Just North Of The Border

Leaving camp the next morning, we made our way to El Paso, TX where we had our first ever glimpse of the southern border and Mexico. We have never been anywhere even close to either and found it quite intriguing. It was definitely not what we were expecting and the mountains off in the distance around Ciudad Juárez seemed to call out to us with their beauty. Stopping at a shopping center to resupply and fuel up, we were enthralled by the atmosphere and the culture.

With our quick resupply finished, Jennifer and I scoured the map trying to determine our next route. The interstate appeared to be backed with construction just outside of town and sitting in traffic just didn’t seem that exciting of a prospect to us. After a few minutes, we discovered state road NM-9 that ran along the border and it looked like it would be a little more of an interesting ride. Interesting was right. The views from this road were absolutely breathtaking. Open country for as far as the eye can see and absolutely no cell service, except for the two spots that our phones thought we were in Mexico. We truly felt alone and in the middle of nowhere and it was great!

We continued along NM-9 until we came to the quaint little town of Columbus, NM. Revisiting the map and recognizing that it was getting late in the day and we had only covered 75 miles since leaving El Paso, TX, we decided to turn north on NM-11. This would bring us back to I-10 and allow us to make up some much needed time. That was, until we happened upon a border patrol station that was doing routine vehicle/passenger checks. After waiting in line for 10 minutes and not really knowing what to expect, it was our turn. The Border Patrol Agents approached and asked “Are you U.S. Citizens?” and “This thing is sweet, is it a 4x4 Van?” Which then led to a 15 minute conversation between the Border Patrol Agents, Hadley and I about the van and traveling. Pulling away, I felt sorry for the people waiting behind us but mostly Jennifer and Bailey because I knew they’d been wondering what was going wrong and were we going to have to stay here for a while.

With the border patrol station behind us we continued north to I-10 and then west to the town of Lordsburg, NM where we stopped for fuel. While fueling up, Jennifer discovered that there was a public park south of town where free camping was allowed. With the sun completely set and the tanks topped off, we made our way to Veterans Park and chose our spot near some other travelers and turned in for the night.

The next morning, we were quick to get back on the road and pick up where we had left off. We made our way to the town of Wilcox, AZ for a special stop. Our friends had recommended a stop at Dos Cabezas, a cute little coffee shop located in the heart of town. Keen to take their advice, as they’d never steered us wrong before, we popped in for a bit and were once again pleasantly surprised. The coffee and food were delicious and the atmosphere was down right delightful. We highly recommend a stop in if you’re ever in the area and in the mood.

After coffee and breakfast, we were back on the road for our final push to Tucson, AZ. It was still early in the day and we were able to make it there just in time to get the van set up and join our friend for lunch.

The next few days were spent catching up with old friends and exploring some of the things that the Tucson area had to offer. More on that next time…..

West Bound and Down

After renewing our spirits and getting some much needed rest in San Antonio, we were ready to load up our vehicles and begin our journey west toward El Paso. Up to this point of our trip we really hadn't had to worry about anything other than fuel and a final destination for the day, since everyone had been sick. Each evening Jennifer and I would plan out a route that allowed for four to six hours of driving that would ultimately end at a hotel in which we would make reservations in advance for. This guaranteed a warm and safe place to rest and gave us the best chances to recover quickly from whatever it was that we all had.

Leaving San Antonio, now feeling renewed and rejuvenated, we were ready to become a little more cavalier in our travels again. We knew that we wanted to visit our friends in Tucson and that we had to be in NV in thirteen days, so we were pretty fluid from here on out. Trying to keep with the four to six hours of driving that we had been doing, we figured that would place us somewhere near Fort Stockton, Tx for the evening.

I have to say, I very much preferred traveling the western half of Texas, compared to the Easter half. I’m sure they both have their good and bad but it seemed like west of San Antonio the landscape started to dramatically change and we could tell by the terrain that we were finally entering into the southwestern region of the U.S. The humid marshlands and green landscapes of the east were beginning to give way to the arid and rugged brown terrain of the west. A change we welcomed.

Just before arriving in Fort Stockton, we scoured our maps looking for public land or national Forrest in which to stay on. Unfortunately, like most of our trip through Texas, there was nothing close by. Switching over to iOverlander, the only options we were presented with were hotels, street camping, a Walmart parking lot or the Hilltop RV Park. Not wanting to stay in a hotel again and definitely not wanting to deal with the Walmart parking lot, we chose to check out the RV Park. Pulling in and surveying the grounds, we instantly realized that this was not the place for us. The RV park being almost completely full, more than $40 a night with massive fifth wheel campers, golf carts and people all over the place, this was definitely not the environment we were looking for.

Retreating back toward interstate I-10 in defeat, Jennifer had noticed an old metal shop like building down the road that had a few sporadic campers throughout its lot. Pulling in to check it out, we noticed that there was a faded sign above on the front fascia that said Hillside RV. This looked more like an abandoned commercial lot than a campground. Could it really be? Confirming on Google maps, yep it was an actual RV park. As we were attempting to find any information what so ever about check in and fees another couple had approached us from their camper further down in the lot. This was their third or fourth time staying here and they said they much preferred the privacy and the quiet over the resort like atmosphere up the road from which we left. They said “Pay box is on the side of the decrepit building and the owner used to show up in the morning with donuts. He’s an older gentleman and we’re not sure if he makes it around too much anymore. There’s bathrooms, showers and laundry in the building, but we’re not sure if they still work… We usually just park our rig, place some money in the pay box and enjoy the evening.”

With the surrounding views of the area, almost no one there and the only noise being that of the passing traffic on I-10 in the distance, this sounded like music to our ears. “So how much is it to camp?” I asked. “We don’t really know.. It’s not posted anymore so we usually drop a $20 in the envelope and place it in the pay box.” They chuckled as they replied. As they turned to head back to their RV we thanked them for the information and we started to scan the lot for which site we wanted to occupy. Dropping our fee in the pay box I contacted the phone number that was listed on Google and left a brief voicemail stating who I was, which site we were staying at and for how long, just for good measure.

With the van all set up we took a walk down the road to stretch out our legs from the long day of driving. The sun began to hang low in the big Texas sky and the colors were absolutely mesmirizing. Off to the south we could see storm clouds and small flashes of lightening. The wind was starting to pick up, the air was starting to cool and all of it was headed in our general direction. Out of nowhere, we started getting hit with patches of heavy rain and wind gusts over 40mph. We quickly dropped the top, secured anything outside that could be turned into a projectile and took shelter inside of the van. Twenty minutes worth of excitement later we were able to crawl out of our hiding place and resume the evening. Jennifer whipped up a delicious dinner inside, we enjoyed the finally bits of that big Texas sunset and finally succumbing to the exhaustion we all felt, turned in for the evening to get some much needed rest.

Off To A Bad Start

Our trip west to Nevada didn’t start exactly as we’d hoped. Before we could leave Virginia, we needed to wrap things up on our rental home and do our final walk throughs with the property management. This meant we needed a place to stay, since we couldn’t be in the house and all of our things were in a container. So we rented a cute little cottage on the York River. However, cute doesn’t always mean a good idea. Well that’s not fair, it was a great place to stay, just not at the time we did it. You see, the cottage was built in the 1920’s and it wasn’t what I’d call thermally efficient. If you don’t know what I’m getting at, it’s a really nice way of saying it didn’t hold heat very well and it was frickin’ cold in Virginia that week! We did our best to stay warm, but ultimately Jennifer and the girls came down with some nasty head colds between the cold nights and all of the running around we were doing trying to get things done. This ultimately affected the first 3 days of the trip. North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Louisiana were just flashes in the pan as we blazed southwest chasing warmer weather. We had every intention of stopping in New Orleans along the way, but with highs in the low 30’s and 20mph sustained winds meant it was a no go with sick kids. The first few days were literally spent driving and our nights were spent resting and recovering in hotel rooms. Not a very glamorous start, I know.

Things started to change when we hit Texas though. Temps started to warm up as we breezed through eastern Texas, ultimately stopping in the center of the state at San Antonio. Here we rented a VRBO for a few days. This allowed the kids to recover and all of us to do a reset, knock out some laundry and do a little exploring. We’d heard a lot of good things about San Antonio from almost everyone we knew, so we were keen to get out and explore the city.

The first day consisted mostly of taking care of life maintenance things like laundry and checking out Jennifer’s car that had developed a hard crank/start issue somewhere along the way from Virginia. With laundry done and a loose camshaft position sensor connector locked back into place, we were ready to see what San Antonio was about.

We started off by visiting the old Pearl brewery as the city had revitalized this district and turned the grounds into an outdoor entertainment/shopping venue filled with little boutiques and eateries. Most of this was closed early in the morning when we visited, but we hear it’s a popular place to chill at in the evenings. Next we made our way to the Alamo district. Starting at the famous River Walk, we made our way along the shops and restaurants until we reached Casa Rio, which was the first restaurant to open its doors on the River Walk back in 1946. The food was amazing and well worth the visit. After lunch, we finished walking the loop and made our way to a place I’ve wanted to visit since I was a kid.

The Alamo is an interesting place to experience. This small mission, in the heart of the bustling city, embodies everything Texas. Defiance to the end and bravery beyond comprehension. The shear scale of the Santa Anna’s forces outside of the mission walls is hard to judge with the surrounding buildings and cityscape, but the historical placards and dioramas placed around the site do an excellent job of helping you see past that. What it must’ve been like to be inside of those walls with the constant bombardment and impending doom…..

Finishing up at the Alamo, we made a quick trip back to our VRBO to let Zephyr out and take a break before heading back to the River Walk for dinner and a cruise. Yes, we did the touristy thing and took the river cruise at night. It was actually pretty amazing and we learned all sorts of interesting facts about how the river walk was conceived and constructed as well as the history of the buildings and the area. Well worth it in our minds and we highly recommend that if you’re ever in San Antonio, you do the same….

A Change In Direction

There’s been a lot going on in our personal lives lately, and that unfortunately has led to a lapse in sharing what we’ve been up to. As some of you may already know, we made a huge decision in late 2023 to move across the country, quite literally leaving everything we knew and loved behind. It wasn’t an easy decision, but then again, when are they ever? The way we looked at it was that the opportunities that awaited us far outnumbered the risks involved. This move would ultimately allow us to grow in both the personal and professional aspects of our lives. So, in January 2024, we packed up our things, said our goodbyes, and headed west to the “Battle Born” State of Nevada. Of course we made an adventure out of it, and check off a couple of states we hadn’t been to yet along the way. So be on the look out for those in upcoming blog posts.

Liberty To SoHo NYC

Braving the masses, we took in the sights at Liberty Island and then made our way over to Castle Garden in the Financial district of NYC. Making our way through Wall Street, we stopped and explored the history at Trinity Church. This is by far one of my favorite destinations in NYC. The history of these hallowed grounds is unbelievable. Taking a stroll through the grounds, you’ll quickly understand why. Leaving Trinity, we made our way to Chinatown in search of Hello Kitty memorabilia for Bailey. Dinner was had in a tiny little alleyway next to a row of small restaurants and it was absolutely amazing! After dinner we made our way toward Hook & Ladder #8 and stumbled upon The Bean, which Bailey was ecstatic about as she still hasn’t stopped talking about the Bean we visited in Chicago on a previous trip. With the sun setting, we finally made it to Hook & Ladder #8 to see the home of, you guessed it, The Ghostbusters. While we were there we did get to meet some of the awesome people of FDNY too. With the sun fully set we made one final stop for the evening at the 9/11 Memorial Pools. I have visited these both in the day and at night and it hits in a completely different way at night. It truly is a spectacle to behold and a fitting memorial to all of those who lost their lives that day and in the years to come….

New York City

After a quick reset at home, we were back on the road to our next destination. New York City! The girls have been excited about this trip for a long time and we were finally able to put some time aside to make it happen. In our normal fashion, we had to do things differently and we chose to camp at the Liberty Harbor Marina & Rv Park across the Hudson River in Jersey City. We were surrounded by the typical motorhomes that you’d expect in a campground, but there were also a Jeep and a beautiful Landy 110 rocking some rooftop tents. The word “Campground” should be used lightly here as it’s a paved parking lot with water and electrical hookups. There is 24/7 security, bathrooms with showers and a laundry facility on site as well. The best part about this “Campground” is the location. You’re blocks away from the Path train to go over to NYC and you can see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty right from the campground. Our first day in NYC consisted of hitting the big items on the girl’s list, just to help calm them down a bit.😂 Times Square, Grand Central Station and all 10 floors of Macy’s. Not to mention experiencing the NYC subway system. Once the “big must see” items were checked off the list, we were able to move onto the more experience oriented locations. Be on the lookout for our next post where we delve a little deeper into those……

Creating Family Memories

That’s a trip for the memory books! We started our trip by exploring the abandoned town of Union Level, Va for Jennifer’s & my 20th wedding anniversary. Since we were in the area, we made a stop at Lovers Leap & Mabry Mill where we happened to run into some old friends & spent some time catching up. The next day we celebrated Bailey’s 13th birthday while dispersed camping & then visited Brights Zoo near Johnson City, Tn so she could see their newest addition, a rare spotless baby Giraffe. After that, we spent the rest of the week showing Papa & Nana (from South Dakota) some of our favorite places in Virginia. To top the week off, they treated all of us to a wonderful horseback ride at Skyline Stables just outside of Radford, Va. What a great week it has been and we’re definitely exhausted. But there’s no rest for the wicked. On to the next adventure!

The Ghost Town of Union Level

Union Level, Va “The Most Visited Ghost Town in Virginia”, or so the sign on the building across the street would have you believe. We’re not entirely sure how true that statement is as there were only a few passerby’s when we visited. Nevertheless, it was a very interesting place to visit and if you’re willing  to make the journey we’d say that it’s worth it.

I grew up in a small town much like this one, in the Midwest, and I’ve always been fascinated and yet disheartened by what events led to the demise of these small communities. Researching, you’ll find that a lot of them were merely blips on the countryside where others were economic epicenters. Each one of them with their own unique story to tell. If you want to discover more about this one in particular, we highly recommend checking out the BLOG we found on the “Forgotten South” webpage.

Here’s a web link if you’d like to visit it.

https://theforgottensouth.com/union-level-virginia-ghost-town-history/

Tangier

Chesapeake Breeze out of Reedville, VA

On our latest adventure we made our way to the town of Reedville, Va where we boarded a ship, aptly named the Chesapeake Breeze, and traveled across the Chesapeake Bay to the little island of Tangier. Tangier is a special place that is chocked full of history, culture and a lot of character. Just talk to one of the residents and you’ll understand instantly what we mean. Pay particular attention to their accent or dialect, as you won’t hear anything like it anywhere else.

The island was originally discovered and named in 1608 by Captain John Smith and has had a very interesting history to say the least. It’s first inhabitants were thought to be the Pocomoke Indians long before the first English settlers arrived in the 1770’s. It’s said that after a good series of gale force winds, stone arrow heads can still be readily found on the beaches of Tangier. Later during the war of 1812, the island was used as a staging area for the British Fleet and was the base of operations for their attacks against our fledgling nation. Most notably, the sieges against Washington and Baltimore were launched from here. Another interesting little fact is that the British siege against Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor was the very battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write a little jingle called “The Star-Spangled Banner”, which was later adopted as our National Anthem in 1931.

The community today is that of a sleepy little fishing village that springs to life every time a passenger ferry or tour boat enters port. The residents are quick to show up on their multi seater golf carts and offer guided tours of their unique community and share the rich history of this special island. Tourism is a vital part of the island’s economy, second only to the Waterman livelihood. So make sure you stop and visit the shops or one of the three restaurants on the island. Oh, and we highly recommend the crab cakes if you decide you want to taste the freshest seafood on the Chesapeake Bay!

By the way, did I mention that the only way to and from the island is by boat or private aircraft? That’s right, because of how far the island is from the mainland, it’s considered to be isolated. So isolated in fact, that the mail and supplies to this small Virginia island actually come from Crisfield, Maryland, since it’s the closest locality to the island. Don’t let its remoteness deter you from visiting though, the natural beauty and history of this little island, not to mention the amazingly fresh seafood make this place worth a visit. If you’re considering a visit to Tangier, we recommend that you do it sooner than later as the island is at risk of disappearing due to the sea levels rising. I know, we’ve all heard about sea level rising, but has anyone actually noticed it? Well, lets put it this way. Since 1850 the landmass on Tangier has been reduced by 67%. The island is predicted to be completely underwater or at least uninhabitable by no later than 2051, if the sea level continues to rise at its current rate. Pretty crazy, isn’t it.

Hipcamp, Could This Be The Answer?

When traveling to certain areas of the U.S., you’re bound to encounter at least one area that does not have any public land or dispersed camping options available. Crazy, I know. But this is more common than you might think. Take the East Coast for example. There’s plenty of places to explore and dispersed camping is readily available in the National Forrest of the Appalachian Mountains, but what if you wanted to get closer to the coast? Maybe you want to explore regions of New England, Maryland or even further south into the Carolina’s and Florida. Some of these areas are difficult to locate any public land in which you’re allowed to camp, let alone dispersed options. The go to in these areas has pretty much been limited to hotels, campgrounds (seasonal), or Walmart parking lots. The later only really works if you’re self contained in a van or some sort of camper.

Lately though, there as been another option that is starting to gather popularity. App based campsites. You can find these options through member services such as Harvest Hosts, Boondockers, and the like. The major draw back to these services are they are typically limited to actual hard sided campers, so no rooftop tents or pop up campers, and they are membership based. The one other caveat is neither really offer a dispersed option where you can be off on your own. With Boondockers you’re either camping in someone’s driveway or in front of their house and with Harvest Host it’s typically some sort of business that’s offering camping in exchange for you visiting their store/facility and potentially spending some money. Neither are bad options at all. But lately there has been another App based service that is skyrocketing in popularity, Hipcamp. This service is more like an AirBNB for campers. In the app, you can filter based on location, availability and amenities, scroll through pictures and reviews of the campsites and even book/pay right through the app. The best part is there is no annual subscription and each campsite has the price listed in the description.

Full disclosure, we’ve only used Hipcamp a couple of times ourselves. Our experiences were both great and mediocre. The great one being a dispersed campsite on private land inside a national wildlife refuge with firewood, fire ring, outdoor furniture, grill and even a composting privy at our disposal. The mediocre one was again on private property over on the side yard within eye shot of their home. It offered the same amenities as the other, but with the privy and a shower located in their detached garage. They also offer access to their pool, which was not yet open for the season. Both were gorgeous campsites, but we have to admit it was a little odd camping in someone’s yard, at least for us. We also knew, going into it that we were going to be staying near the house on the lawn. It was just our way of trying some of the different options out there that are listed on Hipcamp.

Again, the really nice thing about Hipcamp is it acts just like an AirBNB rental. You pick your camp and once you book it, you’ll have the comfort of knowing that there will be no need to hunt for a site when you get there, nor will you have to worry about someone getting there before you. Just show up, setup and enjoy. There’s something to be said about the ease of that. So if you find yourself traveling through an area that may be difficult to find a campsite, or maybe you just don’t want the fuss of trying to track a campsite down due to time constraints. You may want to give Hipcamp a try.

NOTE: This is not a paid post and we are in no way affiliated with Hipcamp. This is honestly our first impression of the service and will most likely not be our last interaction with it either. We truly see where this can and will be a valuable tool in our kit to locating campsites in the future. See the gallery below for photos of the aforementioned “Great Experience” campsite we enjoyed in Maryland. The link to this campsite is located here and the link to the video our YouTube channel is also located here.