When History Comes To Life, So Does The Painful Truth Of Our Nation’s Past

The Indian Memorial at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

Andrew’s favorite travel stop so far was in Crow Agency, Montana, which is the headquarters of the Crow Indian Reservation. As the weeks of 100 plus degrees continued, we were able to use our America the Beautiful National Parks Pass for the first time with a visit to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

The property’s 765 acres include a visitor center, cemetery, two memorials and a vast battlefield area. It is located on two small plots of federal land with a large area of Crow Indian Reservation land in between, so the 4.5 mile drive through the various defense and battlefield locations took us past a gate and sign notifying us that we were entering private property (Crow Country). It was on this reservation land that we paused for some seemingly free-grazing horses to pass, adding to the mystique of the historic land upon which we tread.

There are a few ways to experience the battlefield, including an audio tour with point-to-point storytelling (if you can get cell service). Without any service available to us, we instead picked up a map upon arrival at the Visitor’s Center, which marked and explained each stop or point of interest along the roadway. We suggest driving all the way to the end of the drive to begin the tour, working your way chronologically through the days of battle, until you end up back at the visitor’s center.

We used the road signage and the map, but this is a nice option as well – if you have cell service.

There are signs located at each wayside with a painting of the landscape and positions of the Indians and US federal troops during the key days of battle. So as we gazed across the vast landscape of today, we could see and reconcile those fateful days in history by matching up the hillsides and valleys with the painted sign images. With that, I could visualize the nearly 8,000 Native American men, women and children living off the land in a village of tipis along the Little Bighorn River in front of us. We could envision Captain Benteen’s and Major Reno’s men lowering themselves in the shallow gullies hidden by the barren ridges of the terrain. When they failed to make it to where General Custer’s men were located, the story of Custer’s last stand came to life, and we were able to stand at the monument where he and all his men fell in resounding defeat by the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors.

Throughout the battlefields, archeologists and historians have worked hard to find, identify and mark the location of every man that perished that day. Seeing the little white stone markers spread across the prairie landscape was a moving and ghostly experience, as it helped me to visualize the full tragedy of one historic battle in the lengthy decimation of our country’s native people and their peaceful way of life.

Standing at the top of Last Stand Hill, where Custer and his men dug in for their fateful end at the hands of White Bull and his fellow warriors, Andrew felt the full force of what happened on that day in history. Having always been a fan of history, he wanted to use all his senses to experience this place where brave men on both sides of the battle fought for what they thought was right. Looking out over that hillside, he could see the markers of the fallen all around, he could hear the echoes of warrior battle cries from one side of the sad fight and touch the ground upon which federal troops fell from the other side. He could practically taste the pain of the Native Americans in the oppressive heat of the day as they fought for their way of life, and smell the hubris and impatience of Custer and his men. The result was both predictable and unexpected at the same time. This is what makes history so fascinating.

The most interesting part of the visit for me was to see how, as a nation, we are still struggling to find a balanced way to tell our story. Since 1976, the American Indian Movement (AIM) had been formally protesting the reverence of Custer and presentation of the site as part of a heroic saga in American military history and the expansion into the American West. They instead argued for a more accurate representation of what was happening across the west – a battle to protect their nomadic way of life on land they had been occupying long before European Americans landed on the continent. The loss of the Native American way of life needed to be part of the history being told.

It wasn’t until 1991 that the site was renamed, removing the name Custer from the title, and approval was given to build an Indian Memorial onsite (whereas the well-known Seventh Cavalry Memorial on Last Stand Hill had been erected in 1881). Completed in 2003, the Indian Memorial was the most telling and dramatic part of the site for me. Built in a simple circular pattern of carved stone walls, it honors the Native Americans who struggled to preserve and defend their homeland and traditional way of life. Their heroic sacrifice was finally and formally recognized, and the stories and quotes that were most important to each tribe were etched into the stone. On the distant edge of the memorial, rises a large Spirit Warrior Sculpture, showing warriors riding horses into battle against the backdrop of the wild Montana sky.

Following our hours-long visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Memorial, we stopped at a nearby cafe and gift shop for a meal and a much-needed pitcher of ice water (interestingly, still named “Custer Battlefield Trading Post and Cafe”). We sat in this simple local establishment, among several tables of tourists and several tables of local Native Americans. I noticed the whiteness of each tourist’s skin and contrasted it with the beautiful dark skin and hair of the Native Americans nearby, whom I thought were perhaps Crow, as we were sitting in Crow Agency, Montana.

Custer Battlefield Trading Post and Cafe’ – photo credit: Facebook.com

Custer Battlefield Cafe’ – photo credit: mtstandard.com

After a while, a table of young Native American men and women were joined by another group from the next dining room and they laughed and socialized. In many ways they were typical teenagers and young twenty-somethings in their dress and mannerisms. But in other ways, you could see their history and culture come to life, in their manner of speaking, with the long braided hair for some of the girls and with decoratively shaved hair or sharp, short, upright pony tails worn by some of the boys. I smiled at the thought of how they strived to keep their culture alive so many generations after the loss of their traditional way of life.

It was then that this group of perhaps a dozen young adults broke into song with a rendition of Happy Birthday for one of their seated friends. As the oh-so-familiar song ended and applause broke out across the dining room for the birthday girl, you could hear the distinct and familiar Native American celebratory trill, I believe also known now as “lele”. A number of the youngsters were cheering in celebration with the historic ululation of their ancestors.

It struck me that today’s Native Americans find their history and culture important to keep alive, even as all of our cultures continue to be watered down over the generations in this melting pot nation. As German Americans celebrate Oktoberfest around the country, and Irish Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Mexican Americans enjoy Cinco de Mayo, Native Americans also live out their history and traditions. Every culture has its special foods, celebrations, songs, clothing and ways of living to keep our ancestors alive in each of us.

As each generation travels through time, it is my wish that we all remember these unique differences carried forward from our ancestors, while at the same time, continue to grow together more than we grow apart. May we enjoy a growing peace and understanding, so that the painful and uglier parts of our shared histories become stories that we tell about lessons we have learned.

Safe travels and enjoy the discovery of our history!

Native American Quotes

In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved designated November “National American Indian Heritage Month” to honor the culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, and ways and concepts of life of Native people of the United States.

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”

– Chief Seattle, Duwamish

“I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, but rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man.”

– Sun Bear, Chippewa

“If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them you will not know them and what you do not know, you will fear. What one fears, one destroys.”

– Chief Dan George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation

“We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can’t speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees.”

– Qwatsinas (Hereditary Chief Edward Moody), Nuxalk Nation

“I have heard you intend to settle us on a reservation near the mountains. I don’t want to settle. I love to roam over the prairies. There I feel free and happy, but when we settle down we grow pale and die.”

– Chief Satanta, Kiowa

“Honor the sacred. Honor the Earth, our Mother. Honor the Elders. Honor all with whom we share the Earth:-Four-leggeds, two-leggeds, winged ones, Swimmers, crawlers, plant and rock people. Walk in balance and beauty.”

– Native American Elder

“If the white man wants to live in peace with the Indian, he can live in peace… Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow.All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief.They are all brothers. The Earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it…”

– White Elk

“Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers,free to think and talk and act for myself, and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.”

– Heinmot Tooyalaket (Chief Joseph), Nez Perce Leader

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”

– Chief Seattle, 1854

“What is Life? “It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. The True Peace. The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells Wakan-Taka (the Great Spirit), and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations. But above all you should understand that there can never be peace between nations until there is known that true peace, which, as I have often said, is within the souls of men.”

– Black Elk, Oglala Sioux and Spiritual Leader (1863 – 1950)

“Hold on to what is good, Even if it’s a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, Even if it’s a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, Even if it’s a long way from here. Hold on to your life, Even if it’s easier to let go. Hold on to my hand, Even if someday I’ll be gone away from you.”

– Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator 1830 – 1890

“The Holy Land is everywhere.”

– Black Elk

“We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.”

– Dakota Tribe

“All who have died are equal.”

– Comanche People

SOURCE: xavier.com

Visiting “The Last Best Place” Does Not Disappoint!

Montana, known as the “last best place” has not disappointed, but especially not here in the Jefferson River Canyon, likely still looking much like it did when Lewis and Clark explored the area oh so long ago.

For his entire adult life, my husband Andrew has kept one bucket list location in his heart. Montana. Known to him only by reputation, the state of Montana was his representation of peace, tranquility and escape from what troubled him. He always imagined himself, his dog Jake, a log cabin, a big stack of firewood and a long snowy winter with mountain views and purposeful isolation.

When we began “re-dating” in 2014, he shared his “big sky country” dreams with me. His dream evolved into our joint goal. As our dating life moved on to married life, and as our travel plans evolved into a traveling lifestyle, Montana became number one on our destination list.

So it was on July 21st, 2021 that we crossed the border from Wyoming into Montana in our big Ford dually, towing our Grand Design RV home on wheels! Quite literally, we got goosebumps and cheered while driving down the highway past the “Welcome to Montana” sign. Andy instantly called his mom to share the excitement, since she knew all too well how much arriving in this location meant to his soul.

With the caveat of a two week campground stay just over the border in Idaho (to visit Yellowstone National Park in Montana and Wyoming), we will be exploring Montana for 56 days before leaving on about September 15th on our way to South Dakota! Even in our Idaho campsite, we look out across our Northern “backyard” of public land and see vast mountains that are located in Montana.

Now nearly halfway through our Montana adventure, we are here to report that the state has not disappointed in the least!

As bucket list items go, one could argue that Andrew didn’t exactly get what he imagined for his Montana experience. Andrew didn’t make Montana a solitary experience as he has always dreamed it would be. He didn’t stay in a cabin with mountain views. There was no snow at our feet this summer in the “Treasure State”, and with warm summer temperatures, an endless fire in the fireplace with a big stack of wood didn’t happen either. And sadly, loyal and wonderful Jake did not live long enough to make the trip west by Andrew’s side.

But he would probably share that the real life version of his bucket list to “the last best place” has filled his soul in a bigger, deeper way than a check-mark on a list. Our “cabin in the woods” was our RV, set up next to wide open spaces on and near state and public lands. Our fireplace and stack of firewood was instead a rare evening campfire on a cool night, and the snow was only occasionally glimpsed on a far away mountain top. And while Jake was with us in spirit and thought, we had three other furry friends by our side the entire way; Bug, Calvin and Stencil have loved Montana as well!

It isn’t a mountainside cabin in the Montana forest, but our little cabin on wheels has ever changing and beautiful scenery.

The most important part for both of us, however, is that we did it together. Because all these years of imagining his solitary journey to Montana was really a beautiful way to escape what was unhappy in his life. His Montana dream was a way to safely frame for himself and others that he wanted peace and love in his life. As is always the case, God listened and led. Andrew listened and followed. He no longer wants to be alone with his dog and escape to a snowy wilderness. He (and I) wanted a loving partner with whom he could share the rest of his life. Whether that life led him to Montana or around the world mattered little anymore, because his life became the journey rather than the destination.

God led us. We are now companions on the journey.

This song has been a fav of mine for a really long time, but as we gaze out over something spectacular on this leg of the trip, or sit with new or old traveling friends by the campfire, or when I simply take a quiet walk in the cool morning air, I am reminded of this song and the beauty of all of our journeys in life.

WHAT WE SAW AND WHERE WE SAW IT

Stop 1 – Billings, MT – We stayed at the first-ever KOA campground, and it was quite nice (I am not usually a fan of KOAs, but this one was one that we enjoyed). It sits right alongside the Yellowstone River, which is beautiful with its white shores and perfectly smooth and rounded stones of all sizes in the river bed.

Oddly, this is also the place where a camping neighbor and I witnessed a trailer being hauled through the campground a bit too fast…and with their awning still completely extended! Luckily, they noticed their lapse in “careful campsite take-down” and stopped up the road before they got on the highway (mental note to myself to be extra careful on travel days, ‘cause we don’t wanna be THAT guy!).

We adventured into downtown Billings and found a great locally owned non-profit fair trade store called Global Village where we bought some fabulous gifts for family members. We bought some books and goodies at non-profit This House Of Books, a unique co-op style bookstore aiming to keep small-town bookstores alive!

We also found our way to Billings’ downtown farmer’s market where we were sure to get some Flathead cherries, a Montana summer tradition. We came home with an armful of corn on the cob, chokecherry jelly, cheese balls, perfectly ripe peaches and handmade tortillas, all local products that make Farmer’s Market shopping a favorite pastime of ours.

The next visit in our travels is perhaps Andrew’s favorite so far. As the weeks of 100 plus degrees continued, we were able to use our America the Beautiful National Parks Pass for the first time with a visit to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The telling of our experience will be a story for a future post, as it is an important and special place that deserves more time and attention than I can provide here. To be sure, any trip to the state should include a visit to this historic site.

Fun music at the Farmer’s Music!

Stop 2 – Livingston, MT – Osen’s RV Park was conveniently located just a few minutes drive from Livingston. It is neat, quiet and has one of the nicest, cleanest and lushest dog parks we have seen out west so far (security cameras on the fence overlooking dog owners might be the key to getting certain folks to clean up after their dogs). The new campground owners were hospitable and we enjoyed the quiet and simplicity of the park and the small grassy plots at each site.

Livingston was a great little walkable town despite the continuing heat wave and limited vistas due to smoke from distant wildfires. We found fun little shops and restaurants and as has been the theme this summer, many friendly folks.

In a quirky coincidence, we happened to shop in and visit with the very nice owner of Dan Bailey’s Outdoor Company while visiting Livingston. We learned about his love of cycling and fly fishing. We met his dog (we have met several great dogs in local fly fishing stores) and shared a little of our travels with him as well. The very next day, that store owner was in the news with a follow-up story to an incident that occurred between Fox’s Tucker Carlson and a man named Dan Bailey in the same store in Livingston just days before our arrival! The incident was recorded and the posted video went viral. Given that this verbal altercation was initiated by a man with no connection to the store bearing his name, the store’s owner felt it important to clear up any confusion that followed and distance themselves from the incident. So up popped this story shortly after we visited, with the friendly owner speaking of the incident that had brought them national attention for unwanted reasons. Small world….or is it big brother Google that noticed that my phone had been at that store?

Our best meal was at the joint venture of Gil’s Goods (the food) and The Murray Bar (where we ate the food). Filled on a busy weeknight with authentic cowboy hat-laden locals, outdoorsmen and visitors, we sat at a high-top table and enjoyed a delicious meal. My Greek salad an Falafel (yes, in MT) was among the best I have had for quite a while, Andy’s brick-oven pizza was a good treat and our drinks of choice were extremely affordable. Andrew’s go-to of Crown Royal on the rocks was a generous double pour and my jalapeno margarita was very well crafted, with jalapeno flavor infused into the tequila onsite.

We then wandered across the street to Uncorked, a wine bar and store set in an old train depot that was relegated to the outdoors due to Covid. It turned out to be a great evening on a covered patio, sitting by the train tracks and bustling with a few other busy tables. We shared a bottle of wine, enjoyed talking with a table of local senior citizens out for an evening of wine and charcuterie plates, and watched the rhythmic coming and going of the trains.

We spent our 6th wedding anniversary (August 1st for those kiddos that missed it) taking a beautiful Sunday drive with the dogs through nearby Paradise Valley and the Custer Gallatin National Forest. With scenery that wanders along the Yellowstone River, this valley is a place that we could find ourselves building that cabin of our dreams (if not for the price tag of land in this state!).

We took an impromptu detour into the forest and found ourselves on a tiny dirt road, passing bible camps, beautiful ranches, private getaway cabins and backcountry camping in tents and trailers of varying sizes. As we rounded a turn in the low mountain terrain, we came upon what we later found to be the location of a devastating wildfire in 2013. It was incredible to see how the fire jumped over valleys and took turns on certain mountainsides, only to decimate what ultimately was hundreds of acres.

Now more than eight years later, the green underbrush and wildflowers are growing among the blackened sticks of the mature trees that once stood over them. It will take quite some time for full restoration to occur, but it was both a sad and beautiful way to see Mother Nature work her magic. What began as a lightning strike, raged into a wildfire that cleared an area of forest that will eventually fully rejuvenate as part of a natural and needed process. At a time when we struggle as a world where wildfires are too frequent and too large due to the manmade harm from global warming, it was a moment of balance to be reminded that great good can still come from great devastation.

Bug and Calvin loved the large plush dog park at Osen’s RV Park

Wine bar with a train serenade

Stop #3 – Whitehall, MT – Whitehall, Montana is about 50 minutes from Bozeman, but we ended up with less time to explore than we had anticipated because shortly before arriving, we discovered a cracked rim on a truck tire which needed replacement sooner than later. We pre-ordered the rim to be shipped to Bozeman ahead of our arrival and then lucked out on getting it replaced when we arrived because someone else with an appointment was a “no-show”, opening up a fortuitous slot for us as we stood before the employee explaining our plight (we drove nearly an hour to get here, we are only going to be in the area for a week, and this is our only vehicle – “so can you help us?”).

Back in Whitehall, we were excited to see the absolutely stunning and open layout of the Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. We were conversely disappointed to see that we had NO cell service throughout most of the campground. This situation made the perfect opportunity to install and test out our WeBoost cell signal booster. Once installed, we were happy to at least get one or two bars for the rest of our weeklong stay (we had read that a booster can improve low service, but cannot provide service where none exists, so even the slight improvement helped us conduct required vacation rental business during our stay).

The highlight of our stay was a two-hour Classic Tour of the Lewis and Clark Caverns. It was about a ¾ mile hike to the entrance of the cave, complete with dramatic vistas of the valley and Jefferson River Canyon (a tributary of the Missouri River).

The tour itself had an interesting start where we had to remain silent and wear masks to protect the bats that lived just inside the entrance, so as to keep them calm, safe and healthy. Once we walked deeper into the cavern, we crouched, shimmied and even slid on our bottoms at times through the many-leveled caverns. With a quick refresher course in minerals, geology, stalagmites (from the floor) and stalactites (from the ceiling), we looked on in wonder at the physical beauty and the great history.

Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark never actually discovered the caverns, but they camped below on the Jefferson River and explored the surrounding area, so they were credited for their work by naming the park and the caverns after them.

One nice feature about this tour as compared to the ghost cave tour we took in Colorado in June, is that it was well lit and had many railings installed along the way. Stairs were carved into the limestone which helped me maneuver more comfortably in the shadows and uneven flooring. Also, the tour began at one end of the cave and ended many feet lower on the mountainside, where a long tunnel had been blown through the stone for easier egress.

While in the area, the heat wave finally broke free when several days of periodic storms brought cooler temperature and some much needed rain. Much of the wildfire smoke that we had been seeing since arrival in Colorado in June was finally clearing out on some days, and we were much more comfortable and able to enjoy the outdoors even more.

The next stop upon which we will report is actually a two-week period of time when we will LEAVE Montana for camping, so that we can have cloe access to the West entrance of Yellowstone National Park! But there is much more Montana ahead for us this summer, so stay tuned!

Safe travels, and may your bucket list journey be filled with joy and discovery!

You’ll be with us always, Jake, in our hearts and memories!

What Does A Year Cost When Full-Time RVing? That Depends…

When FT RVing, some things cost more, and some cost less…one thing is for sure – it is different for EVERYONE!

In the years leading up to full-time RVing, and in the year since we began our travels, we have done all we can to learn from others. It is a particularly well known fact that campers love to help other campers. A generally friendly bunch, campers in today’s world are helpful in many ways other than saying hello to your campsite neighbor. Now campers share with others via Facebook groups, Youtube, blogs, eBooks and eNewsletters as well.

We have devoured all of these mediums over the last five years or so, and without a doubt, the most often asked questions center around “how much does it cost to live and travel in an RV”? To that end, I thought that it was time to “pay it forward” and share a little bit of our experiences.

We recently celebrated our 1st “Nomad-i-versary” on July 17th! To celebrate our year on the road, I’ve put on my nerd hat (or perhaps my recently acquired cowgirl hat from Wyoming), run the numbers, and am ready to share a little bit of what it cost us to live a year as a nomad. Note that this isn’t ALL of our budget. I am only sharing the numbers for those budget categories that are generally affected by traveling full time.

One year of full-time RVing, and this little campground in South Carolina – Mile Creek County Park is still my favorite campsite of all time!

Here are the basics of our 1st year full-time RVing financials:

FOOD – $19,652

HEALTHCARE – $11,749

TRANSPORTATION – $14,596

HOUSING/UTILITIES – $23,525

One year of full-time RVing: PRICELESS.

Let me break it down in each category:

FOOD

It should also be noted that it is a little more difficult to shop for food inexpensively when traveling. You cannot always find the less expensive stores (I miss you Aldi!), and sometimes the food options are fewer, farther between and therefore more costly. We have collected a lot of “store shopper cards” along the way, trying to at least gain the benefit of the weekly sales at the stores we shop, but it is difficult to save on the “buy two, get one free” sales when pantry space is so limited.

If you look at the details of our food costs, we spent nearly $6,500 on restaurant and on-the-road snack foods, but we did so as a conscious decision, knowing our budget and wanting to experience great cuisine in every place we visited! We have an unwritten rule that we will only eat at restaurants that are local (no national chains) and we have stuck to that pretty closely (with the exception of our Chick-fil-a habits, lol).

Eating out at local restaurants is a really fun part of our traveling ways!

Can you do food cheaper than us? ABSOLUTELY! Can you spend more than us as well? YEP. Decide what you can afford and follow that budget. This expense category can be the same as you have in your sticks and bricks life, but with a little more effort to find the food sources that meet your financial needs. If the grocery stores are more costly where you are traveling, then you may have to modify WHAT you are buying to make up the difference, but overall, you can make the budget category of FOOD meet your budgetary needs even when you transition to a lifestyle of full-time RVing.

HEALTHCARE

We have always believed that health insurance is a “MUST-DO” item in our budget.

This category is so specific to each household, that the numbers shown here are probably not valuable. Instead, HOW we acquire healthcare is perhaps the more helpful information to share. We have always lived by the belief that health insurance is a must-do item in our budget. But as pre-Medicare aged adults, health insurance coverage can be one of the more difficult hurdles to a full-time RV budget.

We made the decision early on that we were going to free up as much of our time for travel experiences as possible. Full-time travel, for us, won’t be forever, but rather “for now”. Therefore, my husband quit his full time job last June (he is in an industry that could allow him to work from home/the road, so it gives him employment options once we choose a new way of living). In the last 22 years I was mostly a stay-at-home mom with part time employment, with the last kiddo leaving the house at the time we launched full-time RVing, so in a sense, part of my “job” went away automatically (it actually just changed, but that is perhaps a blog post for another day). The other part of my job is running our short term vacation rental business. Considered “passive income” it requires me to “work” a little nearly every day, but it is easily done from the road and it is work that I enjoy.

The plan had always been to quit working (for a while), sell our home and to use the proceeds and our savings to launch our nomadic ways. So we knew that acquiring health insurance could get tricky. Had my husband continued working, as many RVers can now do in more location-independent workplaces, we would have continued to have some of the same health insurance challenges that we face today. His employer-sponsored monthly “family” coverage used to cost us about $1500 each month, and that provided us with an HMO that was heavily managed and had a provider network that was limited to Maryland, DC and Northern Virginia.

Therefore, healthcare.gov became the most cost-effective way for us to acquire traditional health insurance while RVing full-time. It still didn’t solve the geographic coverage limitations we faced, but it at least provides us coverage for medical needs that could be financially burdensome or worse yet, catastrophic. Because the Healthcare Marketplace is state-based, we need to schedule annual check-ups with planned travel to Florida every year, and if we need some on-going medical care, we may have to return to Florida. We occasionally just shop around for cost-effective medical care in whatever state we happen to be at the time and pay for care as we go. We pray that no big emergencies happen, but if they must, we then pray that they happen while we are in Florida!

For the last six months of 2020, our health insurance cost on the Marketplace (for the two of us and my 19 year old college-freshman daughter), was $8,150. That cost bought us a Blue Cross PPO plan in the state of Florida (our domicile state) with a hefty $8,000 per person deductible ($16,400 family).

Once we got to 2021, our health insurance costs for a ZERO deductible Blue Cross plan became $0. This change was because once we started a new year, our projected earned income became zero. Since we were living on our savings we had no “earned income”, the Healthcare Marketplace health insurance tax credits helped us significantly, allowing us to get a better insurance plan at no immediate cost to us (if our expected earned income works out differently by the time we file our taxes next year, we may have to pay back some or all of those tax credits).

The balance of our expenses in the HEALTHCARE category of our budget were out-of-pocket care such as dental (we did not purchase dental insurance), out of network services, or provider and prescription copays. To cover these costs more comfortably, and to save on taxes, we funded a Health Savings Account (HSA) in the years leading up to full-time living. We draw on that account to pay for our out-of-pocket health-related expenses.

If employer-sponsored or marketplace health insurance plans are not available to you or the right fit for your needs, and if you are healthy, you can explore an indemnity health insurance plan. They are helpful for travelers because you can seek healthcare in most locations and have more ability to shop around for the most affordable services. There are also non-insurance healthcare cost-sharing programs that many healthy RVers participate in. These can be more affordable and still provide some good coverage. No matter what you choose, choose carefully and read the details, but choose SOMETHING. Determine if you want lower deductibles or higher maximum payout limits. Determine which coverage gives you the right financial and health peace of mind.

TRANSPORTATION

A house on wheels costs a pretty penny to keep on the road.

Transportation costs are greatly impacted by the style of camping you may choose. We live in a 36’ fifth wheel. Therefore we have a hefty truck as well. In order to go full-time in our RV, we upgraded our truck (a Ford F350 DRW diesel) and sold my car.

The cost breakdown for our first year is as follows:

Insurance – $3,631
Fuel – $5,631
Parking – $40
Service, Parts and Misc – $4,978
Tolls – $315

Insurance – We have different insurance companies/policies for our RV and truck. That is a disadvantage that we have not yet found a solution to. We also are domiciled in Florida where insurance rates went up from our home state of Maryland (that was a surprise to us), so that is also a disadvantage. Our truck is a 2017 and our RV is a 2018. Shop carefully and frequently, and hopefully you can save a bit over our costs.

Fuel – Diesel fuel has been inexpensive but has been rising. Stay longer in each location, slowing your speed and your travel and you can save in this category. There are also a few discount fuel programs and apps out there to help you save. We have signed up for a few but just haven’t used them yet, so there is room for improvement here. In one year, our RV traveled about 7,500 miles, but I unfortunately didn’t track the additional mileage with just the truck, sightseeing, running around town on errands, etc. Suffice it to say, you can make this cost drop significantly if you travel less.

Parking – This cost might be a little higher than represented in our Quicken accounting system, as I probably missed a lot of quarters being dropped into meters, but this cost really depends on how often you visit cities.

Service, Parts and Misc – What can I say, diesel trucks are not cheap to maintain. We did not have any real repairs in the last year. We did buy some new tires (both in the RV and the truck), so those are reflected in these numbers, but really, oil changes, brakes and maintenance can be costly, so plan on a realistic number for this category.

Tolls – Sometimes you have to pay a slight premium for this category. We have the east coast EZ-pass, but it doesn’t work in many parts of the country. We investigated getting some additional passes in some states to save on tolls, but it really only made sense for us in one area – Florida, where we spend parts of our winters and medical downtime.

HOUSING/UTILITIES

This budgetary category is perhaps the “meat and potatoes” of what folks want to know about when contemplating a life on the road. This category, like food, can be as varied as the types of RVers out there! But here is our story.

Before we became FT RVers it was part of our plan to purchase certain memberships that would save us money on camping fees. After much research, we purchased an Thousand Trails Elite Connections membership, a Harvest Hosts Membership, joined the Good Sam Club, Passport America and along the way, have purchased a few state and national park passes. All of these memberships can save us on campsites and admissions.

What we have chosen may not fit the type of travel you will choose, but we have found that stays of two to four weeks is our camping “sweet spot”. In the summer, when we tend to do more long-distance travelling and sightseeing, our stays are often shorter and more expensive. In our first year, we found that we waited too late to make reservations for our summer travel, and we ended up paying a premium at KOAs and “resort” campgrounds because most of the state and national parks were full. Those campsites range from $65 – $109 per night. Perhaps next year we will do better and save a little more.

Therefore, our campsite fees for one year totaled $13,355. Our membership costs and dues totaled $1,624. (Our Thousand Trails initial membership cost us $8,146 but is not represented in these costs, as it was purchased earlier in the year).

We stayed 193 days in Thousand Trails campgrounds from Pennsylvania to Florida and the most common campgrounds we visited retail for about $75 per night. Therefore, our membership provided us with campsites valued at about $14,475!

We enjoyed most of our Thousand Trails stays – many have great amenities. This one in Florida sits on a golf course.

Our Harvest Host membership cost us $99 for the first year. We stayed at five Harvest Hosts locations, each for a night, but it is important to note that while we can boondock for free with Harvest Hosts, this membership wasn’t purchased to necessarily save money. We wanted the membership for the experiences! As members, in exchange for a free night of camping, we are asked to support the member business in some way. If we are at a distillery or winery, we have a great time tasting and then purchasing some bottles. At a golf course, we go to the clubhouse for dinner. If we ever visit a member museum or farm market, we will purchase a ticket or some roadside tomatoes! In the end, we absolutely spent more money at each Harvest Host location than we would likely have paid for a campsite for the night, but we have found great value in the people we have met along the way.

Harvest Hosts saves us in campsite fees….so we can spend more in great experiences! This is Weldon Mills Distillery in Weldon, NC.

Our Good Sam membership has provided some discounts along the way, but we will have to evaluate if it is worthwhile, as we try to avoid shopping at Camping World (where we also get discounts with our membership). We have not used our Passport America membership yet…we just have not found that the discount was applicable to the places or dates we were traveling so far.

About halfway through the year we even purchased a KOA membership. This program gives us discounted stays at KOA Kampgrounds – not our favorite way to camp, but we found that with campsites filling up so much, we have ended up at KOA Kampgrounds at least a half dozen times, so this membership was worthwhile for us this past year.

To round out our memberships, we have a National Parks Pass ($80 per year) and a Montana State Parks Pass. We are camping for one weeks in a Mpntana state park campground – the only reservation we were able to get all summer in our western USA trip, but with even one stay, the state park membership paid for itself. In Florida, the discount vs the cost of the membership never would pay off for us (Florida state parks are notoriously difficult to get reservations), so we did not purchase that pass.

The rest of this HOUSING/UTILITIES budgetary category is filled up with a lot of smaller expenses as follows:

RV Maintenance – $631
Propane – $83
DirecTV – $1,153
Laundry – $83
Cell Phones and Data – $3,372
RV Improvements – $2,704
Firewood – $100
Mail Processing – $420

RV Maintenance – Included brackets, hoses, caulk, tape, lock pins, bulbs, fork oil, fridge fan, RV battery. It is difficult to predict what you must spend in this category, but make sure you know that this is always an expense you will have.

Propane – We had limited use of propane and instead used our electric fireplace as a free heat source, and a countertop induction cooktop for some of our cooking. We also would expect this cost to increase if we travel to cooler parts of the US during non-summer seasons.

DIRECTV – This includes monthly costs and start-up equipment costs. You could very easily reduce or eliminate this category if you sourced your television viewing from over-the-air antenna, campsite cable channels, streaming services, or simply by sitting outside by the campfire more often.

Laundry – We chose to purchase and install a Splendide washer/dryer combo ventless unit, but did use laundromats for the first couple of months and periodically to clean larger items like blankets, seat covers and dog beds. When we began camping, I was not intending to buy a washer/dryer, but the global pandemic caused me to rethink the decision. Looking back, this was one of the best choices we have made to improve our daily living.

Cell Phones and Data – We pay for cell service for four phones total and needed to purchase two replacement cell phones for ourselves in the last year. Additionally, we have made some data upgrades to have enough internet data each month. We have 15 GB of mobile hotspot data on both/each of our phones, plus another 15 GB on a mobile hotspot. There is room for improvement in this category, and a periodic reevaluation of cell service plans is always a good idea.

RV Improvements – These included a washer/dryer purchase and installation, a WeBoost Cell Booster, a truck tool box, and curtain rods and curtains throughout the rig.

Firewood – We love a campfire, and we did purchase a fabulous Solo Stove last fall. But we have found that there are many fire restrictions in place in the areas we have traveled, and sometimes, firewood is just darn tough to find (we had some success with Facebook Marketplace when in Florida last winter).

Mail Processing – We declared our domicile in Florida, so we chose a company called St. Brendan’s Isle in Green Cove Springs to handle our mail. They have been fabulous. These costs represent the monthly fee for their mail scanning service, plus the cost of postage for any mail that must be forwarded to our location. If you are in the early stages of deciding and declaring your domicile state, be sure to contact a few of these companies to help you navigate the sometimes complicated steps.

SO WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?

The numbers shown here are not the “full freight” for our life on the road. There are items not shown here that have little to do with our lifestyle but are instead just the cost of living. Those include:

Clothing – What can I say? You need VERY FEW CLOTHES when FT RVing. We generally wear our favorite five outfits and the rest of the closet inventory remains unused. If we ever travel to cooler temps, we will make use of perhaps another third of our wardrobe, but much of our clothing lies in wait for use! The clothing we have purchased in the last year is part “fun stuff” (that overpriced t-shirt from Red Rocks that I love) or replacement (“ya gotta replace those worn out shorts and t-shirts, honey”). This category could be less costly if we tried harder, but we had fun buying clothes that represented memories of our travels and high quality clothes that would stand the test of mountain hikes. Make this category what you want when you move to FT RVing but chances are, you could spend less on clothing than in your pre-traveling life.

Entertainment – I throw anything that we enjoy for fun into this category. Cross-stitch supplies, tickets to museums and parks, bison ranch train tickets, Cheyenne trolley tour, movie rentals and purchases, puzzles, park passes, etc. If it is fun stuff and not “must have”, it generally falls under “entertainment”. So whether you are traveling or not, you have complete control over this category. It can be a little or a lot, depending on the choices you make.

Misc – If it doesn’t fall anywhere else, it goes here. Fly swatter, toaster, measuring cup, backpacks, mattress, linens, desk, air purifier, flagpole and flags, hangers, etc. Many of these things are not specific to RVing, but many of the items we purchased BECAUSE we were now in a new RV home. Either way, this category is not greatly affected by a lifestyle change to full-time RVing.

Personal Care – This is basically haircuts. I don’t even color my hair any more (stopped that as the pandemic hit, about six months before we launched FT RVing, which had been my original planned date to simplify my haircare). This category is whatever you make it, and travel doesn’t necessarily affect it.

Pets – This expense, like many, is not affected by FT RVing. This includes vet appointments, medicines, dog shampoo and training collars. We have two dogs and a cat that travel with us (and yes, they LOVE RVing!). So if you spend money on this when you live in your sticks and bricks, those expenses will continue in generally the same pattern once you move into your RV.

We don’t come cheaply, but we do come cutely!

The balance of where our money goes – Gifts, Business Expenses, Property Taxes (for rentals and land), Charitable Donations, Support for a Dependent Child, and Entertaining Guests.

For certain, the total cost of full-time RVing can vary greatly, just like the cost of living a stationary “sticks and bricks” lifestyle varies greatly. If you do a good job budgeting and living below your means now, you will likely have the same success once you start full-time RVing. However, if your personal finances are a struggle before travel, those difficulties will likely continue with a more nomadic lifestyle.

The reason for this observation is because WHERE we live (in a house or an RV) does not matter nearly as much as HOW we live. Create a monthly zero-based budget, live below your means, become or remain debt-free, save for your future and stick to it. As always, your personal choices will be the greatest factor to your long term success.

Safe travels and save and spend wisely!

We don’t need the big house – instead, we seek big adventures! We love spending our **TIME** together, **TRAVEL**ing the world, and holding each other through life’s **TRIBULATIONS**! (Mansion in the background courtesy of Trail End State Historic Site in Billings, Montana.)

Why Oh, Wyoming?! Casper and Sheridan, We May Be Back!

Stops #2 and #3 in Wyoming

The road through Wyoming was unique in its beauty.

Life still happens when you are a full-time traveler. It is not a perpetual vacation. This leg of our summer of travel fun got hit with a little bit of “life”, smack in the middle of Wyoming. We had planned that the last two of our three stops in Wyoming were going to be filled with a couple of hikes, a stop at a rodeo, some downtown historic district shopping and a mix-in of a museum or two. Instead, we had to go with “Unplanned Plan B”.

“Unplanned Plan B” really ain’t so bad after all.

We did enjoy a delicious restaurant meal, but much of the rest of our time in Casper and Sheridan Wyoming ended up at home – watching movies, eating (waaay too much ice cream), crafting (I can’t wait to show you some of my recent crafts!) and catching up on household duties (yes, ya still gotta pay bills, run the biz and clean the house as a full-time traveler).

Perhaps it was something in the water, but within two days of arriving in Casper, we all started needing to stick very close to the bathroom – and I mean ALL of us. The dogs, the humans and ultimately, even the cat. At first, we thought only Calvin was having issues. Then we spent a couple of days feeling very “off”. When we thought Calvin was in the clear, we ventured out for a few hours, to do some exploring and enjoy a meal at a local steakhouse, only to come home to find that Bug also was now suffering the same fate…ALL throughout the camper. Sigh. It was then that we decided that sticking close to our RV home was our best “Unplanned Plan B”.

What, we have to go with “Unplanned Plan B”?!?!?

Welcome to Casper – where things won’t work out quite like you planned!

The drive throughout WY was exceedingly dry, but occasionally we saw refreshing water scenes like this one, on the way to Casper.

When it came time to move from Casper, north and west to Sheridan, we felt like the dogs were well enough to travel, only to discover an hour into the trip that Stencil the cat was suffering a similar fate. Worse yet, she was struck as we were driving up the highway. She became agitated and meowed and complained (not unusual for her on travel days – just about the only thing she hates about the RV life). Then the complaining paused and we smelled the distinct odor of a cat that had just had an accident in her crate. With no pull-offs or rest stops in sight, and not really sure how to safely resolve the issue and clean up the cat on the side of the highway with only a water bottle, we drove the next hour and a half with the windows down. Thankfully, it was a short travel day and Stencil settled down and found a place to rest in the back of her crate and away from her offending odor.

Bug recovered and found a way to completely relax on this travel day!

We arrived at Peter D’s RV Campground, cleaned up the cat and her crate, set up our home on wheels, and almost immediately, the hottest of the HEAT set in. It had been in the 90’s for days, but for the remainder of our stay, the effects of global warming were apparent, with record-breaking temperatures between 99 and 109 degrees for days on end. Additionally, the wildfires, still many miles away in Montana, Oregon, California were spewing a grey haze of smoke throughout Wyoming. Each day, as our pets healed, we did our best to keep the A/C running and the camper cool. The shades were pulled, a blanket was hung over the door window to reduce the sun’s impact, and we managed our electricity use to prevent any further problems (the electric capacity was being taxed since it was so hot that most folks decided to stay home each day). The smoke and heat beat out some exploration of Wyoming.

Instead of Plan A, full of fun visits and exploration, we wound up our visit to Wyoming mostly at home. The nice thing that I learned about this experience is that it was really nice (once everyone’s intestines were settled, at least). We are blessed to be living this semi-retired, traveling lifestyle. We don’t have to feel rushed or compelled to “cram it all in” to a specific timeframe. We didn’t get to see and do Wyoming like we had planned, but we can return some time and try again. Perhaps we will pass through here again this fall on the way to Denver for the Broncos-Ravens football game (that is another adventure we have in the planning stages!). Wyoming will be cooler then – and this time, we won’t drink the water.

(The fun we still had):

We were able to stop by the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Casper during our stay. Operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the center does a great job of educating and bringing the late 1800s to life. The Platte River runs through Sheridan and is the location where the major western frontier trails converged (before Sheridan even existed). Pioneers, missionaries, Mormons, miners and explorers traveled thousands of miles, mostly on foot, through this area. Sometimes 600 wagons a DAY passed through the area. We discovered the Atlatl (AT-lat-uhl), a Native American hunting tool that aided in throwing a dart. We learned about the varied reasons for westward exploration of North America, the hardships they faced and the methods and planning that brought them success in their amazing efforts.

Always a fun hobby of mine wherever we travel, we hit a few thrift stores for some bargains, and then we enjoyed dinner date night at FireRock Steakhouse. The service was strong (thanks, Bailey) and the food was delicious. Top on the list was the Firecracker Shrimp appetizer. The French Onion Soup was the 2nd best we’ve ever had (sorry, but Dobbin House Restaurant in Gettysburg, PA has everyone beat!), and the Blue Cheese Wedge salad was PERFECT! The flavor on our steaks was amazing, and when there was a temperature problem with the main entrée dishes, they cooked it all over again and made it right. Thanks to the manager that was attentive and wanted to be sure we had a great experience. The décor was dark, appealing and BUSY!! Our cocktails were exceedingly well made.

A Club Car Martini with a cinnamon rimmed glass

We enjoy trying the beef wherever we go out west!

My DH fell into the crab cake trap – again. As native Marylanders, we know what crab cake is supposed to taste like. The lesson: stop buying “Maryland Crab Cake” from places that are NOT in Maryland! We should not be surprised that Wyoming crab cakes are not going to be as they claim.

Don’t EVER order a Maryland Crab Cake when not in Maryland! (we knew this, but instead, curiosity won the day!)

While at home, I enjoyed lots of crafting. My latest project includes a counted cross stitch that I now have about ⅓ complete. I also have been making vinyl stencils for glass etching, and as always, sending gift packages to our loved ones back east.

Most of the campgrounds where we have camped out west have been unimpressive, even disappointing (and expensive for what you get). There are MANY great campgrounds around, but we simply booked too late to get the top picks. But we were happy to find Peter D’s RV Campground. This is camping a little more like I remember it! Privately owned and exceedingly polite and helpful, our dogs enjoyed their morning walk with a visit to the camp office where owner, Peter D, would offer them a treat. The campground is spotless and meets all the basic needs (there is no pool, but I am told there is a town pool nearby). Our reservation was made with a phone call and a verbal promise that we would have a site when we arrived. No cash on hand to pay the bill? That’s okay, just bring it when you can! The laundry is spotless and includes a “take one, leave one” book nook. The dog run is large and there is a center grassy section of the campground that sports a beautiful vegetable garden (thanks so much for the squash we were sent on our way with on travel day!) and a few resident bunnies that seem very content.

These bunnies layed on their sides in the grass no matter how close we approached – they had few worries in life at Peter D’s RV Campground

The campsites are TIGHT, but that is the only criticism I could mention. With slides and awnings out, we were within six inches of our neighbors. All sites are pull-through. The cost is exceedingly reasonable ($35 per night this year in celebration of their 20th year in business) and puts all those gravel covered KOA Journey’s to shame. The location is on the edge of a residential neighborhood, close to everything, but sits below the highway in a little hollow, so the highway noise is reduced and hardly noticed. This is a terrific quick stop or even good as a stopping point for a while as you explore the Sheridan area.

Photo Credit: Sharon Nothnagel on FB Group “Grand Design Solitude Owners” (we are rig #3)

While in Sheridan we enjoyed an afternoon exploring the Trail End Mansion and learned about how a poor Texas cowboy, turned wealthy rancher, governor and senator, built and lived in this beautiful mansion. I have always been drawn to old homes, and this Flemish Revival is exquisite from the early 1900s did not disappoint..

We wandered into downtown Sheridan and shopped a few of the unique stores and admired the plentiful sculptures all around town. We ate at Just Ledoux It Saloon and Steak Out, a restaurant with a great story – honoring a man that I didn’t know of until I was intrigued by his mention on their menu. Visit here to find out about his interesting life.

We ended our evening with a couple of drinks at the historic Mint Bar, founded in 1907. Uniquely decorated, this is the place we felt like we were truly hanging with the locals. We saw some genuine modern day cowboys and felt like we almost fit in with our own western garb. One additional happy discovery in Wyoming is the price of drinks! We managed to have two whiskey’s and a glass of wine here for $17.

Since 1907 (first, the Mint Saloon and now the Mint Bar)

A feast for your eyes from top to bottom. If the walls weren’t covered in old photographs as shown here, they were covered in shingles with branding symbols burned into the wood.

Lots of taxidermy, amazing curvy and carved wood on the bar and some local humor (complete with a lady that was nearly fall down drunk before 5 pm).

Yep, and a creepy glass-enclosed Jackalope!

We left Wyoming with happy memories and a lot of excitement for our next destination – MONTANA!

Safe travels, and remember that it isn’t your plan!

Cheyenne, Wyoming – Where We Found Truth More Than Grey

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”

~ Anita Desai

Initially, it felt like Wyoming might be a let down. If Colorado is so well regarded as a popular and preferential destination for incoming residents and visitors alike, perhaps spending 15 days in neighboring Wyoming would disappoint. After all, we just finished a wonderful 28 day stay in Colorado. The cities in Wyoming are smaller and sleepier. The population is fewer and overall much more rural. The reputation for tourism is not bad certainly, but it has some steep competition with so many amazing surrounding western US states!

The Wyoming leg of our summer travels will span from July 6 – 21, 2021 and we will stay in three separate locations and campgrounds, primarily because we were unable to find campgrounds with space for much longer than four to six nights at a time (the lesson in this is, during post-pandemic times, know that there are a LOT more folks getting away from it all through camping, so reservations must be made WAY in advance!).

Stop #1 was Cheyenne, WY. As it turned out, this was the perfect balance of our time, with six days to explore and relax in the area. As we approached the state of Wyoming, it quickly became apparent that this southeastern region of the state was much different than the perhaps the more glamorous state of Colorado we had just left. The views were still beautiful, but in a different way. From the highway at least, you no longer noticed grand ranches and towns that were economic hubs. Instead it was more flat, more brown, and simpler in its beauty.

Our first impression upon arrival at our campground was that this area of Wyoming seems to be less of a destination and more a “stop along the way”. The campground was at 100% occupancy every night of our stay, but completely cleared out each morning except for perhaps a half dozen other campers, as travelers quickly moved on to wherever was their ultimate destination. What a shame. We were fortunate to be among the few campers that were going to spend a little time discovering Cheyenne.

We had a great visit to the area, but it was indeed a very different place than that which we had just left. My favorite day in Cheyenne was our last – and it was for simple, unexpected reasons. But before I share the best, let me share the rest…

Cheyenne is a city that was smaller and sleepier than I had imagined the largest city in the state would be. It is the capital as well, and steeped in history. There are only about 60,000 people there, it has a rough and tumble history, and lenient alcohol laws that permit open containers on the streets. So it was not surprising to see distilleries, breweries, outdoor concerts, a variety of western-themed museums and a historic shopping area that would entertain, educate and enlighten us for the next six days.

The bridge over the Union Pacific train tracks as we enter downtown Cheyenne, WY

I found the website cheyenne.org and several free and for-a-fee coupon download opportunities. We began with a trolly tour of the downtown and quickly became acclimated to the simple layout of the area. In the midst of a mini heat wave, the air-conditioning on board the trolley was less than efficient, but the admission was included with our $20 per person Legendary Pass which included admission to seven area attractions. We also were able to visit the Cheyenne Depot Museum, the Nelson Museum of the West, and the Terry Bison Ranch (a discounted admission) with the same pass. All were worthwhile, but in keeping with the Cheyenne theme, were also quaint and simple while remaining chock full of interest and history.

Another download from the Cheyenne Visitor’s Guide website (Daddy of the Malt) gave us BOGO discounts at any of a half dozen “thirst parlors” in town – we found our way to Accomplice Beer Company, set in the historic Cheyenne Depot. The (train) Depot is, of course, right alongside the many rows of still very active train tracks that in the 1860s, caused a quickly burgeoning city as new Americans arrived in what had previously been vast Native American and bison lands.

Accomplice Beer Company inside the Depot

We ate our first authentic and tasty Chicken Fried Steak at the Albany Restaurant, in the heart of downtown. You could see the history in the building facades wherever we walked, and in the photographs lining the walls inside the restaurant. Without a fancy interior, but with a really bustling local crowd on a weeknight, you get the sense that most of the streets and stores and restaurants roll up their sidewalks and close their doors at night as the breweries, distilleries and various beverage parlors welcome the crowds later at night.

Along the way, we caught a little bit of the daily gunslinger show and we shopped for gifts, snacks and western wear downtown. But one of our best discoveries was what has to be among the best restaurants in all of Cheyenne. Nothing fancy, as seems to be the feel of all of the Cheyenne restaurants we visited, the varied and unique menu is what caught our eyes. EpicEGG is a breakfast and brunch stop, open only until 2:00 pm each day. We loved the look of so many items on the menu that we went two days in a row….and took a take-out order home as well! Our favorites? Go Green Bene (a meatless twist on Eggs Benedict) and Epic Bene (a meatier twist on the classic). I also enjoyed my first ever Chicken Fried Chicken and Waffle, served with warm maple syrup and Andy enjoyed a meaty, cheesy, eggy, skillet dish that was also delicious. We took home some Sausage Gravy and Biscuit and from their lunch fare, a Reuben Sandwich. We were left wanting more, with our eyes caught on breakfast items with a Mexican flare, stuffed French toast and Pineapple Upside Down Cake Pancakes! Each savory menu item featured a different type of bread, including ciabatta, biscuit, English muffin, croissant, or quinoa cakes! Then, of course is the no-judgment-zone day drinking menu, including a dozen varieties of Mimosa, several Bloody Mary features and a few other unique cocktails that made this restaurant a fun midday stop on the tourist trail!

All of this fun brings us back to our best day in Cheyenne – our last day.

We awoke on a beautiful Sunday, with temperatures expected to be mercifully average – in the mid-to-high 80s, with the usual dry atmosphere to which our skin and eyes were finally adjusting after months of low humidity. There was no rain in the forecast, and the breeze, seemingly always present in Wyoming, made this day relaxed and comfortable, as we made our way to a local church.

Andy wore his newly acquired western boots and hat (yep, we are THOSE tourists, lol), and I wore my new Chaco sandals, all part of some of the fun shopping we enjoyed in Cheyenne. We were both dressed casually, something that was perfectly acceptable and noted on the Cheyenne Hills Church website (and a big perk as FT RVers with a small RV-sized wardrobe). I selected this church because it was the closest to our campground and because it seemed much different than any churches we had attended previously, but what we received was more meaningful.

Dressing the part in the wild west…as we head off to church on a beautiful Sunday morning

The experience was moving for us. Their use of technology to meet their mission was impressive. Their facilities were beautiful and amazing. The music was inspiring. The service had high production value. But the 21 year old speaker that day, aptly named Cole Church, was the icing on the cake that was our visit to Cheyenne!

The lobby looked like a nice Starbucks for social gatherings, and the seating inside the church was like a crisply decorated, high tech theatre.

You can see and hear the entire service at this link, selecting the sermon entitled The Scoffers, recorded on 7/11/21. The musical preludes and rest of the service are all worthwhile, but if you wish to get right to the message we heard, go to 36:45. As is often the case, you get what you need. We were reminded, through a sermon that was timely for us, that “God is real…God is in control…God is patient. The TRUTH is still real in a world of grey”. 1:07:29 is the closing prayer that moves into a beautiful cover song (The Comment Section, Sidewalk Prophets) as well. Give it a listen and bring a little bit of beautiful Cheyenne into your world.

We visited Cheyenne Hills church during their Strengthen and Engage series – it hit the mark with us.

Do not get the wrong impression. It is not to say that Cheyenne was so ho-hum that a church service was the highlight of my stay, but rather, that this church visit was so wonderful, it became the culminating event in a really great visit to Cheyenne, Wyoming! The church’s tagline is “Across The Street; Around The World” and this is a perfect representation of them and their mission – as well as something that truly speaks to us as a couple seeking a new church at each stop along the way in our travels.

As we held hands and left Cheyenne Hills Church (headed over to epicEgg for our second visit), I couldn’t help but imagine that one day, we will settle our roots once again, end our nomadic RVing ways, and find a worship home that stirs inspiration, love and peace into our life like this visit to Cheyenne Hills gifted us on this Sunday.

Thanks Cheyenne Hills Church and Cheyenne, Wyoming. We aren’t exactly across the street, and we aren’t so far as to be around the world either. But don’t be surprised if we check in online occasionally to enjoy your church, wherever our nomadic life takes us!

Stop #2 – Casper, Wyoming!

“Veni Vidi Amavi” (We came, We saw, We loved.)

~ Roman Proverb

A stone inlay map of the Utah Territory in the floor of the Depot

Colorado, You Might Just Be Our New Favorite State

Any stop along the Devil’s Head Trail in Pike National Forest leaves you inspired.

“But the Colorado rocky mountain high, I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky…”
John Denver

Since selling our home and moving into our RV in July 2020, we have tried very hard to TAKE OUR TIME! We kept reading this lesson in the blogs, on the websites, and watching on Youtube, devouring online content in preparation for our own full-time travels, and we have therefore done a decent job of not rushing. But our recent 28 day stay in Larkspur, Colorado has been our longest stop yet.

From Red Rocks Ampitheatre and Park, to Garden of the Gods, to a simple Sunday drive to explore the area, the rock formations and colors were always amazing to see.

It might be somewhat premature to say it, with only 25% of our summer travel complete, and another four or more fabulous states on our itinerary. But I think that I have found my new favorite state! Certainly not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the reasons we have become big fans of the Centennial State:

These Aspen trees on Devils Head Trail in Pike National Forest gave me a new appreciation for the beautiful white bark and towering clusters.

Well, it is frankly, GORGEOUS! From Grays peak, to Red Rocks, to Royal Gorge, to Garden of the Gods, to Breckenridge, to just about any place we have taken a drive in our visits, this area and state is beautiful. The clouds just seem to be larger, puffier and hang lower in the sky than back east. The Cottonwood trees shed their fluffy seeds like a summer snowfall. The vistas are ever changing – green and flat topped buttes, snow capped massive mountains, rushing whitewater rivers, deep gorges and vast open space – the state has impressed our senses.

2. The wildlife is accessible and diverse. We have seen so many animals – bison, marmots, prairie dogs, pika, mule deer, white tail deer, cattle and birds of great variety. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge was an easy start to our animal exploration (and remarkably close to the Denver airport), but there are so many places to hike and get close to wildlife that the options are endless. On a visit to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, we were able to learn a bit about the animals in the habitats of Colorado, and also find a number of different ways to seek some of the harder to find animals (wolf, elk, bear, pronghorn, and mountain goat). Even in our campground and a trip to the local post office produced multiple sightings of deer.

3. There are so many options! The diversity of vistas and wildlife are only the start. There is such a variety of things to do, both indoors and outdoors! We checked off a lot on our to-do list for Colorado, but we still have a far longer list of things left undone! DONE: ride a historic carousel, walk a country road, explore Red Rocks, hike Grays Peak, drive through Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, hike Garden of the Gods, tour Cave of the Winds, shop Manitou Springs, eat at Fogo de Chao restaurant, walk the halls of the Denver Art Museum, dine at Ted ‘s Montana Grill with the best server EVER, visit the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, cheer at a Colorado Rockies baseball game, eat our first Pho, shop fun thrift stores, go to the movies, hike Devils Head Trail, ride a train through the Royal Gorge and much more! YET TO BE DONE: see a concert at Red Rocks, ascend Pikes Peak on a cog train, attend a Denver Broncos vs Ravens game, paint some art, ride on a white water raft, tour some historic buildings, traverse a mountain on a gondola, fly fish on a river, ride an eBike through a beautiful place, tour on a Segway…the list of cool things to do goes on and on and on in Colorado.

4. Coloradans are welcoming, friendly and very proud of their state. Wherever we explored, we ran into some exceedingly friendly residents that were ready and willing to “SELL” us on the merits of Colorado! After all that we had experienced, it certainly wasn’t a difficult pitch, but it was clear that those who live in the state, LOVE living there! We certainly have noted that with each mile westward, the people have become friendlier and more open (sorry. fellow East Coasters, but I don’t think this is any great secret or mis-truth). Coloradans are among the most kind and open Americans we have met along the way. The difference-maker for us, however, is that the pride is expansive in Colorado.

Those that are native, born and bred are especially proud to be so! These folks may be residents by default, but they CHOOSE to remain in Colorado because they believe so strongly in the beauty and wonder of their state. This is a palatable difference than we experience in other states. Then there are those that moved here by choice, years and decades earlier. They arrived, fell in love and remained residents of Colorado. These folks were always so happy to share their story and learn our story as well. Once they heard about our nomadic lifestyle, it was not long before they pitched us all the reasons that we should end up in CO once we decide to slow our travel and plant roots once again.

One similarity we noticed with our home state of Maryland is that state pride flies clearly in the extensive use of the state flag. While Colorado’s flag is not as unique or beautiful as Maryland’s, it is equally ubiquitous – displayed throughout the state, not only on flag poles, but on hats, shirts, housewares and more.

Throughout Colorado, and especially in the Castle Rock area outside of Denver, there has been record-breaking population growth for many years. Economic prosperity was evident in the areas of larger population, but we did also witness some of the inevitable challenges of such growth and success. Housing clearly was in short supply and expensive, we witnessed homelessness in Denver, and we saw traffic problems due to overcrowded roads and construction that seemed to not be able to catch up to demand. We clearly could see that water shortages are becoming an issue as a result of the state’s tremendous population growth and the impact of global warming.

No state is free of problems. The difference in Colorado? Not one single person spoke a single negative word about their state. Whatever difficulties and challenges the great state of Colorado is facing, we didn’t hear about it from the residents. Instead, they wanted to share all that they love about their state, and welcome us – as visitors or perhaps even future residents.

A view from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

It seems that 28 days was a great way to fully explore the eastern half of the state, including Denver and the surrounding regions. We explored some of the highest elevations of a Colorado “fourteener” in Grays Peak and the lowest elevations of the Arkansas River in the Royal Gorge. We enjoyed our peek into the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountain regions. But there is so much more we have yet to see, having not even touched upon the beautiful Colorado Plateau, which lies to the west of the Rocky Mountains and the Intermontane Basin, found in the far northwest corner of the state.

Yes Colorado, we have enjoyed exploring you tremendously. We will be back to finish the job someday. And maybe, just maybe, we will find that perfect little house on a lake, with a mountain view that we are seeking to settle upon again someday – and maybe that little house sits in Colorado.

Devil’s Half Acre at the end of the trail in Pike National Forest

“Colorado has always been a good place to find what you’re made of.”
John Hickenlooper

“Our peace shall stand as firm as Rocky Mountain.”
William Shakespeare

Easy Questions With Complicated Answers

"Where do you live?" - Answers from the road we travel.

3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; 4 through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
Proverbs 24:3-4

Sometimes it feels like we are giving a loaded answer to what is a fairly innocuous question. “Where are you from” or “Where do you live?”. We answer as succinctly and clearly as possible. “We are full time RVers. We live and travel in our RV year-round.” Then we pause for the reaction. We have gotten it all in response. Stranger, acquaintance, friend or family, it is sometimes difficult to know what reaction we will receive. It seems, however, that the reactions seem to fall into one of three different categories.

Perhaps the most surprising (and thankfully, the least common) reaction is what I call the “Trailer Trash Look”. They immediately look down upon us and the way we are choosing to live. They give us a confused stare. These are the folks that might not understand or have any experience with camping. They might not understand the amazing diversity of campers and camping styles that are found in this country. They might think that campgrounds are like run-down mobile home parks (sometimes they are). They might have prejudged (and misjudged) people that live in trailers or motorhomes as desperate, nearly homeless folks that are under/unemployed and not hardworking. They might be very “inside the box” thinkers. They might just be jerks judging our lifestyle.

How we choose to live might not be what they imagine it to be.

They are easy to handle. Simply smile, end the conversation quickly and move on. No amount of explanation or education is likely to change their opinion, and this type of person doesn’t generally want to hear it anyway.

The second type of reaction we get is the one I struggle with the most. I call it the “Green Is Not Your Color Look”. Envy shows clearly when folks’ initial response is said in a generally pleasant but slightly sarcastic tone. “I wish I could do that” or “Must be nice” or even “Well, aren’t you lucky?”. Sheesh. This lifestyle is usually a choice. It is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice in my choices. It is not simply the result of waking up rich one day. We chose this lifestyle because of its richness in experiences. My husband and I planned for this opportunity. We made financial decisions to be able to prepare for this lifestyle. We live responsibly and aware of our ongoing financial choices, following a monthly budget and sticking to it.

Our lives are about choices, and occasionally about how we react to our adversities.

I am never quite sure how to respond to people who make these comments, but for some reason I feel compelled to try. I say “Well sure, you can choose to do this lifestyle too! People of all walks of life have made it their choice”; or “It is indeed nice, thank you. I’ve been a saver my entire life, so this is the time when we can enjoy those savings”; or “Well, not lucky really, but blessed. This is something we have worked hard for, so we are really blessed to have the opportunity for these experiences.” No matter how we have responded, it seems that our message never quite connects with the commenter. They never quite hear that their limitations are usually of their own making. All of our lives are mostly about our choices, and occasionally about how we react to our adversities.

By and large, however, we get great support and enthusiasm. The most common response is true and genuine happiness and understanding for our choices. “That is amazing.”, “What an adventure.”, or “I’ve always wanted to do that!”. This response is sometimes followed by questions about our favorite places or future destinations. It is a pleasure to share with these folks. We connect with them and learn about their lives as well. Often they have had an equally interesting and different life that they are living, and we love to learn about them. We often connect on a very human level, appreciating our differences and enjoying the time learning about our amazingly diverse world.

By and large, we receive great support and enthusiasm about our nomadic lifestyle.

Regardless of people’s reaction to our life in a 350 square foot trailer and a truck, people usually want to know what it is like for us. They want to understand the day-to-day – the good, the bad and the ugly of it all. What is hard for us? Why are we doing this at all?

People can understand and usually even guess the harder parts. These are the things that stop many others from living this lifestyle for very long, or from trying it at all. You are separated from your friends and loved ones by many miles and often many months. You must eliminate most of your personal items, by either selling them, giving them away or storing them out of reach (often at a great cost). You must live a life of greater solitude (if you are single) or of less alone time (if you are part of a couple), or of very limited personal space (if you are part of an RVing family). These can be the tougher parts of FT RVing.

Learning to live in a smaller space requires a coziness that can be fun, but that also leaves you searching for your own personal space. Here, the “dining table” becomes an office and craft room.

The galley kitchen is fully functional, but a complete “open concept” with the “living room” and “dining room”.

The sofa in the “living room” gives a small bit of “personal space” to our doggos on a daily basis.

Andrew and I have found ways to work through these challenges. We recognize that every so often, we will be returning to our “hometown base” of Maryland and Pennsylvania to see our families – including our mothers, siblings and children. We need that time and they need that time. Life goes on and there will always be graduations, illnesses, marriages, births and even deaths to draw us together. We just work these things into our travels – expected or unplanned, we know they will happen.

We also always leave an open-ended invitation to our friends and loved ones to visit with us. When passing through a certain state, we have met with new and old friends along the way. When visiting a fabulous place, our kids and sometimes our close friends will fly in for a visit/vacation. Because of our nomadic ways, these visits must be planned out, but it really is not much different than millions of families around the globe that live far apart from their loved ones for a lifetime.

We love when our loved ones visit us! Here, two of Andrew’s kids stopped by Colorado for a visit, including a Colorado Rockies game!

My baby, Ella, cooks up some Thanksgiving dinner with us on Tybee Island, Georgia.

Shedding our home was a difficult process that was also very easy in the end. Selling a home that you love or leaving a town that you feel a part of can be a challenge. Ultimately, we have found that the simplicity of life is a positive outcome to our loss of possessions. Having no yard work, property taxes, utility bills and large capital and maintenance projects frees up our finances to create experiences and feel little stress when the kitchen sink springs a leak (yes, those things still happen in a tiny home on wheels).

It took many months of Facebook Marketplace sales, yard sales and donation trips to our local non-profit thrift store to shed us of nearly all our personal belongings.

WHY? So why do we do this full-time RVing thing? Why do we choose to live apart from loved ones and friends? Why do we choose to shed our treasured belongings and live in such a small space? The reasons are many:

Meeting diverse people: The gift of camping in this lifestyle we choose is that we DO meet many kinds of people. They are varied and different from us in many ways. If we still lived in our little neighborhood where our “sticks and bricks” home was located, we would meet mostly people that were similar to us demographically. But because we meet new neighbors weekly, we meet people that come from much more varied walks of life. Campers, we have found, come from very different geographic, familial, financial, political, ethnic, racial and career backgrounds.

This Native American display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science was a great way to show the diversity of people and lives that we have met while traveling the country.

In South Carolina, we met a traveling couple and their three furry family members, complete with a motorcycle sidecar that allowed the entire family to camp and motorbike around the country. Both Mike and Jean were retired from really interesting careers in horse racing, with Mike being part of a world class, hall of fame horse training family and Jean being a thoroughbred rider. He shared interesting stories of growing up while rubbing elbows with Hollywood stars like singer Burt Bacharach, actress Angie Dickinson and many others, with dinner parties, hosted by his mother, being the norm for their family.

In Florida, we met Doris, a single 89 year old full-time RVer who had recently downsized to a 25 foot class C camper. She retired from her traveling jewelry sales career (also in an RV) and declined the opportunity to move in with her daughter. Instead, she spends her free time as a daytrader and self-described youtube fanatic, following other full-time RVers she meets along the way.

We have met camping families that homeschool their children with experiences and discipline. We have met a lesbian couple that travel and blog their way through their adventures and chronic illness, entertaining and helping others along the way. We have met those that are our political polar opposites, and yet, we enjoyed a campfire together. We enjoyed meeting the retired couple in their 70s that were RVing for the first time, making a cross-country trek in their Class B camper to visit their daughter in Washington state.

This interesting neighbor, whom I met Thanksgiving weekend, purchsed this military surplus equipment at auction and converted it into a unique way of camping.

The ways all these “neighbors” we meet travel and live are all very different – seasonal snowbirds, workampers, weekend warriors, location independent full-time employees, traditional 65+ retirees, young risk-takers that fund their travels with an entrepreneurial online presence and yes, even those that are struggling financially and hanging on to whatever stability they can find while living in an RV in a stationary location. We have enjoyed meeting them all.

This globe-trotting traveler was going to circumvent the WORLD in his Unimog before Covid converted his trip to an exploration of the USA.

Embracing a more minimalist life: This benefit of FT RVing wasn’t one of our initial goals, but it has been an unexpected enjoyable outcome. We have grown to enjoy a smaller, more casual wardrobe (we usually wear the same five outfits weekly). We cook simple, (generally) healthy meals a few times a week instead of daily, and we enjoy the extra time to slow down our pace. Most urges to acquire material things are shifted to our loved ones – we love sending care packages of objects found in our travels to those we miss back east. We have left the race to build a career, to have a beautiful home, to drive a nice car. Instead, we have less “stuff” – part time work, just enough to support our lifestyle, a tiny home on wheels with no mortgage payment and one vehicle that is our shared mode of transportation. In exchange, we have more experiences that we value far more than the items we have removed from our lives.

We are more glampers than these minimalist retro campers that we saw in the Casey KOA (Illinois). but no matter how small or big your rig, minimalism is a necessity of life. When something new comes into the rig, something else must leave.

Having incredible life experiences – By and large, THIS is what most people are excited about, and I really must agree. The romance of travel and the beauty of our country is what we were drawn to and what many others we meet think about when we first tell them where we live. The sunsets are indeed a little different in every place we settle for a while. The animals are diverse and interesting – from the swamps to the sandy beaches to the mountains. The really cool things we try are so numerous we will never be able to get through the entire list. But even the simple everyday events of exploring a new thrift shop, shopping at a newly discovered farm market, or chatting with a shopkeeper in a newly discovered little downtown – even in these simple life moments we make discoveries and are amazed by the world around us.

The sunrises and sunsets are indeed a little different in every place we settle for a while. This beautiful sunrise in Myrtle Beach, SC, like all of them, is courtesy of our good and gracious God.

The animals are diverse and interesting – these large turtles lived among us in our central Florida campground.

The Sand Hill Cranes mate for life, dance for joy, and are among the most interesting we lived among while wintering in Florida.

After falling in love and then living three decades apart, and then while we each went through some of the most difficult years of our lives separately, we focused on our children, and simply “getting through” the tough years. When we rekindled our lost relationship, we were finally able to look ahead to the day when life could again be beautiful and full of love. As our children became young adults, our obligations and roles changed, and we were able to instead focus on our life together as a couple. Full-time RVing became a way to quickly reinvent our lives, to step away from past pain, and see what life had in store for us in this next phase of life – finally celebrating “our time”.

Andrew’s surprise 50th birthday party (four years ago) – about the time that we started to actively plan for “our time”, to begin in July 2020.

We are Andrew and Tina, husband and wife FT RVers, living in our 36 foot fifth wheel trailer, traveling the country with our two dogs and a cat, missing our loved ones, and living a very blessed life.

Home Sweet Home – at a Harvest Hosts stop near Leavenworth, KS

1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2 Corinthians 5:1

Some Of The Best Experiences In Life Happen When You Just “Go With The Flow”.

John 7:38 ESV “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

The Schmidt Party of Nine – L to R – Jonathan, Ellie, Sarah, Andrew, Tina, Abby, Patrick, Christy and Ben

Several months ago as we were planning our visit to some of the western states in our RV, my husband, Andrew, talked about a couple of bucket list items of his brother’s that were in the area where we would be traveling. Included on Patrick’s list was seeing Brit Floyd (a Pink Floyd cover band) in concert at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Colorado. He also wanted to attempt to climb Grays Peak, the “easiest” of the state’s “14-ers” (fourteen-ers), which is any mountain at least 14,000 feet tall.

We checked out the event schedule at Red Rocks. Lo and behold, Patrick’s bucket list band was playing this summer! Seeing it as a great opportunity to visit with his brother, Andrew asked Patrick, “Are you in”? The beginning of an unexpected lifetime adventure was suddenly evolving and we didn’t even realize it.

Patrick and his family bought concert tickets and airline tickets. We bought concert tickets and booked a campground nearby. Andrew’s three children heard about what we were doing for that leg of the trip and decided to come along as well. More plane tickets, more concert tickets!

Bucket List – A panoramic view of Red Rocks Ampitheatre, Morrison, Colorado

The phrase “going with the flow”, infers change and flexibility. Of the “Schmidt Party of Nine”, none of us except Patrick had ever seen or knew much of anything about Red Rocks or Grays Peak, but for some reason, we were all excited and ALL IN! As trip planning proceeded, we devoured videos of climbers and concert-goers. We became very excited and immediately realized that we might also be a bit unprepared! We purchased bear spray, trekking poles and began shopping for very outdoorsy backpacks that were capable of holding hydration packs. We crafted emails to the kids, helping to prepare them for what was ahead for us. We heard more and more information from Patrick and learned about things we might encounter such as altitude sickness and the legalities of marijuana. We ventured further into our excitement and completely became fans of Patrick’s bucket list items!

As our post-Covid world began to open, we were disappointed to discover that the concert date was postponed (the band was likely moving on to a larger venue for our June visit) and in that instant, Brit Floyd at Red Rocks was yanked out of reach for us. The great part about this bad news? Everyone still wanted to make the trip to Colorado! We pivoted and decided that we should still go to Red Rocks, as our research and Patrick had by now told us all that the fabulous venue had to offer – museum, a hall of fame, miles of trails, yoga, movies and more.

So this week, the idea sparked by Patrick came to be. The spark that was further fanned by his generous sharing of information and enthusiasm absolutely CHANGED THE LIVES of all nine of us, aged 19 to 54. We saw and experienced beauty and inspiration like we have never before seen and felt.

This experience of a lifetime began with Patrick’s enthusiasm for two very specific goals.

It is safe to say that we are all so grateful that we decided to go with the flow and jump on the new experiences that Patrick wanted to experience. His goals became our shared goals.

At Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Park, we hiked a challenging 1.5 mile trail that helped reality set in for what we were to experience the following day on Grays Peak. The beauty was overwhelming. The merging of natural rock formations with man-made architecture was incredible. The altitude affected our breathing. Our muscles burned in the hot Colorado sun even at only 6,500 feet. We felt first-hand how conscious hydration and calorie replacement is a real thing. We toured the museum and music hall of fame, bought souvenirs in the gift shop and every one of us vowed that we would return some day to see a concert here (and Patrick ended up seeing the replacement band at the venue the next night).

We went to bed early that night, each of us feeling some anxiety for the mountain ahead of us. We awoke at 1 am to make the drive to meet Patrick and his family at the base of the mountain parking area at 4 am. The stars shone like never before. We all could feel the nerves in our guts and the chill of the suddenly 40 degree mountain air.

4:04 am, June 11, 2021 – before dawn, adrenaline pumping in the cold air and darkness. feeling underprepared but thrilled.

As the sun was just starting to rise, we hiked the bridge over the river of melting snow and began our ascent, ready or not. The trip to the top of Grays Peak is 4.5 miles and is one of the most popular mountain hikes in the state. The youngest in our group quickly were able to pull out ahead of us, not affected as much by the thin air and having the advantage of less weight and more fitness in their bodies.

Arms outstretched, Abby strikes a pose that many of us struck over two days – an attempt to show appreciation for the overwhelming vastness of beauty we were encountering as the sun rose.

At times I had to stop and catch my breath every 10 steps. This first third of our ascent was the most difficult for me, and I grew angry at how difficult it was (I had lost 15 pounds in anticipation of the hike, but grumbled at myself for having not lost 30!). “What on earth had Patrick gotten us into!?” I thought to myself. This was where the battle was mental as much as physical.

We slowly stepped toward the approaching sunshine, step-by-painful-step.

Mercifully, after about a mile or so into the hike, as we entered the valley between two mountains, the ascent became more gradual and the views more glorious than could even be imagined. My lungs began to acclimate to the lack of oxygen and as I watched the time and distance progress on my Fitbit, I could sense my progress and my attitude improving.

Our group of nine began thinning out, and Patrick, Sarah, Andrew and I gave the kids their desired “go-ahead” to move on at their own pace and said a silent prayer that they would make good choices in what truly could be a dangerous place. After that point, we didn’t see Patrick and his wife Sarah again, who had settled into a location slightly behind us as they adjusted to perhaps more-than-expected altitude nausea and unbeknownst to us at the time, a catastrophic boot failure that forced their return to our vehicles.

Go ahead – go as far as you can go! We will do the same.

At some point, Christy, Andrew’s oldest, had decided to reverse direction and left the “youngsters” and turned back to the “old folks”, worried both about her next steps on the snow-covered and increasingly difficult trail they had encountered, and about her parents lagging behind. As we met each other, she was both surprised and pleased to see us, not really believing that we were still attempting the difficult climb. Renewed in spirit, she joined Andrew and me for the rest of our hike, and passed that spot that had caused her initial retreat, conquering fears and growing in personal strength at the same time.

Cell service had long ago disappeared before we even reached the parking lot, but as we entered the second mile of our ascent, we rose above the tree line and suddenly our phones could “see” the cell towers and began to allow all the texts and pent up phone data to come through. We received a text from one of the kids – “If you can see this – we are almost to the top!”. We were inspired to do our best and push our personal limits.

Another hour or so into our uphill battle, we saw the approaching image of Ben and Abby, Andrew’s middle and youngest children, returning down the mountain and amazed to see us. We discovered that they had not quite made it to the top. Their obstacle was a ledge of ice in what was becoming increasingly high winds that began just as the most challenging mountainside switchback section of the trail began. They made an attempt and decided that safety would be their choice this time. Patrick and Sarah’s children, Jonathan and continued on, eventually becoming the only two of our group that would complete the full ascent.

Abby and Ben returning toward us – excited about their accomplishments.

Seemingly in disbelief when they see Andrew, Christy and me – still making our ascent.

Andrew and I (along with Ben) eventually arrived at the same location where Ben and Abby had decided to turn around an hour earlier. We took our first sit-down rest of the day and watched as other hikers slowly moved across the narrow trail of ice, now melting into a sometimes more treacherous slushy snow. Grown adults, some trying to hug the wall of snow above them or crouch low to the ground to avoid slipping into the long slope below them slowly and methodically crept across the part of the path we could see before the first switchback.

The photos don’t effectively show the challenge these hikers had traversing the beginning of the switchbacks.

The slope, the ice, the snow, the loose rocks – the factors that helped us make a decision as to when our ascent was completed for the day.

We seriously contemplated whether or not we might make an attempt, but witnessed (and photographed) too much struggle with more prepared, fit and younger hikers than us. It was ultimately a very satisfying and easy decision. The mountain had not actually defeated our aging bodies. Our fear had not won out over our desire to make it to the summit. We simply decided that this was how far we should go today. We had achieved something far beyond what we had expected and were proud of all of us.

Andrew attempted a phone call to our nephew, Jonathan who we expected might be at the top by now and the call went through! He and his sister had made it to the top, all 14,278 feet, representing a victory that our entire group felt and shared with them. Jonathan is an experienced and savvy outdoorsman, and he volunteered that this trek was “hardcore” for him. At one point, he even helped in the rescue of a man that was stuck on the mountainside.

We were thrilled for Jonathan and Ellie and even more satisfied that we had made the right decision to turn back down the mountain. At this point, three miles and 11,111 steps in, perhaps at about 13,000 feet, we realized that our adventure on this mountain was only half over.

With the decision made to start our decent, we were able to savor the journey that much more. Ben was often able to “get ahead” of us, and then take a seat for a while to enjoy the views of this peaceful place until we caught up with him.

As the adrenaline finally began to ease, our muscles began to ache. The use of our muscles changed as well, and the need for agility on a downward hike became mission critical. The sun was now shining on our hard working bodies and we continued to shed our layers. We stopped more frequently to simply stand and savor the views. The three of us, Ben, Andrew and I, caught up with others – first Christy and then Abby, and not a mile from the end of our day, even Jonathan and Elie caught up with us and passed us, no doubt happy to return to their mom and dad to tell them of their incredible feat.

All smiles as we savor our accomplishment – and only halfway through our day’s adventure!

Our group once again growing, we carefully made our way back down the mountain.

Exactly 7 ½ hours from the beginning of our adventure, all nine of us were finally all together again, with smiles and cheers and hugs all around. It was just after noon. We had crammed quite a bit of adventure into our morning. Along the way, we touched lives with some amazing people. Two young boys, perhaps 8 and 10, with their dad, passed us on the way up and on the way down the mountain. Several hikers with large backpacks that included skis and poles passed us, then skied down from the summit, and when the snow ended, hiked the rest of the way, passing us once again. Young adults in the best shape of their lives zipped past us, wished us “Good Morning” and gave us words of encouragement. Dogs of all varieties were living a great dog’s life and looking incredibly happy, one even carrying his own backpack, no doubt filled with his food and water. We were even passed along our descent by an ultra-marathoner and his dog that were literally running down the mountain.

There is nothing like a little mountain hike to reconnect with siblings.

Through all of it, we learned that hikers are an incredibly supportive and positive group. They taught us that the victory isn’t necessarily at the top of the mountain, but in your own personal challenges and hard work, and your arrival at that place where you can say to yourself “I am so blessed to be able to do this and so proud of what I achieved today,” THAT is when you celebrate great victories.

We made it – no injuries – and only tears of happiness.

To say the photos don’t do the views justice would be a gross understatement. These are views that will make you cry (some of us did). These are places that if you stand quietly, you can hear God speak to you, simply because you are that much closer to heaven. These are experiences of places and people and animals and plants that will inspire you and become a part of your soul – changing your DNA while fully absorbing the experience.

Thanks so much Patrick, from all of us. I aim to go with the flow more often because I have been reminded that joining an adventure with others that I never even knew I wanted can bring inspiration, achievement and love of life into my world better than anything already on my bucket list.

Isaiah 40:3-4
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged
places a plain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonus photos: We explored Morrison, Colorado in the afternoon of our visit to Red Rocks, where Schmidt Party of Nine enjoyed a meal together. It is also at a nearby wings shop where Christy and Ben tried “Rocky Mountain Oysters”, a unique “delicacy” of bull testicles. An acquired taste, for sure.

Boulder Beer Shake (chocolately), in Morrison, Colorado

A last minute addition to Ben and Christy’s bucket lists – check and check!

More Bonus Photos: Straight from the Denver airport, we wasted no time discovering Colorado, with a stop at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, where we spotted, Mule Deer, White Tail Deer, Prarie Dogs, Bison and one VERY large rabbit!

The Midwest US – It’s Not Just For Passing Through

Train tracks seem to run through many of the small towns and sounds train whistles are a common lullaby when you lay down your head at night. This track ran through downtown Hays, Kansas.

We have begun our first big “trip” since launching full time RVing in July 2020! Covid, state-based health insurance requirements and family needs caused us to tailor our early travels solely on the east coast between Maryland and Florida. But finally we are vaccinated, we visited our families, and we are heading west!

Annnndddd, we’re off! Westward ho on the midwest express!

The plan for this summer is Colorado, Wyoming, a sliver of Idaho, Montana and South Dakota – all squeezed in between early June and the end of September. We are hitting all the “big” items – national parks and some of the most popular tourist sites in the US, including Pikes Peak, Yellowston and Glacier National Park. We know it will not be the peaceful, easy-going pace to which we have become accustomed, but we also know that these are big bucket list items.

We passed through only a sliver of West Virginia, without so much as a potty break…but we will be back, for sure!

But first, we have to get there! We left Lancaster, Pennsylvania on May 25th and are not expected to arrive in Larkspur, Colorado until June 8th. That gives us time for a leisurely pace to explore the path to “getting there”.

Our initial goal? Make no advanced reservations. Well, we blew that plan, but with good reason. Less than a week before our departure, I was reminded that we were facing Memorial Day weekend! Ugh! I scrambled to make reservations for at least two or three nights, and estimated where and when we might hit those locations. In the end, it was a blessing, because it created some shorter travel days when we might otherwise have felt rushed to “get there”! For the remainder of “getting there”, we made no advanced reservations, allowing us to drive at whatever pace we desired, stop as many times as needed for breaks, and really try to enjoy the journey!

Our secondary goals? The Rule of Threes: Travel no more than 300 miles in a day, end our driving day by 3:00 pm and stay at least three days in any location. We knew we would not hit every goal on the mark, but we wanted to try to benchmark our travels against these guidelines to ensure our pace was more relaxing. It is an RVing “rule” we learned early on while preparing for full-time RVing, and it has served us well. The trick is to not get caught up in “hurry up and get there”!

The first stately stop was in the great state of Ohio.

May 25, 2021 – 327 miles – Our first day on the road would be our longest, with our first stop at Spring Valley Campground, a private RV park in Cambridge, Ohio. We called for reservations an hour or two before we arrived, got a 50 amp full hook-up site ($34, a free upgrade from 30 amp because of an electrical problem that required we change sites upon arrival). The campground was conveniently JUST off the I-70 highway, but felt more isolated than that, with less traffic noise than you would expect. The staff and other campers were friendly and helpful. There was plenty of open space, a big lake and a pretty setting. The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at the nearby Cracker Barrel and I got my fix of sausage gravy and biscuits! So far, so good – Ohio was lovely, and there was much we could have visited and seen, but now we had those holiday weekend reservations that gave us a deadline.

Fishing was available, and because the campground was hidden behind a ridge and many trees, the highway noise was virtually unnoticable toward the middle and back of the park.

With neat and shaded sites, Spring Valley Campground was a great stopover.

A large lake and open space gave us pretty walks and space for the dogs to run.

May 26, 2021 – 215 miles – Our next stop was Cornerstone Retreat and Campground in New Castle, Indiana, yet another stop on the I-70 trail we were forging for ourselves. A private, Christian campground, it was an immaculate campground with well maintained and decorated grounds. You could tell that this would be a huge summer escape for families and was also host to seasonal campers. The highway noise seems louder here than at some of our previous stops, but it was fine for an overnight stop. We didn’t even unhook the truck from the camper and instead, took a stroll around the grounds, with Andy ordering pizza that was delivered to our site from their campground cafe!

May 27, 2021 – 154 miles – Our third stop was a pre-planned visit to Newton, Illinois, where we would visit the first two full time RVing friends we ever made. We originally met Janine and Matt in a camper on the sales lot at Beckley’s RV Sales in 2017. They had just listed their house for sale and were buying a new fifth wheel for their full-time travels. We were also buying our rig, with plans to launch our full-time travels in 2020.

Another state inwhich we rest our heads for a night means a new sticker on our travel map!

Here we sat, two couples chatting in a fifth wheel that we BOTH intended to buy! It worked out well – neither of us ended up buying that specific rig on that day, but from that day, an online friendship evolved and we caught up with them by happenstance again in January 2021 in Sarasota, Florida. So when they invited us to stop by in Illinois on this trip, we were excited to do so! They were spending a month “moochdocking” at their son and daughter-in-law’s home (for those that don’t know, that is when you pull up and camp in a friend or relatives driveway or property).

Our reservation was at Casey KOA Journey, again, just off of I-70, but this time, for two nights. The campground was exactly what you might expect from a rural KOA campground and while it was perfectly fine for an overnight stay, it was just as pricey as we have come to expect KOAs to be and still included that I-70 traffic noise (but it was a holiday weekend, so we took what we could get!).

The feelings evoked by these midwest country roads are that of peace, beauty and the simplicity of life.

Classic KOA cabins on the edge of a field after an evening rainstorm.

One of the coolest vintage camping setups we have seen in a while, complete with matching cooler, shower/bath tent and chair.

A KOA Memorial Day weekend stop in Newton, IL, hummingbird sighting included!

On our “free day” we drove over to the town of Casey, Illinois (pronounced Kay’-Zee by the locals). This little town’s claim to fame is being home to more than a dozen “World’s Largest” items and even a larger number of “really big things”. What a day! I am a sucker for many of these little roadside attractions. We walked, shopped and photographed our way through this adorable town. The town is special – the restoration of old buildings is well done and there is enough there that we could have spent an entire day, with lovely restaurants, stores and sights.

But it was an evening visit with Janine and Matt that was our reason for arriving to the area instead of just passing through. Any home cooked dinner when traveling is a special treat, but we also enjoyed great conversation and even did a little shopping of Janine’s gorgeous hand designed and created jewelry. Janine is multi-talented – a jewelry maker, rug hooker and blogger (Visit her at https://www.etsy.com/shop/JanineBroscious or https://joyfulwonder.wordpress.com/).

After a great dinner and conversation in their 2018 Grand Design 310GK that is JUST LIKE OURS (it is always easy to find your way to the bathroom that way!). We walked next door to share dessert and meet some of their beautiful family! It was yet another great evening of meeting kind, fun, welcoming and interesting people as part of this way of life.

We learned about their son and daughter-in-law’s adventures in their fixer upper home, with their busy children and foster child, a sister that also lives with them and their role in the community as a pastor’s family. By the end of the evening, and the end of our visit to this part of Illinois, we learned that it was certainly a place beautiful enough and enjoyable enough that we should come back again and do some further exploration (after all, we didn’t have time to visit the home of Burl Ives!).

May 29, 2021 – 241 miles – As we added another state sticker to our travel map of the United States, we headed to Columbia, Missouri for our next night’s rest. It was another planned visit – this time a welcomed invitation from a college friend that I haven’t seen in more than 30 years! Another drive under our 300 mile limit and three three o’clock “curfew” found us stopping at Cedar Creek Resort not far off the same I-70 interstate we would be taking all the way to Colorado.

Headed from Illinois to Missouri on I-70.

The campground was newer, and we were able to snag a pull-thru site. We were greeted by the camp hosts, took the dogs for a walk around the loop, admiring the nearby fishing lake along the way. Had we stayed longer, it was clear that there were miles of pretty country scenes to explore. After a restful afternoon, we got into our “camping best dressed” (for me, that simply means nicer jeans, wedge shoes, a pretty blouse and some makeup, as well as my new necklace purchased from Janine!). The visit with Lee and her wife Stacey was terrific and it was a treat to catch up in person after perhaps two decades of no contact and another decade of only a social media connection. Laughter and joy seemed abounding, and the visit was comfortable despite Lee and I being the only two that had ever known each other before. It was an evening that reinforced for me why this lifestyle is such a gift – to be able to “swing by” Missouri for a little visit on a cross country road trip! These are opportunities that I treasure.

It is having the opportunity for visits like these that are a terrific opportunities presented by full-time RVing.

May 30, 2021 – 171 miles – With our holiday-restricted-visiting-with-friends stops behind us, it was time to move on. Feeling excited, we knew that our next stop would put us somewhere in Kansas, which somehow felt like we were in the “midst of the middle”. We opted for another short travel day so that we could boondock overnight at a Harvest Host location – Z&M Twisted Vines Winery and Vineyard near Leavenworth. For those that do not know, Harvest Host is a membership website we joined where we can camp (usually boondocking) overnight at no cost at any of thousands of various businesses in North America. They ask that we patronize the business in some way as a thanks for the night’s rest. We had a great experience, meeting a couple of resident chickens in addition to one of the owners, parking our rig in the middle of a 40 acre field and tasting food and wines, while relaxing and watching the sun set. We settled on a couple of bottles to go home” with us, including a Jalapeno Wine named Hellfire!

Toto, we’re not in Oz anymore (but we can visit the Oz Museum when in Kansas)!

May 31, 2021 – 230 miles – Having anticipated straight roads and corn fields throughout the state, we actually saw many beautiful scenes in Kansas with nary a corn field to be found! With enough days to be able to slow down our pace even more, our next day’s travel took us only as far as Minooka Park COE Campground in Dorrance, Kansas. Set on Wilson Lake, said to be the state’s clearest waters, we loved the views so much that we immediately extended to a three night stay!

We saw hundreds of wind turbines all across the state of Kansas.

With a pull-through site, expertly maintained grounds and views among the best we have camped this trip so far, our first Army Corp of Engineers campground did not disappoint! We had cell service and shared our entire loop with only one or two other campers (and only $24 per night!) Our first day was misty and raining much of the day, so we used the time to relax, read, catch up on bills and business and sit by the campfire with a blanket and a nice drink in the evening.

When the sun shone the next day, we had by then discovered that in nearby Hays, Kansas, we would be able to lay eyes on our first bison, another key bucket list item for Andrew (nicknamed “Brave Buffalo” as a child). The town of Hays has its own little herd of ten bison, including four babies, four females, including one that is a rare white in color, and one apparently busy bull! While not the wild bison we aim to see later this summer, this little herd in Hays was a great way to whet our whistles and visit a town we really enjoyed!

This little herd included a rare white bison named Ghostbuster.

Baby bison! Not wild, but wildly exciting to see!

Across from the bison herd is Fort Hays – a Kansas state historic site where there is great history of some difficult times in our nation’s history following the Civil War, including massacres, broken treaties with Native Americans and the birth and growth of a nation in the plains of Kansas. There is a small museum and gift shop and a self guided tour of the grounds and buildings that remain from the 1800s.

We then made our way a short drive into town, enjoyed some great BBQ at Blue Smoke BBQ and wandered through a few of the best little stores we have seen in a while. Thanks, Hays! Your brick streets, restored 1800s buildings, the train running through the center of town, your historic sites and yes, especially your bison were a great way to spend the day! On the way back home, we made another stop at Cathedral of the Prarie, AKA St. Fidelis Church. It was beautiful and a great moment to say a prayer of thanks and light a candle, acknowledging that Saint Christopher has been protecting us and to ask for his continued blessings.

June 3, 2021 – 240 miles – This was the final stop of our westward travels, and the first sticker from our list of targeted states, on the very eastern edge of Colorado. Five nights in what really is beautifully in the middle of just about nowhere. Painted Rock Park is a campground with full hookup but really no other frills. We are one of only four campers in the perhaps 35 site campground. But if you want an affordable place to settle ($38.50 per night), rest and have few responsibilities, this place is worth a visit. We’ve only seen the owner once – a day after we arrived. He stopped by to say hello and see if we needed anything. He is a rancher about an hour away who had purchased this land on a whim at auction, putting in the campsites two years ago, but also renting out a nearby community room and hosting hunting events.

This most eastern part of Colorado really looks a lot like Kansas!

We have used this time as our last restful respite before the hustle and bustle of a crammed summer of being tourists and hosts, as we will also have some visits from family members along the way (three kids, a kid’s significant other, and a brother and his family at least). So this time and location is perfect for walks down country lanes, a stroll to see a sunset, time to pay bills, do laundry, stock up on groceries and do a little writing about our life adventures past, present and future. We’ve seen a friendly snake in our path, watched the crop dusters fly in the distant fields and smelled the pungent odor of manure spread on the fields at night (thank goodness for air-tight windows and A/C!). On a 30 minute trip down the road, we visited the Kit Carson Fairgrounds and rode their historic carousel before heading to the circa 1970s Safeway. We also attended our first in-person Catholic Mass since before the pandemic, a promising sign of the world opening up to all of us. This truly is a wonderful place with a very different look and feel from many other places.

As each day passed on this westward drive across Interstate 70, the scenery was ever changing and beautiful, from state-to-state-to-state. It was clear that the midwest is named the “bible belt” for a reason – the faith, strength and kindness of the communities we visited were evident. I can see a world in which the midwest might feel a little out of place in the middle, with the notable differences in values, culture and lifestyle from those that are generally seen on the east coast or the west coast of this country.

Each town we drove through and visited had its own special reasons to stop. There were many things we would love to stop by and visit “next time”. We were reminded that our “rules” to make few reservations and our “rule of threes” are good guidelines for us, as we kept finding ourselves feeling rushed to “get there”. Slowing down a bit was a way to remind us that we are already there – wherever we are at this moment. It only takes some billboard reading, map scanning or some Google searching to see that the midwest has a lot to offer – and certainly shouldn’t be for just passing through! We will be back!

Look carefully at this “tramp art” left on our picnic table – it is a bison made of found items.

These are the moments in camping that you savor – Minooka Park COE Campground, Durrance, KS

Books Are Best At The Beach!

Find out all that Dreams Come True Cottage has in store for avid readers.

Curl up with a book on your next vacation to make it an even greater escape!

Without a doubt, one of my favorite pastimes has always been reading. The healthy habit of reading is made even better when you are at the beach! At Dreams Come True Cottage, in Cape May Beach/Villas, NJ, the best places to curl up and read a book are on the back yard hammock, the living room sofa by the gas fireplace or on a chair on the beach! No matter the season, books are better at the beach!

Yep, reading on a blanket on the beach is where I like to be!

If your family includes children, we offer a very special collection of children’s books as well. There are hundreds of children’s books from our personal collection, some of which have been enjoyed over three generations of our family’s children. We hang onto them for our guests to enjoy, and with the hope that one day, my husband and I will be blessed to hold a grandchild or two on our laps and read to them from the same special books I enjoyed as a child (Cindy Bakes A Funny Cake, Little Bear, or any of the many Little Golden Books I have collected over the decades).

We also provide a small and varied collection of books for adults. Bring your own book or enjoy one of ours. Whether it be children books or books for grown-up, you will find them scattered around the cottage, in bedside stands and on living room shelves.

This is a part of our children's book collection at Dreams Come True Cottage. — This is a part of our children’s book collection at Dreams Come True Cottage.

But the GREATEST new addition to book lovers in our neighborhood is the Fern Road Free Library. Located only five houses down from our front door near the corner of Fern Road and Bay Drive, this little “library” is a beautiful wooden box with a window, mounted on four wooden legs, and with a little key to open up and access the treasures within! On the day I discovered the Fern Road Free Library, there were even some crayons and bubbles for children to enjoy on their next visit. The concept is simple. “Borrow, Return or Replace. But most of all, ENJOY!”

Awww, isn't just the cutest little free library you've ever seen?! — Awww, isn’t just the cutest little free library you’ve ever seen?!

Yes, we sure love books at Dreams Come True Cottage, and we love to host families that share our joy for the worlds that can open up for those that make reading an important part of their lives.

Safe travels, whether that travel be by plane, train, automobile or by BOOK!

For more information on little free libraries, visit this site:
www.LittleFreeLibrary.org.

To book your next book-reading getaway vacation, visit

www.DreamsComeTrueCottage.com or www.houfy.com/3204.

Follow us on Houfy.com to see all the greatest travel tips and tricks in our neck of the woods! https://www.houfy.com/tinaschmidt/home. If you’re ready for your next getaway, visit Dreams Come True Cottage of Cape May Beach, NJ or Clover’s Cottage of Hegins, PA.

Morfar (Swedish for “Mother’s Father” (AKA my dad), began reading to my daughter, Adalie, at an early age. She is now a great lover of books and many of her favorites sit on the shelves at Dreams Come True Cottage.