Unfortunately, on our wat to work the Sugar Beet Harvest every year in Crookston, Minnesota, we have to travel for a few days without our Thousand Trails or RPI campgrounds.  Because staying at campgrounds can become expensive, we always end up boondocking in parking lots for a few days.  I will be honest, we are not great boondockers.  We can handle a couple of days hunting for a spot to land for the night, leaving the slide in, and running the generator.  But, we start to get grumpy after a couple of days.

Boondocking In Parking Lots – Our Experience

When we talk about boondocking, we include dispersed camping in the definition.  However, dispersed camping, to us, signifies finding a designated campground on public land or a park where we can sit for a few days in our own spot.  We can run the generator and put the slide out when we disperse camp.  Although we still prefer campgrounds with full-hookups, we have dispersed camped in one area for a week or two.

But boondocking in parking lots is completely different.   Yes, you can boondock in lots of different parking lots!  We have stayed at Casinos, Walmarts, Cabelas, Cracker Barrels, Truck Stops, and Rest Stops.  After four years of RVing full-time we definitely have our favorite parking lots for crashing for  a night.

Some of Our Favorite Parking Lots are Casinos!

The only parking lots we stay longer than one night in is Casinos.  The couple of casinos we boondocked at were awesome.  One even provided free electric!  Casinos are usually the best parking lots to stay in.  However, we did bypass The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City, IA.  It was downtown.  We didn’t like the parking lot and area.  So, we continued on to the Flying J Truck Center in Sioux Falls.

Most casinos have a designated area for RVs to park for the night.  Some charge a low fee.  Sometimes you get free electricity.  Usually the casinos have large parking lots where you can have a bit of privacy from the customer parking lots.  Before parking our vehicle, we always enter the casino and speak to an employee.  We ask if overnight parking is okay and where we need to park.  We also do this for other parking lots.

If you are traveling and need to crash for an evening, we recommend trying a casino.  Again, the only casino we didn’t stay at was the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City, IA.

Boondocking Overnight in Stores and Restaurants Parking Lots

Let’s be honest, Walmart parking lots are our most frequented parking lots.  Not all Walmarts allow overnight parking and we don’t like all Walmart parking lots for boondocking.  If we arrive before the store closes and do not see any other RVs, we will go inside and ask if overnight parking is allowed.  Sometimes, you don’t even have to go inside.  They will have signs posted all over the parking lot saying no overnight parking!

Before we arrived at the Flying J Travel Center, we visited the Walmart Parking Lot in Sioux Falls.  Per Campendium, it allowed overnight parking.  However, when we arrived, the parking lot was filled with “No Overnight Parking” signs.  And, we wouldn’t have boondocked there anyway.  The parking lot was small!  It was way, way too small for all the traffic to the Walmart and Sam’s Club right beside it.

We have sat overnight in some really nice Walmart parking lots.  They were away from the highway and much quieter than you would expect.  We always try to park the farthest away from the store entrance and sometimes you will see RVs sitting in a back parking lot.

However, we have also left Walmart parking lots.  Once we were traveling through a city and had decided to stay at a Walmart overnight.  I don’t remember the exact location of this city, but I believe it was in Montana.  We pulled into the parking lot, parking as far away from the building as possible.  When we looked around more closely, we noticed a lot of older RVs that appeared to be living there.

The final large warning light to us that we didn’t want to stay at this Walmart occurred while we were fixing supper.  A car with a couple and some children pulled in near us.  The children left the vehicle to stand on the corner of the street right above us, panhandling.  That was enough for us.  We packed up the camper and headed to the Cracker Barrel.

The Cracker Barrels that we have stayed at have a few nice, long RV spots.  They are usually around the back.  However, you should always go in and ask if overnight parking is allowed.  You will not have as much room to put stairs down and work out in a Cracker Barrel parking lot.  However, they are usually pretty quiet except for street noise.

Cabelas is a fabulous parking lot to sit for a night.  Usually you have a lot of room, with no other RVs near you.  We have seen a huge bus with a long trailer pull into a Cabelas to set up.  Although we usually only sit for one night (who wants to sit in a parking lot longer?), we did sit at one Cabelas for three days.  We were traveling west at the time.  For some reason, we needed to sit for a couple of days.  We went inside and talked to the staff in Cabelas.  They were very friendly and told us no problem to stay a couple of nights.

We were not the only RV staying for a few days in that particular Cabelas parking lot.  However, usually, Cabelas allows one night overnight parking.  They are usually very quiet spots, away from the downtown area, and are perfect for a good nights rest.

Because our stairs are the heavy type that you have to drop down, we usually try to park on the last passenger side slot.  We don’t want to block anyone else from parking.  Also, we don’t want someone to take out our stairs.  Whether it be in store parking lots, truck stops, or rest stops, we always try to park early enough to grab the last parking space on the right hand side.

Boondocking in Truck Stop Parking Lots – Always An Option

My husband drove for the oil field and over the road.  He has more experience with truck stops than I do.  When he first suggested that we pull over for the night in a truck stop from Texas to Missouri , I was hesitant.  That first experience was not our most comfortabl in a truck stop.

We had to pull the truck and camper into a middle spot.  Because we had no experience with our camper or stairs at that point, we didn’t park early to grab the far most parking spot on the right.

So, we were in a middle spot.  The first truck that pulled in beside us was super nice.  They gave us plenty of room to put our stairs down.  However, when he left, the next truck pulled in right beside us.  Jumping out of the camper, over the stairs, is not the most fun way to wake up.

We have learned a lot since that first experience at a truck stop.  On our way up to the beet harvest this year, we decided to stay overnight at a Flying J Travel Center.  We backed up the truck and camper into a truck spot way in the back.  Windell parked the camper perfectly next to an unhooked trailer.  When we pulled the stairs down, they landed right on the line.  It was the best night sleep we had in two days, parked between two tractor trailers!

If you do not arrive too late and you plan how you are going to park, truck stops are a fabulous overnight parking option.  We loved the Flying J back parking area.  The tractor trailers were still running.  But the camper was behind most of the noise and we slept like logs.  It was way better than the Walmart parking lots we popped a squat on for the previous two nights.

Be Careful of  Boondocking Overnight at Rest Stops

We have stayed at lots of rest stops.  You can’t beat Florida for the quality of its rest stops.  Usually they have water to fill your tank and sewer dumps.  Some are away from highway noise.  You can stay overnight at rest stops in Florida, with no issues.

We know when we travel through Florida, we will be staying at rest stops.  They are easy pulloffs from the main highways and interstates.  They usually have 24 hour security and we have never had any issues at Florida rest stops.  In fact, Florida rest stops are our favorite overnight boondocking parking lot!.

However, not all states allow overnight parking in their rest stops.  Some states allow twelve hour parking.  Some limit it to ten hour and others may only allow you to sit at a rest stop for four hours.

When we travel to a state and are looking for a parking lot for a night, we mainly use our Campendium app.  If you click on a rest stop parking and scroll to the bottom of the description, the app tells you how many hours you can legally stay at the rest stop.

We know some people break the rules.  While traveling on Interstate 29 North, we saw a Class C with two flat tires sitting at a rest stop that only allows ten hours.  If you read the comments in Campendium, people will say they stayed longer in a rest stop parking lot than what was allowed with no issues.

However, we don’t want to be those people.  We don’t want to risk having a knock in the middle of the night, startling us.  So, we avoid rest stops that do not allow overnight parking.

If they have signs of “No Camping”, we don’t stop for the night.  If the rest area states ten hours maximum, we don’t stop for the night.  When we travel and look for boondocking parking lots, we want to sleep and sit for at least twelve hours.  We are not speedy travelers.

So, if you are thinking about boondocking at rest stops, know the rules and beaware that they change from state to state.  No matter where we do pull into a parking lot for the night, whether a store, restaurant, truck stop, or rest stop, we do not run our generator overnight.  Although it probably would not bother tractor trailer drivers, it is just a habit we have to shut the generator off.

The Campendium App is a great resource to find parking lot and other boondocking sites.  Be aware, though, that you should scroll down the screen to see how many hours you can legally stay in the parking lot.  Also, ordinances change.  So, we always try to go into the store or restaurant or call ahead to ensure it is okay to park overnight.  Some of the spots we have found in previous years are no longer available for overnight parking.

Are We There Yet?

The hunting and pecking for boondocking parking lots is our least favorite way of traveling.  We enjoy knowing we have a campsite at our next location.  However, we have boondocked at various parking lots.  Casinos and rest stops are our favorite overnight parking spots.  Yet we have had some peaceful nights at Walmarts, and yes, even at truck stops.  But we miss our campgrounds when we boondock.  We love full-hookups and programmed coffee.

Although our full-time RV memberships provide us many options for campsites, some areas just are too expensive for us to stay in campgrounds.  So, we boondock in parking lots in these areas simply to travel through them quickly.  Sometimes you are just trying to get to greener grass.

Because we don’t want to be awaken or visited by the law, we try to make sure we know the stay limits in parking lots and talk with store staff to ensure overnight parking is allowed.   When we finally reach our next campground, we both let out a sigh of relief.  No more parking lot boondocking, no more driving around with a camper to find a spot for the night, and no more walking Walmart for exercise.  Finally, full-hookups and regularly scheduled programs!

No one ever said we were the sharpest knives in the drawer.  And traveling through Arizona in July and August supported this fact.  While planning our truck camping adventure for this year, we originally planned to visit Arizona, Utah, and Colorado while sleeping in the back of our truck.  We thought we would be more flexible in our travels and adventuring without the camper.

However, our plans did not work out.  Although we loved all the cool things we did in Utah and Wyoming, we hated truck camping.  So, we decided to pick up our travel trailer in Colorado and head to Arizona for some of our planned adventures.  Traveling through Arizona in July and August was a whole experience unto itself that we hope to never repeat.

Although it was blazingly hot, we did see some bucket list things and have some fun in Arizona.

Our Traveling through Arizona:

1. North Rim Grand Canyon
   • Bright Angel Point Trail, .5 miles
   • Uncle Jim Trail, 4.7 miles, 730 feet elevation
2. Navajo National Monument
3. Tuba City Dinosaur Track
4. Antelope Canyon
   • Upper Antelope Canyon
   • Lower Antelope Canyon
5. Sedona
   • Devil’s Bridge Hike via Dry Creek Road, 3.9 miles, 521 feet elevation
   • Subway Cave Hike via Boynton Canyon Trail, 7.1 miles, 1100 feet elevation

Boondocking and Campgrounds:

1. Kaibob National Forest – Lots of free camping per our Campendium App
2. Navajo National Monument – free paved campsites, maximum stay at one time 7 days
3. NavajoLand Tuba City R.V. Park – less than $40 a night with full-hookups, AARP discount
4. Thousand Trails Verde Valley, Cottonwood, AZ – super friendly staff who helped us out a lot

Why We visited Arizona in the Heat of Summer

Although we knew it was hot, we started traveling through Arizona in July.  We had already booked tours for both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon and we didn’t want to cancel them. So, after our tours we decided to continue traveling in Arizona to the Thousand Trails in Cottonwood.  There are a couple of hikes that we really wanted to do in Sedona.  Originaly, we planned to stay only a week in the heat and then book it back to Colorado.

Our plans took a nose-dive when our truck wouldn’t start at the campground.  Luckily, the Ford Dealership is only five miles away from the TT campground and we easily had it towed.  Lucky enough (or maybe unlucky as our truck is not that old), the repairs were all covered by warranty.

However, this unexpected curve-ball meant we had to stay in the heat for three more weeks, a month in total at the campground.  We are not used to this level of heat during the day!  When you Full-Time RV, you have more choice about climates.  So, we had become accustomed to milder climates.  Needless to say, we had to adjust our daily routine while sitting in Arizona.

For the entire month we sat at Cottonwood, we hiked early in the mornings.  Then, we sat in the camper with the Air Conditioner on all afternoon.  After 6 p.m., it cools down enough again to enjoy being outside.

The Stunning Places We Saw in Arizona

The North Rim Grand Canyon

Arizona has some amazing geological features and remnants of ancient life.  We finally saw the Grand Canyon at an age when we could both remember it!  We did not travel to the South Rim, but we did visit the North Rim.  A few people we met recommended the North Rim as it is less busy.  We completed two hikes that we enjoyed immensely at the Grand Canyon.

Bright Angel Point Trail

Our favorite hike on the North Rim was the Bright Angel Point Trail.  It is accessible right past the Lodge.  The views on this trail took our breath away.  Returning from the Bright Angel Point Trail, we also took the Transept Trail a little ways to walk out to some more amazing overlooks.  I believe the Bright Angel Point Trail is currently closed for some repairs.

Uncle Jim Trail

While at the North Rim, we also hiked Ken Patrick Trail to the Uncle Jim Loop Trail.  The parking lot for the Ken Patrick Trail is also the parking lot for the North Kaibob Trail.  Vehicles longer than 20 feet are not allowed in the parking lot, so we had to find some side parking around this area.

We walked clockwise on the Uncle Jim Trail.  The best views of the Canyon are towards the end of this trail if you also hike clockwise.  We stopped for our epic lunch spot while taking in the view.  This trail surprised us with the views at the end.

One thing you do need to be aware of on this trail is the horses and mules.  You will be walking through the wastes left behind.  Although not ideal, we didn’t let it spoil our fun.

We did have on our list to also hike the North Kaibob Trail to the Supai Tunnel.  However, our boondocking site was forty minutes away in the Kaibob National Forest and we decided to save this trail for another trip.  I believe there is dispersed camping closer to the park but we really like our cell service.

While visiting the North Rim, we did see buffalo.  They crossed the road right in front of the truck.  This made the adventure even more incredible.  Can you ever get tired of seeing buffalo or bison?

Navajo National Monument

We knew nothing about the Navajo National Monument.  We actually discovered this little gem by accident while traveling through Arizona.  When we pulled up our Campendium app to find a place for the night, and this national monument campground popped up.

The Navajo National Monument has a paved, free campground that you can stay in for seven days.  Although the sites are not level, they do provide heated restrooms and trash receptacles.  We ended up staying at this campground for three nights, relaxing and exploring the park.

On our second day we visited the Visitor Center, bought some postcards and chatted with the employee for a while.  We hiked the three self-guided trails in the Monument.  The Sandal Trail is 1.3 miles roundtrip.  At the end of the trail, you can see the Betatakin Cliff Dwelling.  It is better to see these cliff dwelling in the afternoon, as later in the day, the sun exposes the cliff dwelling.  Whereas in the morning, the dwelling is in the shadows.

The Aspen Trail is .8 miles, but it is a little steeper.  We really enjoyed this trail and the views of the canyon.  The Canyon View Trail, also .8 miles, would have better views if they allowed you to walk across the rock to really see the Canyon.  However, debris was placed to disallow walking on the rock.  So, we behaved ourselves and hiked back.

If you are traveling through Arizona, Monument Valley, you might want to stop in at the Navajo National Monument.  Check out the cliff dwelling, talk to the friendly employees, and stay the night in the campground.

Antelope Canyon

Originally, we were apprehensive about the tours we booked for Antelope Canyon.  Because we did not know if we would ever return to the area, we booked both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon Tours.  We heard horror stories of being crowded like cattle into the back of trucks to visit the Slot Canyon and walking through the canyon squished like sardines.

I am not going to lie.  We were herded into the back of the truck for the Upper Antelope Canyon Tour.  The ride to the slot canyon was very bumpy, and I did say “moo” at one time as we laughed at our predicament.  However, once we arrived, our guide was amazing.

She made sure we had plenty of time to see the Slot Canyon, while not running into any other groups.  She took pictures and explained different features of the Canyon.  We were pleasantly surprised by the tour.

There is only one thing that bothers me about slot canyon tours; guides always point out rocks saying they look like something else.  All the slot canyons we visited are gorgeous and you are excited just to be in them.  I don’t need to see a giraffe in the rock. But I assume other people like that kind of thing.

The Upper Antelope Slot Canyon is beautiful.  It was worth being packed into the back of a truck.  However, the Lower Antelope Canyon blew us away.

We booked our tower for the Lower Slot Canyon with Dixie’s Lower Antelope Canyon Tours.  We were still led by a guide.  However, you walk straight from the tour building down to the Canyon trail with no bumpy ride.

We both thought the Lower Antelope Canyon was prettier and more of a slot canyon than the Upper Antelope Canyon.  We believe that the amazing pictures we associate with Antelope Canyon must have been taken in the lower Slot Canyon.  This canyon tour is also cheaper than the Upper tour.

If you do visit Lower Antelope Canyon, though, be careful!  As usual, I bumped my head on a rock because I was talking and not paying attention.  If you can only do one tour, book the Lower Antelope Canyon tour.  You will not regret it.

Sedona

Cottonwood, Arizona is only a half an hour away from Sedona, Arizona.  If you research amazing things to do in Arizona, you probably will run across a lot of unforgettable hikes in this area.

Because our truck breakdown was a major one, the Ford Dealership kindly lent us a car for over a week.  So, instead of lamenting our situation, we decided to go hiking.  Now, there are a few things I must warn you about hiking in Sedona.

Firstly, it gets hot quick.  If you are not used to heat, go early in the morning.  By ten a.m., the heat is miserable.  We started our hikes around 6:30 a.m.

Secondly, hiking in Sedona includes some climbing over slick rocks.  For me, it meant crawling up some of the rocks on all four or scooting down on my butt.  Just be aware.  On every hike we did, I climbed on all fours in at least one portion of the hike.

The Devil’s Bridge Hike

To access the Devil’s Bridge Trail, you must park at the Dry Creek Parking lot located at GPS 34.89042, -111.82074.  If you have a 4×4 or UHV, you can drive all the way to the trailhead.  If not, you can park in a parking lot and hike the Dry Creek Road to the Devil’s Bridge Trailhead.  You will need to buy a day pass or display your America the Beautiful Pass at the parking lot.

You can easily find your way to Devil’s Bridge with all the signs and other hikers enroute.  The most difficult part of the hike to the Devil’s Bridge is climbing the rocks towards the end.  However, it is well worth a little rock scrambling to walk out onto the arch and feel that sense of accomplishment.  While you are there, take the short hike to the bottom of the bridge for a different perspective.  You will enjoy it!

The Subway Cave

The Subway Cave has been on our bucket list for a few years now.  Being inside the cave and looking out at the splendid scenery is exactly how it looks in the internet pictures.

To access the Subway Cave trail, we parked at the Boyton Canyon Trail Parking Lot, GPS 34.90767, -111.84904.  The parking lot is located in the Cocino National Forest.  You must purchase a day pass or use your America the Beautiful Pass.

You hike the Boyton Canyon Trail for two miles until you turn right at a large Alligator Juniper tree.  The side hike to the cave is easy to find and chances are, you will meet other hikers also hiking to the cave.  The most difficult part of this hike is definitely the entrance of the cave.  If you do not want to hike around the edge of the cliff, be prepared to do some crawling up the cave entrance.

To crawl up the entrance of the cave, we started on the left side with the crevice.  You can find a few footholds on this side.  However, the crevice narrows and you have to switch to the right side of the entrance.  Windell had to push me up by my butt a few times.  To come back down, we schooched on our butts down the original right side without the crevice.

Other hikers are super helpful and will pull you and push you to get into the cave.  Or, you can walk along the cliff side to enter it.  Either way, you must get up into that cave because you will be amazed.

Cathedral Rock Hike

Okay, open disclaimer here.  We did not complete the Cathedral Rock Hike.  Firstly, I incorrectly thought we were hiking to the Church of the Holy Cross.  But we were not.  It was actually located across the valley.

There are some amazing views from this rock, and we decided to attempt it.  However, when we reached the point of scaling through the crevice with small footholds, we both quickly gave up.  Remembering our difficulties in scaling the Subway Cave entrance, we decided only the most epic view would be worth trying to come down that small crevice.

So, we hiked around the rock on a different trail to see some views and headed back to the parking lot.  Sometimes it is good to know your limits.

Soldier Pass Trail

After our failure of trying to hike Cathedral Rock, it was still only seven in the morning.  So, I thought, heck let’s try the Soldier Pass Trail to the Hidden Cave.  We had heard from other hikers that the trail and the cave were both worth seeing, although the sacred pools were dry.

We headed to the small parking lot at GPS 34.8843, -111.78377.  However, the parking lot is closed Thursday thru Sunday, and you must take the shuttle.  On the rest of the days, the gates do not open unil 8 a.m.  When we arrived, there was already one car waiting for the gates to open.  If you want to hike early, your best option is probably the Sedona Shuttle from the Possee Grounds Park and Ride.  The first shuttle is at 7:00 a.m. and arrives at the trailhead is 7:08 a.m.

However, as we sat at the closed gates at the trailhead, we looked across at each other.  We didn’t want to start a Sedona hike at 8 a.m. in the heat.  And we had already finished our two bucket list hikes.  So, we headed back to the campground to sit in some AC.

Thousand Trails Campground at Cottonwood, Arizona

Because our truck required major repair, we had to buy an extra week while staying at this Thousand Trails Campground.  We had no idea when we would be able to leave Arizona.  The employees at the Campground were very friendly to us and worked with us to ensure we had a place to stay.  We appreciate all of their help.

Luckily, the campground has a lot of hiking paths that kept me busy early in the mornings.  I could continue exercising and we had plenty of cell service with our signal booster.  So, we sat tight until our truck was fixed, taking some time out to make videos, do online classes, and write blogs.

Heading North to Cool Off

After traveling and sitting in Arizona for over a month, our truck is finally fixed.  We appreciate the amazing sights, canyons, and hikes we have enjoyed.  But we are ready for cooler weather!

We learned a lot about ourselves this year.  Firstly, we don’t like truck camping.  We are not those people who want to shower and poop outside for any extended period of time.  We are a little too spoiled by programmed coffee and a bidet.  However, we are glad we found this out about ourselves before we tried it in Alaska or Canada, where our little camper was not nearby to give us relief.

The second item we discovered is that we are not nearly as fond of the desert scene as we are of oceans and snow covered-mountains.  Yes, there are lots of geological features and landscapes in the desert that you will not find other places.  And if you enjoy seeing dinosaur tracks and ancient pueblo cliff dwellings, this area of the U.S. is perfect.  However, after a summer in the desert, we are ready for cooler temperatures and some ocean adventures.  Our plans for the next several years do not include any red rocks or cactuses.

Oregon remains one of our favorite states to explore with its beautiful coastline, spectacular waterfalls, and amazing hikes.  We had a blast adventuring in Oregon and plan to return one day to continue exploring this state.

Our favorite Adventuring in Oregon

Oregon Coast

Cape Perpetua Area

This was Jessica’s favorite area on the coast of Oregon.  She could watch Thor’s Well for hours.  Right off Highway 101 is a pull off for the overlook for Spouting Horn.  However, to get a better view of Spouting Horn and to walk further to see Thor’s Well, hike a little ways down from the overlook.  It is easy to find the trail.  The GoPro does not do this area justice.  In person, watching Thor’s Well and the Spouting Horn, you can see the starfish inside and hear the rumble as the waves move through the caves below.

Once you have your fill of the Spouting Horn area, you can hike north from Spouting Horn to Devil’s Churn or turn off onto the overlook pulloff and hike the short ways down.  As the tide comes in, the swirling, forceful waves travel onto the beach beside Devil’s Churn and smash against the walls of Devil’s Churn.  It is an amazing view.  We could spend days in this area watching the force of the tides and playing on the rocks.

Natural Bridges

Windell’s favorite spot on the Oregon Coast was the Natural Bridges Area.  Hiking down from the viewpoint to stand on the rock arch below is not as apparent as the hike to Thor’s Well.  However, it was not difficult to find the path.  You must make a right turn to hike down through some thick foliage to access the bridge.  Once we reached near the bridge, we turned to the left to explore the rocky coast a little more.  Another couple was on the arch and we were hoping we could have it to ourselves.  However, the couple was still there when we finished exploring, so we went ahead and hiked down to stand on the arch.  This is a gorgeous area that could be better captured with a drone.

Just north of Natural Brides is a parking lot with a hike that leads to Secret Beach.  You can even hike from Natural Bridges to this parking lot.  The hike to Secret Beach is not well-defined, but definitely worth trying.  Just remember to follow the sign that says “Beach” although the path seems to take you away from the beach.  We spent hours playing on the beach after following a few wrong trails on the hike.

Gray Whale Watching Charter

We were lucky while visiting Oregon that we happened to be during the best time to see gray whales.  So, we flew by the seat of our pants and purchased tickets for a boat charter for whale-watching.  We will never forget our experience of being so close to these magnificent giants in our small boat with only four other guests and a captain.  This last minute decision taught us to seize some opportunities without too much thinking.  If we had waited too long, we would not have seen the gray whales.  And, we had the best day.  We will always be on the lookout for whale-watching charters when we can find them.

Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is a tremendous area for waterfalls.  Besides the impressive Multnomah Falls, Jessicas favorite waterfall, Tunnel Falls, plus several more waterfalls are on the Eagle Creek Trail GPS 45.63676, -121.9196.  This is not the only trail in the area with several waterfalls.  There are many more in this area that we plan to hike when we return.  Next time we plan to hike Horsetail Falls Trail GPS 45.59011, -122.06928 to Pony Tail Falls, the Wahkeena Falls Trail GPS 45.57602, -122.12782, and any more that we discover.  This is an amazing area for adventuring and we cannot wait to return and explore more.

While exploring this area, we were RVing an hour away at Mt Hood Village RV Resort 65000 US-26, Welches, OR 97067.  We choose this campground because we wanted to explore other areas in the south, including Silver Falls State Park and Mount Hood. However, the Portland Fairview RV Park 21401 NE Sandy Blvd, Fairview, OR 97024 is a lot closer to the Columbia River Gorge, and we would choose it next time.  The Portland Fairview is an Encore Park at $20 per night with the Trails Collection.

Crater Lake National Park

We were blown away by Crater Lake National Park.  We actually hiked three different trails in the one day we visited.  Amongst the Cleetwood Cove Trail, The Watchman Peak Trail, and The Garfield Peak Trail, our favorite was The Garfield Peak Trail.  The deep, rich color of the lake in the crater of a volcano is just an amazing sight.  The Watchman Peak Trail is a fantastic trail to see Wizard Island from above, but the Garfield Peak Trail was our favorite for an overall view of the lake.

We have not finished adventuring in Oregon.  There is so much to see and do.  In addition to exploring more in the Columbia River Gorge, we also want to visit the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, hike to more waterfalls, and see more of the rocky coastline.  When we return, we will also have to visit the Cape Perpetua Area and Natural Bridges again.

Washington is one of our favorite states to explore.  We tend to shy away from big cities like Seattle and focus on hiking, kayaking, and adventuring.  Although we spent many months in Washington, there is still a lot of adventuring in this state on our bucket list.  Below is a list of our favorite explorations in Washington and future explorations on our bucket list.

Our Favorite Explorations in Washington

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier was one of our favorite national parks to hike and explore.   We visited the park several days while staying at Paradise RV Campground Thousand Trails in 173 Salem Plant Rd, Silver Creek, WA 98585.  Our favorite hikes in the national park were the Freemont Trail, the Skyline Trail, and Comet Falls.  Although we visited the park in July, there was still some snow on the Freemont Trail.  We hiked the Skyline Trail in several inches of snow.  It required quite of a bit of exertion and caution.  The Skyline Trail is the one hiking trail that we wish we had hiking poles.  To come back down from the Panorama Point, Jessica had to slide on her butt part way.

The Freemont Fire Lookout was Windell’s favorite trail until we explored Zion National Park in Utah.  However, we are not finished with Mount Rainier.  When we return, we want to hike the Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout and the Sourdough Ridge Trailhead.  Of course, we will probably be adding more explorations to the list as we continue watching Wandering Washington on her excursions.

Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula is truly an amazing place to visit.  The temperate rainforest, Pacific coastline, lavender farms, and the extraordinary features of this area will simply take your breath away.  We stayed at KM Resorts – Diamond Point Resort 294 Industrial Pkwy, Sequim, WA 98382, which is one of our RPI membership parks.  Sequim, Washington is a fabulous place to visit lavender farms and hike the spit to the Dungeness Lighthouse.  Read our blog regarding hiking the Dungeness Spit with the tide tables.

While we were there, we also visited the Olympic National Park for some amazing beaches and hikes.  Our favorite hike was to Rialto Beach during low tide.  We never saw so many different colored starfishes and sea anemones in our lives.  Split rock was our favorite spot to explore during this hike.  If we return to the Olympic Peninsula, we will be hiking this beach again.  We did have to check our tide schedule and we have a short blog on Hiking Rialto Beach.

We also hiked Hurricane Hill and Kalaloch Beach 4.  However, they were not our favorite explorations.  When we return to the Olympic Peninsula, we would like to attempt to hike the Mt. Ellinor Lower Trailhead and Mount Storm King.  We did not attempt these at the time simply because we weren’t sure of our abilities.  However, since hiking and pushing ourselves more, we are more confident in hiking more elevation and Jessica is a little less afraid of hikes.

Crescent Lake is a sight to behold.  The lake is incredibly blue and many people were jumping off the bridge into the Devils Punchbowl.  We kayaked this lake in the afternoon after hiking to Marymere Falls.  However, next time we will kayak it in the morning with less wind!

San Juan Island

We love sea creatures and chartering boats to see wildlife in the oceans.  While staying at La Conner RV & Camping Resort 16362 Snee Oosh Rd, La Conner, WA 98257 Thousand Trails, we booked a ferry from Anacortes to San Juan Island.  We love Washington ferries!  Taking a ferry to an Island is a great way to get some scenery and maybe see some wildlife.

Exploring a little of the San Juan Island was fun.  However, our main reason for going to the Island was our booked boat charter to see some Killer Whales.  Besides our YouTube video, we also wrote a short blog on our Killer Whale Adventure.  We had an amazing time, although the boat trip was a little colder than we expected.  When we return to this area, we would like to explore more of the Islands, including Orcas Island.  Maybe Jessica can even convince Windell to kayak around the areas.

Future Desired Explorations in Washington

Leavenworth

Although we explored the town of Leavenworth and did a few hikes, there are some amazing areas that we did not know about or explore while we were there.  When we return, we want to hike the Cascade Pass Trailhead to Sahale Arm Trail, and especially The Enchantments.  The Enchantments will be an intense one day hike.  We want to apply for a backpacking permit to stay overnight.  This hike is our main bucket list item in the Leavenworth area, although we realize it will be extremely challenging.

North Cascades

We did not visit the North Cascades National Park or surrounding area while we were in Washington.  At the time, there were many vehicle break-ins while they were repaving parking lots and we didn’t want to chance it.  However, as we watch our favorite YouTubers hike the North Cascades, we have discovered many hikes to add to our bucket list, including Trappers Peak, Sourdough Mountain Trail, Lake Ann Trail, Hidden Lake Lookout Trail, and many more.  We are sorry we did not explore this area more while in Washington.  Thousand Trails has a campground near North Cascades National Park.  It is Grandy Creek 1000 Trails 7370 Russell Rd, Concrete, WA 98237 or you can reserve Goodell Creek Campground State Rte 20, Marblemount, WA 98267 or another National Park Campground.

2024 is our fourth year of Full-Time RVing in our 23′ travel trailer.  We have seen a lot of things, learned a lot of things, and missed a lot of things from living in a sticks and bricks home.

Living in a Camper Full-Time

When we sold our house to start RVing Full-Time, we had no idea what we were getting into to. We simply knew we were tired of working long hours without spending enough time together. While traveling we thought we would also look for a permanant home area while on the road. We would explore areas and see if any fit our needs.

Our travel trailer is a lot smaller than any house we have ever owned, including our first one-bedroom house in town. When we moved into the travel trailer, we didn’t know what to keep and what to get rid of. We spent a lot of money on a storage shed and tripped over a lot of stuff all over our camper. After the first year, we finally organized our travel trailer.  Now, most everything has its place; although we still have a few things sitting around the bed.  After the first year, we also sold everything in storage and got rid of the storage shed.

We still do not have the space for everything in our travel trailer. For some reason, the more adventures we try, the more toys we want to buy. So, the wetsuits, snorkeling gear and boogie boards are in the back of the truck. One of the reasons we do not have room in the travel trailer, though, is that we are carrying coats and old clothes for the Sugar Beet Harvest we work every year. When we decide to no longer work the harvest, we will have more room in a travel trailer for our toys.

After figuring out our organization, there are still many other considerations to full-time RVing that may differ from living in a house. Internet is a biggie. We have a Thousand Trails membership. Although we love our membership because it offers us campgrounds in a lot of areas, their campgrounds are notorious for not having the best cell service.

We have Verizon cell service for both our phones and our jetpacks.  Because we do not work from home, we have the luxury of not requiring internet service full-time.  However, we are addicted to Amazon Prime.  And, we like to make videos, post blogs, and study Spanish.  So, internet access is still a daily ritual with us.  Right now, we are both sitting in the truck with the jetpacks on the weBoost in a Thousand Trails campground.  Our goal is to buy an additional antenna for the travel trailer.  Hopefully we can sit in our recliners and have internet!

Originally we purchased NETGEAR Omnidirectional MIMO Antennas from Amazon.  These atennas connect directly to our jetpacks.  They have greatly improved our cell service for watching television in most campgrounds.  However, we still do not have enough service in some areas to make phone calls.  Because we were truck camping this year, we also added the weBoost Drive Reach OTR – Cell Phone Signal Booster for Trucks and SUVs.   This has really made a difference in cell service curing our travels.  Especially as we rely a lot on GPS and Campendium for locations and boondocking.  Our Signal Booster works very well, which is why we are currently sitting in the truck for internet.

We have not tried Starlink.  However, we see many full-time RVers with the notorious Starlink receiver sitting on their roof or in their yard at campgrounds.  Right now, with our budget and how we want to spend our money, Starlink is not on our purchasig radar.  We will continue to rub our bellies while patting our heads to try to receive cell service at some of our campgrounds rather than subscribe to Starlink.

However, we have experienced internet issues even when we lived in a house in the country.  We could not make or receive phone calls in our dead zone.  For internet, we signed up with a satellite service that cost nearly $100 per month.  We still have issues when we visit our friends in this location.  So, having cell service issues is not uncommon to us, but we still cuss a little.  If we did work online, it would be more stressful.  This is one of the reasons we decided to not to pursue online jobs.  We didn’t want to fall back into stressful jobs while full-time RVing.  Cleaning toilets and working the beet harvest temporarily are enough for us right now.

We don’t consider the repairs on our travel trailer being any more frequent than repairs on our houses.  We have owned homes where the roof leaked, water flooded into the carport, and cinder blocks held the house up.  In our opinion, houses require a lot of maintenance.  And, the more bathrooms you have, the more stories you have, and the more windows you have, the more maintenance you have.  Now that our travel trailer is approaching five years old, it seems to require more repairs.  However, when the repairs become too costly, we have decided to buy a new, larger travel trailer with more storage.  Then, we can put our toys inside.  Of course, with us, nothing is set in stone.

One constant in our Full-Time RVing is the planning.  We usually move more slowly than most of the RVers we know.  We sit at our Thousand Trails campgrounds for two to three weeks.  This did change a little while we were truck camping this year.  We usually only stayed at a boondocking site for a few days.  But usually we will sit in an area for at least a week.  We do a lot of planning.  We plan our trip, our campgrounds, and our activities.  This was something very new to us from living in a house.  When we planned a small getaway from our house, it was usually last minute and for a few days.  Now, we plan months in advance and have several plans saved at once.  Just in case we change our minds.

What We Miss While Full-Time RVing

There are some really important things we miss from living in our sticks and bricks.  It is not the space of the house or the internet.  We miss our hobbies.  Although we have added a lot more fun hobbies while traveling, there are some activities we really enjoyed while staying put that are difficult to continue on the road.

Gardening on the Road is Difficult

Jessica loves gardening and having chickens.  When she lived in the country, she had fresh veggies throughout the summer and fresh eggs throughout most of the year.  She built cold frames and a hoop house and kept honey bees.  Some of the things Jessica misses most is picking a watermelon and dividing it to share with the chickens.  She misses mulching the grapes and blueberries and pulling weeds from the herbs and flowers.  Watching a plant grow in the spring from a bulb you planted in the fall can be so exciting.

Windell misses hunting and fishing.  He loved planting crops, including turnips, for the deer.  Then, he would set up game cameras to watch the deer eat and see how well they grew in the Spring.  Although he really enjoyed bow hunting in the fall, his real passion was caring for the land and the deer.  Both of us miss feeding the fish in the pond together while sharing a beer.

It is very difficult to continue the same hobbies we had in our homes while traveling.  Jessica has tried.  She irritated Windell until one year he carried grow bags full of Salvia and alpine strawberries in the back of the truck.  He would unload them everytime they moved to another campground and reload them when we left.  She still owes him for this, and he still lets her know she owes him.

When we are sitting at a spot for several months, Jessica will probably still try to grow some flowers and vegetables to satisfy her gardening itch.  And, if we ever do find a spot that we want to sit at permanently, we have already decided to have some gardening space and maybe a couple of chickens, if we can.  Of course, it all depends on where we will eventually end up.  Who knows!

Quitting Full-Time RVing

Although we thought we might find a new location to settle down on, we are not yet there.  Everytime we think about settling down again, we cannot imagine ourselves waking up to the same view day in and day out.  Also, we would have to settle down somewhere near the ocean.  Snorkeling has become the number one hobby for the both of us, beating even gardening and hunting.  We want to continue playing in the ocean, no matter where we end up.

However, right now we are excited about traveling overseas.  There are so many adventures that we have yet to try and so many places we still want to see!  As much as we love snorkeling, we are considering trying scuba diving.  So, no, we have no desire to quit full-time RVing as yet.  But, we do understand why many people do quit.  The desire for a constant location, more living space, and a desire to return to our previous hobbies would be the reasons we would quit, if we wanted to.

Our RV Memberships

We have been full-time RVing for over four years now.  Over that period, we have joined a few RV Memberships for campgrounds and workamping.  The only memberships we use for campgrounds are Thousand Trails , the Trails Collection with Thousand Trails, RPI, and Passport America .  We also joined Workamper News  for fun workamping jobs.

Thousand Trails

The first membership we purchased was a used Thousand Trails Elite membership from Campground Membership Outlet .  We purchased this membership before we had even sold our house.  Our used Elite membership cost less than $5000.  We can book four months in advance for our Thousand Trails campgrounds, and we can stay up to three weeks.  We pay approximately $1000 in membership dues every year for our Elite membership and our second membership – the Trails Collection.  The Trails Collection, or Encore campgrounds, are additional campgrounds with Thousand Trails sites.  These may cost $20 per night, but most are also free after the annual membership.  We can book these two months in advance and stay for up to two weeks.  There are two Encore sites in the Florida Keys!

When we purchased our Thousand Trails membership, we had the chance to also purchase an RPI annual membership.  This membership costs less than $200 per year.  There are many RPI campgrounds in areas that do not have Thousand Trails.  Most of the campsites in RPI cost us $10 per night.  We used these campgrounds a lot the first year when we were traveling between Thousand Trails campgrounds.

Passport America

However, even with these two memberships, sometimes we still do not have cheap campgrounds in some areas.  This is where our Passport America membership comes into play.    We used this membership for the first time at Glacier National Park.  Our campground was six miles from the West Glacier entrance.  It was amazing.  So, during Christmas a couple of years ago, when Passport America ran a sale for a lifetime membership for under $300, we purchased it.  This membership helped us out a lot in Michigan and Wisconsin, where we did not have many Thousand Trail campgrounds.  We have already used it this year also.  Right in the middle of our planned trip, we decided to change our trip and go north for cooler weather.  We landed a campground close to our area for half the price with Passport America.

The Passport America membership can be a little more confusing because the campgrounds within this program are still individually owned.  Most of the time you get half off the nightly rate.  However, depending on the campground, there may be limitations.  For example, some do not give discounts on weekends.  So, you do have read the details on the campground.  We really like to call the campground personally and talk to someone there.

Workamper News

The only other membership we have purchased after four years of traveling is Workamper News.  We like learning new hobbies and we like buying toys for our hobbies.  But we retired early and must watch our spending.  So, after two couples we met while traveling recommended Workamper News.com to us for workamping jobs, we signed up to try it.  Again, around Christmas, Workamper News offered us a discounted membership term, so we jumped on it.  We have found both of our RVing jobs on Workamper News.  One was the Beet Harvest in Minnesota that we worked a couple of weeks.  However, our favorite is houskeeping in Florida at a beautiful resort for five months over the winter.   We had a blast kayaking and snorkeling on our days off!  To us, the Workamper News membership is an opportunity to overwinter without moving, make new friends, learn new skills, and pay for our toys.  We have had a great time at both of our workamping jobs and are glad we tried them.

We love our memberships.  All of them have helped us save money on our RVing Adventuring and maintain our budget.  We plan on continuing to use these for the rest of our RVing life.

Because we travel full-time and plan our adventures and campgrounds, we need a quick way to see locations.  So, we created our personal Google Map.

Our map has been a travel changer for us.  We insert adventures and places we want to do and see into our map.  These include places all over the world that we learn about from different resources.  Because we are members of Thousand Trails and RPI, we also include our campground memberships in our map.  We have added some grocery stores too.  Jessica also loves Aldi and Walmart, so if we are traveling extensively in an area, we add these to our map.

We are always adding to our map.  Although we still create spreadsheets when traveling, our Google Map helps us organize our piles of notes into a great visualization.  Also we can link our YouTube videos to our Google Map.  When we travel through the area again, we can remember what we have already done or the campground that we stayed at and if we want to do or stay there again. If we stay in a Thousand Trails campground with our travel trailer, we can choose which one we want to book based on how close our activities are to the campground.

It is very easy to create a personal Google Map.  If you travel or explore often, a map can make it much easier to plan your next exciting adventure.   It is also very easy to duplicate the base map for a specific trip and determine a travel route.  For example, we are currently planning a trip to Alaska.  I simply copied our main map, removed the grocery section, and put in our travel route to Anchorage.  It still includes all the activities we want to do, doesn’t affect the original map, and makes the planning of the trip to Alaska so much easier.

We would recommend creating a personal Google Map to anyone who loves exploring or traveling.  It is exciting to see all the adventures in an area and to plan your travel.