The first question....

....my mom jokingly asked me on the drive home: "How is your marriage??" But also, it seemed like a very practical question after 5+ weeks on the road. This was the longest contiguous time Sean and I have ever spent together in 22-ish years - zero time apart or without the kids nearby. And since the answer was "oh, so good!" we learned that apparently we THRIVE on survival and adventure!

One more question we have gotten a few times: Are you RV people now?

I think we see the draw, the call to adventure, the ease of having so little to manage. But we got the RV for this trip specifically and it's already listed here for someone else to love. We will be sad to see it go, and maybe there will be another season for RV life in the future.... but we are not keeping "Kevin". See below photos for "Kevin the in Wild".

So where did we go (and stay)?

Part one Heading West

July 29+30 Harvest Host in Maryland (to see friends!)

July 1-4 Kiptopeke Beach in VA

July 4-6 This adorable Air BNB in Virginia Mountains

July 6-9 A pastoral retreat house in the Shenandoah Valley

1st National Park! Shenandoah Valley

July 9 Campground in KY

2nd National Park New River Gorge

July 10-12 Mammoth Cave Campground (Maple Springs)

3rd National Park Mammoth Cave

July 12-14 St. Louis area (motel and MO Campground)

4th National Park The Arch

July 14 Harvest Host site in KS

July 15 Harvest Host site in KS

July 16 Stayed with friends in Colorado Springs

July 17-21 Jellystone Campgrounds in Larkspur, CO

5th National Park The Rockies

July 21 Harvest Host Site in Jackson

6th National Park Grand Tetons

July 22 Teton/Yellowstone Campground

7th National Park Yellowstone

July 23-26 Yellowstone Gateway Inn in Gardiner, MT

Part two Heading back East

July 26 Harvest Host in WY

July 27 Campground in South Dakota

8th National Park Wind Cave

July 28-30 Campground in the Badlands, SD

9th National Park Badlands

July 31 Ingall's Homestead (Little House on the Prarie) in De Smet, SD

August 1 Campground in Minnesota

August 2 Campground in Wisconsin (right on the Mississippi)

10th National Park Indiana Dunes

August 3 Campground in Michigan

11th National Park Cuyahoga Valley

August 4 Drove through the night to get HOME

And yes it took a long time to get this itinerary planned, booked, and we even rebooked a few spots as we went along. I can't wait to share more about Harvest Hosts in my next post!