New years and time zones

On your way west from North Carolina to Arizona you change time zones twice. We arrived in Bullhead City on December 27th and had just enough time to get settled and meet a few locals before New Years Eve.

Milestones and Memories

We left Oklahoma refreshed and optimistic. Sure I did not win my millions at the Casino like I had wanted but there would be other chances in our future. Besides, you do not need to be a millionaire to enjoy the warm weather out west.

Free Casino Parking and Beginners Luck

I assume you all know by now we ran in to a little engine trouble. We had planed to head out west to warmer weather. We have a friend  we missed very much and who we were in a hurry to see. To top it all off by the time we left the rainforest we had saved up enough cash to do some repairs, get new tires, and take some time off.

Step back in time at the Dalton Defenders Day!

It has taken longer I had thought it would to write this post. Every time I get started something comes up. Sorry to have kept you waiting. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Forgotten Treasure's USA: Coffeyville, KS

A while back we decided we would start a blog series called forgotten treasures. Put simply this series would highlight the places or things that were at one time sought after, then obtained, and eventually left to rust. So much of the modern American life centers around consumerism. I find myself asking this question often: "How much is enough?"

We stood at the feet of a Goddess

        I have always thought about how cool it would be to hit the road and see America. One of the things I was most looking forward to was road side attractions. My wife who knows me so well kept this in mind as she mapped out our ride. She plotted our route using Google Maps and a neat little feature to point out the sights along the way. She told me that a classic looking icon caught her eye.
        Anyone who knows me knows I have a love of classical culture. Nashville has a piece of classic culture reborn in America. A remake of the Parthenon in Athens. It has been there for over 100 years and I am just hearing about it now.

Maiden Voyage: Last Leg

Heading into Nashville

Thursday night was our first thunderstorm in the Defiant. I would like to say that it passed unnoticed but that would be a lie. The thunder seemed to shake the whole camper and the lightning lit up the sky like it was mid-day. Though the storm did not last long it was enough to jolt us from our sleep and keep us awake for more hours then I would have liked. The good news was there were no leaks.    

We got up much later than we had wanted and I wasted no time getting everything ready for the road. I had hoped that we would have made it to the Parthenon by the time we were just getting out of bed.

Maiden Voyage: Part two

We awoke to the gentle sounds of Mother Nature. The birds were singing, the wind rustled through the leaves of the trees, and the squirrels hunted for their morning nuts. The first thing that came to my mind was where am I? After a few moments of disorientated panic I remembered we were in Georgia. I have come to find that I have woken up like that every morning in the camper. I wonder if that will ever go away.

Our second day on the road promised to be better than the first. I had much more rest then I had the night before our maiden voyage. I was also much more confident in my driving; after all I had gotten us this far without running over anyone.

Campground Review: Victoria Bryant State Park, Georgia.

When we saw the sign on I-85 pointing left for Victoria Bryant State park we were exhausted and hoping for a restful nights sleep. I have seen several state parks in my life, some of them don't even have gravel in the campsites. We were exhausted and this seemed to be the closest place to stay for a night before we entered Atlanta.

We had to drive about twelve miles off of the interstate to find this hidden treasure. We arrived right before the office closed and the office attendant was ever so helpful. She gave us a map that included hiking trails and pointed out the spots where we would have the best views of the natural springs running through the park.

Our Maiden Voyage

                When you have a dream you build up an image in your head of what it will be like when you finally get to live it out.
                When I dreamed about our RV life I had visions of sing-alongs as we rolled down the road, pleasant chats with diner patrons, beautiful landscapes, and the feel of real freedom. Things are not always as you imagine them.

                Now I don’t want you to think I am not having fun. This has been a lot of fun and I am sure it will only get better. It is just things are not exactly as I had dreamed they would be. After our tearful goodbye that you can read all about in my last post I realized something. I had never driven anything this large that far.

                When we got the Defiant it was not far from where we were living. When I drove it home it was on back country roads that I knew well and we did not see many other drivers on them. After that she sat parked in the yard while we worked on her and raised money to start our adventures. We took her a few places locally, like the inspection station and Mammaw’s house, but again all back roads I knew well.

                Our first trip was 1000 miles to Kansas and most of it was interstate and driving on the interstate was a little different then country roads in NC. The defiant has a strong motor and I know that, but still a piece of me was worried that she might not

It felt as if the day would never come...

           All the talk, all the preparation, and all the planning let us know the day would arrive but it felt like it never would... Then the day came.

Just checking in with our friends!

Our home for the next week!

Hello everyone!

In the last four days we have traveled across seven states, we are getting settled in to living full time in an RV and learning the road in The Defiant.

We know that many of you are wanting to read all about our journey over the last few days and see all the awesome photos we took but for now we just wanted to let you know we made it safely to Kansas. The Defiant has been very good to us and a cozy place to call home.

Take me out to the ball game..

I am not a big fan of baseball. 

I own a glove and understand the terminology, but the professional sports side of it I do not understand. When someone asked me who my favorite player was I said Buck Bokai, for the London kings.

So why a baseball game? Well we were kind of enticed to go.

We did know the star of the show, the most talented hostess Halley Murrow Castleberry, and her invitation was hard to pass up.

Lazy 5 Ranch "It's got my bucket"

We took my little brother to the Lazy 5 Ranch today for his birthday and we had a blast.


Watch the video of our day below!! Thanks & Enjoy!!