), but it seems totally natural now. RVers meet and offer these things to each other all the time, and there’s even official ways to do this (ever heard of Boondockers Welcome? That’s exactly what they do!) . We’ve become fast friends with many of our hosts and have interacted with folks from all walks of life this way.
And that’s exactly how we ended up parked in Sam’s driveway, enjoying homed-smoked ribs with his closest neighbors and watching the sun turn the clouds pink over Lake Wateree. Polly was lounging on the grass, we were all drinking beer and Sam’s two cats were hamming it up to the new cat-lovers in town. We spent an awesome few days at the property, exploring the nearby State Park and passing the evenings chatting about life, the universe and everything (the answer is 42, of course). It was a great stop and a relaxing few days. Thanks a bunch for the hospitality, Sam!
We’ve made it to Virginia now and have been hanging in the cool (yes finally!! cool weather) mountains for a few weeks. It’s a gorgeous spot and we’ve got lots to share. Plus we’ve stayed at 3 new RV spots, so we’ve got 3 more campground reviews coming. But all of these things deserve their own blog posts, so I’ll leave this here. We’ll slo-mo our beastly butts up the mountains and see you back down on the other side.
What’s been YOUR experience RVing? Have you made lots of friends or have you found it tough to meet folks? Do you find RVing social, or are you a loner RVer? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment & chat below!
Related Blog Posts:
- 10 Things I Wish I’d Known About Fulltime RVing -> Just updated for 2017! Read HERE
- All About Volunteering/Camphosting -> Click HERE
- All About Boondocking -> Click HERE
- Planning Your RV Travels -> Read my 3-part series starting HERE
- There is No One Right Way to Fulltime RV -> Click HERE
- 3 Twists I Never Expected When We Started RVing -> Click HERE
- Does It Ever Get Bad? Our Top 6 “Incidents” And How We Handled Them -> Click HERE
- RV Camping Memberships – Are They Worth It? -> Click HERE
We did a 5 month trip in our travel trailer around the West in 2009 and found it pretty hard to connect with people. Now that we have gone full time this year things have really changed. We made some great friends at the Xscapers Convergence in Quartzsite and have traveled together (even down to Mexico).
Interesting that you had such a different experience before and after you went fulltime RVing. Do you think it’s the Xscapers convergences that have made the difference? There are so many ways to connect now that it definitely makes being social easier.
Nina
I think Xscapers and social media has made it easier to connect with like minded wacky people living this life and the fact that there are now a lot more wacky people living this life.
We have been full timing for 2 1/2 years now and have had similar experiences. We went waaayyy too fast our first year and started volunteering the second year in order to slow down and give back. Now, in our third year, we are boondocking and loving it!!!
We have also met many people in our travels and have been invited to “moochdock” which was a wonderful experience. We are even traveling to Alaska this summer with a couple we met on the road. This is a wonderful lifestyle and we are thankful to be able to experience it. I have followed your blog for a few years now and have learned much from you. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Enjoy Shenandoah, it’s a great area!
Sounds like we’ve had very similar experiences! We’ve also ended up caravanning with folks we met on the road, and have really enjoyed that too. It’s amazing how this lifestyle connects people.
Nina
we traveled only for 6 mo. but when we did move from place to place we had the 330 rule. 330 miles in one day or 3:30pm we were off the road and in an RV park or just parked. we did 12,000 miles in 6mo. too fast . sometimes we only went 50 miles which we liked a lot better. not sure we will ever go full time.
I think it makes more sense to travel faster when you have a limited time on the road, and it sounds like you achieved a really good compromise on travel versus downtime for your 6-mo trip. Cheers for sharing!
Nina
It’s funny you write this now. In the last week, I have booked FOUR month long stays starting in the fall. We had been staying a week or so in each location (max travel = 200 miles), but we still found our schedule to be a bit rushed. So we are extending our stays to 10 to 14 days for the rest of the summer and then starting several month-long stays for the winter. I’ll be interesting to see if we get bored, but I really don’t think we will. Like you said: this is a lifestyle, not a vacation. It’s much more enjoyable to not rush and to not have to worry about bad weather screwing up our plans.
As for socializing, we’ve met a ton of people through our Instagram account. We find folks in campgrounds are very friendly, but we haven’t really turned that into socializing (not that it couldn’t be done. We just tend to do our own thing when we’re home). With Instagram, we’ve been able to see when our “Instagram friends” are close by, reach out, and set up outings. It feels a little less ‘blind’ because we have all seen each other’s accounts and have an idea what our common interests are. Plus, we can be social when we want to and introverted the rest of the time. It’s been a great tool for us.
Oh I think you’re going to LOVE those month-long stays! We’ve got a month in New York (State) coming up in July and will do another month in Maine. I am so looking forward to the down-time.
And totally with you on Instagram. We’ve met quite a few folks that way. The new IG algorithm drives me a bit nuts (it’s no longer chronological), but otherwise I love the medium. Many younger folks (especially) post exclusively on IG.
Nina
We’re not on the road full-time yet, but we will be by mid-summer. After a whirlwind road trip to Texas for Christmas (2388 miles, one way!) I totally get the need to slow down and enjoy the ride. But when you want to see everything, how do you choose where to start?
I think the key is to follow the weather. We typically start our planning process by deciding where we want to be during the summer and where we want to be during the winter. That puts 2 stakes in the ground for us, and gives us the general outline for the rest of the year.
During summer we go to cooler areas (higher elevations or coastal areas) whereas during winter we’ll go to warmer areas (CA/AZ/FL). Each year we try to hit several new (to us) spots, but we’ll often end up going back to old favorites too.
For example this year our winter “stake in the ground” was Florida while our summer “stake in the ground” was New York State & Maine. So, we booked those two places first and planned our trip in-between afterwards. Next year the 2 stakes will probably be totally different.
Nina
You guys are so Awesome! We have learned so much through your blog topics and take seriously learning from those who have been there and done it. I’m a retired naval officer, kids are gone and it’s me, the wife and our daughter on four legs Rosie. House is for sale, Tiffin Bus picked out and once the house is sold we are out of here. Thank you so much for your stories, advice and information and we are confident we will run into each other somewhere on the road.
Congrats on the upcoming adventure! Starting out is super exciting and I hope your travels take you far and wide!
Nina
I have been following this blog and others and they are so very helpful. I have been envisioning doing this for a long time (fulltiming) before I even saw a blog or anything else, just a picture/movie in my mind. I’m trying to get insight and wisdom from those of you who have “gone before me”. I appreciate everyone’s generous suggestions, guidelines, hacks and insights. We hope to purchase our RV at the end of this summer. Thanks for the inspiration! I’m excited to get started but also realize there’s a lot to learning. Thanks for contributing to my “learning curve”, which is likely a bit steep at first! 🙂
Love the “Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy” reference, wouldn’t it be nice if the answer to everything was, simply, “42” ?!
I will be interested to see how you guys enjoy traveling up the east coast this year in the beast…… we lived near Boston for 10 years before moving to AZ, so still have friends there who want us to visit. We are reluctant to hit the highly populated areas with crazy busy highways over there though. As always, we’ll learn lots from your experiences, so thank you in advance, Nina!!
I’m curious how we’re going to like it up there too. We touched on the area last year when we went to NYC and traveled down the coast, but this will be our first trip in “the beast” further north.
Nina
Hello, Nina. Been enjoying your Florida reports! I lived in South Florida for 17 years when younger and loved the vicarious visit to the Keys.
Wanted to comment on the social aspect of RVing … we, too, meet fascinating people on the road. We are in transition at the moment … from 7 years of traveling with a 17-ft Casita into “hereafter” in a 28-ft Airstream. We are not full-timers, but stay out for extended periods (5 weeks our longest to date). This upgrade to bigger trailer is prep for Gary’s retirement this time next year, leading to even longer stretches rolling. We definitely look forward to the encounters with people along the way. We’ve enjoyed the Casita Owners network and will now find our way through the Airstream Owners network. Maybe we’ll end up in a campground with you and Paul someday – would love to meet you!
You brought up an excellent topic. Within the RVing community there are tons of sub-communities dedicated to either their particular type of RV (airstream, van etc.) or a particular type of travel (e.g. solo travelers etc.). Some of the communities are really tight and hold regular get-togethers every year. Now that you’re about to enter the shiny metallic crowd, I’m sure you’ve heard of Alumapalooza? We have friends who attend every year and love it! I dig that there are so many ways for RVers to connect!
Nina
Our first time out was to an Escapade where we stayed st a motel. We did not have a RV then but it was ordered… we met a small group of peopke there called Boomers… little did we know that they would become our core group of friends.. one woman and I talked every weekend until we met up again over one year later…
We also like slow moving and still do 14 years later…
Great post Nina. We pretty much followed the same pattern for the first two years…fast and furious traveling about the USA. Then, started to slow down and enjoy every moment. Planned to be full time for only two years, but that extended to seven. My wife kept saying , “David found his tribe.” It’s so easy to make friends while RVing! I miss the lifestyle now that my wife finally pulled the plug and wanted to return home to family and community. Fortunately, we had many friends here in Eugene from our past 34 years, but in the apartments we chose, the young working couples are like…distant. Rarely, do they smile or take time to say hello and wave, which is not typical of this college town. The retired couples are very friendly however, so I assume much of this deals with the stress of daily work schedules and raising families. What’s interesting is that when I go just four blocks away where friends have lived in their home for 40 years, their neighbors are always stopping by for a chat and the kids are skipping down the lane with happy smiles on their faces. I’ve come to the conclusion that apartments are not all that friendly since so many occupants are in a transition stage of saving enough money for a home. In any case, I miss RVing a lot and would continue with full timing if possible. However, it is a shared endeavor, and marriage is often the art of compromise.
One other comment about your post. We also started Volunteering for the State Parks of Oregon a few years into our RV adventure. We had some great experiences that eventually led to seasonal work at places like Amazon, etc. Now, even at age 80, I am amazed how much I enjoy the part-time work. I’ve tried about eight different jobs along the way, and for the past two years I work as a wine ambassador for the third largest winery in Oregon, doing demos (usually wet tasting of three wine samples) for shoppers in Costco, Safeway, and Fred Meyer stores. I purchased a new Dodge Promaster Van a year ago that I am converting to a camping van. We leave on June 1st for our first long range trip across the USA to New England to celebrate my wife’s 60th high school reunion, and then onto The Boundary Waters in Minnesota for canoe camping for one or two weeks. Mostly we intend the van for weekend and a two or three week tips. We’ll see how it is to share a total of 60 square feet of living space. Keep on writing and sharing and traveling!
Wow…camping in a van! How exciting! Sounds like that’ll be a perfect way to do some travel while still keeping your “home base” so hopefully a good compromise for both of you. Wish you the best and thanks for sharing!
Nina
While this half of the Restoration gang would love to only travel say 300 miles per day, my driver sees no reason to stop at 2pm–so onward we go. We probably start much earlier than most folks too–7am-ish! Enjoy the summer–we currently have SIX INCHES of snow on our deck rails!
As I was writing this post I thought of you guys. Your cowboy is one of the select number of folks I know that prefers to RV lots of miles quite regularly. Laurie and Odel were another couple that came to mind (in the 10 or more years they were on the road, I don’t think they EVER slowed down), and Mali Mish were the other ones I thought of (they seem to do a ton of miles almost all the time!). There are definitely a few folks who prefer the fast-paced travel mode.
Nina
There’s nothing wrong with slo-mo!! That is pretty much how we roll. Because of a medical issue we have been forced to full-time a “different way.” I think whenever the medical situation goes away we might still enjoy slo-mo.
And the people are just amazing in this lifestyle!! I can meet and know more about my camping neighbor than I ever did my neighbor in a house.
I’m so sorry to hear that and I so totally understand. We did many more miles than unusual last year because of our big pet medical issues. Our dog issue took us to Idaho and our cat issue took us all the way to NYC, where we most definitely hadn’t planned to go. We were pretty travel-tired by the time we reached the end of the year.
I hope your medical issue gets cleared quickly so you can get back to that slo-mo travel that you love.
Nina
It was great to see you and Paul again. Thanks for the kind words and the great picture of Chief.
Thanks again for your hospitality. We had a great time!
Nina
Slo Mo is definitely how we prefer to move too. It has served us well for two years and we have no desire to go any faster. Love the pic of Polly and Paul :-)))
Put us into the slo mo crowd but we are in the 100-150 and rarely 200 club. Although weather sometimes dictates a bit further drive. We too have stayed with a person we never met except via our blog… great world we live in…
Yeah we’re totally with you on that slo-mo travel mode. When we’re somewhere we really like (e.g. Oregon coast) we’ll often go even slower, sometimes only moving 30-50 miles between sites! I think our shortest ever move was 20 miles…and we liked it 🙂
Nina
We slo moed last summer CA to Maine. This spring we high tailed it from CA to SC. Dodging storms. I loved the slo mo. We part time mostly in the summer to get away from the heat. Although we are experiencing it here with humidity. Got a grand baby making an entrance any day. We’ve always met the most friendly people rving. One of the reasons we go.
Good post keep up the great job. We just finished our second year of full time living on the road. We have met many new people with some amazing friendships that I am sure will last a lifetime. We sold our house and most everything we own and I would guess my neighbors of almost 20yrs still don’t know we are gone. The best is having happy hour that turns into everyone cleaning out the fridge for a pot luck that ends with a camp fire. Life is what you make it. Enjoy be safe life is good.
HA! Yeah, I think our old neighbors may not know we’re gone either, and we left over 8 years ago! When we were living in a stix & brix we saw our neighbors, we waved to them and we occasionally interacted, but we were honestly never that tight. I have a much better feel for where my RV buddies are right now than where any of my old neighbors are.
Nina
Really like your comment about travel planning with summer and winter destinations, and then filling in the gaps as the spirit moves. A stroke of genius!
Glad it’s helpful! If you want to read the whole, detailed account of how we plan our RV travels (including how or when we decide to book ahead), feel free to read my 3-part series on it starting here:
https://www.wheelingit.us/2013/07/30/planning-rv-travels-part-i-4-general-rules-tips/
Nina
We’re in the slo-mo group, too. Although we’re definitely ready to get moving and will be hitting the road again in just a couple of days! We also find 100-150 mile drives just about right and try to spend at least a few days in each locale. And like you, we also love settling down for a while to camphost in a beautiful location. Enjoy your relaxed travels! 🙂
We’ve also met some interesting people at rallies. The most welcoming people were at a Mardi Gras Rally. Maybe it was the fluids that we were consuming? We are planning our own Rally of Friends in Tennessee for a Solar Eclipse Party on August 21.
We are not FT but spend 3 to 4 months a year in our Holiday Rambler. We just returned from our first Ramblin’ Pusher Maintenance Session in Goshen, IN where we met some new friends. There were 250 Motorhomes there! Most of them were getting some annual maintenance done by service people from Rev Group, Cummins, AquaHot, and local Mobile RV Techs. 6 days of seminars about different aspects of our motorhome.
Rallies are another awesome way to connect with folks. We’ve only ever done one, the SKP get-together for Albuquerque Balloon Festival. It was super social. The Ramblin’ Pusher Rally you attended sounds both entertaining & very educational.
Nina
Paul and Nina
Ted and Beth here drivingmisscrazy.net . After selling our business at 50 and the kids all off to college (Go NOLES!, boooo Gators- haha), we decided we were done with the growth of South Florida (Ft Laud – I see Paul you are from Miami). We had been RV vacationing in NC for the past several years in search of our next hometown. We finally found it in the NC Foothills Lenoir NC just below Blowing Rock between Asheville and Charlotte. When we decided to build a home that was going to take a year, what better to do with our time than to full time. We have been at it for 2 months now and love it….. sometimes wondering why we are building another home.
We are in Lenoir now checking on our build and then off to James Island, Charleston. We are working our way back to Ft Lauderdale…so we can spend a couple weeks in the bahamas (water RVing), In July we jump back on the road and head our way up to Tennessee and then to Sturgis SD for the motorcycle rally.
Which FINALLY leads me to my point. We seam to share similar ideas and you have years of experience. After Sturgis the beginning of August, we plan on taking about 4-6 months to work our way back slowly to NC. I wanted to reach out and get suggestions from you as to the top spots you would recommend since you have seen so many. Our thoughts have been Yellowstone, Glacier, Steamboat Springs, Grand Canyon, Sedona, Albuquerque, Austin, New Orleans, Home of the National Champions Seminols (sorry have to rub it in again, paying tuition x2 at FSU we have become die hard Noles fans) then to our new home.
Do you have any suggestions to our trip west that you could add?
Hopefully we will cross paths somewhere along the way and meet up.
Thanks
Ted and Beth
I think all of those spots sound great. Grand Canyon was one the highlights of our travels in 2015 and so worth it. Sedona is lovely, as is nearby Jerome. Since you’re going thro’ NM I recommend timing it so you can hit the Albuquerque Balloon Festival in November. It’s the biggest of its kind, and absolutely amazing to see! Search my blog for the 3-part series I did on our Balloon Festival Experience. Lots more to see in NM if you decide to stay longer in that area (e.g. White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Roswell). Sounds like fun!
Nina
You’ve nailed it again. Our annual google maps look much like yours. We’ve adopted about the same style as you describe. Smiled at the mention of Ridgway SP. We spent four months there last summer as maintenance volunteers. Had a great time but found four months is a little long in one place. That postponed the search for a brick and mortar location. Purchased a new “beast” 5th wheel instead.
How interesting that you volunteered there! We find 4 months in one place a long time too. When we’re volunteering we prefer ~1-2 months at a time. That’s the perfect downtime for us = enough to relax, but not so much that we get antsy to move. This winter was an unusually looong stop for us although we did travel through the Keys part of the time too. Cheers for sharing and continued good travels to you!
Nina
One more note about Ridgway. While there we adopted a new little furry friend at the Second Chance Humane Society located between the park and town. It’s a wonderful rescue shelter. They called him a Lhasa Apso/Yorkie mix but he looks like a pure bred Havanese to us. He’s goofy enough to be pure bred but constantly improving. His name was Romeo but has been re-christened Ridgway. I know you’re animal lovers so didn’t think you would mind a shameless plug for Second Chance. They also run thrift shops in Ridgeway and Telluride to help finance the shelter. I urge your readers to stop by.
Disclaimer. I have no interest in Second Chance other than the great work they do.
Jim
I’m always happy to hear about a good rescue! Having volunteered myself at dog/cat rescues for over 8 years they have a special place in my heart.
Nina
I think that we are getting pretty close to the same time driving wise. My long was 10 hours 47 minutes divided by two is 5 hours 24 minutes. I noticed two of my drives under 5 hours were 4 hours 48 minutes = 264.4 miles and 4 hours 25 minutes = 212.9 miles. The later would be more than 5 hours if I went the 250 miles. I did say 6 hours before because at that time I wanted to plan for scenic pictures along the highway and in case of a flat tire. However, I decided to go down to 5.5 hours to make sure that I could get Costco in by 6pm as that is the time my local Costco closes on Sundays.
Hi my husband and I have been following you two for several months now, and just love your blog! We are newbies, to rving, but my husband had some experience with a camper, where I have had none. We bought a new 25 foot Winnebago Vista, on a sprinter chassis. We absolutely love it. We made some upgrades based on my husbands past experience which allows us stay just about anywhere. We both still work, but, we are looking to make changes very soon! I am 52 and a nurse.
My husband is 60, he will be. 61 next month, and he works for a very large GPS company. We have done mostly 3 day weekends, but yearn to do more.
if you make your way to Bend, Oregon, would love to share a beer or TWO with you both to bend your ears…you could park in our driveway( I’m sure you get that a lot!).
Can’t wait to really get started! Thanks for all of your excellent advice!
Cheers
How very exciting! We love Bend and have been many times, but sadly we don’t have any plans for it this year. I wish you ALL the best with your new adventures! You’ll find a wonderful community out here.
Nina
Nina
Hope y’all are well. Wanted to let you know that Chief (whom you captured so well with your camera on this post) crossed the Rainbow Bridge today in my arms with the help of a local pet hospice nurse. He was but a shell of his former self but he has no pain now.
Sam
Oh Sam, I am so very sorry. He was a beautiful cat and I’m honored we got to meet him. It’s a terrible and heartbreaking loss. May he rest in peace and watch over you.
Nina