We Racked Up the Miles and so much more….

An RV Newbies’ Tale of our first year

Karla Locke
3 min readJan 30, 2022

When I look back at this last year, I am amazed and humbled by everything that happened. I often ask myself, “did we really just do that?” Sometimes the year was a blur, so much was happening. If it wasn’t for our calendar, our photos, and Instagram/Facebook, I am not sure how I would remember much of it.

We racked up the miles and so much more…

1. Over 25,826 miles traveled

2. Stayed at 46 RV Parks

3. Spent the night at 6 Harvest Hosts

4. Enjoyed the hospitality of 1 Hipcamp Host

5. Rested for a night at a Boondockers Welcome

6. Moved (hitched up and changed locations) 59 times

7. Visited, stayed, and drove through 21 states

8. Went from the NW Corner of the United States to the southernmost point of the country in the Keys, Florida

9. Walked the beaches of the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Gulf

10. Three Great Lakes — Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Superior

11. Drove parts of The Great River Road and discovered a piece of Route 66 in St Louis, MO.

12. Spent a week RVing along the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

13. Explored 6 National Parks, 1 National Forest, 1 National Recreation Area, and stayed at 1 Corp of Engineer Campground

14. Bucket List — Crater Lake, Redwood Forest, Covered Bridges in Oregon, Churchill Downs Racetrack, River Rafting down the Truckee River, Fall Colors in The Great Smoky Mountains, Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Mackinac Island in Michigan, camped by the Mississippi River, spent an afternoon at Gateway Arch in St Louis, walked the grounds of Notre Dame, enjoyed the Carillon Bells at BOK TOWER, listened to the Monks pray at Mt Angel Abbey, and enjoyed a few days camping at Fort Wilderness at Disney World, and the highlight — An Airboat ride in the Everglades.

15. Spent a few days in the company of good friends, Mike and Angie as we reveled in the Redwoods. Caught up with dear friends, Dan and Mary in Michigan.

16. Lived in a small space for a year

Each day was a treasure, a memory to recall, a moment to enjoy, an adventure, an education. Our first year is a year of gratitude.

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Karla Locke

My creative self needs an outlet, I do this with writing and photography and the occasional thought and opinion.