Back in June 2015 as we began our 9th year on the road, we
had no idea the changes the year would bring.
We finished our season in Yellowstone, made our annual visit to St. Louis, and headed to Florida.
As the winter wore on, we found we would be unable to make the trip back
out to Yellowstone this year, and I got a job.
So many of you have told us that through this blog you
have learned and seen things that you may never get the chance to
for yourself and are living vicariously through us. It’s a sentiment that always makes us smile,
and we’ve been happy to share our adventures with you.
As we begin our 10th year of this RV lifestyle, we feel
blessed to have had the opportunity, and it’s been even better than either of
us originally imagined. We’re glad we boarded
The Folly, and our hope is that each of you may someday get to see this great
country as we have. None of us ever
knows how long we may have so we need to enjoy it while we can and try to find
the joy in even the littlest of things.
Who knows what the future holds!
As is our annual tradition, below you’ll find the updated
“By The Numbers” and other fun stuff…so enjoy!
NINE
YEARS BY THE NUMBERS
71,830 Saturn miles
61, 672 RV miles
11,158 feet highest elevation
8,481 gallons of diesel
625 longest 1 day drive
260 National Parks/Monuments Cancellations (in our National
Parks Passport books)
241 most consecutive days in one place
128 campgrounds
106 highest temperature
105 National Parks/Monuments visited
92 nights spent in a casino parking lot
80 cost of an annual National Parks pass (well worth the
investment)
72 nights spent in Wal-Mart parking lots
64 times we’ve crossed the Continental Divide
45 cost of our C2C campground membership (best investment
we’ve ever made)
40 states traveled in
38 states spent the night in
35 annual maintenance fee for our campground membership
30 nights spent in Camping World parking lots
28 Sweet Adelines choruses visited
23 Saturn mpg
21 Junior Ranger badges earned
21 family members visited
19 State Parks stayed in
18 lowest temperature
18 Missouri Tigers football games
10 nights spent in Bass Pro/Cabela’s parking lots
8.1 RV mpg
6 St. Louis Cardinals baseball games
4 MLB parks
3 ferry rides
3 Missouri Tigers basketball games
2 ferry rides that included the RV
2 states of residence
2 countries visited
2 shuttle launches
2 fish caught
2 St. Louis Rams football games
1 Missouri Tigers volleyball game
BEST/WORST- 6/19/08
National Park
Picking the best National Park is
a tough one. We are going to go with Shenandoah Valley for its sheer beauty and
solitude, and Gettysburg
for its significance and the most humbling experience. There really isn't a
"worst" National Park. Updated 6/19/09: Badlands
National Park has to rank
as one of the best. We still have not found a bad one. Updated 6/19/10: Badlands may not even be
in the top 10 anymore. Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Zion,
Bryce, Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, and Devils Tower
are all amazing in their own right, and are listed in no particular order. Updated 6/19/11: Now that we’ve had the chance to explore Capitol Reef, we
may need to add it to the best list though we still haven’t found a “worst”
National Park. Updated 6/19/12:
Since we keep returning to Yellowstone, guess
you could say it’s at the top of our list.
Updated 6/19/13: No change Updated 6/19/14: No change Updated 6/19/15: Mesa Verde definitely
has to be added to the best! Updated 6/19/16: No change
Campground
The Fiesta Key KOA in Long Key,
FL, with its view out the front window of the Gulf and sunsets is hard to beat.
Shiloh's RV & Travel Resort in Monroe,
LA, was by far the worst. Updated 6/19/09: Hart Ranch in Rapid City, SD, and Pine Island RV Resort in Jay, OK, are
two of the best. Although Shiloh is still the worst, Frosty Acres Resort in Schenectady, NY,
comes close. Updated 6/19/10: Long Key
State Park has to be
added to the best…ocean 20 ft. in front of the RV! Updated 6/19/11: No change. Updated 6/19/12:
No change Updated 6/19/13: No change Updated 6/19/14: No change Updated 6/19/15: T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph
Peninsula State
Park in the FL panhandle was great and is
probably even better in nice weather. Updated 6/19/16: No change
Location
Long Key, FL, and Front Royal, VA,
were equally enjoyable. No need to rush, no traffic, just the time to spend as
you like. See Monroe, LA, for the worst. Updated 6/19/09: Add Rapid City,
SD, to the list of best. Updated 6/19/10: Long Key State Park and any of the national parks of the Colorado Plateau. Updated 6/19/11: No change. Updated 6/19/12:
No change Updated 6/19/13: Obviously have to add Yellowstone National Park
as a favorite location. Updated 6/19/14: No
change Updated 6/19/15: The FL panhandle has
a lot of nice locations. Updated 6/19/16: No change
Restaurant
If you ever make it to Titusville, FL,
Dixie Crossroads is the place to eat. If you ever make it to DeFuniak Springs, FL,
Bo's Family Country Cafe is a place of last resort. Updated 6/19/09: No change. Updated 6/19/10:
Café Diablo in Torrey, UT, has been added to the best. Updated 6/19/11: No change. Updated 6/19/12:
No change Updated 6/19/13: No change Updated 6/19/14: Lombardo's in St.
Louis should of course be on the list as one of the
best. Updated 6/19/15: No change Updated 6/19/16: No change
Pizza
Lombardo's in St. Louis, MO,
is hard to beat. Think it has something to do with the cheese! Buck's in Denham Springs, LA,
leaves a lot to be desired. Updated 6/19/09:
No change. Updated 6/19/10: No
change. Updated 6/19/11: No change. Updated
6/19/12: Outlaw’s in Gardiner, MT,
is pretty good but Lombardo’s still ranks the best. Updated
6/19/13: No change Updated 6/19/14: No
change Updated 6/19/15: Pizza at the Employee
Pub left a lot to be desired though their calzones are pretty good. Updated 6/19/16: No change
Roads
Georgia and Texas
seem to consistently have the best roads. Louisiana
is the worst with New Jersey
not far behind. Updated 6/19/09: Illinois and Minnesota
have joined the ranks of bad roads. Although we are beginning to realize our
federal highways are all in need of repair. Updated 6/19/10: Not sure that they are getting better. Updated 6/19/11: A lot of money being spent but still not much better. Updated
6/19/12: No change Updated 6/19/13: No
change Updated 6/19/14: Added to the best list is I-90 through SD, but definitely
added to the worst is I-55 North in MS from the state line to Jackson! Updated 6/19/15: Added to the worst are Hwy 49 & I-20 in MS…maybe
we should just list all roads in MS!! Updated 6/19/16: No change
Wal-Mart
The best Wal-Mart was in Front
Royal, VA, and had only been open a few days when we visited. The worst is in Berlin, NJ,
and we can understand why Russ' sister is not big on Wal-Marts! Updated 6/19/09: With Wal-Mart being our choice for basic staples, we do
see a lot of them. Almost all of the newer ones are very nice, and one we
visited outside Columbus, OH, is now #1. Updated 6/19/10: No change. Updated 6/19/11:
No change. Updated 6/19/12:
No change Updated 6/19/13: No change Updated 6/19/14: No change Updated 6/19/15: Bozeman, MT
has some of the nicest and friendliest staff though their parking lot is kind
of congested and not laid out well. The
Walmart we stayed at in Amarillo,
TX was one of the nicest with
excellent customer service. Updated 6/19/16: No change
Supermarket
The Schnuck's in Eureka, MO, was great. We have never been to
a Piggly Wiggly that is worth the price of admission. Updated 6/19/09: No change. Updated 6/19/10: Sweetbay
in Clermont, FL, is added to the best. Updated 6/19/11: No change. Updated 6/19/12:
No change Updated 6/19/13: Unfortunately the Sweetbay in Clermont closed this
year. We still considered it one of the
best, but the neighboring community didn’t sustain it. Updated 6/19/14: No
change Updated 6/19/15: Visited a small
Piggly Wiggly along the Gulf
Coast in FL and still not
worth the price of admission! Updated 6/19/16: No change
Bakery
Tellico Grains Bakery in Tellico Plains, TN,
was fantastic. As far as the worst, is there really a bad bakery?? Updated 6/19/09: We have stayed away from bakeries! Updated 6/19/10: No change. Updated 6/19/11: No
change. Updated 6/19/12:
Haven’t really seen many bakeries on our travels so no change. Updated 6/19/13: Main
Street Bakery at the Magic
Kingdom is definitely one
of the best! Updated 6/19/14: No change Updated 6/19/15: No change
Updated 6/19/16: No change…just don’t see bakeries any more.
Moment
Another tough one. Watching the
shuttle launch, seeing the Milky Way from the Keys, and a big black bear on the
Appalachian Trail. The worst moment....was
that the awning?!?! Updated 6/19/09: Niagara Falls and Walt
Disney World at Christmas can be added to the best, and the awning still ranks
as the worst. Updated 6/19/10:
Grizzly bears, eagles, and walking The Narrows. Updated 6/19/11: Watching wolf pups frolic in the sage and a mama grizzly
teaching her cubs to forage. Updated 6/19/12:
Elk surrounding the RV and observing them during the rut was pretty cool. Added
to the worst…who moved the road and fence post?!?! Updated 6/19/13: Among the best…watching two bull elk locking horns, an SEC
football game in Columbia, MO, and Christmas at Walt Disney World. Updated 6/19/14: Added
to the best…seeing the Milky Way appear as if it were a cloud against the dark
night sky, a newborn elk learning to walk, a herd of elk grazing just outside
our door, enjoying special times with special friends. Updated 6/19/15: Watching a group of kids from different
countries who were strangers only hours before enjoying a fun game of soccer in
the campground can be added to the best.
Updated 6/19/16: Added to the best…driving the beautiful Beartooth Highway, watching the super
moon lunar eclipse against a very dark night sky. Added to the not so good…trying to pack the
car during a downpour after a night of tent camping!
A FEW THINGS WE'VE LEARNED
1) A possum is a flat animal that
sleeps in the middle of the road.
2) There are 10,000 species of spiders,
and most have visited us.
3) Gnats do not taste good.
4) The average person standing on
any street corner of any city or town in this country has more common sense
than the entire U.S. Congress combined.
5) There are as many varieties of
camping vehicles as there are people out doing it.
Updated 6/19/09:
6) Our house batteries are important…take
good care of them.
7) Anything under 32 degrees
Fahrenheit is cold.
8) We will again watch fuel prices
rise throughout the summer.
9) We have more fear coming down
the mountain than we did going up.
10) Financial experts/advisors are
pretty much worthless. Once they get your money, they never recommend selling.
They seem to use the same pitch as the market continues to plummet, “All my big
clients are buying because we are near the bottom.”
Updated 6/19/10:
11) Time is short and passes
quickly.
Updated 6/19/11:
12) As a campground host, you find
that everyone is pleasant and super friendly until you have to tell them they
cannot do something and then watch out!
Updated 6/19/12:
13) No matter the species, mamas
are super protective of their young.
14) People are pretty much the
same no matter where you go.
Updated 6/19/13:
15)
Mice can get in through the tiniest of holes.
16)
Good friends are priceless.
17) The
SEC has a lot of good football teams.
Updated 6/19/14:
18) Don’t get caught up in the
stories.
19) Make the most of the time you
have and cherish your true friends.
20) All baby critters are just way
too cute!
Updated 6/19/15:
21) When folks go on vacation,
they obviously leave their brains and all common sense at home.
22) Mice have a way of finding even
the smallest of hidden entrances into an RV…can’t be said enough!
23) No matter how far the distance
or how long of time since seen, good friends always remain good friends.
Updated 6/19/15:
24) Life doesn’t always go as
planned, but everything happens for a reason.
Halloween was just around the corner which meant the annual golf cart
parade and costume contest here at the resort.
After the parade, we met Paul and
Anne at the clubhouse for snacks and to check out the costumes though you can
see we didn’t really dress up.
We took the monorail around to the Polynesian
for a drink, and then to the Contemporary for a drink and to watch the Magic Kingdom
fireworks from their roof. The next
night we joined them for her birthday dinner at The Boathouse (www.theboathouseorlando.com/)
in Disney Springs with a nice table near the window and some huge portions!
Afterwards, we wandered around, listening to the many musical groups set
up here and there as we made our way in and out of stores, and then decided to
check out the new Christmas Tree Trail.
This walkway was decorated with 15 different 7 ft. tall Disney themed
trees, and if you’re lucky, you might even experience some occasional light
“snowfall”! As we were making our way
back to the car, we stopped for a bit to watch these 
golden living
statues. What a hoot! They look amazingly like real statues until
someone stands in front of them to get a photo taken and then they spring to
life. They took this young lady’s book right
out of her bag!
The next day we met up at Epcot for our
traditional margarita in Mexico,
checked out all the shops along the way, had dinner at Nine
Dragons Chinese Restaurant (first time for all of us and very good!), enjoyed the Candlelight
Processional with Whoopi Goldberg 
as narrator, and ended the evening watching
the Illuminations fireworks. All too soon it was time for them to head
back north, but what a fun time we had celebrating her milestone birthday.
The rest of December brought lots of activity like the surprise I got at at work one morning. I
had been nominated for the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association’s
Golden Pineapple Award that recognizes front line employees for superior guest service, and my co-workers had selected me for Outstanding Front Office Employee of the Year! (Winners would
be announced at a banquet in January.)
This was also the month when we would say goodbye to our wonderful
J-1 interns at work. What an incredible
group of young people who left friends and family in the Philippines to work in the U.S. for a year, and who
became like family. Having completed their internship, we celebrated their 
“graduation day” and though they would soon be heading home, they will always be in our hearts and a part of us. Then it was time to party and celebrate at
a nearby restaurant! I didn't get a photo of the whole group, but at one point
there were about 35 of us.
The
rest of the month flew by and included Omni’s annual holiday party for all of
its employees with fabulous food, music, fun, and a photographer for a "professional" photo. This year’s theme was Viva Las Vegas!
so there were plenty of casino games but it wasn’t our lucky night, not even on
the raffle drawings.
My good
friend, Linda, drove over from Tampa
for a girl’s day out, Russ and I made another trip to Epcot for the Candlelight Processional with Meredith
Vieira narrating, and we spent Christmas Day at the Omni with friends Donna,
Barry, Judy, and Bob 
enjoying a delicious Christmas buffet. Though
we may not have traveled this year, it was still busy and fun. Here’s to another one!
