The new year gave me time to reflect on our full-time RV lifestyle since starting this journey 6 months ago. Over the course of this time, we stayed at least 1 night in 15 different states and traveled a little over 7000 miles. We visited 4 major national parks, including Acadia, Hot Springs, Mammoth Cave, and the Grand Canyon. We've traversed a varied landscape that changed from the pine forest and rocky coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Maine to the Great Lakes of Michigan, to the farmlands of America's heartland, to the striking Southwest desert, and finally to the beaches of the Pacific Coast. We strolled along the banks of the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers. We kayaked on scenic lakes and paddled with and against the current of winding rivers. Our adventure brought us to historic sites, museums, botanical gardens and sand dunes. We hiked more mountains and trails than I can remember. We explored and enjoyed great food at some of our country's iconic cites, including Nashville, Memphis, San Diego and Los Angeles. We've also met so many great people along the way who share our love for travel and adventure. Most importantly, this lifestyle allowed us to spend Christmas with our kids and grandson, and for this I feel truly blessed. The lyrics from our theme song, "I've Got a Name", by Jim Croce, say it all:
Movin' me down the highway, rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by
Our mission is to experience life with the freedom to follow whatever road we so choose. It's been a great ride so far, and we're excited to see where the highway will take us over the next 6 months.
Thank you to those who have been following our journey. We hope you'll continue to follow us in the upcoming year.
We left Pio Pico on January 2nd and headed to Soledad Canyon RV and Camping Resort in Acton, CA for a 2 week stay. The park is located between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains and is about 47 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The cites of Palmdale and Santa Clarita are about 20-25 minutes away respectively. The best part of the location was its close proximity to our daughter, Alyssa, in Pasedena, which afforded us the opportunity to get together during our stay.
The park is surrounded by mountains; some of them snow-capped. We knew how much Myah has been missing snow, so we decided to drive up one of the mountain roads that led to a snow-covered trail. As soon as Myah hit a patch of snow, she joyously jumped and rolled in it with doggy glee. She frolicked and played in the snow like a child as we walked along the trail. We couldn't walk too far because my knee was still not stable, and I was afraid of slipping on the ice, but she truly enjoyed her time in the snow.
Vasquez Rocks, near Santa Clarita, is a park known for its unique rock formations. This location was also made famous as a backdrop in many well-known TV shows, movies and commercials, such as a few Star Trek episodes, The Flintstones, Planet of the Apes, as well as many more. There was actually a film crew shooting during the time we were there. The distinctive sand-stone rocks formed at an uplifted angle during pre-historic times. This was such a great place to hike, we actually visited a second time while Alyssa was with us.
During our stay at Soledad, we made the hour drive to LA a few times to spend time with Alyssa. We really enjoyed our time together. She brought us to one of her favorite parks near her home. There is an archery range at the park where she and Pat honed their archery skills.
Alyssa visited us at the campground a few times, too. Even though our time near LA came to an end, we will be in California for a few more months, so hopefully we will have an opportunity to see her again. Next stop Santa Barbara.