If you follow our Instagram account, you might have noticed a slight – okay – major change in our method of road tripping. Yes indeed, it’s the third summer of Don’t Make Me Turn This Van Around and we’re hitting the road in our third vehicle. This time, it’s not a van at all. We … More Don’t Make Me Turn This… RV? Around
I began writing this post long before coronavirus became a constant factor in daily life. I’ll certainly have something to say about the pandemic from the perspective of someone with a serious medical condition. For now, enjoy this break from 24-hour coronavirus programming: Most days, Monica wakes up at about 4:30 in the morning, sneaks … More Need to run a faster marathon? Snickers really satisfies.
You may have noticed some cosmetic changes to this page. The banner photo at the top has changed, and now features our van du jour – the Westfalia. I’ll be honest. Buying a 1995 Volkswagen Eurovan Camper last spring was an impulsive move. We already had a 2002 Dodge that was hard to beat. But … More Goodbye to the Ol’ Dodge
This post is a couple of weeks delayed, as I’ve been focusing on some volunteer projects since we’ve been home. As I write, I’m about two months removed from the last days of our summer travels. Much like last summer, we finished our trip with a visit with family (my in-laws) at a lake house … More Lazy Lake Days and the Best Worst Place To Have Car Trouble
I grew up in California and my family’s idea of summer vacation was camping in the Sierras. In fact, in my early (and not so early) years, I believed that “vacation” meant camping in the Sierra. When a kid at school said they went on vacation, I’d ask if they caught any fish. And they’d … More What is this? Xanadu?
After I got back from my checkup in Cleveland, we had a couple of weeks to recharge our batteries at home. We hit a wedding, where we were part of a successful flash mob – dancing to Uptown Funk. The kids burned off some energy at a gymnastics camp and we had an abbreviated version … More Rain, and vomit and bears, oh my!
I’ve given Monica a bit of a hard time this summer about her map reading skills. In truth, she really only got us lost once, and it turned into a real adventure. She’ll readily admit her lack of geographical memorization and I have caught her looking at the wrong state out west last summer (they’re … More Summer ’19, Part 9: Losing our marbles in Raleigh
Coming out of Shenandoah Valley National Park, we had a couple of days to kill before visiting a friend in Raleigh. It offered our second chance on the trip to pop over to Richmond and extend the summer’s Civil War theme. (Did you know that Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, is only about 100 … More Summer ’19: Part 8, A Right Turn to Charlottesville
Purchasing the Westy put us on a collision course with a place I never gave much thought to visiting: The Jersey Shore. We live in Florida. We have the best beaches down the road from us. Why on earth would we go to the beach in New Jersey? The answer to that question for us … More Summer ’19, Part V: The Jersey Shore!
Leaving Pittsburgh, we had two days to get to Ocean City New Jersey. Our first stop was Gettysburg. Again, we took the Pennsylvania turnpike, even though it’s merely the old tracks of General Lee’s artillery brigade. Fortunately, the country roads, where the Amish ride in carriages, are paved. In Gettysburg, we cashed in a free … More Summer ’19, Part IV: The Civil War and Amish Intercourse
Don't make me turn this van around! RV Edition 