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A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: sightseeing (page 3 of 7)

Welcome to Bisbee, Arizona!

December 16, 2020 / / 79 Comments

Bisbee, AZ, has been on our radar for a while. A few years ago, when discovering the desert southwest in our camper van Zesty, we met fellow travelers in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona and the Vermilion Cliffs in Utah who told us Bisbee was the perfect place to settle. Apparently, property still appeared affordable, creative people abound, the atmosphere oozed friendliness, a liberal and diverse population inhabited the scene, and the weather was perfect. Right.

Next time we’d return to Southern Arizona, we would check out Bisbee. In the meantime, Mark kept an eye on its house listings on Zillow. Surprisingly, everything that went up for sale, especially the cute, renovated miners’ cottages, disappeared within weeks if not days. Bisbee had been discovered! Not that we are thinking of putting down roots anywhere…

Approaching Bisbee for the first time

This week, our trio finally parked Zesty in Old Bisbee, friends Duwan and Greg from Make Like An Ape Man in tow. We would explore the town inside and out to get a feel for the different areas, the layout, the atmosphere, the pros, and the cons. Being able to park overnight for free in the middle of this hillside enclave was a good start!

Located 90 miles southeast of Tucson and nestled in the Mule Mountains, Bisbee was founded in 1880. It quickly became a booming (copper) mining town that still sports a well-preserved historic downtown with steep roads and many – seemingly infinite – staircases acting as entryways and shortcuts.

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Tidbits from the Road – Heading West across the USA

November 21, 2020 / / 54 Comments

The last time Mark and I crossed the United States from East to West was in October 2016. We attended the sailboat show in Annapolis as vendors with our marine WiFi and cell data product and invention, The Wirie, before driving to Northern California in our Prius. We had five days to cross this massive country in order to start our first housesit on the West Coast. We lasted a few years “out west,” house and pet sitting and exploring in our camper van Zesty, before making our way back east in the summer of 2019.

The Southwest is where our hearts lie. The vast, open spaces, low population, incredible natural sites, and sense of freedom trump the mountains and greenery of the East Coast. We think…

Our Route

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you are familiar with our lack of planning. We pretty much take life as it comes, one step at a time; something that is evident in the title of my forthcoming travel memoir: Plunge. Anything can influence our route, our destination, our timing, our moods.

Here’s how we ended up in Arizona, this time around…

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Snowbirds in Florida – Not Your Usual Winter

March 25, 2020 / / 53 Comments

After three unusually rainy and/or cold winters out west in our 19ft camper van, Zesty, we had one objective for this last season: be warm. The only place in the lower 48s to assure that: Florida. Southern Florida. Since Mark and I always “bring” weird weather wherever we go, something would be amiss in the Sunshine State this winter as well. Firstly, Sunshine State is a misnomer better suited for California or Arizona, as the skies have been mostly cloudy (except on the days I take photos :-)). Secondly, we regularly had 40-degree weather (5 degrees Celsius) in January and, skipping spring all together, upper eighties from March on. Unseasonably hot.

Here’s what we’ve been up to the last three months…

(Hover over the photos to read the captions or click to enlarge.)

January 2020

The new year and new decade couldn’t have started better. After work and a bit of sightseeing in Kentucky, we drove to Florida to celebrate the arrival of 2020 with good sailing friends in Marineland. Even Maya liked her week-long visit to their refurbished catamaran, Sauvage. We were invited by a business owner in St. Augustine, who welcomed us with open arms and spoiled us with splendid company, food, and promises. Good times!

We parked at the marina and slept on the boat.
Hauling Maya aboard Sauvage
Maya – happy on deck
Maya comfy in the cockpit
Beach walk at sunset
Game night
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St. Augustine – Almost Home

February 19, 2020 / / 54 Comments

I hinted on it in a recent blog post: in January, Mark, Maya, and I spent about two weeks – spread over multiple visits – in historic St. Augustine, Florida, in regards to a job. Our life would potentially take an entirely different turn here. Promising and exciting. Or, was the anticipation part of a mind trick? Something that sounded too good to be true? A case of me falling for the trap I usually avoid: expectation leads to disappointment?

Nights of Lights – St. Augustine was lit up from November 23rd, 2019 to February 2nd, 2020.
The Lichtner Museum by night
Along the waterfront
The fort at night
Parked on a driveway next to our amenities

While in town, we had access to electricity, bathrooms, showers, and laundry. Luxurious and easy! Our AT&T data plan works splendidly in St. Augustine, so I could continue my own projects. The neighborhood was a bit shady and the traffic and train noise were horrific, but we could walk into the cute downtown.

The Lichtner Museum by day
The Henry Flagler statue stands in front of Flagler College, formerly Ponce de Leon Hotel, built in 1887 by Henry Flagler and now a historic landmark.
Inside Flagler College
Flagler College grounds
Memorial Presbyterian Church, constructed in 1889
Meeting friends – Rob, Amy, and Rik – currently “stationed” in St. Augustine
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Kentucky Surprises

January 22, 2020 / / 78 Comments

If it wasn’t for an interesting job opportunity, Mark and I would never have considered visiting Kentucky. Yet, upon reading what the state has to offer and actually driving through its attractive countryside, we discovered beauty from rolling hills to majestic buildings and from famous events to dark, long caves. We are not alone in our positive findings; we kept hearing about surprising discoveries other campers and visitors made as well.

(Scroll over the image to read captions or click to enlarge.)

Welcome to Kentucky!
Bucolic scene
Rolling hills

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we thought we’d have time to explore the area during our seven-week job commitment, but the night schedule was too exhausting to venture far on our one full day off. That being said, we found a few fun hikes around lakes near Campbellsville and saved the other attractions until the Amazon job was finished. We actually planned to head south as quickly as possible, that December 25th, but unseasonably warm weather made these Kentucky stops possible.

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Expense Report 2019

January 15, 2020 / / 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 relatively adventurous life without breaking the bank. “The less money you spend, the less you need to make” is my motto. 🙂

Our first yearly expense report (2016) can be found here, the report of 2017 here, and the one for 2018 is here. In 2019, Mark and I house and pet sat for six weeks, visited our family back east for one month, and lived and traveled in our camper van Zesty in the US and Canada the rest of the year. What follows is the break-down of how we spent our money in 2019.

The Wave in Utah

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. New for 2019 is the category “Dog”. We adopted Maya on June 4th. 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. The utility cost refers to phone data plans with AT&T.

We drove from San Diego, California …
… to the Sea of Cortez (Puerto Penasco) in Mexico …
… to Utah …
… to Nova Scotia …
… to Florida!

Our expenses in 2019 were about $500 higher than the previous year. Considering that our new companion consumed a $1,200 chunk (mostly meds and vet costs) means that we did better in almost all the other categories. The biggest part of our camper category keeps going to repairs and maintenance. We did cover quite a bit of distance last year as well (14,000 miles), which is represented in our high diesel amount. Our monthly average for groceries remains $300.

Engine work in Utah
Changing the brake pads ourselves
New brakes!
New sliding window from Mercedes
That’s a big hole!

Another biggie last year was the price of my citizenship. With all that behind us – my US passport is waiting in Massachusetts – this year can only get cheaper, right? My main shock happened when noting our alcohol dollars. That is a lot, especially since we didn’t throw or attended many parties… If there’s one amount I want to lower in 2020 it’s this one.

US Citizenship!

We can’t get out of the gift category. We love our spouse, family and friends too much and treating them for birthdays and other occasions – with a restaurant meal or a personalized gift – is just plain fun. Our utilities went up, because we basically live in our camper van full-time – more propane and laundromats needed and when we can’t find free dump stations, we have to pay. We are currently testing Visible as our internet and cell provider, but the results are bleak compared to our monthly, quite reliable AT&T plan.

Celebrating our wedding anniversary with friends Zach and Heather in Vermont
Taking Mark’s nephew, Randall, and his wife, Rebeccah, out to drinks and dinner as a wedding gift
Meeting up with our van-friends Greg and Duwan for the third time in 2019
Birthday celebrations with new friends
Ending the year with good (boating) friends Karmen and Tom in Florida

As a citizen, I hope to obtain a new healthcare plan that includes basic dental work. Therefore, the medical category should theoretically go down this year as well. I mentioned Mark’s new SmartPhone in last month’s report and all the other amounts seem straightforward. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments.

The team responsible for Maya’s adoption: Amy, Jessica, and Jeff

The charity category is lower than last year and will not be present for 2020. I figured that the money we used to donate to animal rescue organizations should go towards Maya (and then some). If our financial situation improves, it will appear again! 🙂

Isn’t she the cutest?
Our photogenic girl
Maya has discovered toys since we adopted her
Maya LOVES running in the woods
Running on a beach is fun as well

Last but not least, I’m surprised that we didn’t spend a dime on campgrounds in 2019. Having camped  for nine months out of the year, this is good and bad. Perfect for the pocket and often for the surroundings, peace, and privacy, but not so great when it comes to comfort, convenience, and spoiling ourselves. We did get a campground break in Kentucky, as employer Amazon paid for that one.

Boondocking on BLM land in Utah …
… surrounded by red cliffs in Arizona …
… in Walmart parking lots…
… and in front of the Nashville skyline.

2019 Overview:

Camper (repairs: $2967; diesel: $1828; insurance: $1078,

registration: $86; tolls: $81; parking: $63):

Groceries:

Dog (supplies: $524; vet: $403; food: $188; adoption: $100):

Customs & Immigration (citizenship: $725; passport: $161):

Dining Out:

Alcohol:

Gifts (B-days, NY gifts, treating family):

Utilities (cell data: $351; propane: $53; dump: $10)

Health and Fitness (vitamins & haircuts):

Medical (dentist: $170; meds: $40; scan: $30):

Clothing (shoes, jeans, t-shirts):

Computer (new phone, router, hosting, Turbo Tax):

Drinking out:

Bank charges (annual credit card fee):

Travel (National Park pass, park fees Canada):

Entertainment (guided tours):

Transportation (shuttle buses, metro, ferry):

Charity (Best Friends):

Household (camper items):

Laundry:

Postage:

Camping:

 

TOTAL:

 

 

$6103

$3563

$1215

$886

$758

$708

$675

$413

$368

$240

$214

$211

$159

$150

$110

$106

$87

$70

$66

$61

$63

$0

———

$ 16,119

(Table might not load correctly on tablets – try turning the screen for better results.)

Surfing into 2020

For another (more detailed and colorful) annual expense report of full-time van-dwellers, check out the 2019 “Cost of Being a Nomad” post of our friends Duwan and Greg here.

Do you keep track of your expenses? How did your budgeting go in 2019? Any categories you’d like to do better with in 2020?

IWSG Writing Update January 2020 – Ready to Dive in Again

January 8, 2020 / / 62 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional. For January, the question is: “What started you on your writing journey ?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are T. Powell Coltrin, Victoria Marie Lees, Stephen Tremp, and J.H. Moncrieff.

My answer to the question

My writing journey unassumingly started in fourth grade, when my classmates and I were tasked with writing a daily diary of about five lines (and drawing a picture underneath) throughout the school year. I picked up that habit again (minus the drawing) when I was fourteen and have been journaling every day since, for the last thirty years. The entries are super long when I travel and explore. Knowing that I’ve been a digital nomad since 2003, one can only imagine how much time I spent writing down my experiences. Hurray for digital diaries, as that meant the end of adding notebooks to the two full tubs stored at my cousin’s house in Belgium.

I’ve always enjoyed putting my thoughts on paper, so essay assignments at school were my favorite. All in Dutch. When Mark and I were on our second sailing journey, in the Eastern Caribbean, I started writing and selling articles in English, on top of blogs, personal notes, and a column. Eventually, I focused on writing a memoir about my thirties on the water. A previous attempt to write a book about our overland explorations in Central America failed, because we were already on to the next adventure. Writing successes and a nomadic lifestyle are tough to combine.

Ocean Pond in Osceola National Forest, Florida
Boondocking in the National Forest
Pine trees under the blue Floridian sky
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Monthly Expenses – December 2019

January 6, 2020 / / 25 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.

Walking Maya in the neighborhood of the campground in Campbellsville
This is where the Kentucky Derby takes place!

The first three weeks of December, Mark, Maya, and I continued living in a campground and working in Campbellsville, Kentucky. We hit the road again in our camper van for the last week of the year. The entertainment category constitutes those travels, as I took a tour of Churchill Downs in Louisville, where the Kentucky Derby takes place, and Mark and I took a guided walk in Mammoth Caves, after hiking with Maya to wear her out.

Remnants of saltpeter mining activity in the caves
Rock formations in Mammoth Cave NP

We didn’t spend money on camping as we managed to boondock during our “migration south”. The three of us made stops in Frankfort, Louisville, and Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky (more about that another time) and found the most amazing free parking in Nashville, Tennessee, which allowed us to explore this vibrant music city and have drinks at night.

Boondocking spot across from Nashville’s skyline
Going out for a drink in Nashville

Mark bought a new SmartPhone at a very good price after doing lots of research and waiting for the right moment. The amount underneath includes a two-month data plan, a new SIM card, and a free tablet! While in Kentucky, we HAD to try Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and its competitor Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken. We took Maya to the vet to get another opinion about her itchiness. At the moment, we are giving CBD oil a try. This might help with her anxieties as well…

Finally a new phone for Mark
When in Kentucky…
Lee’s is a competitor of KFC in Kentucky, so we had to try it out as well.

We couldn’t avoid buying more alcohol, as we planned a fun New Year’s Eve (and extended stay) with our sailing friends Karmen and Tom in St. Augustine, Florida. They put a feast together on the last day of the year and we enjoyed spending time with them and their friends on their refitted catamaran, Sauvage. More about that later as well.

After party inside the boat
Meeting Rob, a new boating friend
Karmen and Ricky playing ukulele

December 2019 Overview:

Groceries:

Computer Hardware (phone $95; router: $40):

Camper (fuel: $112; repairs: $23):

Dog (vet: $56; supplies:$53; food: $25):

Dining out:

Utilities (phone: $35; propane: $15):

Entertainment (Mammoth Caves: $34; Churchill Downs: $13):

Health & Fitness (vitamins Mark):

Alcohol:

Gifts:

Drinking out:

Laundry:

Camping:

 

TOTAL:

 

$368

$135

$135

$134

$56

$50

$47

$46

$40

$39

$20

$20

$0

———

$ 1090

Our 2019 in Review & Happy Holidays!

December 29, 2019 / / 45 Comments

If you are a regular reader, you will probably remember most of our journey through 2019. If you are new to our site, I invite you to browse and click around a bit for stories and photos about our past adventures. The links in this post give you a glimpse into some of those experiences.

Driving part of historic route 66, AZ

January

Mark and I explored the Borrego Springs area in the California desert, flew to Newburyport, Massachusetts to see doctors, friends, and family, and did a short repeat house sit in San Diego.

Metal art in the desert of Anza-Borrego
It’s cold in Newburyport, MA in the winter!
With the twin nieces at our home base in Massachusetts
Repeat house and pet sit for the Italian Greyhounds Elvis and Frida
San Diego skyline
Our neighborhood on Point Loma, San Diego
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The Art of Our Nomadic Minds – Almost Heaven, West Virginia

December 12, 2019 / / 39 Comments

I’ve mentioned it before on this blog: Mark and I don’t plan much and often “wing” it on the road, whether that’s in regards to our route, what we visit, or where we park for the night. It’s just easier to go with the flow; we don’t have to plan, research, and be disappointed if things go wrong and we love putting our flexible minds to good use.

When the three of us left Newburyport, Massachusetts, the end of September, we had about a week to cover the 1,000-mile distance to Campbellsville, Kentucky. Two stops were anticipated: Greenwich, Connecticut for two days of quality time with relatives, and the southern Walmart in Hagerstown (yes, there are two), Maryland, to meet up with our awesome van friends Duwan and Greg.

Greenwich, CT

What can I say? It is always a joy to be with our brother-in-law, Brian, and his lovely wife, Margaret. Fabulous, smart, pretty, and beaming niece Chelsea came over for one of the days – the cherry on top. She introduced her rescued Korean dog Mochi to us and we also met the two new kittens. Can you tell why this is a happy place for us, with all this love for animals and people going around?

(Hover over photos to read captions or click to enlarge.)

Chelsea and Mochi
Hello Mochi!
Two newly adopted and playful kittens
Doggy heaven!
Dinner with the family: Chelsea, Brian, Margaret, and Mark
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