Water has been a theme of our last few days. In typical newbie fashion, we purchased the RV in a winterized state, which meant the water system wasn’t up and running. We had to wait to escape the Wisconsin winter before testing it out. Also, many campgrounds have shut off their water for the winter, so we had to plan for the perfect time and location to sanitize our tanks with bleach solution before filling them up with fresh water. We also had to purchase the right hoses and sewer attachments to start using water in the RV. And of course we did this all with baited breath, assuming something would be terribly wrong with the water system as with every other system in the RV. After sanitizing the tanks, we had our first dump station experience. Yep, that means the RV takes a dump. Things didn’t smell as bad as we thought they would, and everything worked smoothly. We drove away from that experience with a sense of accomplishment – now we could finally try for a hot shower!

Short hike from this point on the Rio Grande to Black Rock Hot Springs

Our fun excursion that afternoon was to Black Rock Hot Springs, a natural hot spring right on the banks of the Rio Grande. We drove down a long dirt road (where we saw a mountain lion cross the road in front of us in broad daylight – yikes!) and hiked a short distance to the small pools adjacent to the river. We soaked for a bit and enjoyed the hot water and peaceful serenity of our surroundings. It was time to go when a kid started flying a drone around and a couple showed up and took advantage of the “clothing optional” thing they do here occasionally.

Dirt bike adventures on the Rio Grande

Carne adovada, a local favorite

We camped the next two nights right next to the Rio Grande outside of Pilar, NM. We noticed some moisture on our bathroom floor next to the toilet that evening, and it didn’t smell good. Things worsened in that department over the next two days, so we knew we needed to do something. You might be surprised that it took us a few days to act, but we were having too much fun visiting an awesome winery with friendly and informative locals, chowing down on beef jerky and carne adovada (pork in a very spicy red sauce), experimenting with our microwave/convection oven, and riding our dirt bikes up steep mountain roads to see areas like Tres Orejas. (Google “Tres Orejas Taos” for interesting reading.)

Cliff dwellings in Frijoles Canyon

Look carefully, and you can see some ladders we climbed

We also made a detour to Bandelier National Monument to see the cliff dwelling in Frijoles Canyon. We don’t always have the patience to read signs and informative literature you find at points of interest, but when the ranger made a sarcastic comment to someone else about needing the guide unless you have an advanced degree in Southwestern Native American archaeology, we decided to read the whole brochure. And we learned so much about the people that had inhabited the canyon many centuries before, carving their warren-like dwellings into the porous pink cliffs.

The genius caulking the roof to keep us waterproof

By then we had had enough fun to justify fixing our now very smelly toilet situation, and we found a small family-run RV shop in Santa Fe to do the job. It turns out our toilet had been “installed” without a seal. You can think for yourself about how the lack of a toilet seal might become an issue. Having fixed the source of the powerful odors, we now had to clean the carpet. That was an adventure in its own right with a Walmart Rug Doctor rental. Our lodging plans for that night failed when the campground was completely full, so we had to drive back down the mountains to Santa Fe and clean our carpets in the Walmart parking lot with our generator. In case you were wondering, the generator does really weird things when you have several things charging while you are trying to use a Rug Doctor. Add to the day some minor brake problems, smelly power steering fluid, dead cell phones, no internet access, and you get a whole lot of fun. After a marathon day of dealing with issues, we made our way to Cochiti Lake Recreation Area and happily ate macaroni and cheese from a box at 10pm.

We needed a break from all the high-energy fun we’ve been having, so we decided to stay here for a few days. We are the ghetto rig in this full hook-up RV loop. It’s been great to have unlimited water and electricity, decent cell service, and no agenda for a few days.

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks

Star Wars?

Hard to understand how the trees get nourishment here!

Slot canyons narrow enough for short legs

Nic planned a fun daytrip for us yesterday to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, where we hiked several miles around strange rock formations formed by the erosion of volcanic ash and rock. The route took us through a very narrow slot canyon, and we climbed our way to an overlook of the otherworldly scenery. It reminded us of Star Wars and Morocco, and it was one of the most unique places we’ve been.

By now we are feeling just about rested and ready for our next adventure!

Lessons we have learned so far in New Mexico:

• Nic: It’s possible to do a pretty quick fuel filter change at 9,000+ feet elevation without getting dirty enough to need a shower.
• Homer: Don’t sit on a cactus.
• Katie: Leftover boiled water from the Instant Pot tastes like dinner the night before (some variation of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and cumin most likely).
• Luna: The generator and heater fan are terrifying, but that terror results in lots of lap time and extra cuddles.

We kissed Kansas goodbye, made our way through a few miles of Oklahoma, ignored Texas half a mile away from our route, and made it to New Mexico two days ago! So far, we are indeed enchanted.

Our route began in Clayton, a tiny town of very friendly people and an amazingly stocked hardware store. Pretty much every town of over 1,000 here has a hardware store and at least one dollar store, and we have been regularly frequenting the former. We drove into the high desert plains over the next few hours, watching as vistas of extinct volcanoes, high mesas, snowy peaks, and scrubby grazing land unfolded in front of us. We were especially surprised when the majestic Sangre de Cristo Range appeared out of nowhere on the horizon. It made this trip feel real to be nearing the Rockies and traveling through a familiar longitude.

Morning walk in Colorado

Morning snooze in New Mexico

After arriving in little Raton, we stocked up on expensive mountain-town groceries (favorite purchase: freshly made tortillas) and headed out to Sugarite Canyon State Park. We had to mind our manners that night, since we finally had a few neighbors. We paid a little extra for hook-ups, and we enjoyed the chance to charge all our electronics and run some heat. We have had lots of strong sunshine in New Mexico so far, but we’ve also been staying at over 7,000 feet. Nights get into the 20s or 30s, and a little bit of heat goes a long way. Sugarite Canyon provided some great trail runs for Katie, warm showers, and a beautiful morning walk for all four of us over the border into Colorado.

Nice place to change a fuel filter

We continued west yesterday over Bobcat Pass (the highest mountain pass in this state at 9,820 feet) and through charming mountain towns along the scenic Enchanted Circle. Just before reaching the pass, the RV began giving suspicious signs of dysfunction. You just can’t go up a mountain pass when the gas pedal doesn’t give you any power. An hour later, Nic had whipped in a new fuel filter like a boss and solved our issue. He is a genius!

Rio Grande gorge

We filled up on gas in Questa and headed out to the Wild Rivers Recreation Area, our home for two nights. This area is a spit of land towering over the confluence of the Rio Grande and Red River. With huge gorges on either side of the park and mountain views on the eastern horizon, the setting couldn’t be much more striking and scenic. We arrived at the sun-kissed hour, what we call those moments just before sunset when the sun’s glow bathes everything in gold and then pink and purple at times. Sun kisses mountains partially blanketed in snow in a way that forces you to stop what you’re doing and just watch for a time. We are so thankful for our safety thus far and for the amazing beauty we are blessed to see each day. We’ll be watching those mountains again tonight.

The sun-kissed hour

We fought some major wind (gusts as high as 55mph) through Kansas – wind so bad we had to pull over and take a break for a few hours. Once the wind subsided a bit, we were ready to drive over the border and be done with Kansas forever. Lucky for us, we gave Kansas another chance and camped in the Cimarron National Grasslands.

We arrived in the dark after missing our turn, driving down a long dirt road, and awkwardly lumbering around the completely unmarked Cimarron Recreation Area to find a campsite. Looking for places off the beaten path frequently results in this kind of wandering for us, but it’s not quite as easy to casually explore in the RV. And we still haven’t solved the low-clearance issue our towing set-up has produced, so our tolerance for bad roads is close to zero. Once again, we had the whole place to ourselves. What are we going to do when other people are camping?!

We spent the day enjoying our surroundings thoroughly. We planned for our next few days in New Mexico and did some other reading. Between the two of us, we explored on foot, by mountain bike, and by dirt bike. Luna explored too and learned that she can’t cross a cattle guard successfully – she gets a lift over. Just picture Katie trying to heft her across a cattle guard gracefully – it’s funny to watch, I’m sure. Homer found a new spot to bask in the sun, and he gradually changed his position all day to find the sunniest, warmest spot in the RV.

The blue sky here is so bright, and it makes us anticipate even more the blue sky we’ve read about in New Mexico. I’ve overexposed my pictures a bit by mistake, but that gives you a more accurate feel for what it is like to look around. The landscape at first appears to be very monochromatic due to the season. But as you stare out at your surroundings, you start seeing pops of red and green in the brush, their colors mixing with the blue sky to create a stark winter palette. It’s quietly beautiful, and we can’t believe we’re the only ones here to enjoy it.

We head for New Mexico today!

After finishing up our RV maintenance in Kansas City, we continued our westward journey yesterday, making it to Venango Park at Kanopolis Lake just outside of Marquette, KS. We experienced our first very heavy crosswinds while driving yesterday with a constant wind speed around 26 mph and gusts much higher. Strong winds like that make for stressful and physically tough driving, so we were glad to make it to our destination safely. Now that we are parked, our little home is doing a great job at keeping us sheltered from the crazy wind outside.

Venango Park is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, and we didn’t have to pay a dime to stay here. We’re thankful for some of our tax dollars going to free camping in great places. Since it’s offseason, we have no amenities. We brought a lot of water, and our generator is up and running to give us enough electricity to cook meals. We used our fancy new Instant Pot to prepare all three meals today – huge shout-out to our friend Darla for suggesting such a smart device for RV life!

Sheltered from the wind in site C33. We think we’re the only ones camping here tonight!

With temps in the 70s, we did get out to run some trails (Katie) and to do some driving lessons on our dirt bikes. We are slowly learning the rhythm of this new way of life. Nic worked on the dirt bikes for part of the morning and enjoyed taking a ride in search of water. Katie kept reading about New Mexico and wrote a letter. The dogs love their time outside exploring and nap the rest of the time. They are more relaxed and tired than we have ever seen them.

We’re eager to continue west to New Mexico, but Kansas has definitely shown us some of its beauty. It’s a quiet sort of beauty that comes on slowly and asks to be observed carefully. We are enjoying the view.

We are officially out of Wisconsin and so excited to be moving west in our little home!

After spending a few days working on the RV at Nic’s parents’ house, we spent one last night in Wisconsin at the property of our friends Dean and Reta. We appreciated their hospitality, shower, and electricity when overnight temps dropped to 20. We don’t have our propane leak fixed yet (and can’t run heat without running the risk of blowing up), so we used a small electric space heater to keep the dogs warm. Our comfy bed area that Nic has been working so hard on was a cozy nest – and a much different experience from the tent camping we’ve done in low temperatures.

Snowy RV driving – not very much fun

After shuffling things around in our storage units and making sure we were packed for the next six months of life, we hit the road. We spent the day driving through rural Illinois and Iowa, hugging the Mississippi River for a few hours and enjoying bluff views and a bald eagle sighting. We were terrified at one point to suddenly realize we were approaching a 10’ clearance bridge – not a viable option for us! We almost lost the top of our home! Nic looked up to see the sign at just the right time for us to safely turn around and choose a new route. Country roads work better for us than the interstate so far, since our most comfortable cruising speed is only 55. Yep, we very proudly drive like old people.

Classy gas station lunch – cooked over our camp stove at a gas station next to a dumpster

The pooches like to snuggle between our seats when we’re driving

All set to leave Wisconsin!

We will be trying to dry camp (camping without access to utilities) when we can, since it’s free and less crowded than campgrounds with amenities. We decided to dry camp for the first time at Blanchard Island Recreation Area, a beautifully quiet spot right on the Mississippi River. We were excited to arrive at a completely empty campground, and we parked just fifty feet from the river’s edge. Because of our propane leak, the best option for cooking dinner was to run our generator and make some electricity. After half an hour of trouble-shooting why the generator was working but not running electricity to our outlets, we gave up and ate cold leftovers and food we didn’t have to cook. We had also wanted to use electricity to give ourselves and the dogs some heat; little Homer isn’t a huge fan of 20-degree nights. We had a few tense moments while flipping through the RV binder – there is so much we have to learn! We would have loved to have much more time with our RV before our departure, but that just wasn’t an option. In general, we both need to learn how to roll with the punches life deals – this trip will certainly force us to be adaptable. We made it through the night alive and spent a few delightful morning hours letting the dogs roam free, getting in a run, and making breakfast and coffee over our camp stove. We’re so happy we brought it as a backup.

Super cozy and warm, even at 20 degrees

Blanchard Island Recreation Area

We made it to Kansas City, MO, the following day, and we will be here for a few days with Nic’s cousin Alissa. She is a super hostess who so far has taken us to a delicious BBQ restaurant, made us yummy enchiladas, let us veg on her couch (we’re still so tired from the moving process), and is totally fine with our dogs having the run of her apartment. We have a new appreciation for the hospitality of loved ones, and we are so grateful for the chance to connect with some of you on our trip. Let us know if you want to see us, and we’ll see if we can make it happen! While staying with Alissa, we are also having some important maintenance done on our RV: fixing the propane leak, diagnosing what was wrong with the generator (nothing – yay!), figuring out why coolant is leaking, and getting a new trailer hitch set up to add more clearance to the back end of our rig.

Our first introduction to Kansas City BBQ at Q39

Nic and his cousin Alissa

Our earliest conversations about a long road trip revolved around the mode of transportation. Should we be shopping for a travel trailer, RV, tricked-out cargo trailer, tear-drop camper? We had been tent campers up until this point, so stepping into this shopping experience felt a little overwhelming.

We did not want to take our very little nylon home on this long trip, so we thought of purchasing something very small, like a tear-drop camper. At the time, we thought we would only be on the road for a month. When our pastor suggested we spend even more time on the road if we could afford it, the adventure grew to six months. We decided we would need more space than a tear-drop if we wanted to still have two living dogs and two living people on the other side of this trip. We tossed around the idea of a travel trailer, thinking we’d tow it with Nic’s FJ Cruiser and enjoy the option to unhook and explore by car. The trailers we saw in person seemed either too rickety or too heavy for Nic’s car, and let’s be real – no one wants me to ever back up a trailer…ever. So we broadened our shopping to include RVs.

A Class C seemed perfect for us, and our national online search led us to a Craigslist ad for a 1999 Four Winds Chateau Sport in Ponce Inlet, FL. My brother and his wife were kind enough to check out the RV in person during a weekend away near Ponce Inlet (thanks, David and Mich!). They took a drive in it, told us how it smelled, and went through our long list of questions with the owner. After getting their feedback and talking to the owner on the phone, Nic flew down to Florida to see the RV with my parents. The RV appeared to be well cared-for, albeit dated. We didn’t expect much for our low budget – we just wanted to find a dependable vehicle that wasn’t gross. (Spoiler alert: this vehicle has already had less than dependable moments and is a little gross, but we’re working on it.) Nic forked over the cash and began the drive home to Wisconsin.

And just a few hours into that trip north, we took advantage of the roadside assistance we had purchased with our brand-new RV insurance policy. One majorly clogged fuel pump and two nights in podunk North Florida later, Nic continued his drive all the way home to Wisconsin.

Our home on wheels is just over twenty-one feet long and is built on a van chassis. Driving it feels like driving a small box truck. We will sleep over the cab in an area that is long enough to accommodate Nic’s height and just slightly narrower than a standard queen bed. Our “living room” consists of a jackknife sofa that folds out into a small bed (perfect for short people like Katie’s family members). Our “dining room” is a small dinette that also turns into a bed. We have a small fridge and freezer, stovetop, and a microwave/convection oven in our kitchen. The bathroom has tiny RV versions of a sink, toilet, and shower. For storage, we have a number of small cabinets, a closet, and a small outdoor compartment. In case you haven’t noticed yet, the theme here is small.

The pictures included in this post show the RV before we did any work. Coming soon: scary pictures of fixing water damage.

Our adventure has finally begun! We said goodbye to our Williams Bay home yesterday on an incredibly beautiful February day. With a cool breeze off the melting lake, migrating birds loudly moving north, and strong sunshine, only budding greenery was missing to signal the fast approach of spring. We had an incredibly smooth trip north to Eagle River, WI, where we will be spending a few days with Nic’s parents before leaving the state.

The last few days have been anything but restful. We have been running full throttle to pack our home into storage, get rid of stuff, spend time with people we love, make our RV habitable, etc. Every day feels like two with how many different tasks we’ve been accomplishing. Due to delays in getting our RV back from a little stay at the RV shop, Nic even had to pull an all-nighter during our last night at the house. And the final morning in our home was a marathon of trips to storage units, reorganizing said storage units to make it all fit, packing, loading, last-minute laundry, more packing, more loading, one last trip to storage…you get the picture. We are tired.

I have never been great at resting, and I can’t think of many in our culture who rest well. Nic rests a little better than I do. He plays guitar, watches movies, and researches and executes all sorts of projects. I can’t even watch a movie without working on something, and I find the most rest that I can think of when I am…running? In planning our long trip, we have talked many times of the wonderful break that it will be from life. With my restless tendencies, I’ve been all talk when it comes to that topic. I can’t honestly picture what six months of rest looks like, how it will feel. The trips I’ve planned for us in the past are full of long days doing everything we can to take full advantage of our vacation time. Nic makes fun of me for the itineraries I dream up, and we always come home from vacation so tired because of all the fun I’ve put us through. So when we talk about this long, restful trip, I don’t get it yet.

My Bible plan brought me to Leviticus 25 today. I usually read Leviticus expecting little more than rules and weird instructions on animal sacrifice. Instead, I found some instructions on rest, which felt so appropriate on this first full day of our adventure.

God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai: “Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter the land which I am going to give you, the land will observe a Sabbath to God. Sow your fields, prune your vineyards, and take your harvests for six years. But the seventh year the land will take a Sabbath of complete and total rest, a Sabbath to God; you will not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Don’t reap what grows of itself; don’t harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land gets a year of complete and total rest. But you can eat from what the land volunteers during the Sabbath year…Keep my decrees and observe my laws and you will live secure in the land. The land will yield its fruit; you will have all you can eat and will live safe and secure. Do I hear you ask, ‘What are we going to eat in the seventh year if we don’t plant or harvest?’ I assure you, I will send such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years” (Leviticus 25:1-7;18-21 MSG).

I don’t know what the people were supposed to do during that seventh year when they weren’t planting and harvesting, but I’m guessing they rested. I bet they spent some time working on relationships. I bet the extra measure of time allowed for more thinking and praying and listening. And when they were concerned about providing for themselves during the sabbatical year, God promised three years of provision from the land. Three years! I’d take three years of provision for every six I work. Can you picture if that was just a regular thing to only work six out of seven years? I have never been one to take a break and observe the Sabbath, and I can’t think of anyone else I’ve known who practices this regularly. So I’m thankful for the forced pause from the rat race, the chance to learn how to better rest, the chance to explore the Sabbath year (or six months).

Stay tuned for an intro and some photos of our lovely RV. She’s a charmer, and Nic is working hard to make her into a home.

We have arrived…we now have an About Us page. We used this space to share answers for the most common questions we have been asked about our trip. I’ll put money on the fact that we answered the first five questions you would think to ask. Check it out!

Since I can remember, Nic has been asking me almost daily, “Are you having fun with me today?” It’s a constant refrain in our house. He asks me when we are truly having a whole lot of fun doing something I love, and he asks me when the circumstances are not fun at all. It is his way of checking in and of inserting humor into nasty situations. If I think back through every stressful/difficult/sad/crazy/exciting/awesome time, he has always asked me if I was having fun with him that day. It is just very Nic. And even if it’s often just sarcastic, or meant to make me smile, on a deeper level, the question forces me to be thankful for Nic’s companionship and for the good things that I do have during rough days. God has blessed us with a relatively painless and joy-filled life, so yes, I am having fun…with you…today.

We have been in the habit of spending a chunk of time discussing our days at the end of each workday. We each get however many minutes it takes to share the triumphs, frustrations, and ridiculous stories from the day. This has been a treasured buffer between work and home, an awesome way to decompress and catch each other up. We realized recently that we won’t be asking about each other’s days during this trip – we will always be spending all day together! (If I were texting, I’d be inserting about ten different types of emoji here.) So for a time, our most important question for each other will be, “Are you having fun with me today?”

We leave Wisconsin in less than two weeks! In the meantime, we’re busy selling stuff, putting our lives into boxes and then storage, spending time with Wisconsin (and Illinois) people we love, and doing some much-needed renovations to our new house on wheels. We will start posting once we’ve whittled down our to-do list. Thanks for reading!