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Pennsylvania – Harrisburg

Harrisburg 5/12 – 6/1

182 miles to Harrisburg
1212 miles traveled

Pine Grove Furnace State Park – PA

Enjoyed visiting the AT Museum and hiking 6 miles on the AT Trail.

AT Museum

AT Museum – Mid-way point

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AT Trail – PA

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Lancaster County – PA

Amish country. Very fascinating world to explore via buggy ride, but extremely touristy in the small towns around the area.

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AACA Car Museum – Hershey PA

Harrisburg PA

Smaller than I expected, but the capitol building and St Patrick’s Cathedral were amazing.

Pennsylvania Capitol Building

Pennsylvania State Capitol

St Patrick’s Cathedral

Philadelphia PA

Enjoyed exploring Philly, stumbled across a festival which was awesome. Had a Philly Cheese steak and a cannoli.

Philadelphia PA

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Gettysburg National Park

Lots of history to explore

Gettysburg National Park

Gettysburg National Battlefield

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Gettysburg National Cemetery

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Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama

Cyclorama

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Virginia – Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park – 5/8 – 5/12

173 miles to Shenandoah National Park
1030 miles traveled

AT Trail and Hawksbill Summit

Was able to hike some of the AT trail that run through the park and then hike up to the summit of Hawksbill, the tallest peak in Shenandoah at 4000+ feet.

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Skyline Drive

Skyline Drive runs 105 miles north and south along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park. The drive started off with clear skies, but then the fog rolled in which made for some interesting driving but some awesome pictures.

Shenandoah National Park

Virginia – Richmond

Richmond VA – 4/21 – 5/8

202 miles to Richmond
857 miles traveled

Virginia State Capitol

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Virginia State Capitol Complex

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Downtown Richmond VA

Did an awesome walking tour of Richmond with the Richmond Tour Guys. Very interesting city with tons of history..

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Petersburg National Battlefield

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Fredericksburg National Cemetery

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields

Driving tour that included Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of the Wilderness and Battle of Spotsylvania.

Fredericks & Spotsylvania County Battlefields

Chatham of Stafford Heights

Appomattox Court House National Park

National park includes buildings from the original Appomattox town center. Awesome park to explore.

Appomattox Court House National Park

Virginia – Roanoke

Roanoke – 4/13 – 4/21

239 miles to Roanoke
655 miles traveled

Natural Bridge State Park – VA

Pretty amazing

Natural Bridge State Park

Blue Ridge Parkway – VA

Awesome drive

Blue Ridge Parkway

Virginia Safari Park – VA

Animals.. Yay!!

Virginia Safari Park

Dixie Caverns – Salem VA

Enjoyed exploring

Dixie Caverns

South Carolina – Spartanburg

Spartanburg – 3/24 – 4/6

98 miles to Spartanburg
416 miles traveled

Cowpens National Battlefield

Nice park, interesting history

Cowpens National Battlefield

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Kings Mountain National Military Park

Enjoyed exploring the park and the history.

Kings Mountain National Military Park

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Fred W Symmes Chapel

Fog rolled in when I was there so the view was solid clouds. Nice drive up to the chapel, dogwoods in bloom.

Pretty Place – Fred W Symmes Chapel

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South Carolina – Columbia

Columbia – 3/17 – 3/24

318 miles to Columbia
318 total miles

South Carolina State House

Very nice State Capitol. The internal was very elegant.

South Carolina State House

Columbia Museum of Art

Enjoyed exploring the art works on display, especially the Mural by Jackson Pollock.

Columbia Museum of Art

And the Journey Begins …

I believe we should take a moment to breathe and to listen to our soul to guide you though life. For me, it is time for me to travel and explore. I have given up my bricks and sticks life style to explore all 50 states.

Many have asked how I started down this path. It’s was one of those moments ‘I would love to if I was young and could work from anywhere, DUH I can. What I recommend to people thinking about something like this… research, research, research. I started researching what type of RV will fit my needs. I knew that I didn’t want motorized, so I needed to decide between a 5th wheel and travel trailer and the length before I could decided on what truck to purchase. After exploring many RV shows and RV dealers I decided on a travel trailer between 25′ and 30’. Next was exploring the different trucks available. First purchase was a Toyota Tundra, I liked the options, the feel and look of the truck. Next I purchased a 2019 26′ Airstream, I named my AirStream AirTam (Airstream allows you to officially register and name your Airstream). Next was downsizing from a 1100 sqft condo to a 208 sqft RV. Purge, purge, purge! I started small, but then you discover how liberating it is and it gets easier.

The plan was to move into the RV in November 2018 to give me time to work through everything before I officially hit the road. I planned a few pre-trip ventures in and around Florida and Georgia. Started in Jacksonville, FL… St Mary’s GA… Deland FL… Duneden FL… and Douglas, GA. The RV was a dream, easy to pull, comfortable and functioned very well for my new life style. But, about a month after moving into the RV I started noticing a few small items that needed to be repaired, then a crack in the shower fiberglass, then the clear coat on 2 of the exterior panels, then a cable from the awning, then the stairs would not open, and the toilet broke. I was able to get the RV into the dealer in February to get the long long list of items fixed, unfortunately the part for the toilet was being shipped from Airstream and they could not fix the external panels until April. It was almost like God was telling me “DO NOT take this RV out of Florida”. With extreme frustration and a heavy heart I’ve decided to sell the RV (could not trust the RV would not have any additional issues) and come up with a plan B.

Plan B: When you compare the RV cost (RV, insurance, gas to pull the RV and the RV park cost) vs staying in an extended hotel or Airbnb.. it’s about the same. So I’ll be staying in either a hotel or Airbnb as I move across the US.

Thanks for joining me!