Ingrid's Corner, Photography

Adventure Anniversary

by Ingrid

When I looked at the calendar this morning, I realized it’s our 2 year anniversary.  Yep, it was two years ago we sold most of our stuff, minimized, and moved into the RV full-time.  It’s been an adventure to say the least.Colorado State ParksWe’ve explored some amazing places. Camped amongst some unbelievably stunning scenery.  Driven challenging roads.   Made wonderful new friends along the way.  And learned a lot about ourselves.

WordPress photo challenge
Chatfield State Park, Colorado

We’ve survived flat tires, illnesses, mechanical failures, and Mother Natures wrath.

Moab Utah
traveling along the Colorado River in Utah

Do we miss a sticks and bricks home?  Sometimes!

Dillon Reservoir
my home in Frisco, Colorado, camped along the shores of Dillon Reservoir

How long will we continue to live in the RV full-time?  As long as it remains a fun adventure.

WordPress Photo challenge
City of Rocks State Park, New Mexico

Is living in the RV similar to being on a constant vacation?  Yes and no.  Life goes on and sh*t continues to happen.  Bills need to be paid.  Family obligations beckon.

Moab Utah
traveling hwy 128 in Utah north of Moab

But when the stars align, the weather is great, birds are chirping, and wildflowers are blooming….. well, it just doesn’t get much better.

Moab Utah
we enjoy our own personal waterfall (center right) at Ken’s Lake Campground, Moab, Utah

Are we living a dream?  No.  Although it’s been a fantastic journey, there have been days I felt I was living more of a nightmare than a dream.

Quartzite Arizona
boondocking in Quartzite, Arizona

Everyone’s journey is different.  Time can be fleeting.  I still miss my dog immensely.

Glenwood Canyon
Interstate 70 driving along the Colorado River through Glenwood Canyon, Colorado

Knowing what I know now, would I still move into the RV full-time?  In a heartbeat!

WordPress daily prompt
all mine – my home for a week… somewhere in Utah!

It has been a memorable journey with many more places to see and explore.

San Juan River Utah
camped 2,000 feet above the San Juan River at Goosenecks State Park, Utah

At this stage of the game, I wouldn’t trade my 250 square foot home on wheels for a 5,000 square foot stationary home….. well…… maybe if that home sat on 40 acres in the Rocky Mountains with my own private lake, perhaps then I could be coerced 😉

camping in Colorado
camped on a peninsula at Steamboat Lake State Park

Views…. it’s all about the views, and boy, have I seen some views.

Lake Powell
boondocking at the shores of Lake Powell near the Utah – Arizona border

I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying some spectacular backyards……Lake Powell Utahand front yards……. and side yards…..

Monument Valley
Hwy 163 through Monument Valley – Utah & Arizona

I’ve driven some famous, well-known roads that I’d longed to travel.Rocky Mountain National ParkThe journey shall continue.  Let’s see where the road takes us in year three.scenic roadsHappy trails my friends….

This post was written in response to the WordPress Daily Post – photo challenge.  Muse = the RV.  I’m always taking photographs of the RV either meandering down the road or camped in some amazing place.camping in Colorado

The Next Exit 2015: The Most Complete Interstate Hwy Guide

110 thoughts on “Adventure Anniversary”

  2. I am retiring late next year & I am thinking about selling everything & buying a truck & fifth wheel trailer. I am looking at the Evergreen Bayhill model. The shortest is 36′ & the longest is 42.’ Is everything past 36′ to long? I need some direction, It will just me & my two Dachshunds as my wife died last month. BK

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    1. First – my sincerest condolences for your loss. I know it’ll take time to heal. That said, have you asked yourself exactly how much room your little doggies and you will actually need? We love our 31′ foot 5th wheel and are VERY glad we aren’t any longer. It boils down to ease of mobility and the kind of travel you plan on doing. It’s a very personal choice that only you can answer. I wish you the best of luck on your journey. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

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  3. It was so moving to read your post. We are a couple who intend to leave our country, Israel, on Oct. 21th, arrive to Texas and become a full-time RVs. Your questions are exactly what we think about while planning our near future. Your answers gave me a very good feeling. Looking forward to start our new way of life and who knows, maybe we’ll meet some day somewhere. Sara & Zvika

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    1. Congratulations on embarking on a wonderful adventure. You’ll encounter ups AND downs but with a good sense of humor and sense of adventure, it’ll be the experience of a lifetime. America is an incredible country with some of the most extreme and diverse beauty you’ll ever see. We’ll be in Rockport TX in January and the rest of the winter in AZ. Keep me posted on your travels and perhaps indeed we’ll run into each other 🙂

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  4. I love your description of life on the road full-timing in an RV. Doesn’t every RVer take photos of their campsites and RVS?! I hope you guys enjoy traveling a while longer. I look forward to new adventures with Ingrid and Al, and scenic panoramas in your posts. Happy Anniversary, you two!!

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    1. You welcome. Full-time isn’t for everyone and it certainly isn’t necessary but it can be tons of fun. I’d recommend an extended excursion first before jumping into full-time. We’re so glad we did 🙂

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  6. I hope you will have safe travels in the coming year. We all like to have “a room with a view” when we travel…you’ve gotten to experience to some magnificent ones on a daily basis.

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  7. Congrats on your two year anniversary Ingrid! I think you have both a positive and realistic attitude in that not every minute is bliss. Such wonderful vistas and your photos as always are beautiful.

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    1. Thank you Sue and you yourself know not all travel trips are perfect. I think that’s why I like to refer to our travels as an adventure…. we never know what shenanigans we’ll get ourselves into 😆

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  8. Some spectacular scenery and I enjoyed your own question and answer session too – all questions I would have asked. A fascinating lifestyle and one I follow with interest.

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    1. Thank you. It certainly isn’t a lifestyle for everyone, but it’s working well for us for the time being. We still have a long list of places we’d like to visit.

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  11. We might cross paths in the UP in August, if you are there by then, Ingrid. We have a few week break from our work camping duties then. Keep in touch!

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  12. A great post, an honest post and I can relate to all! You have been to so many wonderful places will see if we can follow your trail. Congratulations and here’s to more adventures, challenges and all.
    Cheers!
    Hope you are feeling better now 🙂

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    1. I’ll never catch up to your extensive travels, but I can sure share some special spots in the west.
      Not recovering as fast as I would like. The laying around is driving me crazy, but necessary 😦

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  13. Happy Anniversary!! I hope you have some wonderful adventures in year 3 and not too many difficulties. Do you always stay in the west or will you ever travel to the east/northeast?

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    1. Thank you and we do have a tendency to stay west since our son lives in Phoenix and our daughter in Denver, but we’ll be heading towards your neck of the woods in August. We’ll be visiting my dad in northern IL then up to WI to visit friends and eventually up to Mackinac Island. It’s been years since we’ve been to the UP and we’re looking forward to it 🙂

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  14. Congratulations on two great years on the road! We just finished our first year yesterday. Loving it! Your picture are beautiful. I’ve got to figure out how I can get one while it’s driving down the road. I like how those look!

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    1. Congratulations to you as well Debbie. We occasionally drive with 2 vehicles and I’ll follow hubby pulling the 5th wheel which gives me the perfect opportunity to snap some shots otherwise it would be near impossible 🙂

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  17. Congrats! Counting down our days until we will follow you in your tire tracks 😉

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    1. It’s a fun ride! Looks like we’ll be calling Cabela’s in Hoffman Estates “home” for a bit while visiting my dad this summer. Hope the weather is agreeable 🙂

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  18. Happy Anniversary Ingrid! It takes special people to live the RV life full-time. I couldn’t do what you do even though it seems like it would be a lot of fun. Keep on keepin’ on!

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    1. The lifestyle certainly isn’t for everyone and as long as it continues to be fun, we’ll keep rolling. I do see a stationary home in my future though. I just have to figure out where I want to settle down 😉

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  19. May you have many more wonderful experiences in year 3! I don’t have an RV but I too hit the road full time, 4 years ago, driving a small SUV coast-to-coast 7-8 times with camera and dog. My most vexing problem was how to maintain a legal address for driver’s license and IRS purposes, and how to maintain my health care providers – which, at my retirement age, are not the kind of regular appointments I like to skip. 🙂

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    1. Thank you and yes those are all issues that aren’t always easy to deal with. That’s partly why we meander back and forth between Colorado and Arizona. Sounds like you’ve been having quite the adventure yourself 🙂

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    1. Thank you Lynn. I feel like we’ve finally found our footing and groove to this lifestyle. Hopefully more fun adventures await 🙂

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    1. Thanks…. it’s a fun adventure living this lifestyle. I had a great time going through all my photos for the challenge. It reminded me of all the stunning places we’ve visited 🙂

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  24. Happy anniversary! We just had our three year anniversary in May. You put it very well and it was fun to see the photo of Bear at Quartzite. I’m glad I got to meet him….and you guys too.

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    1. Our Quartzite adventure was fun and we loved camping next to the Queen Jester. Bear was such a good traveler. I continue to miss him.

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  25. Happy 2nd anniversary Ingrid! You summed up this lifestyle nicely and added some lovely photos that you have collected along the way. Although it has its challenges, there is probably no better way to see this magnificent country. Here’s to many more wonderful adventures!

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    1. Thanks Lu and I totally agree – RVing is the best way to explore this amazing country. I’m hoping to add some new spots during year 3, but we’ll return to some favorites as well 🙂

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  27. Happy 2nd anniversary, Ingrid — and wishing you many more glorious adventures ahead! We started full timing two years ago in mid-June and it’s been even better than we imagined, despite some “bumps in the road” along the way. Wonderful photo essay of your journeys so far.

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    1. Thank you Laurel and you my dear have certainly handled some bumps in the road, or dare I say ‘boulder in the road’. It was fun going through my photos and remembering some of the beautiful places we’ve visited 🙂

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  28. Ingrid, happy anniversary! Your photos are impressive and we always enjoy seeing where you have been. As we are only in our third month of full time, we are compiling a list of where to go and what to see based on several blogs, yours included. Thanks for leading our way!

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    1. Thank you. I appreciate the comment and a little FYI…. so many places, so little time 🙂 It’s amazing how our travel list continues to grow!

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  29. Nice reflections on your journey. Yes it is like a perpetual vacation but stuff happens and laundry needs to be done as well as all those other aggravating, mundane jobs.
    Beautiful photos. Thanks for the honest insight. 🌼

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    1. Thanks…. yep, life goes on just in a different manner. Now I need to figure out what new amazing places to visit in year 3. Tough job 😆

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  31. Blessings on your 2nd anniversary of “taking a leap of faith” and stepping out of the box!

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  32. You my friend have seen some awesome places with you darling husband. You have been on a fabulous journey that takes you here, there and everywhere. But along the way you have met some friends.
    I for one am so happy you decided to do this journey and blog about it. Because… it’s why we met! 🙂
    Keep on … Keepin’ on!
    Happy Anniversary!

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  36. Couldn’t have said better:) You summed up this life perfectly. We started our sixth year this past weekend. It has been a wonderful journey. We look forward to much more.

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  37. I love following your adventures – everything has its upsides and downsides. As my students would say, “nothing is rainbows and unicorns all the time.” Happy anniversary – enjoy the day. Have a wonderful week and another fabulous year.

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    1. Thank you Clay. I’ve used that same comment many a time, “it’s not all rainbows and unicorns”. As long as there are more ups than downs, I think we’ll keep rolling 🙂

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  39. Lovely photos of some great places. Congrats on 2 years. As we are celebrating 3 years tomorrow, I know that it’s not always roses and rainbows. But I wouldn’t change a thing.

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    1. Congratulations and happy anniversary to you as well. I too don’t think I’d change a thing. I do however have a list of places I’d like to explore that seems to keep growing!

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  42. Congrats. Great story. We have done similar, but kept our sticks and brick home. We use to travel 6 months out of the year, but always had a Sticks and Bricks Home to return to.

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    1. There have been times I wished we had a sticks and bricks to return to but the problem is, I don’t know where I’d want that permanent structure. I continue to look though throughout our travels 🙂

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  45. Wow. I can’t imagine just selling up and taking to an RV full-time. But it does look like quite the adventure and for certain you have seen some magnificent sights. Great pix.

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    1. Yes quite the adventure and we embarked on this crazy journey on a whim. Some folks plan downsizing and moving into an RV over years; we did it in ninety days. I know, crazy. As long as it remains fun, we’ll keep those wheels rolling 🙂

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  47. Congratulations on making it to the second anniversary of being a full timer. I’m glad you bought the rv dream and stuck with it full time for all the experiences rv travel has to offer! Keep your dream going, happy trails.

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  48. Perfect…it spells Ingrid all over it! Truthful and filled with beauty! May your adventures continue to be amazing, minus any or less bumps…wish my anniversary was half as exciting as yours! Onward…happy anniversary!

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    1. Thanks C. Not all adventures need be ‘exciting’. You too have encountered plenty of bumps in the road. We all have to roll at our own pace while dealing with life issues. Here’s to year 3 being filled with a lot more fun and a lot less drama for both of us 🙂

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  49. Location, location, location. You’ve certainly found some grand ones. Although I’m not ready to trade the house for a full-time RV life, your post reminds me how much I love life on the road. We’re kind of stuck at home right now, and it kills me!

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    1. There are times I’d prefer traveling part-time like you, but every time we look at houses, I won’t commit – not wanting to be tied down. Ah, such a dilemma! My quest for year 3 is to focus on outstanding scenery.

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  50. It sounds like you have had a two-year period in which you probably weren’t bored a lot of times and have enough stories to last your lifetime. 🙂 I loved our years of camping, and I miss it ‘some’ weeks, but I think I passed the right age for doing it full time. It’s not the smaller space because I’m pretty organized but it is the stress from traffic and the mechanical challenges that arise. Beautiful shots.

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    1. The mechanical challenges are the worst and the most stressful. I’m definitely not a fan of driving the RV through traffic. I can handle a winding mountain road over traffic any day. We’ll try and avoid boredom during year 3 🙂

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  51. You have really enjoyed an amazing two years and camped in some beautiful places! This is a wonderful post about your adventures.

    We haven’t been traveling since returning home from our Texas adventure and I haven’t spent much time reading blogs lately but I’m really glad I read this post. I’ve been thinking about some trips this fall. I’m really getting the itch to hitch up and go.

    Happy trails! I hope you enjoy many more wonderful adventures!

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    1. It doesn’t take long for that hitch itch to set in. We’ll sometimes stay in places a month or two at a time and by the 3rd week I’m usually ready to roll again. September is a perfect month to travel. The weather seems agreeable just about anywhere 🙂

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  53. Y’all have been to some amazing places I just two short years. We are so glad we got to meet you both.

    The photos today are outstanding. Ingrid, you diffidently have an artist eye.

    Congratulations and here’s to many many more adventures.

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    1. Thank you Marsha and it was a pleasure to finally meet you and Paul as well. Here’s to many more adventures for us all 🙂

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