March to Remember
March was a month to remember as we finished our travels with Airstream across the Baja peninsula. It was time to say goodbye to all the amazing people we met in our time in Mexico. It was time to work, check in with family, and feel gratitude for the freedoms we have to experience life on our terms.
Baby Sea Turtle Release
This was just a short 15-minute drive up Highway 19 from our campground in El Pescadero to the town of Todos Santos. If you are down here visiting Baja Sur, this area was definitely our favorite! Be sure to follow us on instagram to get more videos like this.
Crossing the Border
Our first sunrise over the Sea of Cortez was amazing and consistently seeing them in new places is one of our favorite parts of traveling. The different sounds that accompany it, the tide coming ashore, the birds crashing down looking for fish, it all help put our worries, doubts, and fears into perspective. Nature continues to do its thing day after day as it has for many years, whether we are paying attention or not. I am always reminded of the consistency required to do something great and create lasting impact.
Awe and Appreciation
Standing on a beach a short distance from where the Queen is safely parked, Otis is chasing his ball timing the ebb and flow of the waves, and just a short distance away a mama whale is teaching her newborn calf all the essentials of their life is hard to put into words. It’s moments like this that truly make us appreciate our decision to change our lifestyle, to bet on ourselves, and to pursue an everyday life that makes us feel alive!
Baja Recap – The Decision
Each year so far, we have spent the winter in new and different places. Year one was Florida. Year two Arizona. Different sides of the country, different geography, much different humidity, but much warmer than the winters we were used to. So where to go for year three that would be new and warmer? Was it time to tow our Airstream south of the border and explore Baja, Mexico?
This idea brought with it a lot of discussion between the two of us and lots of opinions from friends and family we shared the idea with. Is it safe? Crime? Language barriers?
Introducing Mr. Otis
Our last “fur baby”, as Andrea likes to call them, passed away two months before we embarked on our traveling life. It was an emotional loss for us, as Sir Russell’s passing marked the end of our children’s childhoods and the beginning of a new phase of life for all of us. After much research and deliberation over the past two years, Andrea and I decided we were ready. It was time!
Questioning Things?
In a crazy turn of events during year two of our full-time rving adventure, we have found ourselves dealing with something we never anticipated. Not the worries over the road conditions. It has not been the pressure of constantly finding that next place to call home. Not even the adjustments to the two of us living in 224 square feet of “home”.
When Is It Time to Move?
When traveling full time is your lifestyle, how do you decide when to move? Well, that is a good question that we have been asked quite a few times and is a great campfire conversation starter, as everyone’s thought process is unique.
Someplace New, Yet Familiar
In the fall of 1996, Andrea and I found ourselves living in Butte, Montana. While our reasons were different, we had each been there before. Visiting our families many times as children, yet never knowing one another until now. This was the place Andrea and I first met. Where we fell in love, got married, and our family began. This small mining town is indelibly linked to our family’s past and future.
Be Where You Are
Where we are is where we need to be,
For the universe has made it so,
Where we are not, is where we aren’t,
There is no sense daydreaming about it,
Only stealing from us another now,
Skooliepalooza for Airstreamers?
Something you probably do not know about us was Andrea’s final choices for our rig. After much research, deliberation and thought, it came down to two options, an Airstream or a “Skoolie”. It was only natural that we would eventually attend one of the biggest “skoolie” events of the year, Skooliepalooza. It was time to see what it was all about.
Quartzsite, Yay or Nay?
A small-town of about 2000 full-time residents in western Arizona, that sees its population swell to over 200,000 at any given time during the winter and more than a million passing through. It hosts one of the largest RV shows in the country, “the big tent”, one of the world’s largest gem fairs, and is known for its quirky personality.
We Did It! Living Rent Free in January
When we started out on this lifestyle, we were curious about many things. One of which was could we find “happiness” and “peace” in such a busy world, if we reduced the amount of “needs” we had and in turn freed up more of our time to for us to be, well, us? In January we accomplished one of our goals, we lived an entire month rent free!
January Social Media Recap
Our January social media recap for those of you who may have missed us on Instagram this month. Our top posts brought to you here so you do not miss out.
You Want to Live in an RV?
The wide-open prairies, desert winds, ocean breezes, mountain pines, are where we can go to get away from it all. Places we can examine our “no longer truths” and to put our mental well-being first. Leaving your sticks and bricks behind for a never-ending road trip won’t do the self-help work for you, but it will open the possibility like few other changes you could make.
You Want to Live in a RV?
No sir or ma’am, we are going our own way. We will be the king, sheriff, and sole determiner of how we spend our days out in nature. We are done answering to anyone else it’s just us and all this beauty. That is…. until your gray and black tanks are full!
You Want to Live in a RV?
In our second year of full timing, we can attest, there are many amazing days and opportunities we have experienced because of the lifestyle. Meeting many great people, seeing incredible places, and loving the freedom to move about as we choose. However, we also feel a responsibility to make sure we share some of our truths of the lifestyle so that if you are considering making the jump you have a realistic picture of what to expect.
The Campfire that Changed Everything
As Andrea stood up to stoke the fire it happened out of nowhere. No warning signs. No chance to intervene or pre-empt it. I still get chills and flashbacks just telling this story which maybe is part of the reason it happened. To ensure we are not on auto pilot in our own relationships. As I sat in my chair enjoy the conversation, things suddenly changed.
The Road is Calling
We love our travel days and the excitement that comes with knowing in a few hours we will be somewhere new. As we plan the route, we look forward to that point in the journey where your mind goes on auto pilot while the road seems to go on forever in front of you.
The Big 50 and Family
When we drove away from our community for the first time, Andrea set an intention that every year we would find a place where our friends and family could gather with us. These would take place somewhere new each year. A place none of us had been before. Where we would be free to create new memories without previous experience or expectations for comparison.