We’ve been on the road nearly four months. Time to look back at the most and least useful items in the van, camping costs, and more.
How Red Delicious Has Changed
Here are a few more reflections for you, plus…photos!
States Visited So Far: 11
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Mississippi (doesn’t really count since we only stopped for lunch)
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- South Carolina
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
Campsite & Shelter Costs: $969/month on average
Definitely beats our mortgage, but still much higher than we’d like. It’s an average of ~$31/night, which is high for campsites but low for Airbnbs — both of which are included in the calculation.
We also got motel rooms when the weather was predicted to be in the 20s and when Holly started to go downhill, which messes with the numbers a bit. Every month has gotten cheaper because we learned to:
- Avoid pricey private campgrounds
- Find motels without pet fees, like Red Roof Inn
- Book Airbnbs at a weekly, not nightly, rate
Still haven’t camped in a Walmart parking lot. Maybe we will soon.
Memorable Experiences
- Swamp Rabbit Trail (Greenville, SC)
- The Bywater (Asheville, NC)
- Manatees at Blue Spring State Park (Orange City, FL)
- Best chiles rellenos at Mando’s (Marfa, TX)
- Best barbecue at Malson’s (Kingsland, GA) and The Salt Lick (Driftwood, TX)
- Favorite Airbnb (Asheville, NC) – Update: These folks are no longer running their Airbnb – sorry!
- Awe-inspiring views at Organ Pipe National Monument (Ajo, AZ)
Smiling faces, beautiful places
Chris looking out over Lake Keowee
South Carolina sunset
Red Delicious at dusk
Mirror maze we stumbled into in downtown Greenville, SC
Gathering firewood after an afternoon at work on our laptops
Falls Park in downtown Greenville, SC
The Swamp Rabbit Trail
Me, in a rare moment of cooking
Sulphur Springs Trail in Paris Mountain State Park
Love hearing about your adventures in good ol ‘Murica! Have you tried parking on national forest land? It is free but no amenities. 🙂
Not yet! There is a LOT of free camping that we’d like to do. Here’s the challenge we’re dealing with: a lot of those places are way off the beaten path which is awesome for camping but NOT awesome for working. We’ve stayed at campsites with minimal cell service and been fine, because we were a short drive away from a town. Perhaps we could just do it on weekends… 🙂
Listen guys, I am loving the photos you are posting. I am also always excited to tell anyone who will listen what you two are up to, and how gutsy it is live that lifestyle and how neat of an opportunity you both have.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Sarah! 🙂
LOVE following your adventure but have really enjoyed the videos about your set up and gear. We like to van camp from time to time…on vacation. Thought I would share our set up with you…hope you can pick up an idea or two. Here is the link…scroll down to the 10/25/2011 post. http://dresdenjunkshun.weebly.com/blog/archives/10-2011
Thank you so much for sharing! Your van has a great set-up and I love the creative ways you repurposed items. Happy travels!!
It’s so cool to see that you’ve been to Greenville, SC. I live not far from there. It makes me feel like my dreams are possible too! (: