Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: free camping (page 2 of 3)

Getaway to the White Mountains

August 1, 2020 / / 62 Comments

New Hampshire’s attractive White Mountains are located 150 miles (241km) northeast of our current home base in Massachusetts. It takes a little over three hours to get there in our van (as opposed to 2.5 hours by car), since we stick to an average highway speed of 55-60mph (90km/h) in Zesty. This consumes less diesel, and we rarely have to pass anyone!

White Mountain National Forest was our destination this past week. It is huge, at 800,000 acres (which expand into Maine), attracts millions of visitors annually, and offers countless recreation possibilities, like 1,200 miles of hiking trails. When Mark and I returned from visiting people in Maine and Vermont in June, we drove through this stunning area and were impressed. We vowed to return for a proper immersion.

(Scroll over or click on images to read photo captions in the galleries.)

Just driving through the White Mountains – Mt. Washington
Quick stop last June – falls at a swimming hole
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Monthly Expenses – September 2019

October 9, 2019 / / 45 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. Since June 2019 - we adopted Maya on June 4th - we have a dog section as well. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

For the month of September, Mark, Maya, and I lived and traveled in our camper van, Zesty. This was interspersed with multiple-day visits to destinations in Quebec and Maine and nights at an Airbnb, a friend's house, a motel, and a hotel, courtesy of my parents, who joined us on September 19th. The generosity of ma and pa kept our expenses lower than they would have been, as they chipped in for groceries, fuel, and a national park pass and treated us to restaurant meals.

Our battery problem started in Halifax and continued on Cape Breton

Our friends Alex and Dave jump started us for the last time in Cavendish, PEI.

They had our size battery in Summerside, PEI.

Swapping our old, defunct car battery for a new one

Despite that, September was still an "average" month, due to camper projects, an expensive bridge toll, and personal splurges. We purchased a new car battery on Prince Edward Island, several parts and tools to fix the van this month, and a few drinks and meals out.

Splurge with food and drinks at the Evermoore Brewery in summerside

Lobster roll! Our first and only one this year.

Confederation Bridge ranks as the most expensive bridge we ever crossed.

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Snapshots from Nova Scotia – Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail

September 21, 2019 / / 49 Comments

Mark, Maya, and I had five weeks to explore the Canadian Maritimes, before my parents would arrive from Belgium. Time flies! Especially when all hiking and sightseeing is postponed on rainy days. We knew we couldn’t circumnavigate Nova Scotia in its entirety, due to long distances, expensive fuel, and time constraints.

Crossing New Brunswick took about a week, then we spent another one in the Halifax area, where we had to choose: travel about the southwest corner of the province or the northeastern part. We picked the latter and headed to Cape Breton Island, many hours and kilometers away.

We hit the Cabot Trail – a famous scenic drive – on the first day of September. Another traveler had recommended we’d drive counter clockwise to take in the dramatic vistas from the best angle, so we did. While pretty, it wasn’t as spectacular as we anticipated; the nicer parts reminded us somewhat of the Acadia National Park shoreline in Maine.

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Snapshots from Nova Scotia – Picturesque Ports & Places

September 15, 2019 / / 46 Comments

Mark, Maya, and I spent about two weeks in Nova Scotia, a beautiful province that is part of the Canadian Maritimes. This is the first of two posts I will publish about our time there, the end of August and the beginning of September 2019. Before that, we explored the southern part of New Brunswick.

Economy

Our intended camping experience near and hike to Economy Falls failed, due to the road’s horrible condition. Mark and I could have biked to the trailhead, but not with Maya. Ten miles of running beside bicycles on top of a five-mile romp in the woods would be too much. So, we opted for free camping option two: Thomas Cove Coastal Reserve. There, we found a peaceful spot to park along the Bay of Fundy, at the beginning of multiple flat but fun hiking trails. (Click on photos to enlarge and read captions.)

Not a bad spot for a couple of nights
Almost low tide in the Bay of Fundy
Look at all that cushy moss – Maya loved jumping around in it!
Nobody else was around during this fun walk in the woods
Exposed rock during low tide
Hiking in the woods
Low tide
After running around for miles, Maya’s tongue was hanging pretty low!
Giving Maya a bath – finally the outdoor shower comes in handy!
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Monthly Expenses – August 2019

September 11, 2019 / / 8 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

Mark, Maya, and I are living  and traveling full-time in our van again, recently in the Maritimes (East Coast) of Canada. That - and a "surprise" hurricane - explains the delays with my blog posts, as we don't have a cost-prohibitive data plan in this country. Ironically, we still pay for the one in the US without using it. Luckily, it is quite easy to find free WiFi here in libraries, visitor centers, Tim Horton's, McDonalds, Walmart, and Canadian Tire, among other businesses. Usually, we briefly stop to grab emails and send the next batch, prepared offline.  Once in a while - ideally on a rainy day - we do more effort to find long-term internet.

Boondocking in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia

August was an average spending month, I'd say, except for the extras, like my dentist visit in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, a haircut before we left on our adventure, and new shoes and flip flops for Mark. But, every month has something special in store! I was tempted to put that $8 for parking under "camping" as we spent the night on the same lot in Halifax, but, parking there is free between 6pm and 8am, so - once again - we boondocked (or "urban camped" in this case) for free and had a nice evening out on top of it.

This is a great brewery in Halifax. Dogs are allowed inside and outside and you can bring in your own (or take-out) food!

Maya enjoys going out with us, whenever possible.

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Monthly Expenses – July 2019

August 5, 2019 / / 23 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂 Since July 2018, Mark and I have been combining van life in our Zesty and house and pet sitting, which we did full-time before that. The best of both worlds! 

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

The first week of July was spent in our camper van (Ontario, Quebec, and Vermont). The rest of the month, Mark, Maya, and I have been living with my in-laws in Massachusetts. We are hitting the road again this weekend.

Using our friend Ryan's driveway (and tools) to replace Zesty's brakes this past weekend.

As usual, the biggest expense category was Zesty, as we had to drive all the way to Newburyport, MA and planned more projects.

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Monthly Expenses – June 2019

July 9, 2019 / / 16 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂 Since July 2018, Mark and I have been combining van life in our Zesty and house and pet sitting, which we did full-time before that. The best of both worlds! 

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

I'm a bit late with my expense report for June. The excuse: a long and challenging ride east with soaring heat and humidity, mediocre camping spots, no internet the last week, an anxious dog, and little time for anything other than driving, searching for shade, and outdoor activities. More about that later. The entire month of June was spent in our camper van Zesty and we have no more house sits lined up.

Driving into Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Scenes on the road

Mark drove the entire way, usually no more than four hours a day.

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Monthly Expenses – May 2019

June 8, 2019 / / 21 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂 Since July 2018, Mark and I have been combining van life in our Zesty and house and pet sitting, which we did full-time before that. The best of both worlds! 

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

The first ten days of May, Mark and I house and pet sat in Albuquerque and the rest of the month we lived in our camper van in Kanab, Utah while volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. I made a comment in my last expense report that May would be an expensive month for us. It was... extremely expensive... triple the amount of April, because of our camper van.

May is the month in which we pay for our annual van insurance, which increased to over $1,000 this year. That's usually what we aim to spend (but rarely achieve) every month for all the categories! We also purchased a new alternator and pullies for the engine, which Mark replaced himself in Kanab, Utah. It was a day-long project. He can now call himself a car mechanic, on top of a boat mechanic. 🙂

Taking the engine apart…

… and fixing it, at Napa Autoparts in Kanab, UT

Outdoor workshop

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Monthly Expenses – April 2019

May 5, 2019 / / 18 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂 Since July 2018, Mark and I have been combining van life in our Zesty and house and pet sitting, which we did full-time before that. The best of both worlds! 

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

Lake Powell near Page, AZ

In April, Mark and I lived and traveled in Zesty for the first week. The rest of the month, we house and pet sat in Albuquerque, New Mexico. No crazy expenses this past month. We went out for lunch in Navajo Nation to try Native American food.

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Monthly Expenses – March 2019

April 7, 2019 / / 46 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂 Since July 2018, Mark and I have been combining van life in our Zesty and house and pet sitting, which we did full-time before that. The best of both worlds! 

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and Mark's vitamins and supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups, we both return to the East Coast.

In March, our van was our home as we traveled the length of Arizona and dipped into Southern Utah. That explains the higher than usual diesel cost for the month. Our back suspension had a crack in it and needed a new bracket. After bargaining down with an Eastern European mechanic in Phoenix, starting at $450 (!!), he quoted us $300 for the job. He definitely tried to take advantage of us. Maybe because we have a "fancy" camper? Maybe because of our Massachusetts license plate? Mark did some research online, ordered the parts himself, and did the work within half an hour for $50!

Our trip on the water revealed a few of Lake Havasu’s replica lighthouses

Leaving the little channel by casino ferry

Havasu Landing on the other side of Lake Havasu is situated in California

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