As the year comes to a close, it’s time to see year-end reviews. This year has been especially challenging with the Covid-19 global pandemic. We have even seen 2020 referred to as a “dumpster fire,” but for us, 2020 represented so much goodness and hope as it was our first amazing year living in an RV.

We didn’t mean to launch on our RV trip during a pandemic, as we had been working toward our goals for the previous six months before starting our journey on April 9, 2020. Like everyone, Covid-19 gave us many worries, not just for our health but also for our country’s stability. We didn’t know what to expect. We sold our house the first week of Covid-19 and had to move, so we did many thoughtful prayers and felt led to continue with our plans.

We started this journey to spend time making memories in the present instead of putting off our dreams for later years as those times are not guaranteed. We wanted each day to be something to look forward to or have Bright Dais Ahead. Through prayer, we decided we wanted to spend our days as safely as we could, seeing as much of the nation as possible, instead of being quarantined in our home in Kansas.

Please understand, we do not intend to create a political statement or even say we know how to pandemic better than others. This year, our personal experience found us spending 2020 very differently than most as we had an amazing year living in RV and had some of the best times of our lives.

Throughout our travels, we adhered to safety measures in place in the town, county, or state we were in the time. Sometimes this meant wearing a mask, and in some places, it didn’t. At rest areas, we had our own restroom to use. Most restaurants were closed or only did takeout, which worked well for us with small children eating at our own table in our tiny home. Any friends or family we saw during our travels, we checked first regarding their comfort level to see us. We made lots of friends along the way, normally fellow campers like us, and before we closed in on any social distancing, we discussed their personal comfort level.

Did we take risks? We sure did! And in the eyes of many, it may have seemed super risky. Still, we weighed the risks with the hundreds of other risks we take every day (traveling in a car, riding a bike, or crossing the street) and decided we were comfortable with our risk factor chosen for our family.

With Covid aside, we wanted to share a review of our nine months of 2020 living in an RV.

Favorite Places Year End Review

• John’s Favorite – The Grand Tetons, especially the day we spent exploring and found Jackson Lake. John took a picture of us, three girls sitting on the shores of Jackson Lake, and the scene looked very much like our very own logo for Bright Dais Ahead.
• Sherryl’s Favorite– Northern Michigan – both the upper Peninsula and Upper Mitten. Having lived in Michigan for four years, I hardly traveled outside of Detroit. The UP and north mitten did not disappoint and made for some of my fondest memories of our year.
• The Nens Twin’s Favorite – Legoland! We took the girls with our Florida discount pass to Disney World three times. Legoland was a much bigger hit for the girls. Not only did they have more rides geared to younger children, but the staff was also much friendlier, and we went with friends. They ask us all the time to go back to Legoland.

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Campground Year End Review

• John’s Favorite – Elkhorn Ridge Resort in Spearfish, SD. This was our first “resort” campground. Wow! It had a wine and coffee bar, really nice pools, including a heated kiddie pool, great RV concrete pads, and double sewer connections (something John loves), not to mention a great playground.
• Sherryl’s Favorite – Carolina Pines in Conway, SC. This place had it all! Great amenities, resort-style living, beautiful campsites. I took yoga classes, water aerobics, close to Myrtle Beach, and met great friends at the park. Any park with lots of things for the entire family is a huge hit!
• The Nens Twins Favorite- City of Houghton RV Park – Parked right on the beach next to the playground had a huge slide called “Chutes and Ladders.” We met awesome kiddos and families to play with and created some lasting memories and friendships. And at $20 a night, this place was a huge bargain without skimping on any full hookups.
• Worst – We did not enjoy our stay at Sleepy Hollow Campground in Wall Drug, SD. The pool was closed, the playground had two-foot-tall weeds. While it was close to Wall Drug, it wasn’t worth the 2-3 nights we planned, and we left early.
• Most expensive – Margaritaville RV Resort in Lake Lanier, GA. This place was lovely but very expensive. You didn’t get to use any amenities as they charged for all activities such as a pool, tiki huts, and rides. For the price you pay, we had hoped it would cover at least a day’s entrance fee to the park. And on top of the extorted prices you pay, you still need to pay $20 to get into the resort! This place was very overrated and not worth the money unless you were a true Parrothead set to party all night with a bunch of friends, and even then, you better bring a stack of benjamins!
• Best Neighbors at a Campground – We truly have had so many great friendships and neighbors at campgrounds, so it is tough to pick one. Our campground in Green Mountain Thousand Trails was super memorable as we were on a short little row of 7-8 campers, and about 6 of us all became friends. We even had a little neighborhood block party!
• Best View – Stone Mountain Campground in Georgia. We were at a campsite lakeside at the base of Stone Mountain. The water reflections made for some pretty pictures, including one I took featured on the Stone Mountain IG page.
• Best Thousand Trails Campground – Orlando RV Resort. We were able to snag a spot in the new section with 50 amp power and a concrete pad. We had a great view of a little pond. We also had the opportunity to meet a ton of full-time families like ourselves, as this park serves as the unofficial Fulltime Family HQ. The kids got to swim in December, visit Disney World, an Orange Grove and we were close to John’s sister’s condo.

During 2020, we learned living in an RV is a lot easier if the campground has: concrete pad, full hook-ups, amenities like a pool or playground and friendly campers.

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Highs and Lows:

• Best Drive – From Victor, Idaho to West Yellowstone, Montana. We loved leaving the snow-covered Tetons and seeing all the horse ranches and potato farms. We crossed many rivers and drove through foothill mountains into the tiny town of West Yellowstone.
• Scariest Drive – It was nerve-wracking to drive over the Mackinaw Bridge with our big rig. Five miles of the high bridge over water with noisy expansion joints got our adrenalin pumping.
• Worst route – From Knoxville, TN to Bowling Green, KY. Somehow we took the shortest route, which isn’t always the best. We found ourselves winding down small back roads with lots of twists and turns, little cell phone signal, and Daisy ended up getting carsick. We were all happy to pull into the campground that night.
• Best Moochdocking – Definitely at my parent’s home in Santa Fe, NM. Not only do they have beautiful views and great hospitality, but we had our own parking with electric, water, and sewer! Heck, we didn’t even have to get this type of service at some of our paid campgrounds!
• Best Harvest Host – Round Lake Winery in Minnesota. We got to park on the lake, the best view of the place. Not only did we get an awesome boondocking spot for the night, but we also had a lovely dinner outdoors, complete with a wine tasting.
• Best Bike Ride – This is a toss-up between our first electric bike ride in Traverse City, where we got the electric bike itch, or our ride with our new Rad Power Bikes in Chattanooga along the Tennesse River, where we went nearly 20 miles!
• Worst Day – definitely when we boondocked at our friend’s house in Alabama (we enjoyed our friends immensely!). We went down a road no big rig should be on (there were even signs alluding to this fact, which I convinced John to ignore!) Then we got our rig stuck. In the process of trying to park our rig, we got a flat tire and tore up much of the Winkle’s side yard. We finally had to call in a truck driver who saved the day and got us unstuck and safely parked. I won’t even give you details on the colorful language exchanged that day, but let’s say our tempers were as hot as the Alabama sun!
• Most Educational – Our trip to the Ark Encounter in Willmington, KY. This is a lifesize replica of Noah’s Ark. It was fascinating to see and learn more about the history of the Ark and how it was built in biblical times.
• Favorite Boat Tour – Pictured Rocks in Lake Superior, MI. We got to see and witness the Pictured Rocks seashore, a site very few people make the trip to see.
• Best Kid Hiking – Arches National Park. We were able to do a couple of short hikes for the kiddos. One particular arch had a little oasis of shade and fine soft sand to play in.
• Noisest Campsite – anything in Wisconsin. We found Wisconsin campers loved campfires, beer, and cornhole, even late into the night, cheering and whooping it up! It sounds like they know how to have fun, but we don’t share the Wisconsin enthusiasm when you have kids sleeping.

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Family and Friends We Saw Along the Way

• James & Sarah Gilpin – We were lucky enough to see our former neighbors in Huntington Woods twice, once in April in Sarasota, Florida, and again in August in Detroit Area.
• Scott & Carmen Ramsey – This was another twofer. In April for a picnic at a park and then for a Scott and John’s High School Reunion in Terre Haute, IN in August, we got to see them in Clearwater, Florida, in April for a picnic at a park.
• In Destin, Florida, we had a little family reunion complete with John’s parents, Ann & John, to stay with us for the week, and then John’s sister Angie & Pete surprised all of us with a knock on our door.
• We reunited with our most recent neighbor from Kansas, Tiffany Huddleston, in Destin, Florida.
• In Santa Fe, NM, we saw my parents Pam & Bill, sister Kala, Bigbee Cousins Matt, and Amy. We saw my high school friend Erin Myers, dear friend Brooke Nutting and Rusty & Vickie Wafer.
• In Bozeman, Montana, we had dinner with my former church friends, The Morgners, who fixed us the hottest green-chile enchiladas I have ever eaten! On another evening, we got to see my cousin Katie Bigbee and met her boyfriend.
• We were able to rendezvous with our neighbors, The Huddlestons in Red Wing, Minnesota, for the Fourth of July. The girls were so excited to see their friends and play with sparklers.
• In the Dells of Wisconsin, John’s parents met us again for a week.
• In Petosky, we got to spend the day with our Huntington Woods neighbors, The McFarlands. We had a very northern Michigan day with a boat trip, lake swim, and summer BBQ.
• John saw his childhood next-door neighbor Joe Sereno and his wife Sondra in Cadillac, Michigan.
• In Detroit, we spent a few days with our big kids, Alyssa & Sheldon, and Caroline, who flew in from Atlanta. We gorged on Mediterranian and made sure to hit up the cider mill and doughnuts.
• No trip to Detroit is complete without touching base with some Ford friends like Regina Watson, Amy Marentic, and my gal pal of 17 years, Seema Bardwaj.
• Proving you really meet “Up With People” wherever you go, we saw Tracy Cooper in Elkhart, IN, and Quinton Sheer in Orlando, Florida.
• A stop in Terre Haute meant we got to spend more time with the Nens Clan and attend John’s 40th High School Reunion. His sister Annette made a quick visit, too. While there, we went on a family hike to Turkey Run and camped in the very first campground, John’s parents ever took him too, nearly 50 years later.
• We boondocked in Dayton at Rebecca and Ben Knolle‘s house. The girls had their first sleepover with Quinn and loved playing on five acres with Reece and Quinn. Rebecca and I loved seeing a second generation bond and create memories.
• We got to see our Office Pride dear friends, The Winkle Family in Florence, Alabama. We boondocked at their new lake house, where the boys got to show the girls how to be tomboys. We enjoyed our first in-person church service on the road and a double date night!
• We were blessed to see John’s sister and brother-in-law, Annette & Austin Gossett, and all the cousins twice in Knoxville. Once to pick up our electric bikes and again for a week in October. Seeing all six kids together warmed our hearts.
• Also, in Knoxville, I got to spend time with my long lost cousin Luke & Jen Heroux and family (he wasn’t lost, I was!? Long Jerry Springer story.)
• A weekend in Asheville was a chance to celebrate my sister Kala’s 40th Birthday with our BFF’s, Stephanie and Camron.
• In Atlanta, we got to spend time with Caroline and Alyssa & Sheldon came down too! We spent the holiday as a very Modern Family with John’s ex-wife Diane, her husband Gene, and the rest of the Dove family for Thanksgiving. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and we feel very blessed that our families can celebrate milestones together.
• Being in the Orlando area meant we were close to John’s sister Angie’s condo. While in Florida in December and January, we will get to see John’s Parents, Angie & Pete, and hopefully, Annette with the cousins will make a trip too!
• Ending the year, we spent the Christmas Holiday in Fort Myers, Florida, with my adopted family – The Sawczyn Clan. Camron’s brother, Read & Kelly resides in Fort Myers and offered to host the holiday. Lauren & Macy were our flower girls at our wedding, and the Nens Twins idolize them. Camron’s parents, Ken & Marcia camped in our same campground, and then we all headed over to Read’s house for celebrations. It was so sweet to spend a few more days with Camron this year. A Florida memory we won’t soon forget was our boat trip for lunch to Pine Island.

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New Friends Made Along the Way

• Our first friends were the Kittell Family, Nicole & Cody, who we met at Lazy Days in Tampa and started full-timing like us. Our kids played lots of hours on the playground together. We hope to cross paths with this sweet family again!
• We went the longest time not meeting anyone, so imagine our excitement in West Yellowstone, MT, when a Grand Design RV pulled in next to us. I just knew we would be friends and practically assaulted poor Traci & Ralph Petty to be our friends – our very first campfire friends.
• We saw an RVer in need and offered to help some people in Houghton, MI. Little did we know a simple offer of help would turn into a week of friendships and memories with Will & Traci Niss. We can’t wait to make plans to camp with this family again as the kids played for hours together.
• Another Grand Design Friend assault – Connie Gabler in Petoskey, MI
• In Petoskey, we met a dentist Dr. John Toupin who could schedule the whole family for a teeth cleaning when we stayed in Detroit. His staff was amazing and really helped Brighton overcome her dentist fears.
• In Traverse City, we met Rodney & Erica Fredrick, yet another victim of my Grand Design friend seeking. We had so much in common with the Fredricks; we made plans to camp again.
• Talk about timing and luck; at a rest area in Michigan, we met our mentors from Keep Your Day Dream, Mark & Trish Leach. I was such a fan geek and nearly shaking for a selfie with them. More than any other YouTuber we watched, KYD had the most influence on starting the RV Lifestyle.
• We met Anthony & Rachel Smith in Diamond Caverns Campground. Our kids made fast friends, and it was fun to swim and make s’mores with them. Rachel inspired me as she was camping 39 weeks pregnant!
• In Hidden Cove Campground in Arley, Alabama, we had our first run-in with full-time families camping near us. We made friends with the Atkins & Waddell Family. Our kids had several play dates, and we had a big cookout. The Atkin and Waddell had camped together a few times since then, and we are looking forward to crossing paths with all of them next month!
• We loved Carolina Pines not only for an amazing campground but for making fast friends with Jill & Mike Rhodes (also in a Grand Design!). Our kids played together, Jill and I got to work out a few times, and we shared marshmallows and campfires.
• In Green Mountain, North Carolina, we didn’t just make a friend – we gathered a whole friend block! Our whole row of campers became fast friends; whether it was kids doing boat races, the guys on a 3-mile mountain hike, or complete with a block party, we really enjoyed meeting the Powells, Fallons and Crouses. We have even run into the Fallon and Crouse families again in Florida!
• At Orlando Thousand Trails, we met the Fairbanks Family. Kids really do help you meet people on the road. Their kids and our kids made an instant bond. This sweet family gifted us tickets to go with them to Legoland for the day. We are so blessed this family came into our lives and are making plans to camp together in the spring of 2021!

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Amazing 2020 Year Living in an RV by the numbers:

• 22 states
• 46 Campgrounds
• 13,000 miles
• 9 National Parks
• 3 Moochdocking
• 1 Boondocking
• 12 Family members and 21 Friends visited
• 12 New friends made
• 1 Flat tire
• Lots of majestic sunsets
• Endless hours of laughter and cuddles with our girls.

One of our goals for 2020 and living in an RV, was to take more time with the people in our lives. We wanted to spend more time together, working, playing, or just sharing a meal. These are the people who have helped shape us and we wanted our children to get to know them better too!

Looking back on the last nine months of living in an RV, the friends we made along the way were the added seasoning to our year. These new friends enriched our lives and touched our hearts in ways we won’t soon forget.

We are constantly learning and growing during this adventure. We have had some bumps, countless blessings, and even some reflection on our past and future.

We hope our experience can inspire you to find ways to enjoy the difficult years and know that even in the good times there are always ways to find  Bright Dais Ahead!

Other posts to check out:

• Visiting Yellowstone with Toddlers
• South Dakota – America’s Best Kept Secret
• Pure Michigan – Upper Peninsula
• See our full itinerary here
• Stuff we like

We want to hear from you!

Comment below and let us know what your most memorable moment was in 2020?