Our Three-week Travel Break Concludes

  1. Our three week break from traveling concluded. It was helpful to have extra time in Denver to tend to various appointments, to take a deep breath, and to enjoy a house stay while Steve’s cousins were away. Timing worked out for us to occupy their house while they traveled, so it was a win-win for everyone.
  2. Highlights of the three weeks included time with our daughter, Stephanie, and son-in-love, Shane; Steve’s Mom; and, numerous friends. Plus having Wi-Fi and time for a extended Google video chat with our son, Jeremy, and daughter-in-love, Michelle.
  1. Time with Stephanie and Shane
Snowshoe Fun
Walking in Denver’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Marade

We look forward to reuniting with “Tranquility” our trailer back in Tucson.

Happy Trails!

Diane and Steve

Living Life at the Speed of Sanity

A Quick Review: July 29-December 31, 2018

It’s January 14, 2019! We’re taking a three-week hiatus from camping while we house-sit for cousins in Denver, Colorado. Tranquility, our trailer, is staying in RV Storage in Arizona until we are reunited later in January. We are tending to personal business while in Denver and building our itinerary for February-July. Having Wi-Fi readily available to us has been a big bonus. We are indeed very grateful to our cousins!

My goal for 2019 is to write blog posts more frequently. I’ve devoted more time to posting on Instagram/Facebook. This needs to change so we can keep a nice record of our travels and experiences in one place. 

A Quick Review

Day #170: We began our full-time RV lifestyle on July 29, 2018. Here we are 5 ½ months later!

Total Miles Driven: 15,360+\-

Miles Driven Towing the Trailer: 9,730+\-

Miles Driven Without the Trailer: 5,630+\-

16 States Visited: Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico

48 Stays: 7 city campgrounds, 2 county campgrounds, 11 state park campgrounds, 3 national park campgrounds, 4 driveways (family/friends), 1 BLM land, 2 National Forest, 3 casino parking lot, 6 KOA campground stays, 2 New Mexico Rest Areas, 6 private campgrounds, 1 hotel parking lot

Nearly 200 People Visited over 16 states: family (children, Steve’s mother, siblings, nieces, nephews, grandniece, grandnephews, aunts, uncle, cousins), friends, acquaintances made on travels

Highest Outdoor Temperature: 94 degrees F, Denver, Colorado, 9/13/2018

Lowest Outdoor Temperature: 19 degrees F, White Rock, New Mexico, 12/20/2018

Highest Elevation to Camp: 9,700 feet above sea level, Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado along National Forest Road 390 near Tucker’s Pond

Lowest Elevation to Camp: 196 feet below sea level, Furnace Creek Campground, Death Valley National Park, California

Highest Diesel Price: $5.04/gallon, Oasis Death Valley Service Center, Death Valley National Park, California

Lowest Diesel Price: $2.75/gallon, Sapp Brothers, Papillion, Nebraska

Highest Campground Fee: $55.95/night, Lazydays KOA Resort, Tucson, Arizona

Lowest Campground Fee: All Free, Rio Grande National Forest, BLM Land 8 miles north of Quartzite, Arizona; Wildhorse Casino, Pendelton, Oregon, New Mexico Rest Areas

States/Month Visited with Colorful Fall Foliage: Colorado/September, Utah/October, Idaho/October, Montana/October, Oregon/November, Washington/November, Nevada/November, California/December

As you can see, it’s been fun to capture some of the “statistics” from our travels up through the end of the year. Stay tuned as we’ll share more enjoyable tidbits in upcoming posts.

P.S. Death Valley National Park was amazing! Here’s a shot of our hike from Dante’s View! We’ll tell you more later.

Hiking Silhouettes at Death Valley National Park – December 12, 2018

Happy January to everyone!

~ Living Life at the Speed of Sanity

Diane (& Steve)