With 2021 coming to a close, we find ourselves back in Brooksville Florida for the winter months. Putting us at five and a half years of traveling full time in our motorhome. We stayed at Belle Parc Resort last winter for 5 months and since we stayed east of the Mississippi, we decided to come back here again. It’s reasonably close to where some of my family spends the winter, the resort is nice and there is actually decent biking and hiking in this part of Florida. By being at the same campground a second time, it got us thinking - how frequently have we returned to the same campground? We quizzed each other and came up with a several additional places based on our memories. Fortunately we still have strong engineering instincts and I have a spreadsheet with all of our data. Chris resurrected her long lost friend - the “pivot table” - and we had our answer in short order. It turns out we have camped twice at 10 different campgrounds or Elks Lodges in the past two thousand plus nights. We have even boondocked three different times at BLM land in Quartzsite Arizona and since our “sites” in the desert were likely within several hundred feet of one another, it should be counted as well.
If I needed to summarize the year in two words, they would be ‘furniture’ and ‘waterfalls’. It’s an odd combination but rather accurate. The word furniture comes from us replacing the furniture in the motorhome and defining our travels for much of the year based on getting the furniture delivered and installed up in Elkhart Indiana. Originally this was to happen in the spring timeframe but got delayed until autumn - thanks to COVID and Texas ice storm. The word waterfalls comes from the fact that the 4 months we spent near the Blue Ridge Parkway resulted in our doing hikes that took us to dozens of waterfalls. More about them later in this post.
Below is our travel map for 2021. You can click on the link below the map to open up the actual Google Map that can be zoomed and panned to see better detail. Clicking on any of the pins will pop up a window with links to specific blog posts from that particular spot. Our stops could be fit in a rather small rectangle about 325 miles wide by 915 miles tall. Just for grins, I’m including a copy of an early proposed 2021 route map as we were trying to plan out the year. The green pins represent places we had already reserved prior to leaving Brooksville. The black pins are spots that we might visit. It’s clear we didn’t follow our plans to the T. There is a definite shift from the east to the west. This occurred when it was clear our furniture was going to be delayed. We improvised and it all worked out fine but flexibility is a key to full time life on the road.
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| Proposed 2021 Route from February |
Like in past years, I have created the “heat maps” that show where we spent our time both during this calendar year as well as for the full five and a half years. We only camped in 9 states this year and none of them were “new” states for us. Surprisingly that isn’t our record low. Back in 2017 we only managed to camp in 7 states but that was the year were out west and spent most of our time in Washington and Oregon. Our 4+ months in North Carolina this summer did move that state up from 31st place to 3rd place although still way behind Arizona and Florida which hold a commanding lead. We have camped in 248 different locations in the past 5.5 years. The five states of the Lower 48 that we haven’t camped in as full timers are: Nebraska, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Delaware. In putting our plans in place for 2022, we should knock one of those off the list.
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| Our 2021 Camping Map |
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| Our 5.5 Years Camping Map |
Similar to years past, I have tabulated some of the relevant data and have included this below. Just like 2020, COVID has slowed our travel pace with only 33 stops throughout the year and two of those came from an impromptu, mandatory evacuation and return from our spot in Pineola NC as tropical storm Fred passed thru and flooded our campground. Our campground costs were up from last year coming in at just under $27 per night. Our average cost over the five and a half years is $27.10 so 2021 was an average year for us.
Our split between private campgrounds, state parks, Elks Lodges and boondocking were quite similar to last year. State park stops changed the most going up 16 nights compared to last year. The main reason for this was our 4 weeks staying at Ohio State Parks over the late spring. We continue the trend from last year of staying predominantly in private campgrounds. The reason is simple, in order to spend a week or more at a location, you really need to have full hookups at the site. Most Elks Lodges and state parks don’t have these accommodations and many of them also have restrictions on how many days you can stay.
In previous year end reviews, we would put together a list of the top 10 stops we had during the year. Don’t look at this as what were our favorite campgrounds. I’ve mentioned before that we almost never stay at a campground because of what amenities it might have. Our criteria for the physical campground is: will we fit, does it have the utilities we need for the length of stay we intend and is it close to the locations we want to visit in an area. For those looking to find high end motor coach resorts recommendations, you’ll be disappointed. Similar to last year, our slower pace has reduced the number of stops we made so rather than forcing us to pick some less remarkable places just to achieve an arbitrary number, here are the top five stops for the year. For each stop we found worthy, we give a brief description of the stop, a link to the first blog post for that stop and a favorite picture or two from the stop. In chronological order, here is the list for 2021:
- Belle Parc Resort Brooksville Florida - This campground and location works out quite well for us. Many of the amenities that were closed from COVID restrictions last winter are open this year. We are about half an hour drive from my oldest sister’s home so we get to visit frequently. There are multiple paved bike paths in the Brooksville area. The Withlacoochee State Trail, the Good Neighbor Trail and the Suncoast Trail are all within a 15 minute drive from camp. The WST is 46 miles long and rather rural so it is our “go to” when that style of biking is desired. For mountain biking, the Croom Tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest offers 50 miles of single track. Mountain biking in Florida May seem like an oxymoron, but don’t be fooled. There’s something for beginners thru advanced riders. I’m a decent mountain biker, but not up for the section called the “Drunken Monkey” - at least not yet!
Brooksville Blog
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| Open Wide! |
There are miles of hiking trails in the surrounding state forest land and many preserves with trails as well. None of the nearby hiking trails would make it to our favorites list - this isn’t Acadia National Park or Sedona Arizona or Glacier National Park - but they still give us an opportunity to be out in nature for a hike. We’re not really beach people but there are some very nice ones an hour or so from camp. In all, Brooksville is a decent place to stay. The weather is generally nice over the winter months. Our campground feels rural but there are plenty of nearby restaurants and stores. Plus Tampa is just an hour or so south if we want really big city life. We don’t feel like we are in “vacation mode” when we are here. During our second winter season, we got a site close to the pond and have birds and gators galore right outside our windows.
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| Osprey and Bald Eagle Play Tag |
- West Branch State Park Ravenna Ohio - We stayed here for a week in early May. I’ve never been here before but it’s only about 30 crow miles to where I was born and raised so there was lots of sentimental value for staying here and seeing the area. But that isn’t why this location made our list. About 20 miles west of here is Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We came here with the intention of checking off another NP from our list but wasn’t expecting much. CVNP is a 17 mile tall park and runs between Akron and Cleveland Ohio. These are both large cities so how much “nature” could there be? Surprisingly there was lots to see and do in this park. The park follows the valley of the Cuyahoga River. A section of the 90 mile long Erie Canalway Towpath Trail runs thru the park next to the long abandoned canal - great for biking. Our timing wasn’t right to make use of the train that runs thru the park which could allow cyclists to take a train ride with their bikes and then bicycle back to the starting point.
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| Brandywine Falls |
There are also some decent hikes in the park. The Ledges Trail was our favorite. It’s only a 2.3 mile loop but winds thru some very unique rock formations that don’t seem to belong this close to civilization. Brandywine Falls was also quite nice. There were more things to see and do but our time was limited so we will need to come back again.
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Stone Staircase Along Ledges Trail
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- Chill Hill Waynesville North Carolina - Waynesville NC is nestled in the Smoky Mountains very near the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountain National Park west of Asheville. Our camping spot here definitely would not be everybody’s cup of tea. It was located in a rural area on the outskirts of town with just one camping site. The owner installed utilities on a half acre parcel of land near her home and rents it out by the month. We enjoyed the solitude and privacy, others might dislike the isolation. The location did work out well for seeing the area. We found being on the southeast side of the Smokies much more pleasant than the hustle and bustle of the northwest side near Pigeon Forge - Dollywood and those types of tourist traps just don’t appeal to us.
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| Our Spot at Chill Hill |
The hiking and outdoor recreation opportunities are nearly endless in this area. A bike ride at Cades Cove inside GSMNP was a fun way to explore the old buildings. A drive into the more remote Cataloochee Valley within GSMNP was a way to beat the crowds in other parts of the park and it had several fun hikes there to see some of the old homesteads. A train ride out of Bryson City and tubing on the Oconaluftee River in Cherokee were other highlights. A forestry museum just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, a motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley and the Bush’s Beans Museum in Dandridge TN were other things to enjoy in the area. And then there are the countless hiking trails including a few to waterfalls. We didn’t get to all the things we wanted to do even with a 2 month stay.
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Heading Up Watterrock Knob
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- Down by the River Campground Pineola North Carolina - This campground is northeast of Asheville and only 100 miles or so from our stop in Waynesville. It’s a fairly remote portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains but not so remote that finding groceries was an issue. We thought the outdoor recreation opportunities in Waynesville were great, but it turns out this location was even better. It was just a 2 mile drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway from camp. That road became our most traveled route as we explored the area. It may not always be the fastest, but it is definitely the most scenic. The hiking options were almost overwhelming and most of them took us to a waterfall or two along the way.
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| Hiking with Friends at Big Lost Cove Cliffs |
We spent 2 months there and if we hadn’t needed to head up to Elkhart for furniture, we would have tried to extend our stay a few more weeks. At 3500 feet in elevation, we found the temperature to be perfect most of the time - no air conditioning required. This was the first time in our travels where we actually considered buying an RV lot in the nearby Linville Land Harbor. Not that we are thinking of coming off the road anytime soon, but having this area as a place to call home when we make it back east would be rewarding. In the end, we didn’t pull the trigger but it does speak to how much we like this area.
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| One of Many Falls - Tom's Creek Waterfall |
- Kentucky Horse Park Lexington Kentucky - The area around Lexington is quite picturesque with countless horse farms dotting the countryside. Our choice for camping in this area was the one connected with the Horse Park. It’s a popular destination so reservations are required if you want to include a weekend day. We booked 2 months in advance and could not get more than 5 nights, mid-week. We made the most of our short stay. We aren’t horse people but appreciate their beauty. There are numerous horse farms that offer tours of their facilities and the one we picked at Jonabell Farm was a real winner. The Kentucky Horse Park right next to the campground took us a full day and a half to explore the majority of it. We even managed to fit in a bourbon tasting and tour while we were there. I suspect there was even more to do in the area but we can always come back.
So what plans do we have for 2022? In a word - Colorado. We will be in Brooksville thru the end of March and then take a roundabout route west traveling about 2300 miles before entering Colorado in early May. We’ve already booked nearly 4 months at 7 different campgrounds with nearly an even split of private and state parks. Some of the more popular Colorado State Park campgrounds book up early. Given they use a 6 month rolling window for reservations, picking spots in November and December seems early but is required if we want to be sure to have spots when and where we want. We put a fair amount of effort in trying to figure out what places we want to see, how long we want to stay and what the expected weather will be like. Only time will tell how well we did in our planning and then there are some things outside our control - actual weather and fires. We have other places in mind for western Colorado in September but haven’t firmed them up yet. We will likely end up in southern California or Arizona for next winter.
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| Tentative 2022 Plans |
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