I had so much fun doing my last post I decided to do another one with random lists. Those of you who know me are laughing because I am all about my lists, but these will be fun lists I promise!

Ten places we still need to explore – Although we have crossed this county multiple times in the last ten years there are still places on our list. These are all places we can get to in our RV. I have a larger list where we would need to fly. Oh, and these aren’t in any particular order.

1. Olympic Peninsula, WA
2. The Badlands (We’ve driven through several times but never really explored the area)
3. Upper Peninsula, MI
4. Key West, FL
5. Yosemite, CA
6. Banff, Alberta Canada
7. Quebec, Canada
8. New Brunswick, Canada
9. Taos, NM
10. Colorado (we have spent precious little time in this beautiful state)

Ten things we want to see/do

1. Mount Rushmore
2. Devil’s Tower
3. Dry Tortugas
4. Antelope Canyon photographers tour
5. The Wave in Arizona
6. Hike some of the Narrows in Zion
7. The bottom of the Grand Canyon
8. Take a jeep through the base of Canyonlands National Park
9. Stay at a Dude ranch in the West
10. Travel all of route 66 that is accessible in one go

Ten things I am really glad we bought – Ove the years we have invested in tons of RV specific items and most of it frankly hasn’t made the cut, but here are the things I have either had from the beginning or purchased later and wish I had from the beginning. You’ll notice a lot of these items relate to cooking and for those of you who spend lots of time in an RV you will understand why. FYI I am not a sponsor of any of these items and receive no benefit from talking about them.

1. A standard size/shape toilet for an RV. – This is an item that I use a lot and I really never felt stable on the small one that came with the RV. HUGE quality of life improvement when Lee replaced ours and I wish we would have done it from the beginning. If you think i’s a funny thing to put #1 well it gets used every day!
2. Stacking Magma cooking pots – I bought these when we first started out and they have lasted the entire 10 years. They take up very little space, are heavy duty, and are plenty adequate for the needs of two people. I actually have more pots in this set than stove burners which works out perfectly! I keep thinking about treating myself to a brand new set but they are totally functional after ten years of heavy use a huge testament to the company that makes them.
3. Blueboy – These portable waste tanks are not cheap but they are durable and even though we don’t need a portable waste tank often when we do need it nothing else will do the job. Ours even saved our truck from serious damage early on when the RV slipped off the hitch in the truck and crashed down on our truck. The blue boy took most of the weight minimizing the damage our truck took.
4. Collapsible containers – I am obsessed with collapsible containers for the space savings and although they often need replaced more frequently than their solid counterparts I still love them. The best ones so far have been measuring cups, colander, and our collapsible laundry basket.
5. Electric Heaters – We are on full 50amp electric far more than not and we have three electric heaters (in addition to our electric fireplace) that we use to keep the house warm and avoid spending money on propane. These heaters are not cheap (safety first) but more than pay for themselves in saved propane and keep the RV toasty warm on chilly mornings.
6. Weber portable gas grill with RV hose – We have had four grills in ten years but by far the best is the small Weber Q grill. We had a large one with legs which frankly was too big for us and a larger version of the Weber that again we just didn’t like. The small version is super portable, fits on a table, and has a hose so Lee can connect it directly to the RV. Initially we traveled with a separate tank in a milk crate, but then Lee adapted our RV propane to allow for hooking the tank up directly to that. It’s the perfect size for two people and decently sturdy since we are pretty rough on it. We see people with all kinds of grills in our travels but this works the best for us. Bigger is not always better!
7. Convection Microwave Oven – Initially our RV came with a microwave and an oven, but after many years of discussing it we finally removed the oven and installed a microwave/convection combination. I liked the convection feature so much that we eventually got rid of our Instapot and air fryer and added an additional Cuisinart small air fryer/toaster oven on the counter which is great for cooking small amounts. The little one heats up quickly and cooks quickly and although they really are not very sturdy you can’t beat the convenience.
8. Smart TV – As much as we think we will be out in the world doing things all the time, we still watch a lot of TV. The one the RV came with was on the small side and had no Smart capabilities so it was really nice when we were finally able to upgrade it. Since the new one doesn’t quite fit in it’s cabinet Lee had to make some modifications, but totally worth it since we now have as big of a TV as the space will allow.
9. Solar – Yes it was expensive and yes we don’t use it a ton but wow is it nice to have when we don’t have access to power. I can’t tell you how many times we have been in a park when the power went out and we relied on solar and of course it allows us to boondock. As a side note our dear friends Bill and Kelly have been installing solar for 10 years and if you are interested I would recommend reaching out. Bill helped with ours and is exactly the kind of person you want modifying your RV.
10. Residential refrigerator – We started with a propane fridge by design and after years of having it and MUCH discussion we finally upgraded to a residential fridge. Just getting it in the RV was a huge effort and took four guys to lift it through the door, but totally worth it. We added a portable generator to help power it when we are boondocking (we only have four solar panels and four batteries) and the day to day quality of life is hugely improved.

Ten things that have changed in 10 years – Although there aren’t sharp shifts in the lifestyle we have seen some shifts over the years so I wanted to share them here. Keep in mind this is one person’s perspective.

1. The average age has skewed younger – When we first started at 46 and 48 we were definitely an anomaly with most full timers being of retirement age. Over the years we are starting to see a much younger crowd including many people who are working full time on the road, and families. Along with the younger crowd comes more kids, most of those are being homeschooled as they travel.
2. The sites are getting bigger – Even the most established parks are either adding new spots or expanding existing ones to accommodate a 40 foot RV. When we first started there were lots of places we couldn’t get into but that is much less of an issue now.
3. The cell/internet coverage is MUCH better – There were lots of places where there was no internet in the beginning but now even National Parks have at least internet in their entrances and visitor’s centers. This doesn’t even include the invention of Starlink which gives remote access in most places. We don’t have Starlink yet but we are gettig it next month and hopefully it further expands our choices for where we stay.
4. Gas prices are higher – Gas prices have steadily gone up over the years and it is doubtful we will ever see a return to the prices we paid when we first started out. Although we try very hard not to let the price of gas be a limiting factor in our travels, it was a major part of the reason that we invested in a second vehicle.
5. COVID had a big impact – COVID drove many people we knew off the road, mainly because it resulted in closed campgrounds and people were scrambling to find a place to say. Some of those campgrounds have improved since the event but many smaller ones closed or consolidated into one of the big chains. Speaking of which there has definitely been an increase in the bigger chains of RV parks which is a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you like to travel. COVID also pushed people to take local nature vacations and has brought business and money to many remote places.
6. Groceries have gotten much more expensive – This is the case for everyone, but as we travel we are at the mercy of whatever grocery stores are available and with limited space to stock up on sale items this can hit us particularly hard. Although we try to supplement with local fresh ingredients when we can even local farmer’s markets are much more expensive.
7. Out of home state medical access has gotten somewhat better – This was a huge issue when we first started but as more people are working remotely or traveling I have seen some improvement in this area, particularly with dentists. I will say though that state based rules are still really antiquated and California’s requirement to have a in state doctor to schedule mammograms was absolutely ridiculous. We still have a long way to go in this area.
8. People really are more divided politically – When we first started on the road we were commonly around folks more conservative than us but with some tact that was rarely a major issue. Somewhere along the line more radical lines have been drawn and we really feel the vibe when we are in an area that is more extreme (either way) in it’s beliefs. I don’t mind being around people with different positions, but I draw the line at being told what I should believe.
9. There has been an improvement in green spaces – This may just be my perception but almost all cities and towns are taking conservation very seriously. We see signs of this wherever we travel along with more solar panels, wind turbines, and water conservation initiatives. As a lover of the planet I think that’s pretty cool.
10. An increase in people of color enjoying nature – From the beginning we rarely met people of color who were in RV’s and although it is still not even 10% of the folks we meet I do see many more people from different cultures in nature spaces on weekends. National Parks in particular are full of visitors from different cultures and I love hearing so many different languages when we visit. Recently at Death Valley I counted at least ten different languages and the commonality of wonder on people’s faces really gives me hope for our future.

Ten years in ten pictures – I see my life in pictures so I thought I would take a stab at sharing some of my favorites with you and tell a little of the stories that went with them. More than places these represent moments and along with the place we were in the people we were with (or in most cases one special person) really made these moments matter.

To this day the most beautiful spot I have ever been in was a stretch of remote coast in the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. To reach the coast you had to go down a long dirt path that led to a remote ranger cabin with a huge field of green grass being grazed by a herd of elk and a beautiful coastline. When I reached the spot I thought I could lay in that deep thick grass and stay forever and I felt true peace such as I have rarely experienced in my life. It was so spectacular I had to show three pictures and despite my best efforts I didn’t come close to capturing it. This to me is a piece of heaven.

It’s really hard to sum up an incredible summer in Alaska with one picture but I am going to go with this view of Denali. We passed it many times and when we finally saw it, it was a total surprise and made us part of the 10% of visitors who actually get to see it. We spent time with so many friends including Kelly, Bill, Jo, Ben. Linda, Steve, and many others. We saw national parks, incredible waterfalls, numerous glaciers and so many different types of wild animals. It was a once in a lifetime experience and the best place I could imagine to spend my 50th birthday.

We very much appreciate your support of our blog.

• You can purchase the ebook telling the story of how we became full-time RVers.
• You can purchase our recipe book filled with 80 recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. You can purchase the kindle or paperback version on Amazon or buy the Apple version on Itunes