Last updated on September 22nd, 2023 at 08:15 pm
We had another great year of travel and family adventures! From local camping to a road trip to New Hampshire, we continue to revisit old favorites and explore new destinations.
Camping with Family & Friends
We just love when our friends and family can join us on our camping trips! This year two of our sons, our daughter-in-law, and our grandson were able to join us on our first trip of the year to Colonial Williamsburg.
Then I went on a series of camping & hiking trips with her best friend in Shenandoah National Park. One trip was even in a tent! For the other three tips, I took the RV up to the park to have a little more comfort. The sites in the national park don’t have any hookups, but the Arctic Fox and our solar system served us well.
We stayed at the Harper’s Ferry KOA in West Virginia to complete a 5k race. The race course went right through the campground and a historic farm in the Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park.
In the summer, we went to New Hampshire’s White Mountains and stayed at the Lincoln / KOA Holiday for two weeks. We absolutely loved the area and want to go back for a longer stay.
We wrapped up the summer with our first visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and had an absolute blast at Camp Margaritaville in Pigeon Forge, Tennesse. It has easily become our favorite campground!
Our last camping trip of the year was to Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness Campground in Orlando, Florida where we met up with our good friend, Kenny & Sabrina. We love Fort Wilderness and Disney, so it was only natural to want to share it with Jax.
This trip could be used in the dictionary to define Murphy’s Law: Sean & Jax both ended up in urgent care with RSV and associated sinus infections, our gray tank sprung a leak, and a tropical storm forced Disney to evacuate the campground. Even worse, the tropical storm closed the airport and our son, Justin’s flight was canceled. Still, we made the best of it, and ended up having a good time.
Other Travel
We went on a few other trips without the RV: Tampa, Florida for the RV Super Show; Tucson, Arizona for the FMCA Rally; and Las Vegas, Nevada just for fun.
While in Tampa, we took a trip to the beach. In Arizona, we visited Saguaro National Park and Mount Lemmon. Richie joined us for a few days in Vegas and we went horseback riding in Red Rock Canyon. Julie also managed to get in some hiking at Mount Charleston just 45 minutes outside of Las Vegas.
The Epic Retirement Bucket List
Julie also wrote a book this year: The Epic Retirement Bucket List: 150 Globe-Trotting Ideas To Inspire Your Next Chapter. The ideas are divided into five chapters: Go Exploring; Eat, Drink, and Be Merry; Embrace New Experiences; Give Back; and Challenge Yourself.
