Heading South (1/22/17 – 2/22/17)re the to the

After leaving Missouri for Christmas, we quickly headed south.  We stopped for a bit in Lakeway, TX to downsize and organize our storage unit.  Now that we are coming upon our 1^st Year Anniversary as Full-Timers, we wish we would have sold more things.  That will be a future project to eliminate the storage unit.

Our next stop was Mason, TX.  We stayed a few days at Dos Rios RV Park on the Llano River.   This is the type of campground I love–remote feel, beautiful scenery and close to nature and wildlife.  Beau also loved it, he had a great time swimming in the Llano River.

I’m a rock hound and always looking for cool finds.  One of my bucket-list items was to look for the beautiful Texas Topaz, only found in Mason, TX.  I enjoyed a day digging in the dirt at The Seaquist Family Ranch.  Unfortunately, I came home empty handed, but enjoyed a great hike on a beautiful Texas Hill Country ranch!  If you’re interested in topaz hunting, learn more here.

We had an appointment to have the roof sealed on the Itasca Horizon and we were going to meet our Technician in Fort Stockton, TX to have it done.  Due to some scheduling changes, we had a few extra days so we ventured over to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.    We stayed at the Carlsbad RV Park and Campground.  It was cold while we were there so we didn’t explore the campground, but they did have 2 dog runs which was nice.

We are so grateful to our Realtor Extraordinaire, Teresa Ward for gifting us with a Senior National Park pass.  What a cool gift.  The National Park Pass is now $80, but it is a lifetime pass and will allow the holder and 3 guests to enter all of our National Parks and Federal Recreation sites at no cost.

The day we visited Carlsbad the elevator was down.  We entered the cave at the historic natural entrance where the bats fly out.  Unfortunately, the bats hadn’t arrived yet, they live in the caverns from April to October.  Carlsbad is home to about 17 bat species.

We did the Big Room self-guided tour.  The Big Room is the largest underground chamber in the United States.  We trekked about a 1.5 miles down to a depth of about 1,000 feet (and back upJ).  The Big Room is approximately 8.2 acres, to put that into perspective, it is about 6.2 football fields.  We loved Carlsbad and would absolutely go again!

While in Carlsbad, we also visited the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens.  All the animals are either rescue or captive born and cannot be released into the wild.  The Zoo does a nice job with humane care of their animals and education.

Beau enjoyed swimming in the Pecos River.  It had to be one of the cleanest, most beautiful rivers we have ever seen.  Carlsbad does an awesome job maintaining the Lake Carlsbad Recreation Area and Park along the Pecos.

We’ve been through Fort Stockton, TX many times on I-10, but have never explored.  While getting the RV roof sealed, we were here for 4 days.  We stayed at the Hilltop RV Park.  Beau loved the roomy dog park.  They also had a desert hiking trail right from the campground that we enjoyed.  A nice bonus is an onsite restaurant serving dinner and breakfast.  Very handy for travelers to get off I-10 and not have to worry about cooking or finding a restaurant for an overnight stay.

Fort Stockton’s most photographed resident is Paisano Pete.  Pete is a giant Roadrunner statue, standing 11 feet tall and 22 feet long.  Until 1993 Pete was the largest Roadrunner statue until one was erected in Las Cruces, NM taking the title.

If you ever wanted to visit a true old west water hole, you’ll have to stop by the Grey Mule Saloon.  The Saloon was built in the 1880’s as a watering hole for cowboys.  Today it is owned by Mesa Vineyards who is the largest winemaker in the state (I was surprised by this).  It’s now a very quaint tasting room for Ste. Genevieve, Mesa Vineyard’s most popular brand.

We also did the Historic Self Guided Driving Tour of Fort Stockton.  During our travels we are love finding information about the areas we are visiting online.  We often find self-guided tours and even podcasts with a wealth of information.

Lift Off (11/29/16-1/21/17)

Good-bye Playa del Dragon!

On November 29, 2016 we sold our home – leaving Playa del Dragon for the last time–It was very bitter sweet.  We loved our house, but we were excited to start our new nomadic life.

 

The first couple weeks we stayed very close to “home”, camping at Pecan Park Riverside RV Park in San Marcos, TX.  We were parked facing the San Marcos River – a beautiful sight to wake up to every morning.   This was a smart move.

As we moved out of Playa del Dragon we decided to rent a 10×10 storage space.  When we were doing our final move-out – we had to rent a 2^nd storage unit.  Due to lack of time, we just threw many things in without purging or optimizing space.  While at Pecan Park we started organizing the RV, being close to our store unit gave us flexibility to purge more things in the RV, and grab a few more things we thought we must have.

I asked Pat what she remembers about this very important “transitional” time in our lives.  Here’s what she shared with me:

         “I didn’t think.  I purposefully stayed present.  If my mind wondered I focused on the beautiful sky, the wind on my skin, the smell of fresh air.  I had everything I needed and wanted.  If I would have stopped to think, I would have said “holly shit – what have we done”.  I know if I’m feeling depressed I’m thinking in the past.  If I fell anxious I’m focused on the future.  When I stay present I feel happy.”

One of the things I love so much about “home is where we park it” is spending quality time with family and friends.  We were ready to head to my hometown of Chillicothe, MO, home of sliced bread to spend Christmas.  We stay in my sisters driveway or McBee RV Park and Resort as we call it.  It’s awesome – we have 50 amp plug in, there are plenty of activities and the “owners” are great cooks.

On our way from Texas the weather forecast in Missouri had a snow storm during our planned travel days.  So we decided to stop in Waco, TX and get our fill of Fixer Upper!  We stayed at the I-35 RV Park and Resort.  There were a few things we really liked about this campground.

• It’s situated on quite a few acres and we were able to let Beau run and play ball.
• They serve a free, home cooked breakfast every morning which was delicious!
• Very easy to get on and off the Interstate, and close to Waco.

We visited Magnolia Market and the Silos all decked out for Christmas!  We had a blast driving by several of the Fixer Upper Houses.  I was able to do Google searches to find quite a few addresses.  We would drive by and take pictures – I felt like we were on a sting operation.

 

We really enjoyed the Waco Mammoth National Monument.   During the spring of 1978 Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin were searching for arrowheads and artifacts along the Bosque River.  I can only imagine their delight when they stumbled upon the humongous mammoth bones.  They took the bone to Baylor University where it was identified from a Columbian mammoth.  Baylor’s Strecker Museum staff began excavation of the site.  For the next 20 years they discovered what appears to be a nursery herd that died in a flood.  It’s a nice hike to get to the excavation site.

We were getting into the Christmas spirit, so we were searching for the best Christmas light display in Waco – and we may have found the best Light Display in the entire Lone Star State!  Alice Tristand and her husband know how to attract a crowd at 2737 Proctor Ave.  The streets were packed getting to the quite neighborhood and the display of lights and scenes did not disappoint!

On our way to Missouri we stopped in Oklahoma to visit my Dad.  We enjoyed a nice meal out and some casino fun.  He walked out the big winner taking over $400 from the slots.

 

We had an amazing Christmas with family that I wrote about in And We’re Off.  We loved staying in Missouri until mid-January 2017.  Worked on several remodel projects (much harder work than I anticipated:) and enjoyed some snow on the ground.  Think we’re going to love this new life!

 

 

 

 

Count down…

It’s been awhile since I’ve created a Blog post — that is changing.  I’ll be recreating this site beginning the 1st of the year.

In 28 days we celebrate our “1 Year” On The Road Anniversary.  As we look back, I can’t believe all the adventures we’ve had, the things we’ve seen and done, and the awesome people we’ve met on the during our travels.

From now until the end of the year I’m going to capture our First Year Travels.  I hope to share our adventures with family and friends. Share with fellow RVer’s great Campgrounds and things to do, and also create a journal for us so we can go back and see where we’ve been and what we’ve done. Along the way we’ll also share some lessons learned.

Right now we’re in Charlotte, MI attending Spartan Chasis training to learn how to care for our Coach. Next week we’re onto Entegra in Middlebury, IN for our 2 year PDI. Our Coach comes with a 2-year warranty and we go to the factory to get several little things fixes.  Then heading South to Florida until we head toward Missouri for Christmas.

Stay tuned and follow along on our adventures.

For The Birds

If you’re new to Adventure Toward Freedom, you may not know we are owned by 2 small parrots and 2 dogs.  We live and travel full-time in our RV with all of them.  Needless to say, we have a soft spot for animals.

I have to be honest, if we had to do it over again, we would not own parrots.  It is a HUGE long term commitment.  The lifespan of a dog if you’re lucky is 10-15 years.  The lifespan of our little Green Cheek Conure is 30 years, and it goes up to 90 years for large parrot varieties like African Grey’s and Macaws.  I love ours dearly, and will make sure they are well taken care, if we are here or not.

The average parrot will live in 7 or more homes during it’s life.  Exotic birds are the 4^th most popular pets in the US.  There are about 16 million exotic birds kept as pets in the US, a good percentage of those are owned by folks over 50 years old.  Each year approx. 664,000 – 830,000 exotic birds are re-homed – many reasons including health/death of owner, parrots are too destructive, time consuming or owners relinquish due to moving, new job, baby, etc.  Thank goodness for Parrot Rescues and Sanctuaries!

When I started thinking about my “ideal life” – I wanted to spend some time contributing to animal charities and sanctuaries.  I’m not sure what that will look like long term, I imagine it will evolve like everything in life.  But for now – when we land somewhere new, I like to explore and see what Animal/Bird Sanctuaries are in the area.

We’ve been in Benson, AZ for the last couple of weeks and was thrilled to be able to visit The Oasis Sanctuary.  I’ve been following them for years, they are one of the larger parrot rescues in the United States.  The Oasis is outside of Benson, in the rugged Arizona high desert.  It is a beautiful setting and perfect for 800 parrots to call home.

The Oasis Sanctuary is a 503 (c)(3) nonprofit avian welfare organization.  They were established in 1997 and moved to their current 72 acre location in 2000.  They currently use about 14 acres, so they do have room to expand.  If you’re ever in the area — GOOOO, you’ll love the tour and have a ton of fun interacting with their almost 800 parrot residents, covering about 66 species.

The Oasis is dedicated to providing “permanent care”, shelter and rehabilitation to companion parrots.  Many birds in their care have special needs, and the staff at The Oasis takes great care of them.  There are 8 full-time staff members and several volunteers.  Just feeding the almost 800 parrots takes about 4 hours – all of their bowls and feeding stations are cleaned/sanitized and they are fed a high-quality Zupreem pellet in addition to fresh fruit and vegetables.  Approximately 7-8 gallons of fresh produce is fed PER DAY.

I find it’s a lot of work with my 2 guys – I can’t imagine 800.  The Oasis is funded by donations.  Their medical bill is approximately $70,000 each year, and food bill approximately $65,000.  They are raising money now to build a new commercial kitchen.

I’m looking forward to return to the Benson area next year and volunteer.  Many of the birds love attention and are happy to engage, while some just want to be left alone.  They all get what they need at The Oasis.

There are a few other residents at The Oasis – chickens, ducks, goats and even several watch dogs who keep everyone safe.

An interesting side note – have you ever seen the documentary “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” by Mark Bittner?  It’s a very interesting story of a homeless musician in San Francisco who formed a bond with the wild, cherry-headed conure parrots in Telegraph Hill.  Four of the parrots who were unable to live with the flock lived with Mark.  When he had to move, Mingus, Andi, Yosemite, and Ginsberg went to live at the Oasis.  (https://the-oasis.org/the-wild-parrots-from-telegraph-hill/)

If you’ve enjoyed the pictures of these beautiful feathered angels, I’d like to make a special request.  Skip a cup of coffee at Starbuck’s this week and donate $5 today to The Oasis, it’s for a great cause — it’s For the Birds.  https://the-oasis.org/donate/

 

 

 

And We’re Off….

I started this journey long ago, however, my first Blog Post on Adventure Toward Freedom was June 24, 2015.  I was stressed out, burned out and sick and tired of Corporate America – I wanted out.  It has been an interesting 18 months.  Toward the middle part of last year, I had an epiphany – Freedom to me isn’t about more – it was about letting go of stuff and LIVING more.  Less stuff and more adventures.  Pat and I decided to drastically downsize and hit the road.  At the end of November, we sold our house and are now living Full Time in our RV.  In the RV world, we’re now known as “Full Timers”!

With this new “Freedom” we spent a month at my sisters in Missouri over the Christmas Holiday.  We had a great time with family over the Holidays.  Thanks to my cousin Donna for some awesome pie!  I also had the opportunity and honor to help my sister redo her kitchen cabinets (I never would have had this opportunity working in Corporate America).  I think she was thrilled with the finished product, and I cherished the time I got to spend with her – day-to-day living, not just a visit – PRICELESS!

We’re now off heading toward warm weather-– Arizona.  We have a general direction – but no concrete plans.  I’m learning how to “slow down” and not live on adrenaline, and I must say I like it.

Follow along on our adventures – I’ll be posting about some of the awesome places we visit, the fascinating people that we meet along the way and lessons I learn on my Adventure Toward Freedom.

 

Off The Beaten Path

We hosted our last vacation renters this weekend at Playa del Dragon, it’s a slap and tickle.  I think our last group was perfect though.  A group of sisters, all coming from different parts of the country, coming to reconnect — and enjoy the magic that is sisterhood.  A perfect ending to a fun and rewarding venture.

We decided to “test drive” our new life style while our home was occupied one last time, so we ventured off to Canyon of the Eagles on Lake Buchanan.   We do love the Texas Hill Country — outcrops of granite, the cactus, the mesquite trees, and Big Sky!

Today we ventured over to Kingsland, TX for brunch — Grand Central Cafe at The Antlers Hotel (Pat said this was the best breakfast ever, and the prices are great).  It became even more interesting when we found out this was the house in the film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I’m not a scary movie fan, but couldn’t resist doing a little research.  This 1974 American Horror movie was actually filmed on Quick Hill Road, near Round Rock, TX (home of Dell Computer). Here are some other fun facts:

• This “low budget” film cost about $300,000
• The house was not cooled, and there was little ventilation. The crew covered its walls with drops of animal blood obtained from a local slaughterhouse.  
• The Art Director drove around the countryside and collected the remains of cattle and other animals in various stages of decomposition, with which he littered the floors of the house.  

I must say, they did a marvelous job renovating this old jewel.

The Antlers Hotel has it’s own interesting history, construction began in 1900 for this old gem.  It was built by the Austin and Northwestern Railroads, and was a thriving destination spot until the 1920’s when automobiles gained popularity.  An Austin couple purchased the hotel in 1993 and has restored this beautiful resort.  You can actually book a stay in any of the rail cars on the property.

Fall is almost as beautiful as Spring time in the Texas Hill Country — flowers and butterflies.

You never know what you’re going to find off the beaten path.

But I do love the adventure!