Travel Blog

February / March 2023 Steamboat Springs, CO is a frequent go-to winter destination for us filled with friends, family, and skiing. We love the mountain with its expansive terrain and low starting altitudes (as you get older, you think about these things.)  It’s a...

* 02.24.2023 * Steamboat Springs, CO Sometimes after a long day of work or skiing, you just need to let the hot waters and soothing steam take you away. We did just that and checked off a major bucket list item by spending the night in the caboose at Strawberry Hot...

* Taos, NM * January - February 2023 * Coming to Taos my expectation was that it would be akin to Sedona, AZ. Taos is NOT Sedona. Maybe its little dirty cousin. Not dirty in a bad way. Just unsophisticated, less manicured, about as real as you can get. Take Sedona,...

* Taos, NM * 01.29.2023 * Check out these "Earthships". Earthships are homes made from recycled materials like tires, cans, and bottles — essentially, garbage. And they are totally off the grid. The homes focus on six points of sustenance that we all require to stay...

* Ojo Caliente, NM * 01.28.2023 Bill and I took a chill hike near Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs and Resort. You pick up the trail behind the resort and start with traversing a rock cliff for about a ¼ mile. It’s a bit of a scramble, but quickly flattens out to a trail...

* Ojo Caliente, NM * 01.27.2023 “Seeking Hot Springs” is a new theme of our travels. And this has been our favorite hot spring to date. Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs and Resort feels like you are stepping back in time… to when hippies abound and being Zen was a major...

* Taos, NM * 01.21.2023 1st day of the season with our IKON Passes. 1st time ever skiing Taos, NM. Blue Bird Day with EPIC conditions!  Mountain was smaller than I imagined. Only 15 lifts. We stuck to the blues today, while getting our ski legs underneath us....

Winslow, AZ * 01.18.2023 What mark are you leaving on this earth? Here's some inspiration. Meteor Crater. Almost 3/4 of a mile wide and 600 ft deep, this is thought to be the best-preserved meteor crater in the world. Small acts of kindness can have more impact than...

Petrified National Forest National Park * Arizona * 01.18.2023 The science behind the phenomenon of petrified wood was fascinating. Why aren’t their petrified trees everywhere? Turns out a rare set of circumstances must come together to freeze time. Everything rots...

Saguaro National Park * Tucson, AZ * 01.15.23 * Trips like this remind me to stop being complacent. Bill and I have spent ample time in the desert. This was thought of as a stop to "check it off the list." Wow, were we wrong. This park is magical. Never have I seen...

* Pensacola, FL * 01.06.2023 Finally made it to Flora-Bama. Life goals. LOL  This legendary bar is in Orange Beach Alabama and Perdido Key Florida line. We went around 5pm and sat on the beach and watched the waves.  Place was sparce. Looked mostly like...

When Bill and I saw the Coasties on Wednesday morning, I imagined they were looking for unmoored vessels. Little did I know, they were searching for people in the water. Over the last weeks I have been sharing photos and stories of the Cuban people and their hand made...

09.28.2022 * Aftermath of Hurricane Ian * Key West, FL * The Keys did relatively well with hurricane Ian. Here are a few of the more dramatic photos from yesterday. We could not return to our RV park as the electric boxes were knocked out. The whole park had storm...

Key West, FL * 09.24.2022 * Stopped in to light a candle and say a prayer of protection at The Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea. I am sure the nuns will take up residence soon and begin their vigil. In 1922 Sister Louis Gabriel led a contingent of nuns and, using...

NP #15 * Dry Tortugas National Park * 24.6652* N, 82.8554*W * 09.22.2022  Spent the day at one of the most unique and one of my most favorite national parks. This park combines natural beauty and American History like none other. On past visits I have spent my...

Higgs Beach * Key West, FL * 09.14.22 * How desperate must someone be to climb in a boat at night, a boat made in someone's living room, to cross the Florida Straits to try to reach the United States? In 1966 the Cuban Adjustment Act created the Wet Foot - Dry Foot...

Hey all, I am often asked what to do while visiting Key West. Folks tend to think of Key West as a Drinking Town with a Fishing Problem. But the list of cool things to do besides fishing and drinking is long. So, stay longer than you think, explore, and enjoy. Getting...

 * Kennedy Space Center * Merritt Island, FL * 08.29.2022 * Paying homage to Atlantis while awaiting the launch of a new generation space craft. Most likely today’s young astronauts will travel to mars on this beauty. What a wonderful gift to the rest of us that...

* Premier Martial Arts * Ormond Beach, FL * 08.28.2022 * Dreams don’t come true by day dreaming. They come true through tenacity, focus and hard work. Congratulations to my tenacious candidates Eric and Stacy. There is much work to be done changing the lives of...

* Orlando, FL * 08.23.2022 * One perk of living on the road is we must pick a home state. Florida has great tax benefits for business owners… BUT… the real reason? You get Annual Disney Florida Resident Passes for only $399 a year. BONUS! Our granddaughter went on her...

* Live Oak. FL * 08.21.2022 * The Suwannee River is more than just a classic song written in 1851. It’s a hidden gem and our RV park was so serene. Any park with Spanish moss soothes the soul and begs me to take it slower.  The area is dotted with fishing towns,...

Spring Hill, FL * 08.20.2022 * Last time I was in Weeki Wachee Springs I was a little girl. I still have memories of the beautiful mermaids. They are still just as magical and just as beautiful. 

* Lake Blackshear, GA * 08.16.2022 * Our family gathered to celebrate the light of my life. I thought parenthood could not be topped. But grand parent hood is the bomb! Home to me is no longer a place. Home to me is a set of people. Wherever we are together is my...

* New River Gorge National Park * Fayetteville, WV * 07.27.2022 * I predict when everyone must move out of the desert because it dried up, they will all end up here. Buy land NOW! Such a beautiful area and affordable! The bridge itself is truly structural art. It is...

* Saugatuck, MI * 07.24.2022 * Meet Ruby. She is a 1959 Bell Boy Banshee, retrofitted with electric. Quiet and topped out at about whopping 4 miles an hour. Don't let the picture of Bill with wind in his hair fool you. Cruised the Kalamazoo River out of Saugatuck,...

* Aspelund Winery and Peony Gardens * Kenyon, MN * 07.24.2022 * One of our most peaceful Harvest Hosts yet. The owners Bruce and Dawn Rohl were warm and welcoming and 95% of the fruit wine ingredients were grown right on the farm, including 450 elderberry bushes, 150...

* Mammoth Cave National Park * Mammoth Cave, KY * 07.23.2022 * Mammoth was quite unique from the other caves we have toured. It's carved from underground rivers, cutting through soft limestone deposits. The rock above is not that porous, so there are almost no...

* Mears, MI * 07.22.2022 * Who knew Michigan was so into their dunes? I had no idea. Great time today with Mac Wood's Dune Rides. Our driver was crazy. He drives a school bus off season. LOL. Poor kids. OK so maybe it was not that bad, there was a baby on our...

* Pentwater, MI * 07.22.2022 * I make Bill go on dune buggy rides and he makes me climb lighthouses. Give and take... give and take.  Built in 1872 this beauty not only has protected our brothers and sisters on dark stormy nights, but also provides beautiful views of...

* Gateway Arch National Park * St. Louis, MO * 07.20.2022 *  So far, this is the first and only of the big 63 that has been man made. Odd that it made the cut. I guess I just feel God’s creations top man-made creations. Beautiful view of the arch from our hotel room....

* Voyageurs National Park * International Falls, MN * 07.17.2022 * This was a quick visit. Just a few nights. Area was still inundated with flooding from the springtime with many roads still closed. Wish we could pipe all that excess water down to Lake Mead!

* Bayfield, WI * 07.16.2022 * Wild, rugged, for the hardy. Most the stories around here are about hermits. Makes complete sense to me.

* Isle Royale, MI * 07.15.2022 * Check out the Wolf Relocation Project on Isle Royale. This ongoing sixty-year predator/prey study of wolves and moose on Isle Royale provides the backdrop for a new chapter of understanding regarding these two iconic animals and the...

* Isle Royale National Park * Michigan * 07.14.2022 * Cliche yes... but days like this I know we are living our Best Life. It takes planning but pulled off a bucket list item of flying in a seaplane. Originally, I had a misguided thought that we would kayak to Isle...

* Bayfield, WI * 07.13.2022 * Bill and I love tracking down obscure and weird road art. Check out this wolf in Bayfield, WI. Underneath the sculpture is a discarded bicycle that, when peddled, turns a globe of the world in the belly of the wolf. And with a pull of...

* Paradise, MI * 07.10.2022 * Humor me and let me define hokey. This is IT! Hokey, yet completely awesome! This trip started with a 5.5 mi ride on the World-Famous Toonerville Trolley. Then we boarded the Riverboat Hiawatha for a 25 mile ride up the Tahquamenon River....

* Munising, MI * 07.09.2022 * What an amazing way to see Pictured Rocks on Lake Superior. Our sweet guide Claire, from Pictured Rocks Kayaking, led us along as we paddled 5 miles of some of the prettiest, most colorful shoreline I have ever seen. You get up close and...

* Michigan * 07.05.2022 * Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) is like stepping back in time to a kinder, slower world. No cars, only horse drawn carriages and bicycles. I am still processing the gentleness of the place. We stayed at the stately Grand Hotel enjoying...

* Leland, MI * 06.29.2022 * Remnants of a 19th Century Fishing town gone bougee. Makes one want to sell the land vehicle and take to the sea.

* 06.28.2022 * Empire Bluffs Trail * Empire, MI * What a wonderful surprise the lakes of Michigan have been. You can hike for days and days getting lost in the views.

Indiana Dunes National Park * 06.19.2022 * Peek at the USA's most recently minted National Park. It’s 15,000 acres of beauty, 50 miles of trails over dunes, bogs, prairies, and serene forests; 15 miles of Great Lake shoreline and so much more. Such diversity in one...

* Cuyahoga Valley National Park * 06.17.2022 * Lush, leisurely hikes, nice people, loved exploring the Ledges, and the Ales on Rails Father's Day train ride through the park. Life is gentle and sweet these days.

* Great Smoky Mountains * 06.12.2022 * Think Summer Camp for grown-ups. Amazing tents and heavenly bedding, the food and drinks are five-star, live music, and the most attentive, most fun, nicest staff! We played Scattergories', tie dyed, corn hole tournaments, lawn...

* 06.11.2022 * Hike to Andrews Bald There is nothing I would rather do then hike in the mountains with my family. Fresh air and exercise washes all my woes away.

* Hopkins, SC * 06.09.2022 * When traveling without the RV I pride myself in finding quirky and unique AirBnB's. Check out this Cottage Tree house near Conagree National Park. Keep it weird people… keep it weird!

* Conagree National Park * Hopkins, SC * 06.08.2022 * Congaree so far wins the award for fewest people… most bugs. Oh, horse flies... how do I despise you? Let me count the welts. We finally resorted to walking barefoot so we could use our flip flops as swatters. But...

* Jacksonville, FL * 05.01.2022 * Of all the trees I have ever met, you are my favorite. “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” ~Kahlil Gibran.  This stately tree is called the “Treaty Oak.” Some say she is 800-years old, while others say a mere 200. In...

* Washington, DC * 04.08.2022 * Ladies gather your gown and your guy and head over to the ball. What a fun time! I have never seen the show, but that didn’t matter. A grand evening indeed. I have to chuckle at the one picture where we are bowing to meet the queen. My...

* Washington DC * 04.07.2022 * Walking through the Van Gough images and leaning his story touched my soul. It is a reminder to be true to myself, to the light that shines within and to acknowledge even the darkness. Both are here to teach us lessons and help us grow....

* Rehoboth Beach, DE * 04.06.2022 * Under the shadow of the beautiful Indian River Inlet Bridge. At day Bill and Mike saw a cute Harbor Seal Pup who had made her way down from the Cape. At night the bridge was lit up in yellow and blue. That is Delaware state flag...

* Central NE * 03.19.2022 * Every March, over a million Sandhill Cranes converge on the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska to fuel up before continuing north to their nesting grounds. Nature ROCKS!

* Jackson Hole, WY * 03.14.2022 * Getting ready to head back east in a few days. But yesterday went to the dogs. We did a full day dog sled tour. Probably covered 25 miles or so of pristine forest with a stop at Granite Hot Springs for a soak and Liz's Chili. I fell...

* Jackson Hole, WY * 03.12.2022 * Most people ask their friends "How are you?" Ours ask; "Where are you?" I usually know the answer… usually. Today we recreated a day Bill and I shared together 32 years ago. Skiing, live music at the base, dinner at the Blue Lion, and...

Teton County, WY * 3.10.2022 * Negative 16 degrees outside. 39 degrees inside. Somebodies furnace is broken. Thank goodness for our heated blanket and hot coffee. The joys of winter RV-ing. In the middle of the frigid night, I was like… maybe we just throw in the...

* Jackson, WY * 03.08.2022 * Check out this beautiful herd of Elk. Our guide was amazing, and we got so close! The guide said the herd has gotten accustomed to the sleighs this late in the season. A single human could never get so close, they would spook the herd. But...

* Teton County, WY * 03.07.2022 * We finally found our moose today. Not two but two pairs... of mother and juvenile. We have been hiking a bit and talking about what to do if we cross paths with a moose. Moose are apparently one of the few animals you can and should...

* Grand Teton National Park * Jackson, WY * 03.05.2022 * Won't you join us in our magic garden? Beautiful hike while the snow sets in. When you get deep in the woods, it gets so still and quiet. You can feel the nature, not just hear, and see it.

* Melvin Brewing * Alpine, WY * 03.04.2022 * Our home for the night. On way to Teton National Park. HH allows us to overnight in some unique spots for an evening’s rest, a meal, and new friendships. Melvin is a huge brewery in southern WY on the Snake River. Mostly...

* Steamboat Springs, CO * 02.28.2022 * One of the best gifts of living on the road is getting to chase down family and friends and spend quality time. Love you cousins! Went to listen to Lucas Nelson. It was 4 degrees outside and dropping like a beat.

* Steamboat Springs, CO * 02.26.2022 * We made it to the top. Big challenge for me today keeping up with this crew. Total adrenaline rush, exhausting, but so worth the climb!

* Steamboat, CO * 02.20.2022 * I am a sucker for a sleigh ride or a train ride. I connect to it on a DNA level. The blood of my ancestors resonates through my veins. Beautiful ride under the stars followed by dinner and live music.

* Clark, CO * 02.18.2022 * Winter Yurt Camping * We were the only campers in the park. So peaceful! Look at this cutie who wanted to join us for dinner.

* Steamboat Springs, CO * 02.16.2022 * Steamboat Springs shares in my Safety Third Mantra. During the Winter Carnival, 400 plus kids ski and board at night. The youngest ones, as young as 5, have light sticks attached to them. Once you hit double digits, you get...

* Steamboat, CO * 02.17.2022 *  In case skiing at night with pyrotechnics wasn't thrill enough for the Steamboat kiddos during the day they can skijorn. This is when you ski down main street, being towed by a horse and local cowboy, before launching off a jump to see...

* Steamboat, CO * 02.10.2022 * Tonight felt like magic, basking in the AlpenGlow.

* Steamboat, CO * 02.11.2022 * Finishing off the ribs with a bit of smoke and moonlight.

* Steamboat, CO * 02.09.2022 * Took the afternoon off to go soak in my favorite hot springs with my favorite guy. Such a serene setting and after last week’s crash on my eBike I needed this! The pools closest to source are 105* and run all the way to the cold pond....

* Steamboat Springs, CO * 02.06.2022 * Cousins are often the first friends we have as children. They are the best of both worlds because they are family and friends at the same time. Fred thank you for being the perfect mountain guide today. We love your mountain, and...

* Black Mesa Winery and Cidery * Velarde, NM * 01.31.2022 * The best part of Harvest Hosts is it gets you of the beaten path. The hosts are always so gracious. You will notice in many of our Harvest Host posts, patrons are few and far between. COVID has hit...

* Madrid, NM * 01.30.2022 * On our scenic drive from ABQ to Taos on Route 14 is this awesome town. If the Wild West and a Hippy Artist had a love child, this would be their baby. Had lunch at the Mine Shaft Tavern. Amazing Hatch Chili Burger. Stay weird Madrid… stay...

* Frisco, CO * 01.30.2022 * Back in our happy place. First day out felt good! Always a few first day jitters, but it always seems to come flooding back, then it gets faster and faster!

* Moriarty, NM * 01.29.2022 * Always take advice from the locals on where to have breakfast!

* Breckenridge, CO * 01.29.2022 * Home is where you break out the ski's! Happy to be back at some serious altitude. Now just add snow!

* Sierra Blanca Brewing Company * Moriarty, NM * 01.28.2022 * Made a few new friends today. Salt of the earth.

* Red River, NM * 01.28.2022 * My planning is not always the best. On the map Taos looked really close. Which it was if you hiked over a mountain. By car it was 90 minutes. Red River, NM was a SWEET town! May spend a month here next winter. Small community mountain,...

* 01.27.2022 * We have been 4 weeks on the road with our new rig. Visited 6 National Parks and a whole lotta windshield time. We are going to slow it down a bit planning to ski 5 IKON Resorts (Taos, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Jackson Hole, and Park City) over...

* San Antonio, TX * 01.27.2022 * There are two things that make living and working on the road possible. First and foremost my loving, jack of all trades husband, Bill. But second, my amazing company FranChoice. You will never fully grasp my gratitude. Fascinating to...

* Carlsbad Caverns National Park * 01.26.2022 * Down in the belly of New Mexico we explored this ghoulish subterranean universe. The place is massive including a large limestone chamber, simply named the Big Room. The Big Room is almost 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide,...

* 01.24.2022 * A town of vagabonds and gypsies, artists and cowboys, geologists and paranormalists, rangers and mechanics (thank God), day time drunks and retirees with tricked out RV's. The Terlinguans are real, raw, colorful, and welcoming to those not faint of...

* 01.23.2022 * “Everyone wants to understand art. Why not try to understand the song of a bird? Why does one love the night, flowers, everything around one, without trying to understand them? But in the case of a painting people have to understand. If only they would...

* Lajitas Golf Resort * Terlingua, TX * 01.22.2022 * After a hike Bill and I were ready for dinner. There was this highbrow private golf club, Lajitas Golf Club and Resort. Bill had heard about it and knew it was a Members Only Club. Despite wearing hiking pants, a...

 * 01.21.2022 * Forget planes, trains, and automobiles. We are more the truck, row boat, and horse set. Crossing into Mexico. Se requiere pasaporte. If you visit Big Bend National Park, make sure to save a day to go visit Boquillas, Mexico. This one is more about the...

* Big Bend National Park * 01.20.2022 * The clouds rolled in like waves over the Sierra del Carmen Mountains today and hunting for petroglyphs (circa 500 AD) on the north end of the park among giant boulders. How did they survive here in 500 AD? No water, little food...

* Marfa, TX * 01.19.2022 * Last night after work we decided to go for a drive. We headed west from Terlingua to Redford on 170 through Big Bend Ranch State Park, hugging the Rio Grande. Turned out it's known as one of the most spectacular scenic drives in the U.S. It...

* Terlingua, TX * 01.18.2021 *  We meet more awesome people cause of this old a** truck. Thanks for taking care of us Mr. & Mrs. Gill and Jeff. The world needs more folks like you. The fuel filter housing thingee is leaking diesel. Looks like we get a few bonus...

* Indian Head Trail * Terlingua, TX * 01.17.2022 * Today we set out to find the Indian Head Trail, near our camp. We turned back because of a No Trespassing sign on the road, choosing to piddle around the ghost town again. Bill asked a gallery owner about the trail,...

* Terlingua, TX * 01.12.2022 * The Inheritance (with Amanda Kitchens). Hard to pin down the sound. Cowboy Poetry and Mariachi mixed with French Café and Moroccan. Despite my inability to give them a label, one of the more fun live bands we've heard. Local music adds...

* Terlingua, TX * 01.11.2022 * Located outside of Terlingua Ghost Town, formerly abandoned quicksilver mining camp turned tourist attraction and home of desert dwellers, misfits, and recluses. This was the final resting place for miners who succumbed while digging for...

* Terlingua, TX * 01.09.2022 * Eating BBQ in a ghost town listening to George Strait. Doesn't get better than this. DB thanks for the jump!

* 01.09.2022 * Flexibility is paramount on a cross country trek. With the change of plans, having to pick up two new truck batteries, we decided to explore the small College town of Alpine, Texas. We set out to find "the Desk." Our cartographer skills were less than...

* Alpine, TX * 01.09.2022

* Somewhere in TX * 01.08.2022 * Happy to be headed to the desert.

* Walker Honey Farm and Dancing Bee Winery * Rogers, TX * 01.07.2022 * Found a good spot to roost with the birds. Tasted some mead and sweet wines.

* Hot Springs National Park * Hot Springs, AR * 01.05.2022 * This Park was all about the water. The water we camped on, the water we collected, the water you soak in, and the water that fell from the sky. A good cleansing after 2021 was just what the doctor...

Hot Springs, AR * 01.04.2022 * In honor of the King's birthday we got the Elvis Burger! Burger is infused with Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey & Banana Extract, bun is layered in Peanut Butter & Hot Pepper Bacon Jam, Topped with peanut butter Grilled Bananas...

* Milton, DE * Trying to get creative to drum up new clients. Thanks for the amazing sign Kenny Terhune and Rogers Sign Company!

* Samuel T. Bryant Distillery * Jackson, TN * 01.02.2022 * Wonderful evening talking to Pete (Sam's sweet dad), Judy at the tasting bar, and playing with the dogs. Neither of us drink whiskey, shine, or bourbon, but I tried the Christmas Cream. Tasted like candy......

Grateful to be traveling with my personal mechanic and tech expert. Couldn't do this without him.

* Great Smoky Mountains National Park * 12.30.2021 * Day One out with the new rig was as a balmy 75° on New Year's Eve. Over the four days we were in the park the temperature dropped below freezing. We went from t shirts and shorts to puffies and wool caps. Big...

* Dublin, VA * 12.29.2021 * One of the most fascinating and eerie stories from the Wilderness Road Regional Museum: pictured here are Angel Crowns found in the area. Angel Crowns are wrought with Appalachian Folklore. Angel Crowns (aka Death Crowns) are a swirl of...

* Shenandoah National Park * Dark Hollow Falls Trail. * 12.28.2021 * Our first hike since launching the new rig was short but steep. Time to get this Christmas bod in shape and slope ready. FDR Designated the park July 3, 1936. I enjoy history of the Civilian...

* Wilderness Regional Museum * 12.28.2021 * Dublin, VA * Off I 81 on our way from Shenandoah, VA to Gatlinburg, TN. Even though the museum was closed the docent came in to meet us and give us a tour. Mind you, Harvest Hosts are free to stay at. There are so many...

12.27.2021 * Off we go… headed out to see 63 of our National Gems. We hope you will ride along. May we travel with faith, luck, love, and laughter. Digging deep to live "Safety Third." Life is short… don't wait… for perfection… just live.

* Brix & Columns Vineyards * McGahey, VA * 12.27.2021 * We spent our first night at Brix and Columns Vineyard near Shenandoah National Park. That is our new to us fifth wheel in the background. The wine was sublime and the hike around the property was a perfect...

* Greentown, PA. 12 14.2021 * On a happy note, we visited a friend from 30 years ago. Doug Wilkins (@wilkins.doug on Instagram) who was a Ranger at #TrexlerScoutReservation. Where we both worked. Doug is a talented artist, and all-around good guy! Doug painted this...

Greentown, PA * 12.13.2021 * Did a quick trip to Promised Land State Park for a dry run before we head West after Christmas. As I said before new beginnings can have a rocky start. We stopped for gas, making a sharp turn, and the emergency break controller for the...

11.21.2021 * All Systems GO! Picked up our “new-to-us” Rig in Mineral VA and on our way back to Maryland. I hope we don’t regret buying an older rig, but it was priced right and barely used. This 2014 Redwood 36RL will take some work to get to our liking. But it has...

* Death Ridge Brewery * Jeffersonton, VA * 11.21.2021 * Most beginnings can be rocky. It takes time to hit your stride. This beginning lived up to that adage. We picked up our new to us RV at 4 pm in Mineral, VA, charged the batteries, checked the slides, and the...