Tomorrow (Feb. 28, 2023) will be our one year anniversary of traveling and living in our Airstream, Yurtle! We have traveled and camped in 10different states and stayed at about 60 different campgrounds, Harvest Hosts, and 2 family member’s yards. That leaves 39 states (not including Hawaii) that we have yet to park our home on wheels. As I stated in my last post, we have decided to continue our journey! We have seen and experienced so much, yet we have hardly scratched the surface of what there is to explore!
This blog post is a look back in pictures of some of my favorite sights this past year.
Family Visits
Desert Views
Waterfalls
Water Views
The Pups
Wildlife
The 1st picture is one of the 3 mountain lions caught on one of our cameras. The 2nd is a bear caught on our ring camera, the 6th is the best picture our ring camera ever caught.
Other Favorites
Stay tuned! We have a brand new, customized for boondocking Airstream Trade Wind arriving soon, and another year of wandering and exploring is just getting started!
We left Chicot State Park in Louisiana with the intention of staying in the Homochitto National Forest in Mississippi. Aaron had fond memories of mountain biking the trails there in his younger years. When we arrived at our destination, we realized that there was no cell service at all. The tree cover was so great that we could not get a clear signal with our Starlink either. Well, Aaron has to work remotely, so that was just not going to work. Luckily, since Homochitto was a first come first served campground, we did have a “plan B” just in case we could not find a spot. This plan was to revisit Lake Lincoln State Park, about an hour away. The dogs got a potty break, we stretched our legs, jumped back in the truck and hit the road again.
Our previous visit to Lake Lincoln was only a few days, the weather was freezing, and we stayed warm in the camper unless we had to walk the dogs or do laundry. This visit gave us two weeks to explore the park and enjoy it more throughly.
The two week stay also gave us the opportunity to find a veternarian for Lola to update her shots and clip her nails. This picture shows what she thought of that. Poor thing had to go back a second time for a dental procedure under anesthesia. She was very unhappy about that! Murphy was unhappy as well because Lola got to go for a ride twice without him. To him, it was not fair that he got left out. If he knew where Lola was going I am sure he would have been OK with staying at the camper with Aaron.
There were some spots available right next to the lake, but we chose to camp in a different section up on a hill. The lakeside spots were more crowded and we were able to have our whole section to ourselves! That gave us more privacy, the dogs room to roam, and some peace and quiet.
These opportunities will be few and further between as camping season will start ramping up come spring, and more and more people will be getting out into the woods, deserts, and beaches for vacation and escape.
We are 95% sure that Murphy is a lab/husky mix. His papers from the pound say Lab-Retriever mix, but he has a partial blue eye, sheds like a husky, talks to us like a husky, and many other traits that belong to a husky. The mass amounts of white dog hair was driving me crazy! He may not look hairy in pictures, but his coat is a double coat and very thick. No matter how much I vacuumed and swept, there was always hair on our socks, stuck in the rugs, all over our clothes, and all over the furniture. We took the area rugs out of the camper to see if that would help with hair cleanup and if we would be alright not having them in the camper. Clean up became easier, and Murphy let us know that he likes them on the picnic table for a comfy spot to bask in the sunshine. Poor guy doesn’t realize that they will be donated and won’t be gracing every picnic table in our future.
We have been keeping our travels near to Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida for the first few months of the year for a few reasons. One reason is coming up in April, and I will let the cat out of the bag about that when it comes closer to April. Another reason, Gage (our oldest son) will be moving to Phoenix in a few weeks, and Lola will be going there with him. So, we will be meeting up with him somewhere along his route on his way out west to give Gage his dog. I am pretty sure Lola has been having a great time on this adventure, and we sure will miss her!
As we are coming up on our one year anniversary (next week) of wandering around in our Airstream, some old habits have began creeping into our lives. The most vexing one for me is over buying at the grocery store. We shop every week, and should be buying only for a week at a time. When this journey began we were really good at that. For the past few months, we have gotten away from thoughtfully buying for a week. After we got Murphy, one of us started staying in the truck with the dog while the other did the shopping. That has become problematic, as we don’t have the discussions in the store such as: we already have enough snacks, isn’t that too much, no-we don’t need a third box of cereal, we already have a jar of salsa, etc. The reason this is a problem is because we have limited storage. When we run out of space in our pantry and cabinets, the extra has to go somewhere. That usually means the overflow if food items reside on the table and counter. When that happens, the camper starts to feel crowded, messy, and unorganized. I think we are going to start making a list and try to exert more self control while shopping.
When we decided to start this journey, we agreed to take a year and see how we liked the lifestyle and then decide if we want to continue or go back to a more conventional way of life. I think it is pretty obvious that we are loving it. We plan on continuing our wandering ways for at least one to two more years, if not longer. We have seen so much, and it has become clear that as much as we have seen, we have hardly scratched the surface.
We said goodbye to Lake Lincoln and headed to an area of Louisiana that I was not very familiar-the northwest corner. We lived in the southeast corner of Louisiana for many, many years and loved it there. The opposite side of the state is a whole different world. It has influences from Texas and Arkansas, and has been given the nickname Ark-La-Tex. The name suits. It really felt like a blend of the three states. Think Duck Dynasty, but not quite the exaggerated level of the show. Good, hard working honest people who love the land, love to hunt, work hard and live a small town life. We had planned to stay in the Kisatchie National Forest at the Beaver Dam Campground for two weeks. Two weeks is a long stay at a campground for us; we usually move every week. Aaron and I were looking forward to a two week stay. The weather the first week was rainy and chilly every day. The second week was forecast to be sunny and warmer, and we were excited to explore what the national forest had to offer when the weather cleared up.
Aaron had to go to a job site most every day, Murphy and Lola did not get to play and run outside very often due to the weather. This was the first time I got a little stir crazy in the camper. We did go for chilly, damp walks that the dogs enjoyed. I did a lot of cleaning, reading, and no picture taking. I had to look in my SnapChat to find a couple of pictures for the blog.
It was Mardi Gras season and, of course, we had to have some king cake! Aaron picked one up at a local grocery store. The baby for the cake was larger than normal, green, not in the cake, and butt up in the box. Kind of strange, but the cake was good. He looked like a Buddha Baby. We did get a second king cake, and it was the same baby but purple.
On the first Friday we were there, the camp host came and knocked on our door. He was sorry to let us know that we would have to leave early. The National Forest Service decided that a prescribed burn was in order the next week. Our two week stay turned into a one week stay, Aaron still had to be at the job site the following week, and we needed to start finding a new home for the week. Luckily, we were able to reserve a spot at an Army Corps of Engineers campground about a half hour away.
We ended up at Tom Merrill Campground at the Bodcau Dam in Benton, Louisiana. We were just outside of Shreveport, but it felt very remote. For almost the entire week, the campground host, a car camper, and us were the only people staying there. The weather was good, and the dogs were happy. They had a great time playing in the water.
Water being released from the reservoir.
For a long time, I was a very routine oriented person. During our stay at this campground, I realized that I actually am starting to miss some routine, structure. There are some routines, walking the dogs, cooking dinner and cleaning up after, making sure the blog is ready for Tuesday, but not enough. This journey has made me realize that I need some sort of routine, or I do not get motivated to get up and move. So, over the next month, I am going to try to set myself some sort of loose routine with taking pictures, editing pictures, more exploring the area we are staying. I’m not sure if staying at our homebase for so long dulled my “get up and go”, or if I have just become complacent. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and I really don’t want to squander it because I am lacking self motivation and self discipline.
Next week, back to Iowa to take Dad to his doctor appointments for the month and have some more quality time with Mom, brother, sis-in-law, and my nephew. Poor Aaron will be on his own dealing with two dogs, moving day, and work. I think I got the easier end of that!
After we said goodbye to Mason, Gage, Jenna and Quentin, we hit the road. That road being I10, one of the most boring roads I have ever driven. We had a reservation at Grayton Beach State Park on the Gulf Coast. I was really excited to get to the Gulf beaches. The emerald green water and the soft, white sand call to me. Unfortunately, a super cold front went through and dropped the temperature into the 20’s. We did not even attempt to have any beach time. The call is not that strong. The state park was wonderful. And I look forward to visiting it again in better weather.
We spent 3 days at the state park. It was good to get back in the routine. It was also a good place to introduce Lola to a totally different life than she had been accustomed. She quickly got into the routine of leashed walks and waiting for me to clean up her poop. After our three days, it was time to move north and west. We did need to get to northwest Louisiana by a certain date (for Aaron’s job), so it was time to pack it up and get moving.
Our next home for a few days was Lake Lincoln State Park in Mississippi. This is another beautiful state park a little south of Jackson, Mississippi. The ranger was so warm and welcoming! She even gave us a huge sample of coffee that is packaged especially for the Mississippi State Parks. This is another place I would love to revisit when it is a bit warmer. One of the bonuses of camping in the winter (except in Florida) is that the campgrounds are almost completely empty. I think there was one, maybe two other campers the whole time we were there. The dogs were able to wander and explore off the leash. They both really enjoy that!
Lola and Murphy really enjoyed exploring in the woods, playing in the icy creeks, and trying to break and eat the ice on top of the frozen water puddles.
During our 5 day stay, I had a realization. We lived about two and a half hours away (in Louisiana) from this beautiful park in Mississippi for 20+ years and never knew it existed. That realization helped cement (in my mind) that Aaron and I have made the right choice in continuing this wandering life. There are so many places and hidden gems that we have yet to identify or explore, some closer to us than we knew.
After our five days in Mississippi, it was time for us to head west into northwest Louisiana. All of our family lives in southeast Louisiana, so we did not have the opportunity to pay them a visit, yet. Luckily, it is Mardi Gras season, and I am sure we will find some yummy king cake while we are there. Look out, Louisiana, Aaron, Murphy, Lola, and I are are coming!
The most difficult thing about the life Aaron and I have chosen is being away from our kids for extended periods of time. We were fortunate that Gage’s job enabled us to see him a few times while on the road, but we had not seen Jenna and Mason for almost 10 months. We decided that an extended visit to Florida and our kids was the best way to spend December, Christmas, and the New Year. So, we spent December and half of January parked in the back yard of our old home in Yulee. Mason, Jenna, and Quentin (Jenna’s fiancé) are renting the home from us while we wander.
Jenna and Quentin had found an inflatable Santa gnome for us. Aaron became inspired and hung some Christmas lights.
Christmas was full of laughs, amazing food cooked by Quentin, and yummy mimosas! The kids gave us the best gift! They had this blog turned into a beautiful book. The best part of Christmas was being together (and the mimosas).
Gage brought an insane amount of fireworks, and we had a blast toasting the new year and making a lot of pretty booms in the sky. None of us could remember how long it had been since we all celebrated New Year’s Eve together. It was magical.
Murphy and Lola
Girl, Honey, and Stella
Jenna and Quentin have 3 dogs that they brought with them when they moved to Florida. We had Lola (who is actually Gage’s dog) while we were living in Florida. Gage couldn’t have her at his apartment. When Aaron and I decided to start this journey, we chose to not have any pets along. Jenna, Mason, and Quentin agreed to have Lola continue to stay with them at the house. Of course, after 5 months we adopted Murphy. With Murphy, there were 5 dogs all sharing one yard. They did not all get along. So we made sure they took turns using the back yard. Lola and Stella never learned to get along, and as soon as we parked the camper, Lola came out to us, and decided she was moving into the Airstream. Luckily, she and Murphy became fast friends.
Girl would come visit the Airstream quite often.
I was fortunate enough to be able to spend time with some of my friends! I was able to make it to Karen’s Christmas party, have margaritas and dinner with Gia and Barbara, mimosas and lunch with Terri, see Tonia’s new office, and more dinner and a little shopping with Karen. Once again, I failed on all levels with taking pictures. At least Karen was able to grab a selfie of us during our last dinner together before Aaron and I hit the road.
After discussion with Gage, Jenna, Mason and Quentin, we decided to keep Lola with us for a few months. Gage’s lease will be up in March, and he is getting a place where he can have Lola with him. In the meantime, Lola is going to have some adventures of her own with Aaron, Murphy and myself. She is 10 years old and Murphy is only a year and a half. They are good for each other. He is keeping her active and she is keeping him in line.
After a month and a half being stationary, it was time to say goodbye for now to our kids and friends. When we started this journey, we said we were going to travel for a year and then decide if we were going to continue the journey. Our first year isn’t finished until the end of February, but we have already decided that we are going to keep wandering for at least another 1-2 years if not longer. We have seen some beautiful things, but we have hardly scratched the surface of places to see and adventures to be had. Back on the road we go!
Wandering Cindi 