Our first 525,600 minutes on the road.

This is our wrap up of our first year in this lifestyle. I am going to go first with my thoughts and then Lisa is going to put down here thoughts.

July 10th is our anniversary date for starting this crazy adventure. It took us 4 years to plan this out and also to get rid of everything like our house, car and all of our household stuff. Also we had to acquire a truck and fifthwheel in that time period also. We had to prepare our families and friends on what we were going to do. Especially getting our kids settled into their places and hopefully have good jobs to get them going. We gave them good dependable cars to get them through the harsh winters in the north. So once all the preparations where in place we could hit the road with confidence.

So we finally hit the road. When we hit the road we told everyone that we were going to be traveling. I assumed that we would travel more, but in reality we didn't travel as much as I thought. Several reasons for that. The more you travel the more expensive it is. Fuel costs. Driving a diesel pick-up pulling a huge camper is not cheap. Campground fees. If you stay longer in a camp ground you can get weekly rates and even monthly rates. If you spend one or two nights in a campground it is more expansive. You have to take into account also the type of campground you stay in. Private being more expensive than State Parks or Army Corps. Parks. Activities that you want to do and places you want to see. Everything costs money.

With rose colored glasses we hit the road all excited and everything. But reality caught up to us pretty fast. That being the money thing. Am I happy that we did this? Yes, very happy. Wouldn't change a thing. We now know that our money isn't going to last so we have to make some changes to our plans. We know that we couldn't see the entire country in a year which is fine. It gives us things to explore and places to find in the future.

In a nut shell. I love the lifestyle. The freedom to go anywhere. The places that we have seen so far and also the many knew friends we have made along the way. Our kids are doing well, so that's a plus.

Lisa's turn:

Best things about this lifestyle:
     Freedom.
     Seeing new places.
     Experiencing new things.
     Meeting new people.
     Having time to explore an area.
     Spending my days with Dino in a very small space.


Favorites:
     Rocket launch at NASA in Florida:
          This is when I finally realized how lucky I was to be able to live this lifestyle. Sitting on the tailgate of the truck watching the sunset, waiting for the launch. It took me a while to adjust.

     Roman and Kendra coming to Orlando and Moab for visits:
          It is so great to spend a week or two of quality time together with them without interruptions.

     Moab, UT:
          I love so much about this place! The scenery, the outdoor activities, our first workamping job and the great people we met

     Key West, FL
          We didn't spend enough time here but loved it. We need to go back.

This first year on the road has been such a learning experience about the lifestyle and myself. I am sure the next will be the same.