Little did we know, In October of 2018 Hurricane Michael would steal our home and change our lives. Despite the hardships, we decided to turn lemons into lemonade by purchasing an RV and making that our home instead. You can read about what happened here!
We've officially been living the RV life for a full year.
My Patreon members have been traveling along with us all the while, getting the week-by-week details but I figured it wouldn't hurt to share a bit about our first year on my blog! Buckle up... you're in for an exciting review!
In 2020 we visited five states! And had five tire blowouts...
Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi. And let me tell you, both the vehicle challenges and the weather alone made for quite the wild first-year experience.
Our drive to Florida started with a bang! In the form of two tire blowouts. Yep. Two. Then another one when we were leaving...
In Alabama, we got caught in the outskirts of a Tornado. -3 out of 10 do not recommend being in an RV during a tornado. Better yet, take my advice and just stay out of all the alleys during tornado seasons. Oh, and by the way, Alabama has two tornado seasons. The things you learn!
We decided to go on a day trip to North Carolina and managed to arrive right when those unusual earthquakes hit. Remember that part of 2020? Yeah, that happened, too. We didn't feel it, but it was apparently there beneath our feet, heckling us.
Georgia proved the saying "when it rains, it pours." We experienced the first major flood in five years for that specific location. We also had a White Christmas there, though, so that makes up for the insanity of that crazy, waist-deep water. Oh, and one of our tires blew out on our truck. That's four.
On the way to Mississippi, we had our fifth RV blowout of the year (all brand new tires at that point). And after fleeing the cold weather in Georgia, we got to experience the joys of Winter Storm Viola (early part of 2021). But you know what? What are a few unusual snow days without water and septic when you've suffered the consequences of a hurricane, been in a tornado, swam in a flood, and stood on an earthquake. Right?
No, I am not making this stuff up. Next time I announce on Patreon what state we're headed to, if you live there, maybe you should consider moving. Just an idea. Unless you own a tire shop... then stick around for a bonus.
Now, the trip wasn't all doom and gloom. There was a lot of fun to be had, too! We even got lucky and went to the happiest place on earth. What's a trip to Central Florida without visiting Disney World?! The first wave of Covid closures kinda ruined our adventures in Alabama, unfortunately.
North Georgia was a dream, though. Perfect weather (except for that crazy flood, of course). Beautiful mountains. Amazing hiking trails. All outdoorsy things that we could still do even if Covid was still ruining everything else. We ended up staying for a while and made amazing friends and memories. One of the coolest, but also scary, things we saw there was a motorcycle photoshoot taking place on the curves of Blood Mountain. Fast bikes. Tight leans. Gorgeous scenery. It helped solidify the idea for my Hell for Leather series.
We arrived in Mississippi on the last day of 2020, so I'll wait to include details on that in next year's review!
Speaking of my book series...
Another item of note is that I published six full-length novels during our first year as wanderers. Six!! Wow! Preserved, The Fall, The Rise, Smoke & Rubber, Fuel & Fire, and Crash & Burn.
I talk a little about the writing/wandering blend in my Writing and Working While on the Road blog post.
It was a wild and crazy year, for sure. Much like that old wives' tale about the first year of marriage being the toughest, I suppose we could say the same for our first year on the road. At least I hope 2020 will prove our most challenging year... not sure I can hand a second year with the same obstacles. Ha! Even so, we are ready for 2021 and all the adventures it will undoubtedly bring!
The Travel Author bids you adieu ;)