2017 was a big year...
Last year we went to San Francisco, Amsterdam, Spain, the Grand Canyon, and Burning Man. Plus, we came to the decision to live on the road in an RV for 18 months, and we bought one!
On Joe's birthday in February last year, we went to check out a RoadTrek camper van in person for the first time ever. The model Joe selected after many hours of research was available in New Jersey, about two hours away. Ashleigh approved.
In April we traveled to San Francisco for a conference, and while we were there, arranged to see a very reasonably priced, used 2016 RoadTrek CS Adventurous that matched our exact specifications. It was perfect: in great shape and priced to sell. We made an offer.
In May, we closed the deal and bought it! Our friend Jerry, over the course of two trips, drove the RV from San Francisco to Phoenix. Since Joe had to be there for a tech conference in June, we planned a trip to the Grand Canyon. After the trip, we stored the RV in Phoenix.
Independence Day fell on a Tuesday last year, extending the first weekend in July to four days, presenting an opportunity. Joe flew to Phoenix, got the windshield fixed (a water truck's tire had kicked up a pebble into our windshield on the way to the Grand Canyon), and shuttled the RV to store it in Reno so it would be ready to go for our next trip: Burning Man!
In late August we took the RV to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada and camped out for ten days at Burning Man. We then journeyed through Lake Tahoe and by way of Angeles National Forest to L.A., where we cleaned our RV and placed it in storage. The RV sits in L.A. as we write this, patiently awaiting our return. We are in Connecticut, excitedly planning for our departure – and for our big move into life on the road!
To top off a year of steady progress in realizing our dreams, last month we rented out our new home on wheels to another couple for two weeks. Even after the rental listing website took their cut, and after paying our friend Micah to facilitate the rental in Los Angeles, our profit covered a few months' worth of RV expenses. It was great to go through that process and validate the plan to rent it out and make money, both before and after our upcoming road trip.
Yep, 2017 sure was a big year, alright.