Here’s a brief recap of our RV travels for 2015 as depicted on the map above. Details on each of the stopover points can be found here.
# of RV’s: 2 (2014 Alpine 3495FL, 2016 Vilano 365RL)
# of Towing Trucks: 1 (2014 RAM 3500 Dually)
Total Towed Miles: 8087
Average MPG While Towing: 9-11
Additional (unhooked) Miles: 10000
Average MPG non-Towing: 16-21
# of Stops/Camping Locations: 42
# of States visited: 14 of 50 States (28%)
Longest Single Day Tow: 393 miles
Shortest Day Tow: 12 miles (working a multi-park job)
Longest Stay: 1 month (at both Cedar Key and Carrabella, FL)
Shortest Stay: 1 Night (Camp Lake Jasper, GA, while traveling back to NC from FL for the holidays)
In discussions of the year a number of things stand out:
- The transition to this new lifestyle has been easier than we ever imagined and there hasn’t been a moment when we’ve regretted it. Even Maggie has adapted well. We plan to continue the adventure.
- Within RV population, there are many social levels — from those driving 1/2 million dollar plus Class A rigs to those living in permanently parked RV’s who are only a step from homelessness. But at each level you’ll find some good people and some not so good…don’t prejudge.
- No matter where you find yourself, there’s always something new to see and something new to be learned. Every stop has had a lesson; every person has been a teacher.
We wish everyone a very Happy New Year!
That is a lot of traveling and places to visit but there is still a lot you have yet to cover. I’m also glad you have enjoyed yourselves and adjusted well to it. The only surprise is the number of unhooked miles, it is much more than I expected. Yet, many people commuting will triple that and see the same scenes each day. Your 10k miles is much better. :-) Happy New Year and looking forward to the 2016 Adventures.
We hope to add to that total number of states visited this year. The unhooked miles add up quickly. Once your set-up in a campsite it’s then sightseeing time, time to go get groceries, time to go out to eat, etc. That unhooked mileage would be a lot higher due to our mobile job except Bonnie rents a car at work campsites and we don’t track that mileage. It would add thousands of miles that just she drives. Happy New Year to you too, Monte, I hope you have a wonderful 2016!
Happy New Year and good traveling in 2016!
Thanks, Steve! Happy New Year and all the best to you in 2016!
Your map really puts your travels into perspective Brooks. I was surprised by the unhooked miles also!
You seemed to have covered the SE US fairly well, do you plan to branch into other regions?
Wishing you, Bonnie and Maggie safe travels for 2016!
Mark, thanks! I hope 2016 is a great year for you and yours as well. Those non-towing miles certainly add up faster than one realizes…surprised me too. Yes, we hope to branch out into other regions this year…we’ll be traveling and “working” in Texas until mid-March then we’ll see where we go.
Great map and interesting stats Brooks. Looking forward to the continuing adventure in 2016. I wish the three of you a wonderful year. All the best and safe travels.
Best wishes for 2016 to you too, Cedric. Thanks and we are looking forward to what 2016 and the RV road brings us this year. We were newbie’s this past year but feel much more seasoned going into this one. Plus, our comfort level has increased with the selection of the new 5th Wheel.
I found this past year I wasn’t as introspective about “the whole thing” as I thought/planned to be — perhaps a result of so much new happening outside of myself that I seldom turned or felt the need to turn the focus inward. Not sure but that may be healthier anyway. :-)