GnomadicLife

Making Our Way North

After spending time in Oklahoma, it was finally time to point the truck north and start making our way toward New York.

One of the things we enjoy about RV travel is that getting somewhere can become part of the adventure. Instead of simply trying to cover as many miles as possible in a day, we can break the trip into smaller pieces and discover places we probably never would have seen otherwise.

This trip north gave us a little bit of everything—an old favorite campground, a couple of Harvest Hosts, a KOA, a quiet riverside RV park, and eventually some much-anticipated time with family.

One Last Stop at Lake Thunderbird

Before leaving Oklahoma, we spent some time at one of our favorite spots at Lake Thunderbird State Park.

*It’s hard to complain about a campsite with a view like this.*

We have stayed here before, and there is something nice about beginning a long trip from a familiar place. With the RV sitting just a few steps from the water, it was a peaceful way to spend some time before we started putting serious miles behind us.

Then it was time to hitch up and head north.

A Harvest Hosts Stop at Point Labaddie

One of our overnight stops was Point Labaddie Brewery, a Harvest Hosts location.

One of the things we enjoy about Harvest Hosts is that the stay is a little different from a traditional campground. Instead of paying for a campsite in the usual way, you stay at a participating local business and support that business while you are there.

That might mean visiting a winery, brewery, farm, museum, or another locally owned stop along the way. For us, it has become a fun way to break up a long travel day while also discovering places we probably never would have found otherwise.

At Point Labaddie, Michael sampled a couple of beers, and we were lucky enough to be there while they had a farmers market going on. We picked up some fresh produce, enjoyed the stop, and felt like we were doing more than just finding a place to park for the night.

That is really the part of Harvest Hosts we like most. The overnight stay is useful, but the experience comes from supporting the people who are welcoming travelers onto their property.

Then, after a good night’s rest, it was time to get back on the road and continue north.

The Blueberry Patch in Ohio

Our next Harvest Hosts stay brought us to The Blueberry Patch in Ohio.

When we arrived, the weather made sure we knew it was spring.

*Sometimes arriving at an overnight stop comes with a little added drama from the sky.*

Once we had a chance to look around, though, we found a beautiful property.

Between the pond, the animals grazing nearby, and the carriage sitting under its shelter, this was much more than simply a place to park the RV for the night.

That is another thing we enjoy about Harvest Hosts. Sometimes the overnight stop itself becomes one of the memorable parts of the trip.

Chautauqua Lake KOA Holiday

As we continued north, we spent some time at Chautauqua Lake KOA Holiday.

This stop put us much closer to family, which made it feel a little different from the earlier overnight stops. By this point in the trip, we had already covered a lot of miles and crossed several states, so it was nice to slow down a bit and know we were getting close to where we wanted to be.

Sometimes a KOA is exactly what we need during a longer trip—a dependable place to settle in, take care of the RV, and recharge before moving on.

A Quiet Stop in Bainbridge

As we worked our way farther into New York, we stopped at a small RV park Riverside RV Park in Bainbridge.

Our site was tucked beside the water, which made for a quiet place to settle in after another travel day.

Not every campground needs a long list of amenities or activities. Sometimes what we appreciate most is a comfortable place to park, a little grass outside the door, and a peaceful view while we unwind.

After several days of moving north, we were finally getting very close to family.

Back with Family in New York

From there, the road took us to one of the most familiar parts of the entire trip—time with our parents.

The last few photos are from our mom’s and dad’s places in New York, and after days of campgrounds, Harvest Hosts, highways, and travel stops, there was something special about arriving somewhere connected to so many memories.

The old ice house—one of those familiar buildings that carries a little family history of its own.

The scenery here may not appear in a travel brochure, but places like this have a beauty of their own.

Coming back means more than simply reaching another destination. It means familiar porches, familiar views, and time with the people who make the place feel like home.

And then there are buildings like the old barn—part of the landscape for so long that you almost stop noticing them until you have been away for a while.

After leaving Oklahoma, spending time at Lake Thunderbird, visiting two very different Harvest Hosts, stopping at the KOA, and settling in beside the river in Bainbridge, we had finally made our way north.

The Adirondacks and plenty of new adventures were still ahead of us.

But first, it was good to be back with family.

Under Adirondack Skies

One of the things we have enjoyed most about our time in the Adirondacks has been something we did not really expect to pay so much attention to—the sky.

Of course, we came here for the mountains, forests, lakes, and trails. Those are the things you picture when you think about the Adirondacks. But after spending a little time here, we started noticing how much the sky changes the whole feel of the landscape.

Some days brought unusual cloud formations hanging low over the campground.

They almost looked sculpted, with smooth layers stacked across the horizon. It was the kind of sky that made us stop what we were doing and just stare for a while.

Other days were much simpler.

A deep blue sky, a quiet mountain ridge, and a single white cloud drifting overhead can be just as striking in its own way. There is something peaceful about a view like that, especially when there is nowhere you need to be and nothing you need to do except enjoy it.

Then there were evenings when the clouds caught the last light of the day.

For a few minutes, an ordinary campground view could turn into something completely different. The light would catch the edges of the clouds, the trees would begin to darken, and the whole scene would seem to change right in front of us.

And every now and then, the sky really put on a show.

This was one of those evenings.

The colors seemed to spread across the entire sky, glowing above the mountains and turning a regular evening at the RV into something we knew we wanted to remember.

One of the things we have come to appreciate about full-time travel is that some of the best moments are not planned at all. They do not require a reservation, a ticket, or even a drive somewhere.

Sometimes they happen when you step outside the RV, look toward the mountains, and realize the view has changed again.

The Adirondacks have given us plenty of beautiful scenery, but the skies here have become part of the experience too.

They can be calm one moment, dramatic the next, and completely different by evening.

Maybe that is part of what makes traveling this way so enjoyable.

You never really know what kind of view is waiting outside.

Sometimes, all you have to do is look up.

A Walk Through the Woods to Owen Pond

It has been a while since we shared one of our adventures here, so this seems like a good place to start again.

One of the things we enjoy most about traveling is finding places that don’t necessarily require an entire day or a complicated plan. Sometimes a short trail, a quiet pond, and a few hours in the woods are all we need.

While exploring the Adirondacks, we decided to hike the trail to Owen Pond, located in the Sentinel Range Wilderness Area.

*The trail sign pointed us toward Owen Pond—only half a mile away.*

The sign at the trail junction told us Owen Pond was only about half a mile away. That doesn’t sound like much, but one thing we’ve learned is that mileage doesn’t always tell the whole story when you’re hiking in the mountains.

The trail quickly took us into the woods, surrounded by thick green forest.

One of the things that caught our attention along the way was how the trees seemed determined to grow wherever they could. We came across one tree whose roots had completely wrapped themselves around a large boulder. Somehow, what looked like an impossible place to grow had become home.

*Apparently, even a giant rock isn’t enough to discourage a determined Adirondack tree.*

It was one of those little things that made us stop for a minute and really look.

The trail also followed areas near small streams running through the forest. With the sunlight filtering through the trees, ferns covering the ground, and water moving quietly between the rocks, it felt wonderfully removed from everything else.

*One of the little streams winding through the woods along the way.*

Eventually, the trees opened up and we reached Owen Pond.

And it was worth the walk.

*Owen Pond, surrounded by the green Adirondack mountains.*

The pond sits surrounded by the green Adirondack mountains, with forest coming right down to the water. There weren’t crowds, buildings, or much of anything to distract from the view—just water, mountains, trees, and a quiet place to enjoy them.

We spent some time beside the pond before beginning our walk back.

There is something about places like this that reminds us why we enjoy traveling the way we do. Some of our favorite memories haven’t come from famous attractions or carefully planned destinations. They have come from following a trail because a wooden sign pointed toward a pond half a mile away.

Before leaving, we also signed the trail register—our little record that, for one afternoon, we had been there.

It wasn’t the longest hike we’ve ever taken, and Owen Pond probably won’t appear on many people’s list of must-see tourist attractions.

But maybe that’s part of what made it so enjoyable.

Sometimes a quiet trail through the woods is exactly the adventure you’re looking for.

“Home, Sweet, Oklahoma Home”

After leaving Colorado we made our way to Oklahoma for a few nights in the woods with no responsibilities at a State Park we’ve not been to before. We had reservations at Boiling Springs State Park and really enjoyed our time there. We had one “activity” day as we call them – basically a day to do whatever we want in a location that isn’t spent traveling to our next location. We chose to not even unhook the RV while we were there and took a nice walk to their office/gift shop to obtain maps and enjoy the park more. It is a really pretty park and we enjoyed our time there. The spots in the area that is not full hook up were much nicer and roomier than the area that is full hook up so I was glad we chose the roomier area to stay in when we booked our spot there.

While in Oklahoma we were able to help out a family member that had knee surgery while we were there, take care of our own medical appointments and enjoyed some restaurants we had not had access to in quite a while.

We also took the time while there to enjoy a movie at the theater for a date afternoon.

Also while in Oklahoma, Tessa saw her first live tarantula in the yard of our camping spot in Ada. We had come home from errands and as we were unloading the car there was a giant tarantula in the grass. Luckily it went on its way and it was safe to bring the pups out for a break – but I can tell you this I was sure to keep my eyes peeled for a return of that tarantula while we were there. We left Oklahoma sad to leave family but very excited for our next adventure.

It’s Been A While

In looking at our last blog post I realize it’s been a while since we’ve updated y’all on our adventures. Be looking for more of these posts again as we enjoy our winter at our current location in Hattiesburg, MS and as we eventually head to Virginia for our summer job in a few months.

We wrapped up summer of 2023 in Hot Springs, SD and made our way to Colorado Springs for a few days of relaxation and sightseeing. We love Colorado and I was thrilled to be back in the mountains again where we both feel so at home. We had reservations at the Colorado Springs/Pike’s Peak KOA where we had a patio site and a view from our patio of the mountains.

Part of the reason for our stop there was to take the train ride up to Pike’s Peak – which we didn’t quite make it to the top while we were there this time. They had rain which then froze in the switch boxes near the top of the mountain so we were unable to make the last 1500 feet or so to the top. It was a bit of a bummer to not get to see the view from the summit but we enjoyed the views and the ride as far up and back as we did get to experience.

While in Colorado Springs we also got a chance to visit Garden of the Gods which was spectacular as well.

Our final day in Colorado we went to our first restaurant that was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and enjoyed a yummy brunch there.

A New Kind Of Adventure

Towards the end of April we left Oklahoma to make our way to Hot Springs, South Dakota to work for the summer season at a KOA. We’ve made the journey between Oklahoma and South Dakota a few times and have a couple of campgrounds that we tend to use as stopping points as they are very convenient to the highway and have been clean, reliable stays for us.

Our first stop had us in Salina, Kansas at the KOA there. We stayed in the exact same patio spot we had our first visit in Salina, This time though while we were there we visited the Rolling Hills Zoo. It was our first time going to the zoo together and we had a great time seeing some beautiful animals. They have a great variety there and while a few we couldn’t see as well as we wanted as they were renovating the lion cage and prepping for moving some of the animals outside as the weather started warming up.

After the zoo we had a great evening grilling and enjoying a fire on the patio. We had a bit of leftover wood that we’d been carrying for a few weeks and figured their beautiful fire pit was a great place to enjoy the last of it.

From Salina we made our way across some serious crosswinds in I-90 in Nebraska. It was the windiest drives we’ve been on and we were so thankful for the larger truck – driving was stressful and exhausting but our truck handled it much better than our old one would have. Several times we had to pull over trying to fix a spot on our skirting that was trying to pull rip off in the wind. We were worried it would rip and hit another vehicle and/or damage the RV in some way. We eventually had to pullover and Michael pulled the tin snips out of his tool box and we were able to safely remove the piece before it did any damage to anyone.

We spent the night in Ogallala, Nebraska and are so surprised still in how much this place had changed and improved since they’ve become a KOA franchise. They had just become part of KOA when we stayed there in 2020 and they’ve expanded and grown the place into a little bit nicer stopover.

Our last leg of the journey I drove the RV 200 of the 260 miles to Hot Springs, South Dakota where we are spending our summer months working at the KOA. More on that adventure in the next post!

Family Time and Medical Visits For All

After leaving Huntsville, Texas we spent a few nights at an Army Corps of Engineer park on Liberty Lake in Texas called Navarro Mills. It was the dirtiest campsite we ever stayed at. The firepit hadn’t been cleaned in weeks if not months – it was full of ashes and trash. There was pop tops from cans, water bottles, beer cans, lids, chip bags etc all over the site. It was very obvious the park hosts there did NOT do any site cleaning. The bathrooms we saw were cleaned by a professional company that came in to the park to clean – we opted to not check them out considering how filthy our site was. This spot was a huge shock after how hard we’d just worked with our fellow park hosts to keep a state park looking beautiful. Despite the trash in our site we had a pretty view of the water out our windows.

We arrived in Oklahoma about 10 days ago and it’s been a busy few days. Both Mike and I had doctor appointments, bloodwork, and tests to catch up on as well as the dogs needed all their yearly shots as well. We also spent Easter Sunday with family and have done some helping with fixing up a patio and cooking dinner at Mike’s folks house. The dogs have had some fun times over there running off leash in the fenced in backyard. We love getting to take them over there as the campground we stay at near their house has a plethora of dog owners that seem to not have a leash for their dogs – this leads to our dogs wanting to protect us and they aren’t fond of the off leash dogs.

We have firmed up our plans for our drive to South Dakota when we leave here the 25th of April and the reservations have been made for our stops along the way. Having made this trek a few times to sightsee and spend time with family we have a couple of KOA campgrounds that we prefer along the way it helps that they are both convenient to the highway we will be traveling on. The KOA in Salina, Kansas we are staying at for a few days and we picked one of their patio sites so we can have campfires and grill while we stay there. Our other KOA is in Ogallala, Nebraska and while it doesn’t have a lot of amenities it’s a nice place to spend a night.

We spent some time this week planting a few plants to take with us on our journey. In Huntsville just after Valentine’s I had found a dianthus/carnation that I transplanted to a bigger pot this week. To our planting spree we added a patio cherry tomato plant, a planter with parsley and basil, and a geranium plant. Tessa has been enjoying playing in the dirt planting this week.

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun

It’s hard to believe that in a week we will be wrapping up our first joint park hosting job at Huntsville State Park in Texas. The weather is warming up and we’ll be trying to outrun the heat again heading north for the summer. Our current plan is to head to South Dakota the beginning of May to work at a KOA campground there for the summer.

When we got to Huntsville we had ideas that we would enjoy working as park hosts – we didn’t expect to love it as much as we have and that we would find family here. From the moment we got here we were welcomed and while a few were a bit standoffish at first – some people adapt to new people different than others – we now feel like we truly have found family here. From the lunches out with the park hosts at the spur of the moment, random meetings while driving through the park, Wednesday morning wood splitting where there are older people outworking some younger people I know – this experience has been one of the best times of my life.

Our spot is truly one of the best in the park – we have a deck that was put in as the ground underneath the deck was deteriorating and allows the outdoor space to be usable. We’ve spent a lot of time with our propane firepit and our grill on that deck watching the trees and the lake. We’ve grilled a lot of meals from that deck, had a few adult beverages, and just listened to the wind all while contemplating just how lucky we are.

The current plan for the rest of the year after our time in South Dakota is that we are planning to be back here in December through March of 2024. We’ve already been told by the park superintendent that we are welcome back and it appears we’ll have this spot again – that makes leaving next week a bit more bearable to us. We know we don’t want to be in East Texas in the height of the summer but it’s still hard to leave our little home in the Pineywoods.

Winter Morning in the Forest

There’s something magical about a cold morning in the forest

One of the best things about camping in the colder months is waking up to a cold, crisp morning in the forest. There’s something about the air that just feels invigorating and alive. You can see your breath in the air, and the trees are covered in a blanket of frost. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of some wildlife. White-tailed deer are particularly active in the morning, and you might even see them walking through the forest. Taking in all the beauty around you, it’s hard not to feel grateful for the natural world and all that it has to offer.

As the sun rises above the horizon and the cold morning begins, the forest takes on a completely different look. Each blade of grass and each pine cone is coated in a layer of frost, sparkling like a wintery bed of crystals. The trees, bathed in moonlight during the night, now stand in the yellow hue of sunlight. The cold morning air creates a sense of quietness, punctuated by the occasional bird chirp or other animal sounds. It’s a unique time of day when you get to take in the beauty of nature without being disturbed by the hustle and bustle of the world. The trees whisper in the background, a reminder of the peace and serenity the natural world has to offer.

It’s a time to reflect on the beauty around us

The cold morning in the forest is a time to reflect on all the beauty around us. As you take in the majestic sight of the trees stretching up to the sky, take in the stillness that the morning has to offer. Rather than letting your mind wander, take a few minutes to focus on the beauty around you. Observe the details and appreciate the natural world for what it is. Soak in each moment, and appreciate the peace and serenity of the forest. There’s true beauty in nature, and it’s worth taking the time to appreciate it. Appreciate the beauty of nature by looking up at the stars, standing in awe of soaring mountain peaks, or taking deep breaths of crisp, cold air. The natural environment can teach us so much and help us better appreciate the world around us.

As the sun rises ever higher in the sky and the cold morning fades, reflect on the peace and serenity that the forest offers. Life can be stressful and chaotic at times, so being able to go out and experience nature is a real blessing. We often take for granted the small moments of beauty that nature has to offer and the peace that it brings into our lives. Take the time to really appreciate nature for what it is and be thankful for the opportunity to just be in the stillness of the woods. Conclusion: A cold morning in the forest is something that has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. We often take for granted the beauty of nature and the peace that it can bring us. Take the time to enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of the forest and truly appreciate the simple beauty of the natural world.

Settling In As Park Hosts

Friday wrapped with a near full park despite forecasts of cold temps and heavy rains. You have to respect the hard core nature of some of these folks willing to setup camp in the rain. Despite the mercury heading south and not a glimpse of the sun the tents and canopies popped up like groupies waiting for tickets to a rock concert. We love it when the echoes of children’s laughter ring out with such infectious joy and happiness it cannot stop from spilling over from site to site.

We saw our first round of “problem campers” for this park hosting gig that still has us shaking our heads. One group decided to setup their own impromptu zip stretching a couple hundred feet between some not yet occupied sites, another group let their 5 or 6 year old kiddo go off into the woods alone with an axe to do some illegal chopping, and the all too common trend of people not keeping their dogs on leashes. The “problem campers” are by far the minority but they do tend to create rich and distinct memories for us hosts.

Monday afternoon now and the weekenders have left allowing the energy of the park to return to a calm peaceful flow. As much as we do love seeing the park fill up and feel that buzz of life we equally love that feeling that the park is once again our private little nature reserve. The best way I can describe it is like having family visit for the holiday, you love seeing them and all the excitement however you also love when they leave and you have your home back to yourself. Happy camping!