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In this blog we explain why we bought a Renogy 200 watt solar suitcase, and how to decide if portable solar power is right for you. You can see a great summary in our video! Although Kathy and I have camped almost exclusively in state, county, and private campgrounds, we know that some of the most beautiful campsites in the U.S. are free. Most of these are on state or federal land, often in remote locations with stunning views. Most allow two-weeks stays. But there’s a catch. No hookups! No running water. No electricity. No sewer connections. This is affectionately called boondocking. Now, in ourRead More →

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Several friends have asked us for information about our Thousand Trails membership. We bought our membership from https://www.campgroundmembershipoutlet.com and got a great price with all of the help and information we needed. If you call them, please mention you heard about them from Jeff and Kathy Wildrick. I’ll also attach a cost analysis we did at the time of our purchase! 1) Zone Pass. This is the “entry level” membership in TT. With a Zone Pass, you can stay for free at any TT park (Dark brown markers on the map below) in that zone for up to 14 nights. After that you must stay outRead More →

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It’s the Southwind! Thanks for all the great guesses on YouTube, Facebook, and here for our “Which RV did we choose?” game. We appreciate your comments! Much to our surprise, after looking at literally hundreds of RVs online and a few in person over the past year or so, we fell in love with a 2004 Fleetwood Southwind 37A. It’s quite a story. As you may remember, we had some pretty clear wants and needs in mind for our RV. We wanted a coach with bunk beds, 35 feet or less, and used but probably a 2013 or newer. So, when our friends Adam andRead More →

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One of the harsh realities that we are facing in our early retirement is the loss of health insurance for us and for our children. I’m all too aware of how much it costs for my current employer (church) to insure my family and me. For 2016 it’s $14,000, plus another $6,000 they are paying into a Health Savings Account for my “high deductible” plan. It’s good insurance – great insurance even. But it all goes away on July 1, so I’ve been looking into our options. Obamacare: My first stop was www.healthcare.gov, where I entered my anticipated income for 2017 and got the goodRead More →