Our RV Adventures in 2018!

The year 2018 was all in all, a good one for us.  Every year, I like to take stock of the year before, looking at both the good and the bad.  As full time travelers, we get lots of questions about our life on the road.  This post might answer a few of those questions as we look back on the happenings of 2018.

We get asked a lot if we will ever settle down again in a regular home.  At this point in time, we have no plans for that.  We have absolutely no regrets.  We love our new roaming lifestyle and the fact that as we work-camp across the country, we get to actually experience each area as the locals do.

We have been on the road since the spring of 2015.  If you would like to see reviews of our previous years:

2017We spent a bit of time in Arizona at the beginning of the year, and then a fun summer in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  We finished off the year back in Arizona in the Phoenix area.  The year 2017 was a year of coach issues, but we rolled with the punches.

A Look Back at our RV Adventures in 2017

2016- The year 2016 brought us our first look at the state of Arizona.  We arrived there at the beginning of the summer, with the idea of checking out the Grand Canyon, and then moving on.  And then we stayed…

A Review of 2016 on the Road (Arizona Bound)

2015- Our journey began with our first work camping job in Bar Harbor, Maine.  It was a time to begin decompressing from our city lifestyle and begin really enjoying life.

A Video of our Summer in Bar Harbor 2015

Many ask about our financials, so I will go into that a bit, along with a few things we have learned and experienced as we traveled in 2018!

Total Mileage this year

Blue Route

We began 2018 working at an RV Resort in Apache Junction, AZ near Phoenix. My job ended there in March. So, we took a scenic trip from Apache Junction to Atlanta to visit a bit with the family and our granddaughter.

Our route took us through the Arizona desert, Amarillo Texas and more.  Our final destination was my daughter’s home in Douglasville, GA.  A total of around 2800 miles.

Red Route

Our summer job for 2018 was at the Polson RV Resort in Polson, Montana.  Our route to Montana included a fun side trip to the Badlands of South Dakota, Custer State Park, and of course, Mount Rushmore!  In Polson, we spent some time at Glacier National Park.

Green Route

We took on a temporary job at the Sugar Beet Harvest in North Dakota for the fall.  Our route from Polson included a side trip to Yellowstone National Park, where we spent a few days enjoying the scenery.  We drove into Cody, Wyoming, and then took the Beartooth Highway up into Red Lodge Montana.  Unfortunately, there was a lot of fog, but we still saw some amazing scenery.

Purple Route

Our final journey for 2018 was from Grand Forks, ND back to Douglasville, GA.  We managed to get out of North Dakota just ahead of the zero degree winter temperatures.  Just in time to spend the holidays with family!

Total travel for 2018 was 6,686 miles!

Our favorite campgrounds for 2018

With all the traveling that we did, we stayed at over 30 different campgrounds this past year.  Too many to list here.  But we want to talk about 3 campgrounds that stood out this year.  Our top three…

#1- Polson Motorhome Resort, Polson, MT

Not only did we work there, but we had an amazing site with beautiful views of Flathead Lake and the Mission Mountains!  There really isn’t a bad site at Polson RV Resort.  The campground itself consists of a KOA on the top of the hill and a Class A Motorhome resort right below.

We enjoyed sitting outside and enjoying the beautiful views on our days off, or taking short trips to Glacier National Park or the National Bison Reserve.

#2 Checkers Welcome Campground- Welcome, Minnesota

We loved Checkers Welcome Campground. We hit this little park on our way south from North Dakota.  It is located right near the Minnesota/ North Dakota line.  We loved the beautiful trees in this park, the fact that the sites were not super close to each other, the nice long gravel covered sites, and the quaint little town of Welcome just down the road.

#3 Mustang Run RV Park ,Oklahoma City

On our way from Apache Junction to Douglasville, we wanted to visit with our other daughter in Oklahoma City.  We were lucky enough to find Mustang Run RV Park.  It is a new park with a huge front office and all sites were concrete pads.  Plenty of space available around each site.  And a plus- we even had our own tornado shelter located right next to us!

A great, safe place to stay within the city limits of Oklahoma City!

Finances for 2018

The majority of our bills which include RV payment, health insurance, vehicle insurance, phone/internet bill, and all website overhead and taxes are covered by my websites, Suzy’s Sitcom and Daily Holiday Blog.

We use our work camping income to cover our food, gas and spending money.

This year we worked at:
RV Resort Apache Junction – Jan 2018- Mar 2018- This job involved creating a new website for them, social networking and photography.  Dave took this time off, while I worked this job.  It included pay and a free site.  Unfortunately, not all employers are honest or easy to work for.  This job turned out to be a learning experience for me.

Polson RV Resort, Polson, MT– May 2018- Sept 2018- Fortunately, our next job was a great experience!  I worked front desk and Dave worked Maintenance and Escort.  We had great bosses and coworkers.  Job included salary and discounted site.

Sugar Beet Harvest- Grand Forks, ND– Sept 2018- Nov 2018- We decided to add a bit to our income with the seasonal positions at the Sugar Beet Harvest.  We worked for the sugar company.  I was a Piler Operator and Dave worked as ground crew.  You can read about our job experience here.  Job included salary and free site.

Major expenses this year included:

Aside from traveling expenses this year, our only other major expense was vet bills .  Ralph had issues with his eyes (he was apparently allergic to Montana), and Faith had stomach issues.

Unfortunately, Faith’s issues turned out to be tumors wrapped around her intestines.  Sadly, she passed away this past week.  We will miss her dearly.

Mechanical and Coach Issues in 2018

Compared to previous years, 2018 was a great year for the coach. We started out the year with a scheduled maintenance in Atlanta to the tune of $1800.  Dave believes in maintenance in order to help avoid major issues.

Wiring Problem in the Steps

When we went to leave Apache Junction, the steps would not go in or out.  We had this same issue in 2017.  We knew that the motor in the steps had gone bad again.  It was just a matter or ordering a new one and doing the ten minute installation.

There is always something….

New Gadgets for 2018

Affiliate links to Amazon below:

Dave is a fan of gadgets and things that make our life on the road easier.  This year, he only found one item that he needed:

Step Stabilizer

After dealing with multiple breakdowns of our step motor, Dave determined that while stationary, everytime we go up and down the steps, we put pressure on that motor.  The step stabilizer keeps the steps from dropping down when we are on them.  Hopefully, that will be the last of that issue!

Favorite sights we have seen this year

We have seen many sights this year and had lots of great adventures.  It’s pretty darn hard to narrow it down.  Here are a few of the many that stand out this year:

Apache Junction, AZ
Apache Trail, AZ
Apache Trail, AZ
Polson, MT
Glacier National Park, MT
Glacier National Park, MT
National Bison Range, MT
National Bison Range, MT
Mount Rushmore, SD
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Glacier National Park, MT
Cody Wyoming Mountains
Grand Forks, ND
Grand Forks, ND
Fall in Illinois
Our daughter and granddaughter, Esmeralda
Esmeralda

It has been a good year all in all, with lots of great memories!

Looking at 2019

We will be living and working at Vogel State Park in the North Georgia mountains until March 31.

We will be working the summer on an island on Lake Ontario in upstate New York at the Association Island KOA.  We are currently scheduled to be there on May 1 and will be working there until October 15.  We are really looking forward to exploring the area!

After that, things are up in the air and plans are being made.  We are loving the state park atmosphere in North Georgia, and just might take that on again.

You never know what is around the next corner…

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11 thoughts on “Our RV Adventures in 2018!”

  1. Thanks so much for sharing your year of traveling. I look forward to reading what you two have been up to. I also love your craft section. So happy you’re enjoying traveling. Have a great 2019. Dottie

  2. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE reading about your adventures doing this. If thing in my life were different I would so want to do this! So, so sorry about Faith, I hope Ralph isn’t tooheartbroken missing his best friend. Cannot wait for your next installment!

  3. I’m so very sorry you lost Faith. Losing a fur baby can be as hard as losing anyone else you love. You’ll be with her again one day. You’ve been within 4 miles of my house! Any time I go near I-20 I look for your RV. We live halfway between Birmingham and Atlanta; in Anniston, AL. I love reading about your travels. Hugs to both of you! Faith is closer than you think she is.

  4. I am so sorry that Faith has gone on that road ahead. I hope that Ralph is ok and does not get too lonely.
    I absolutely love reading your adventures and seeing all these pics again. Take care and safe travels

  5. Sorry to hear about your furry family member passing. Always difficult. Love reading about your travels. Your granddaughter is the cutest! Thx for sharing.

  6. Looks like 2018 was a fantastic year for you. It inspires me to see that there is plenty of traveling enthusiast that live on the road. I hope 2019 turns out to be even better and you enjoy many wonderful trips!

  7. I’m from Australia and enjoy reading about your adventures. We sold our house in 2014 and spent 10 months on the road while having a new house built in a different state. A combination of a small caravan and house sits. That was fun mostly, but your travels are much more involved with working. Keep enjoying, I look forward to the next instalment.

    1. Hi Lane!

      It sounds like you had a great time on your adventures too! Living the simpler life definitely has its advantages. We have now been doing this for five years and have no regrets other than we wish we had done it sooner! Thank you for following along!

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