Category: Travel

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We made it!

We got here last Friday after three days of travel from western Kansas.

We were thankful to get tire pressure monitoring equipment for the camper for Christmas. It was while Chase was inspecting those he found a gash in a tire. We were able to get it replaced the next morning with zero trouble (and for anyone keeping track… yes it’s the front passenger side that we had the blow out on… so thankful we didn’t do that again!).

We started work today. We all walked there and helped with the “Breakfast Social” (Little M… well I guess he gave out smiles) Big M loved using tongs and giving out bagels. Soon we’ll get in a groove of what work looks like here but right now it seems like it’ll be just fine!

Yes that is the face you’ll see on Little M in most pictures…..its only a phase right!

Mount Lemon is about an hour away. The terrain to get there was like none we had ever experienced. Up to about 4,000 ft giant tall cactus were everywhere. Then suddenly around a curve they were gone and it was big rock formations and juniper bushes. Then at 6,000 ft we were in evergreens and there were patches of snow in the shade. An absolutely bizarre and amazing trek. We have so much to take in and are looking forward to all of it! If you have any must sees or must dos in the area please send them our way!

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Numbers

3 the number of times we filled up with gas while in North Carolina for 11 weeks. 

23 the number of times we have filled up with gas while adventuring around the last 8 weeks. 

6.7 our worst miles per gallon on a trip….from Basehor, KS to Tribune, KS…..who ever says Kansas is flat is lying….its a huge long hill up to the Rockies! 

16 the number of states we’ve been through so far. 

$11.25 how much we each got paid an hour while working in North Carolina.

$161.08 how much was deducted out of our paycheck every month for our- site, water, electricity, sewer, trash and internet.

1 the number of times we have woken up with no running water because the pipes froze.

19 degrees the coldest it ever got at night while we were in the camper…(the night the pipes froze).

52 the temperature inside the camper in the morning the night we ran out of propane.

93 roughly how many hours we have spent on the road.

4,027 miles we’ve hauled a camper around the US.

0 how many movies the kids watched while driving on trips- they play with toys, books, color etc. We also listen to audio books all together that have been a real hit. 

4 the number of Little House on Prairie books we have listened to.

111 the number of nights we’ve spent in our camper since we headed out.

30 the number of nights we’ve spent with family the last few weeks!

5 the number of haircuts we did on the road….one of them being the “first haircut!”

We will be going through two more states and starting “work” next week at our new spot in Tucson, Arizona!

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Arkansas

We stayed in Hot Springs, Arkansas for 8 nights. This was the first place we felt like we were vacationing so to speak. Not moving on the next day, we could really see and experience things Hot Springs and learn about all it had to offer. 

Hot Springs National Park is a park composed of two mountains with a city in the middle. It has grown with time and oozed out of the space between the two mountains but its a very unique National Park experience. The east mountain is the mountain with the hot springs that flow down and at base of this mountain is where “bathhouse” row is located. Bathhouse row is what it sounds like…there are eight bathhouses where back in the day people would go and take “baths”. This is comparable to going to the gym or using a sauna nowadays….they did not go to get cleaned but went to better their ailing bodies. Now days a few of these are still functioning as a bathhouse, one a restaurant, one a hotel, one a gift shop/ museum. We each had our own afternoon at the bathhouse and would highly recommend the unique experience!!

Quaffing the elixir aka….drinking the water….yes you can drink the water that comes out of these springs. There is a site to fill a bottle or a jug or if you’re a local a week’s worth of jugs. It was odd to us that this is commonplace but there were ALWAYS people filling up water jugs. It does taste different but we couldn’t tell the difference in hydration/healing that came with it 🤪

Hiking. We walked around in the woods for 2-3 hours 2 days in a row with our crew. Very doable for the littles. There was one piece of the trek on the West Mountain that had a pretty steep grade but we conquered it! We packed a backpack lunch of sandwiches both days and would hike until we needed lunch, eat and rest and keep on going. 

Hot Springs. Literally hot steaming water coming out of a hole in the mountain. It was very unreal. The water is roughly 130 degrees. This water is heated by cracks under the earth’s surface that are hot….because the magma is closer to the Earth’s surface due to the crack…so when the water gets near there it is warmed and then comes out….hot! 

Trejo’s Mexican Restaurant. If you’ve only had Mexican restaurant food once since August. And even if it’s Tuesday and kids eat free. And even if its lunch time and so you’ll get the best bang for you buck. And even if it’s the closest Mexican restaurant to the campground. And even if there is a review that says on a cross country trip they drove three hours out of their way to eat there…..DO NOT GO. Learn from us. The salsa was alright but everything else less than average and just a pure disappointment.

Cedar Glades. If you’re in the area we would highly recommend taking the 20 minute drive to Cedar Glades park. It has soooo much to offer. Our highlight was the tree house. It had a tone of thing… bike trails everywhere, trick riding areas for bikes, rock wall climbing, play ground, disc golf, hiking trails etc. And if you go on a misty weekday morning you might be lucky enough to find yourselves to be the only ones there like we did!

Campground Review:

Treasure Isle RV Park

Site- we spent a little money and upgraded to the lakeside site. Normal site was $36/ night. Ours was $48/night. If you stay 6 nights you get the 7th free so our average nightly cost was $42/night. 

Details: laundry facility, playground. The lake was down due to the off-season (this allows people a chance to fix their docks etc). We had a dock right outside our site. The boys practiced their casting daily and loved waking up and getting to look at the ducks and geese. 20 mins west of downtown. 

Would also check out Gulpha Gorge Campground…right in the park with a creek that runs alongside it. Full hook ups $30/night.

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Mississippi

We stayed at a Corps of Engineers campground on Lake Enid. We had full hook ups for $20 a night! It was an amazing campground. The one crazy thing about this lake… in the off season they drain it… like drain it, drain it. We went over the dam and that part still had water but where we were, hardly any. We wouldn’t change a thing about our spot but had the lake been full (like we assumed it would be) it would have been even better. 

A view of the dried up lake. Big M with the camp fire. Little M loving life.

While there, we gathered our Christmas decor. Gather meaning we went on a walk with a bucket and scissors and snipped pieces of white pine and collected pinecones between rain showers. We created a centerpiece for the table and garland for the island and with the leftovers an all natural air freshener that simmered on the stove top.

Our little one has been playing a game the last few weeks called “catfishing.” To play, you simply throw any sort of string down, pull it up and say “look at my cat fish.” This is usually performed with a nylon string and five clothes pins attached to the end, but can be performed with a blanket or most other objects as well. Alas, we’ve been talking about catfish a lot, so when there is a restaurant down the road called the “Catfish Hut” you have to go. The food was phenomenal and the service great, but the experience was from another world. You know that stereotypical southern/backwoods restaurant you see in the movies? All the employees are wearing their normal everyday clothes (gym shorts or jeans plus a random t-shirt) and they answer their phone on the way to the table. That restaurant where everybody knows everybody and notices when someone that is not them comes through. That restaurant that has FROG LEGS and fried bologna sandwiches on the menu. Yes, that is the restaurant we consumed the best catfish we’ve ever had at. Also, Chase ordered frog legs… and ate said frog legs… and gave his verdict… “chewy yet satisfying.”

Campground review:

Corp of Engineers at Lake Enid- Water Valley, MS

Cost: $20/night full hook ups

Site #16: amazing

Details-It is a flood zone lake. They start filling it in February and drain it in the fall. Out in the country. No propane, laundry etc. Great remote place to get away.

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South Carolina & Tennessee

Our last day of campground work was Friday, November 13th. That Saturday we packed up and got everything ready to go and on Sunday we enjoyed the beach and hot tub and relaxed on the coast one more time. On Monday we left and went back to the main land! We got to Florence, South Carolina (had to get to SC to scratch it off our map) and stayed there two nights. There was definitely a “we’ve come back to the real world” moment and it was honestly a little overwhelming. We’d lived in a town of 250 people for almost four months. The nearest Walmart was 45 minutes away the only franchise store/gas station/fast food etc. in town was a Dollar General. Being there for four months just kind of made you slow down, it was amazing but literally there was nothing to do (besides beach, pool, hot tub, playground etc.). By the time we set up our camper the sun had set and as we went for a little drive there were sooooo many lights- street lights, business lights, stop lights. It was a bit overwhelming having had no idea feelings like this would happen it was quite an experience to say the least. (When leaving North Carolina headed south on interstate 95 there are about a million billboards about “South of the Boarder” aka a Mexican themed tourist trap right over the boarder in South Carolina…hence the giant sombrero!)

Campground review:

Swamp Fox- Florence, SC

Cost: $36/night full hook ups

Site: all would be the same

Details-Had a playground and cheap laundry. Right in town off the interstate. Decent neighborhoods to walk around near by. Campground itself no real appeal.

After Florence we trucked through the entire Smoky Mountains all the way to eastern Tennessee to the “peaceful side of the mountains.” We ended up in Townsend, TN. Townsend has about 500ish humans- way more our jam than our South Carolina experience had been. We LOVED Townsend. We stayed less than a mile from the entrance to Smoky Mountain National Park. There was a creek/river that ran alongside the campground and all the way up into the park. It was BEAUTIFUL! We did a little loop called Cade’s Cove- that is where Big M fell in love with all things “old fashion.” We hiked back to Laurel Falls right before sunset and it was gorgeous. We would highly recommend Townsend and would consider going back again one day ourselves! We were there for four nights before we went to Nashville, TN. 

Campground review:

Townsend KOA- Townsend, TN

Cost: Free (thank you KOA employee discounts)

Site: 33– employee village

Details: Creek runs alongside it, quiet and peaceful. Great playground. Beautiful spot. Has laundry, propane, and a small store.

Nashville will forever hold a special spot in our hearts. While there our baby started using to the toilet and our big guy turned 5! On his birthday, per his request,  we toured the Belle Meade plantation to go for the “old fashion” theme he wanted. We went downtown for lunch and had pizza per his request. We walked around downtown and over the pedestrian bridge before calling it a day and coming home for hamburgers, again his request. He received tons of cards mailed to the campground and was ecstatic to check the mail every day. (Again thank you to all who sent cards and wished him Happy Birthday from afar!)

The campground backed up to a wooded area with farm land and right outside of our camper turkey and deer would show off everyday. One night we walked around the Christmas lights at the Grand Ole Opry. As we approached, big M spotted a huge nativity set “Mom Mom there is Jesus.” As we walked up to see it they were playing the Christmas story over the loudspeaker and it was a sweet, albeit cold moment. 

Campground Review:

Nashville Resort KOA- Nashville, TN

Cost: Free (thank you KOA employee discounts)

Site: 425– back by the open field

Details: The KOA bought a neighboring RV park. We were placed in the back of that park. No golf cart made it a trek to the playground but it was great. Propane, laundry, store on site.

We have now scratched off South Carolina and Tennessee. We are planning to add Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas to the list before going back home for the holidays.

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Things we have learned thus far…

1- When you move to an island for three months any form of metal will rust! To combat this one is supposed to spray WD-40 over EVERYTHING to prevent the moisture from touching the metal…..Schneider’s did the WD-40 trick about three weeks into the journey and now have a light case of rust covered with a slimy film of WD-40. Note to self…. do it sooner. 

2- The beach is amazing and is beautiful but it’s not our forever jam. We are so thankful for our stent there but deep in our bones we are not islanders. When I say I miss trees I mean like there is a piece of my soul missing. So fun to visit but we have zero desire to live somewhere like that forever. 

3- Propane. When traveling down the road our fridge can be kept cool via propane. The oven and stove use propane and the furnace is propane as well. After not having filled our two propane tanks since mid September, having traveled for two days with the fridge using propane and having reached the Smoky Mountains on a cool day using the furnace in the early evening….it was around 10pm when we realized our propane had run out and we had zero means of getting it re-filled until the morning. So on the coldest night in our camper thus far we had no furnace! The low for the evening was 33 with a real feel of 29. Sooooo we put a sleeping bag out on the floor (more insulation) in the boy’s room and gave them the space heater. They remained warm and even “hot” per Big M. I heated our bed with a heating pad and we both put on some extra clothes and slept just fine. In the morning the inside temp was a brisk 50. We baked cinnamon rolls with the electric convection oven and all ate in the boys room picnic style. The tanks got refilled, we got warm, and we made a memeory. Moral of that story- buy a $10 gauge to put on your tanks to keep on eye on how much propane you have! 

4- Truck wash lines….when you have to go to a Semi Truck “car” wash to get your pickup and camper washed (to get all the sand and salt water grime off) and you pull in line and there are only three vehicles in front of you…don’t assume in will take oh maybe 30 mins or less. Just go ahead and count on an hour and 40 minutes added to you 5 hour drive time. We don’t regret getting it washed but boy oh boy we did not expect that delay on a travel day! 

5- Cotton fields were everywhere! Our campground in South Carolina was right next to a cotton field. On one of our walks we went to look at it and the actual crop was taller than expected, 2-3 feet tall and then later that day we got to see it getting cut! Looks a little different than the crops we’re used to seeing in Kansas!

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Inside Our Camper

We are still very happy with our camper and the space it has for us. We’ve done a few little personalizations of space and thought we’d share!

Their bunk room had a couch and a fold down bunk bed on one side. We took out the couch and put a crib mattress on the bottom where Little M sleeps (as shown napping… like real life, I just took that picture). As you can see we put a tension rod across the top bed area and turned it into a closet/storage area. Big M sleeps on the other side of the room in a bunk!

Would you look at that back splash! Oh the work! Just kidding, sticky tiles for the win!!! Just a little added color to make it feel more homey. We also put these sticky tiles in the bathroom behind the faucet (as you can see below).

We replaced the bathroom faucet! We also replaced the shower head, that was a water pressure game changer!

We replaced the kitchen faucet. Our new one has the pull down head to help clean the sink and dishes a little easier! Had to drill a new hole for this update but it turned out great!

Every window treatment got an upgrade. Took the camper curtain down and added ours from home.

Covered these window boxes with fabric to help lighten the color scheme, it came with a lot of dark browns and tans.

Covered the windows in the dinning area as well. The backrest to the dinette used to be two dark cushions. We replaced them with a folded mattress wrapped with our old curtain to bring in some color!

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The #1 item you NEED in your car

Cookie sheets! You heard me right, cookie sheets!

No, we are not a traveling, baking circus (even though sometimes it feels like we are) but seriously cookie sheets. While the boys were in their carseats as we traveled this was their table (and let’s not lie sometimes even their plate!), their crayon holder, their play dough tray and their flat coloring book surface. In emergencies it can also be deployed as their seat on the side of the road to watch a blown out tire being replaced (see previous post).

We have used them while being stationary as well. A dry erase marker plus magnets and the fun just keeps on coming. Big M making words and working on sounds, Little M working on matching and identification.

These cookie sheets can be used in more ways than we ever thought and we can’t recommend them enough! Thank you Sister and Dollar tree!

Now, your homework assignment. What do you have lying around that could be used for a completely new purpose?

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Tire Blowout

Obviously not ideal and something you’d never wish for, but if we had to have a blowout (like legit explosion) it turned out perfectly.

No one or no thing was hurt. Praise Jesus, seriously soooo thankful! Someone kindly waved to us frantically (a new word for Big M to learn) indicating what happened. We pulled over (of course it was right as the road curved so cars struggled to see us) but after the cop came and parked behind us with his lights they got over much better.

American Family roadside assistance came in clutch. The tow service came and air jacked the camper up, put on the spare (the boys got a front row seat) and we were on our way. This whole episode gave us two hours of family time in the cab of the pick-up that we did not expect. The boys were able to get out of their carseats and discover every inch of space. They LOVED putting on our sunglasses and still talk about it.

When recapping the day with Big M he said the worst part was getting the flat tire but the best part was watching the flat tire get fixed. It was a great reminder for us that sometimes without the tough parts of life you wouldn’t get the best things God has in store for you.

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8 States in 4 Days

That’s what we did!

Went though Missouri, slept in Illinois. Went through Indiana, Kentucky and slept in West Virginia. Breakfast in Ohio because we were so close! And then through Virginia and into North Carolina! We stayed at two KOAs and a cute little campground in the middle of North Carolina- literally adorable! We drove between 6-8 hours each day. Had a tire blow out with a bent rim (more to come later) on day four but overall great days on the road with games, kid’s audio books (actually decent for adults) and a few naps.