The holiday season marks the end of one year and the start of a new one. It’s a good time to gather your thoughts about the year that’s wrapping up, and also to think about what’s ahead.

We really stayed on the move in 2021. We traveled in a giant loop around the perimeter of the country, covering about 35,000 miles.

It’s worked out well for us to stay at a site three or four days, and then move on. In 2021, we stayed at 113 different campgrounds and more than a dozen Harvest Hosts/Boondocker’s Welcome locations. We’ve met some phenomenal people along the way.

We’re often asked to name our favorite spot. That’s hard to do. It’s like picking one favorite square out of a beautiful quilt; the quilt takes on more meaning when all the pieces are stitched together. There are special experiences that will always stand out: hiking among the giant redwoods in Humboldt, California; camping in the desert at Valerie Gordon’s in Texas;

gazing at the sea of stars in the dark sky over Garner State Park in Texas; exploring the Pacific coast from California to Washington; walking the white beaches of the Gulf National Seashore; sitting in the the Gila Hot Springs in the rain; and seeing cave dwellings, petroglyphs, murals, sculpture, gardens and art…the list of memorable moments and sights goes on and on. Our “quilt” is growing larger each day.

And we could write another whole piece about the food. So much great food!

We feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity to see large and small America. It looks different close up, that’s for sure.

We have loved seeing friends along our journey, and we always look forward to reconnecting with family and friends when we pass through town.

We’re very grateful for their warm welcome, generous hospitality, and support of our new lifestyle.

Our resolution for 2022 is to take an even deeper look – maybe stay a little longer in places that intrigue us. We hope to make it into Canada this year. That’s if Covid doesn’t toss another monkey wrench into plans. We’re also investigating ways to give back, and hope to volunteer along our route in 2022. More about that as things develop.

As I write this, we’re camping in Florida, at an out of the way Nature Preserve near Port St. Lucie. Birds are singing, there’s a breeze off the lake, and it’s time to get started on dinner. Maybe 2022 will bring a page of camping cook recipes to this blog?

In the meantime, we wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. Hugs to everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

John and Sally