South Cacalaki

We finally got our wheels out of Florida!  It was a long drive, but we landed just south-east of Columbia, South Carolina in between the small towns of Swansea and Pelian.

Fulltime Families Rally

I have to be honest. I was reluctant to attend a rally. See, I'm an extreme introvert. I enjoy my time alone. The company of too many people makes me very uncomfortable. The thought of having to socialize all day, every day for a few days in a row makes me very uncomfortable. In fact, I spent the month prior trying to figure out a way to NOT attend our first rally.

Wrapping up in FL

I know I've been awful quiet for a while...I apologize.  It's so very easy to get wrapped up in other things.  I know I owe you updates on a ton of states, the entire Mississippi River Valley as a matter of fact, but I'll get back to that soon.  For now let me tell you where we are and where we are going (kinda).

New friends!!

The rally was great. I made two friends Dean and Gavin. Gavin is Dean's friend. Dean's nickname is Dean the bean. They LOVE to play Minecraft.

"The Rally"

I'm 

We recently went to a rally, not any rally but a Full Time Family's rally. I can't lie, I didn't know what to expect. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. There were lots of other kids to play with and we were in #thesac (the culdesac) so we constantly had kids there. Silence was rare. It was awesome. We slept like rocks. I would say we slept like babies but most people that say that haven't ever had them. The sac:

Our journey continues

I can't believe it's almost over. We planned to travel south along the Mississippi River and now, as we make our way along the Florida panhandle towards Orlando, our original plans have come to an end. I want to start over. I want to make some changes. I want to slow down and enjoy more. There are some cities I want to see again. There is so much we missed! 

We decided early into this journey that we had no intentions of moving back into our house in Orlando. And so the journey continues. 

Here's to many more amazing memories with this beautiful family of mine!

Aurora borealis

Mom woke me up at 3:00 AM one morning when we were in Minnesota. She said Aaron do you want to see the aurora borealis.l said sure and wrapped up in my blankets and went outside.

Travel quotes

My kids make me laugh. Now that I think about it, my whole family makes me laugh. A lot! And when the rest of them aren't saying something funny, they make fun of me. So I decided to keep track of some of the funny things they (we) say.  I'll probably update this post periodically.

If I had it to do all over again...

This trip has exceeded my expectations. From amazing landscapes and wonderful small towns to incredibly educational museums and the nicest, most welcoming people any where in the world, I have gotten more out of this adventure than I planned.

3 weeks in Minnesota don't ya know...

After leaving Wisconsin, we made our first venture into totally uncharted territory when we headed for Minnesota.  None of us had ever been there, so no one really knew what to expect.  Luckily we were pleasantly surprised!

Minnesota fur traders

We went to Murphy's Landing in Shakopee, MN. There was an old fur trader's log house from the 1840s. The fur trader got furs from the Dakotahs and traded for things like copper pot, tools, and other stuff from the white man. The fur trader sold the furs to people in Europe for lots of money.

I got to touch a lot of furs. Mink, bear, otter, deer, beaver, fox and more. There was a really old stove for a fire to cook and keep the place warm. There was a bed that had furs for blankets. 

Crossing the Mississippi River

We went to the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca state Park. Headwaters meens start.

We walked down a short path from the parking lot, over a bridge and there was the beginning of the river. I saw stones from one side to the other, a bridge made out of a log that was cut in half and a few people. I ran across the log bridge and then walked across the stones. The third time I tried to cross I got my foot a little wet. The water was really cold!

Camping with Aunt Pam

We didn't get to play with our electronics very much on the trip to Devils Lake. It wasn't really a bad thing though because it got us outside more. We only had electric hookups. We didn't have water, we had to fill up our fresh water before we got there. It was hard. The bathhouses were clean. 

It's not easy bein cheesy!

For the past 2+ weeks we've been running all over "Cheesehead" land.  It's been a very enjoyable stay and I wanted to share some overall thoughts about the state...as well as update on some of the sights we were lucky enough to experience.

Heading North...

Well...here I am with a late post again.  We've got plenty to catch up on, so let's get jammin!

We'll Be Back!!

Our goal when we started on this journey was to travel along the east coast and then north to Minnesota and follow the Mississippi River back to the Gulf. We roughly planned this to be a six month trip. I believe it was before we left Florida that we began making plans for additional trips to Canada, out west, and New England. We quickly realized that full timing could be a reality for the next few years.

$400 well spent!

For those of you who follow this blog, you probably remember a story about a campsite in the hills of Ohio where I had 'No Service' and had to leave sooner than I would have liked in order to work.  That episode of our journey set another wheel in motion.  I started to seriously consider a cellular booster.

Catching up the last three states (WV, OH, IN)

Ok...so I know I promised some of you I'd be better about timely blogging...but it's so easy to just let my eyes close and start snoring....  Anyway...I promise again...let's see how it goes this time😀

To recap, we've rolled through or into 3 new states since my last post.  I'm going to try to stay with the highlights as much as I can in the interest of actually getting this done, so bear with me, but be warned...it's going to be a long one!

Planning vs. wingin' it

We started this journey with a solid plan in place. While we didn't have reservations for each week, we had mapped out where we thought we would be. That all changed after we had moved out of our house but before we pulled out of Florida. 

Everything was going fine until a holiday showed up on the calendar and we had no reservations. Steve and I called half a dozen campgrounds and all were booked. Crazy thoughts went through my mind but mostly the realization that we were homeless. Seriously! We can't just stay in a Walmart parking lot for three days. Our camper is too big for most state parks. I just knew we were doomed. 

We finally found a KOA in Indy. We paid way too much for a campground but we have a place to stay! 

Enjoy the rest of your night...I'm off to book Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hell, I might even book into the next year. 

Little Farm on the River Campground review

We found Little Farm on the River campground through Passport America. It's located in Rising Sun, IN. There are two places on the property to camp - down the hill next to the Ohio River or up the hill next to the pool and game room. We chose to be by the pool. The upper campsites are about a quarter mile from the river. It was a perfect bike ride by the corn field.