Updated January 21, 2022
My last RV trip was amazing, and I enjoyed (almost) every minute. We started out in September, just after Labor Day. I always start my trips with a visit to my daughter and her family in the Portland, Oregon area. On the way to her place, I stopped to get new tires for Bridget. Brand new tires for a very long trip!
Heading East – Our RV Trip Begins
As we made our way east, we visited Montana, my adopted home state. It’s so beautiful there and I always feel a connection. I stopped and picked up a bag of sapphire ore from the sapphire mine we used to visit when I was a kid.
We visited Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks. We dry camped in a forest service campground and visited Devil’s Tower National Monument.
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and My First Boondocking Attempt
Views of Devil’s Tower from our Campsite
As our RV trip continued we visited South Dakota, drove through floodwaters on the interstate, and survived the worst onslaught of mosquitoes I have ever encountered.
South Dakota to Michigan, A Catch Up Post
We continued east through Minnesota, Wisconsin, and into Michigan, where we dry camped in a casino parking lot, hunted and found Petoskey stones.
Loving Michigan
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York were up next. On this leg of our RV trip, our overnight accommodations were a rest area with hookups and two different casinos. I had the opportunity to get my generator out and fire it up to charge my house batteries.
We managed to arrive in beautiful Vermont and New Hampshire during the peak of the fall colors.
One of the highlights of the entire trip was our time in Maine. We visited Acadia National Park, dined on lobster, and generally soaked all the atmosphere Maine has to offer.
Best RV Camping in Maine Near Acadia National Park
Heading South
Rhode Island and Connecticut were next. We were able to visit with family and, as always, take a lot of photos.
After our family time, we headed south making our way toward Florida for our November 1st reservation. We made stops in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. We visited Shenandoah National Park and enjoyed the famous Skyline Drive.
Scenic Skyline Drive Shenandoah National Park
Then it was time to visit the asylum. Another highlight of the trip was my visit to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia. I hope to visit more places like this but strictly on a voluntary basis.
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Tour
After the asylum, we made a beeline for Florida. Our RV trip took us through North Carolina, South Carolina, where we visited a beautiful church ruin called Sheldon’s Church. Then it was onward to Georgia and Florida.
Exploring Historic Sheldon’s Church Ruins
Our Florida destination for the entire month of November was about halfway down the keys to Grassy Key near Marathon. We spent a month enjoying beautiful views, salt air, and tropical breezes. We also got to know the regulars at the Marathon dog park.
Glorious RVing In The Florida Keys
In December we headed north again. We found some last-minute openings in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area and ended up staying there until after President’s Day. During that time, just by chance, we were staying at a Broward County park when an annual chili cookoff was taking place. Little did I know I’d be just across the lake from the stage where some of the biggest names in country music performed that day. I spend the day outside listening with a good friend. I had my first Cuban coffee, got flooded out of a campsite, and ruined my satellite dish.
3 Broward County RV Parks – My Honest Reviews
I was ready to leave Florida because it was getting hot and sticky. I said goodbye to my friends and headed north to the Panhandle. Suddenly it was COLD. I’d been wearing shorts for three and a half months. The first morning after we arrived in the Florida Panhandle, I had to find my coat and long pants because the temperatures were in the 20s.
North Florida Camping – Historic Saint Augustine
Heading West
We left Florida heading west for Alabama where we spent a few days in Orange Beach then moved on to Mississippi for some service at the Airstream dealer in Gulfport. This was about the time we started hearing about COVID19 but it all seemed like background noise.
My Favorite Orange Beach Campgrounds
New Orleans was our next destination. I had planned to tour several plantations but the only one I made it to before things really started to shut down was Oak Alley. After a couple of days there I decided New Orleans was not a place I wanted to be if the world came to an end. At the urging of my family and due to my own unrest, I left there a few days early and began an 8-day, 3,000-mile marathon trip back to Washington.
Heading Home in a Hurry
Winter RV Trip Cut Short – The Rush Home
I’m still so disappointed (but I understand) the 2020 International Airstream Rally I had been looking forward to was canceled. The rally would be ending just about now, and I’d be heading home from Colorado.
Trip Stats
- 7-month trip duration
- 10,773 miles towing Bridget
- 34 states visited
- Visited the southernmost point in the US
- 5 National Parks and Monuments visited
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