The start of the year started out rough with the passing of my mother in December. With Christmas and all of the holiday events we held her Celebration of life at the end of January. Since I was planning to find time to travel to South Dakota to become a resident my sister decided that we should do a trip together where I could get my driver’s license and have some adventures. This was especially meaningful since we found a picture of our parents at Mount Rushmore from one of their trips.
When out on my adventures in the RV, my goal is to visit all of the National Parks. My first stop was Mount Rushmore to recreate this picture. It’s just so amazing how this has been carved out of the stone in the hills. Definitely, a place that everyone should visit. We learned a lot as we walked through the museum. We did pay the extra fee to have the audio tour. Each of us had our own device and we stopped at each numbered spot to hear some details about the process, the people involved, and the time it took to complete this massive project. Gutzon Borglum truly brought to life much of our history – his vision has left us with a magnificent tribute to our country.
It was not very crowded since we were there in the off season. We initially thought the day we chose was not going to allow us to see the monument as it was very cloudy, and foggy which made it difficult to see the roads as we drove out of Box Elder for the day. However, as we arrived at the park the skies had cleared and we had a beautiful view.
We ended up seeing several National Parks on this trip. My son and daughter-in-law even gave me a book for Christmas to help plan my future trips called Where Should We camp Next? National Parks. So there aremore adventures coming. I even purchased a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass to help save money. It costs $80 for the year. You can get a lifetime pass after you turn 62 years old.
I also wanted a way to document all of the parks that I visited. I purchased the National Park Passport book from the gift shop. I now purchase the sticker for each location and add to my book. Each Park gift shop also has a stamp that you can use and date the time of your visit. I’m looking forward to adding more to my book. The book is divided into different regions and provides additional information about each site.
My first RV adventure of the New Year was a trip to Lake Havasu City. I joined a group called the Escapees RV Club. Since I’m a solo traveler I wanted a way to connect with other full time travelers. This was my first time attending one of their events as well as my first time boondocking. Boondocking is setting up with no hookups. No water. No electricity. No sewer.I had purchased generators to be prepared for this time of event.
I decided to arrive a day early since I wasn’t sure of the parking situation. I haven’t learned how to back into a spot yet and wanted to ensure that I could pull into a space. We needed to arrive by 5 pm or we would need to park outside till the next day if we arrived late. I left from CA early enough but did not take into account the time change – lose an hour. I arrived at 4:55. They had lots of volunteers helping with each area. I was in the solo section. The volunteer helped me get situated in my spot. He wasn’t familiar with unhooking a fifth wheel but I was now able to do this on my own. However, later in the week my doctor called with the results from an x-ray of my shoulder that I had done the week before. I have an ovulsion fracture in my right shoulder from my fall in adventure #1. She said limit the use of the right arm. Hard to do when you are right handed and traveling solo in a 5th wheel.
I unhooked the 5th wheel and then went to open the slides. The first one opened half way then quit and the other slides would not open at all. Now I can’t get to my refrigerator or pantry. Fortunately, I still have access to the bedroom and my bathroom. I was frustrated, thinking maybe this boondocking was not for me. I climbed into bed early and contemplated leaving the next morning. However, I decided to pull myself together and reach out for help. A facebook group was created for just this event. I sent out a message that I needed help with my slides. An Rv mobile service owner was attending this event and he agreed to meet me early in the morning.
I started the morning more optimistic about attending this event. He checked my RV battery and said that it was very weak. He helped me start the generators and get my slides open. He said run them for 5-6 hours (generators were allowed only between the hours of 7 am to 10 pm) and it should recharge my battery. I checked the battery the next morning and it had not recharged. I reached out again and learned I would need to replace the battery. After learning what type I needed I headed into town to O’Rileys to purchase a new one. He returned later that day and installed the new battery.
Solo Group Decorating Team
The event also had an app that contained a schedule of all of the events, activities, food trucks available and live music opportunities. I attended many of the afternoon seminars like boondocking 101, RV gadgets, podcasting as a digital nomad, Most evenings had a theme night and many of the attendees went all out. Not sure where everyone stored all of their costumes in their RV.
Lot Crawl Event
My favorite was the lot crawl where you had tasting of foods and drinks but you also had the opportunity to tour many of the different trailers, vans, and RVs. It was helpful to see the many different set-ups that people have for their travels.
Lake Havasu City Balloon Fest
I did meet my neighbor, Jessica, that was also traveling solo and we were able to go into town and walk along the Colorado River and have dinner one night. It happened to be the balloon festival weekend in town so we were able to see some balloons that were on display. I also went into town early the next day to see the balloons rising.
The last night the weather was calling for rain the next day so I packed everything up early and closed my slides so that I could get an early start the next morning. I hadn’t driven in inclement weather yet and was worried that conditions would be bad going over the Techapi mountains. It was pouring as I hooked up the next morning but the 10 hour drive only had rain while hooking up the 5th wheel. Thankful I gained an hour on this drive and made it to my destination before dark.
As I venture into a full time traveler I needed to figure out a method of receiving mail. I signed up for Americas Mailbox service and they send me my mail at whatever address I share with them when I need to get my mail. I was then able to get a driver’s license using this address. It is not a P.O. Box. South Dakota is very friendly to full time RV travelers.
In February, I flew to South Dakota and stayed at the hotel rooms that are located at the Americas Mailbox facility. They also have an RV park but I was not comfortable to drive there on my own in the winter. South Dakota just requires you to stay at least 24 hours in the state and you need to show proof of your stay. I had the receipt from Americas Mailbox that verified my address and showed my overnight stay. I actually stayed 5 nights and did some touring of the area. It was really easy to get the driver’s license. The place was only 10 minutes from where I was staying. I didn’t need an appointment, and I received the card right then. I did not need to wait for it to arrive in the mail.
I still need to register my vehicles. That is done at a different location – unlike California. I need to get access to my receipt from the CA DMV to prove I already paid taxes on my truck and fifth wheel. Americas Mailbox provides lots of information on the process. They can even complete the task when you give them power of attorney for a fee. Therefore, you don’t necessarily need to go to the state to register your vehicles. You just sign a document when getting the DL that you will return in 5 years. Here is a link to their site that spells out what documents you need to complete the task.
As I embark on 2024 in continuing my nomad life, I am building a life of ADVENTURE (my word for the year). I am learning that not all adventures are pleasurable adventures but learning through challenges. On December 28th, I embarked on a driving adventure through 12 states (California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona). Because this was a travel experience I left my 5th wheel in California and traveled with my friend Jackie and my dog, Kodi. We set off with my truck towing a uhaul with furniture being returned to Jackie. Our goal was to reach her apartment in Indiana in time to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Day 1
We got a late start heading out in the morning, and didn’t make the distance we were hoping to travel on the first day. We only drove 560 miles and spent the night in Ritchfield, Utah. We hit major traffic coming out of Las Vegas due to construction and an RV broken down in one lane. I don’t like driving in the dark in unfamiliar areas and we were losing an hour due to the different time zones. We used mostly Love’s gas stations as I like the 10¢ discount with the app. The bathrooms are always clean and many of them have a dog area to walk Kodi. However, I moved too quickly trying to climb over the gas hose while at the station in Barstow and went down hard on my knees on the cement. Thankfully, the man next to me saw me fall and offered to help me up. The knee hurt but wasn’t as bad as my right shoulder since I put out my arm to try and break my fall. I learned weeks later that I actually have an avulsion fracture in my shoulder. Part of this adventure that will linger on for quite some time.
Day 2
Second day we got a much earlier start and drove almost double the distance. We traveled about 900 miles. Jackie took over the driving late in the day and drove for several hours in the dark before we settled into a hotel in Salina, Kansas. We had hoped to make it to Kansas City, Missouri to spend the night but it was just too far and we lost another hour due to the time difference.
Day 3
Jackie took over all of the driving this final travel day to Indiana.
Visiting with Jonathan, Abby Locke and Julie Waters
Giving me a break before I did the long journey on my own, and letting me rest my shoulder. We started early and were able to stop in Kansas City to visit my son, Jonathan and daughter-in-law, Abby. They had spent Christmas with her family.
The first year he wasn’t home for the holidays so I was glad my travels allowed me to see him still during the holidays. Abby’s mom, Julie, had breakfast ready for us and we were able to take a short break from the road. We traveled 700 miles that day and made it to Jackie’s home to celebrate the New Year.
Celebrating the New Year – 2024
New Year’s Day was spent on the couch relaxing. We did get the furniture moved into her 2nd floor apartment with the help of her brother and his family. Now I would travel back to California with an empty trailer since they charge almost an extra $1,000 to leave it in another state. This would provide me with some additional challenges as I traveled back to CA.
Day 5
I decided to take 4 days to travel back to CA on my own since now I would be the sole driver and I would stop earlier since it was still getting dark around 5:30 pm. I got an early start around 7 am and left as Jackie was leaving for work. It was still dark but I was attempting to get ahead of any bad weather. The day’s driving was uneventful and I stopped in Springfield, Missouri. I drove about 490 Miles.
Day 6
I woke up to lots of ice on the windshield and a cold start to the day. Unfortunately, this day
Stuck on the side of the road waiting for AAA
became very eventful. I was making good time down highway 44 and had gone maybe 20 minutes past Oklahoma City when my low tire pressure light came on. I quickly moved into the slow lane when it became very bumpy. I pulled off onto the shoulder but there wasn’t a lot of room due to the ditch that ran along the freeway. My front driver’s side tire was smoking but there wasn’t much room to get out and check it out.
I immediately called Triple AAA and they were going to dispatch help from Finley River Towing. I was not close to any exit along the highway. When the company called they said they would need to send a flatbed to tow me since there would not be room to change the tire along the freeway. Kodi was very patient in the truck as we ended up being on the side of the road for over 3 hours. The first guy that arrived had flashing lights so now at least the semi trucks weren’t racing past my vehicle rocking it. He was going to try and change my tire after all but apparently I don’t have a special lock that is necessary to remove the spare in my Ford F250. I even called the previous owner but he had bought it and never used the spare in the time he had the truck. I still need to figure out how to get it unlocked. Triple AAA wouldn’t cover the cost of moving the trailer, but the flat bed that arrived was able to tow it behind the truck. The two
Tire Challenges
guys that were trying to help me decided to take me back about 15 miles to a truck stop that had a hotel, restaurant, and a tire place. Although the hotel wouldn’t take dogs since they treated the carpet and they already had a chihuahua die from the chemicals. I can’t imagine that was safe for humans either.
One of my guardian angels.
The guys then agreed to take me back to Oklahoma City to a Best Western that was pet friendly. I had to pay a fee since the distance was further than Triple AAA would take me. It’s time to upgrade my membership so that if necessary I can be towed further, especially since I’m spending more time on the road. They also gave me a recommendation for a tire place as I would need to replace both front tires. These tow drivers went above and beyond to make sure I was settled and safe for the evening. They were definitely a blessing during this challenging adventure.
Day 7
I started this morning by calling Hickman’s Auto & Tire company. Of course he wanted to know specifically what tires I needed and I had no clue. So after going to the truck and reading random numbers that were on the tire he seemed to know what I needed. He would order the necessary tires and would have them ready for me in an hour. I then called Triple AAA again to come and take me to the tire place. Fortunately, it was only a few miles away so the tow was free with my membership. Although this tow truck didn’t have a hitch to also take the trailer. The worker volunteered to go back and get the trailer and bring it to me since it wasn’t very far. After getting two new tires from Hickman’s they told me that I needed to get an alignment or I would need to replace the tires by the time I reached CA. I was not getting on the road very early to continue my journey. They called and helped me get in at their sister shop that worked on the autos. This shop had a full schedule but they agreed to fit me in. I was told to just leave the trailer and come back after the alignment was done and they would help me hook it up. Everyone was so friendly and helpful as I was experiencing travel delays. Even many that were in the midwest on facebook reached out and offered assistance. Another reminder that I’m blessed even during difficult times. I was back on the road by 2 pm and drove to Midland, Texas. I was avoiding going through Alburquerque due to bad weather and road conditions.
Day 8
It helped that I was gaining an hour of daylight each day traveling west. Finally a day that was uneventful. I drove to Phoenix, Arizona with no challenges except Kodi was really done being in the truck he was refusing to get in the truck at each gas stop we made. I was keeping his harness on so that I had a good hold to lift him up into the truck. This was a challenge as my shoulder was still giving me trouble.
Day 9
Now I was back on familiar territory. Only about 6 hours for the final drive home. In the early afternoon I rolled back into Temecula. Although I needed to stop off at a friend’s to pick up some of my mail. Texted my friend, Courtney, that I was almost back and asked if she would have a glass of wine ready for me. After looking at my text it was complete gibberish since I was so tired. Fortunately, she could read between the lines and I had a glass of wine ready for me upon returning to my 5th wheel.
I’m so thankful for so many great friends that have helped me and the many strangers that showed kindness along my journey
I’m continuing to make strides in learning how to be a full time nomad. I was able to drive myself to Wilderness Lakes in Menifee but had help with backing up and setting up the RV (Thanks Carl Schwarz and Jason Locke). A few challenges with set-up since most of their sites are 30 amp, and my rig uses a 50 amp for electricity. I now have an adapter added to my glamping resources. Although I prefer to always have 50 amp. I learned during my stay at this site that you cannot run your microwave and your air conditioner at the same time, my power even went out when using my electric water heater to wash dishes. Also with the heat temperatures at 105º my power continually kicked off between 4 and 5 pm.
While in Menifee, I met up with Ken from RV awnings. He came and measured my 5th wheel and 2 days later came and installed what I call a skirt to the front of my rig. This helps to hide many traveling resources and keeps my site much neater and hides my belongings.
I then did my first drive solo on the freeway and I’m now enjoying cooler weather. Unfortunately, there was an accident along the freeway and there was a 10-mile stretch that traveled at 5 mph. My GPS wanted to take me on a different route, but I was not going to drive through city streets with lots of cars while trailing my 32′ 5th wheel. I made it to Camp Pendleton, Del Mar RV. Dot & Doug Hawthorne met me and helped back it into my space. And the families that were on either side of me even came out and helped me unhook my truck and level my RV. The camping community is so welcoming and helpful.
You decide to go on an adventure! Follow me as Kodi and I navigate life full time in our 5th wheel. Join me on this journey as I step out of my comfort zone to begin this new phase in life!
With Christmas and all of the holiday events we held her Celebration of life at the end of January. Since I was planning to find time to travel to South Dakota to become a resident my sister decided that we should do a trip together where I could get my driver’s license and have some adventures. This was especially meaningful since we found a picture of our parents at Mount Rushmore from one of their trips.
tour. Each of us had our own device and we stopped at each numbered spot to hear some details about the process, the people involved, and the time it took to complete this massive project. Gutzon Borglum truly brought to life much of our history – his vision has left us with a magnificent tribute to our country.
gave me a book for Christmas to help plan my future trips called Where Should We camp Next? National Parks. So there aremore adventures coming. I even purchased a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass to help save money. It costs $80 for the year. You can get a lifetime pass after you turn 62 years old. 
each location and add to my book. Each Park gift shop also has a stamp that you can use and date the time of your visit. I’m looking forward to adding more to my book. The book is divided into different regions and provides additional information about each site. 
address I share with them when I need to get my mail. I was then able to get a driver’s license using this address. It is not a P.O. Box. South Dakota is very friendly to full time RV travelers. 
California. I need to get access to my receipt from the CA DMV to prove I already paid taxes on my truck and fifth wheel. Americas Mailbox provides lots of information on the process. They can even complete the task when you give them power of attorney for a fee. Therefore, you don’t necessarily need to go to the state to register your vehicles. You just sign a document when getting the DL that you will return in 5 years. 
bark on 2024 in continuing my nomad life, I am building a life of ADVENTURE (my word for the year). I am learning that not all adventures are pleasurable adventures but learning through challenges. On December 28th, I embarked on a driving adventure through 12 states (California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona). Because this was a travel experience I left my 5th wheel in California and traveled with my friend Jackie and my dog, Kodi. We set off with my truck towing a uhaul with furniture being returned to Jackie. Our goal was to reach her apartment in Indiana in time to celebrate New Year’s Eve. 
with Ken from RV awnings. He came and measured my 5th wheel and 2 days later came and installed what I call a skirt to the front of my rig. This helps to hide many traveling resources and keeps my site much neater and hides my belongings. 