Our 2020 Travel Map and Summary

Every year we write a summary of our travel experiences, and it's hard to believe that we have just finished our sixth full year on the road as full-time RVers! We know that we will never forget Covid's presence in 2020! What a crazy year for a couple vagabonds trying to isolate, but still enjoying the changing views from the windshield of our home on wheels! 

We started the year at the tip of Texas, and then we began our planned route towards the north and east. We had plotted out stays in the Canadian Maritimes for the summer--planning to spend time in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. We were in Louisiana when things started shutting down--including the Canadian border. So our travels suddenly changed as we put together Plan B . . . then Plan C . . . then Plan D. 

Each year Mark plots a map with a point for every place that we spent at least one night in our motor home. Our travel route is a crazy shape this year. as we came up with new plans as the pandemic kept shutting doors to our travel ideas.

The following chart includes the name of each of our camping spots, and each number corresponds to its spot on the map:

Even though we had planned to be in the most eastern parts of North America, Plan B meant that we only got as far east as Red Bay, Alabama. That's the birth place of our motor home, and a great place to get repairs and do a little remodeling. After five years of living in the motor home, we were ready to get rid of our L-shaped sectional, and added our first new piece of furniture. We had a new corner cabinet built in Red Bay with great storage. The carpenter there can exactly match the wood, stain, and drawer pulls of the rest of our woodwork in the coach!

Because campgrounds were closing because of the Covid pandemic, Plan C meant we headed back to Oklahoma. We're glad to say that we felt welcome here, and did a tour of most of the state parks in the northeast quadrant of the state. Our time in Oklahoma also allowed us to attend a second birthday for our granddaughter, as well as a 90th birthday for Denisa's Mother.

As the summer heated up, we headed for Plan D--time in the cool mountains. New Mexico was one of the least-RV-friendly states we encountered. But when we decided to rent a site for a month, we weren't counted as transients. We have never stayed at a sight-unseen park for a whole month, but it worked out pretty well for us in Angel Fire, New Mexico in June. 

On July 1 we headed into Colorado--one of the most-RV-friendly states. We made reservations for much of the summer, making a gorgeous loop through the Rockies. With a record number of RVs sold in 2020, we had stiff competition for camp sites. We heard repeatedly from camp hosts that this was their busiest summer ever. But we found we could get away from the crowds as we do the hiking, biking, and kayaking that we love. We went on some of the best hikes of our lives, and really didn't feel like Covid affected our travels since we were isolated outside! 

We headed back to Oklahoma in September. That is where we were exposed and then quickly started the symptoms of Covid in October. We felt a little like fugitives, as we stayed inside our motor home to keep from exposing anyone. We spent several weeks isolated until we were well and could move to the Kansas City area to welcome our second grandchild. The birth of Eli was certainly the highlight of 2020 for us! Because we chose to stay around Kansas City so long, we experienced the coldest temperatures of our six-years of full-timing in a motor home. We were used to hiking in the snow on mountain tops this summer, but we did not like snow falling at our camp site near Kansas City in November and December.

But we were content to hang out there for almost two months, getting to see both of our grandchildren on a daily basis. The picture above not only shows the snow, but also the biggest purchase of 2020. After six years and 109,000 miles, we traded in our Honda CRV car for a new Chevrolet Colorado pickup. Getting it outfitted as a new tow vehicle was the major mechanical undertaking of the year.

The year in numbers:

We parked in 54 different camping spots.

Our average nightly camping fee is $15.30 (includes free nights boondocking or staying with family and friends).

Our average paid nightly camping fee is $20.58.

We visited 9 different states this year.

We spent $1,361.96 on 620 gallons of diesel (at an average price of $2.20 per gallon) for the motor home.

We spent $55.63 on 19 gallons of DEF for the motor home.

We don't even try to keep up with the gallons of gasoline we purchased for the car, as we use it to explore while we are camped. But we are finding that we are getting worse mileage on our tow vehicle since our little car was replaced by a 4-wheel-drive pickup in September.

We finished up our 2020 travels in Oklahoma, enjoying our Covid immunities that allowed us to spend time with family. It really was another great year for us, even though our plans were shaped by words that were new to our vocabulary--Covid, pandemic, quarantine. But we still feel blessed as we finished up our sixth year on the road wandering His wonders.