Gallery
Homestead Campground
Georgetown, DE June and July 2024
{Posted March 27, 2025}
While our new spot felt less nature-y than the previous state park site, we couldn't complain because it had the proximity to the beach! We coordinated our stop in the Delaware beach area for Jessie's family beach trip. We arrived a week early and took advantage of some down time to finally decorate the rv and do some organizing.
Finally putting decorations up! We bought the command clips to hold campground paperwork and miscellaneous items.
We were having internet issues at this site, which was problematic for Jessie's job. The real bummer was the wide open sky above the campground would have been great for starlink. We decided to bite the bullet and order starlink to give us a backup option for locations where cell based internet was poor.
Seaquench slushie at Dogfish Head
We enjoyed the local Brimming Horn meadery with its viking themed interior and plethora of mead flavors. We also were a very short drive from the Dogfish head brewery and were excited to try the delicious Seaquench slushie!! Before the family vacation began we cranked out a triple batch of sourdough D'z its (regular and old bay!)
4th of July beach day featuring festive t-shirts from Bob
Celebrating Grammy's birthday with some at home fireworks-to avoid the crowds!
When we convince Dylan to show off his curls, it must be documented!
The family beach fun started with a boat rental on a gorgeous day! The rest of the week was spent eating delicious meals at Aunt Jen and Uncle George's new house, playing games, and hitting the state park beaches in the afternoon. My cousin, Grace, and I went for a run on the Cape Henlopen trails which was nostalgic as some of our favorite tent camping memories were made at Cape Henlopen! We also hit the beach early in the morning a few times so Luna and I could run and watch Dylan and my brother, Sean, do some paddle board surfing!
POV: you buy matching dresses and wear them out to dinner together
art we stumbled upon on the beach
Couldn't leave the beach without one last beach walk!
Trap Pond
Laurel, DE June 2024
{Posted March 22, 2025}
Another water view site...if you squint
Homemade crabcakes, thanks Sean and Michelle!
Our reward for getting set up in our new spot was homemade crab cakes (with meat we picked from our catch) by the bonfire! The state park made us feel back in touch with nature with water views (sort of) from our windows, and trees in abundance. At night we were in awe of the lightning bugs that made the trees glitter. There were some great walking and running trails, except for the flies that tried to eat Dylan…
Proof that the water was really close!
In preparation for an upcoming family beach trip we wanted to introduce Luna to my Aunt Jen and Uncle George's dog Dewey! This was also a lovely occasion to see their new beach house, and celebrate the news of their first grandchild!
The campground had really cool looking yurts, some on the water!
It was a super muggy week at Trap Pond which wasn't a big deal while we were in the shady campsite, but I had an itch to get out on the water since it was so close. Getting the paddle board into the pond was a little green and slimy, but it was well worth it for the awesome Cypress Tree views in the middle of the pond! Apologies for the blurry photos due to my waterproof phone case.
Cypress tree views from the paddleboard
Three Weddings and a Crab Feast: Camp Ninsula
Edgewater, MD May-June 2024
{Posted March 16, 2025}
Click to expand/contract
Pro tip: become friends with your siblings in adulthood because if you do they might let you park in their driveway on a gorgeous peninsula! Bonus points if they find an amazing fiance that supports RV Parking in the driveway! Thank you for everything Sean and Michelle (and Gertie)!!
Since the drive from Delaware to Edgewater was short we decided to squeeze some parking lot towing practice in. I had previously been overwhelmed by backing and decided to focus on driving forwards, making turns, and feeling more confident towing in general. Dylan of course wanted to practice backing to warm up for the challenge ahead at Sean and Michelle's. We made the short trek to our new home base and Dylan parked like a champ!
We had an amazing first night eating Thai food outside on the deck, followed by a gorgeous sunset cruise on Sean's boat. What a welcome home!
Welcoming committee!
We settled into a routine of work, doctors appointments, sibling bonding, splitting our love between two dogs, and cooking in a "real" kitchen. We were excited to be able to coordinate this time home to attend three of our friends' weddings! Shoutout to Sharon for hosting us (and Luna) during the wedding marathons!
Sunrise view at the Ninsula boat/kayak launch
Luna and Gertie still don't like being inside together, but luckily they actually play nice on walks!
Congrats Correy & Kelly! Rain or shine what a great time!
Frederick wedding, Thanks for having us Megan & Tyler!
Post-Pool Splatter
At Sharon's house Luna attempted to protect the pool from some ducks, but her hunting instincts were not very effective... so Dylan tossed her into the pool to scare the ducks and the poor dog pretended she didn't know how to swim!
We definitely don't spoil our dog...
Luna has never been friendly enough to get close to Lafayette, and apparently had no idea he was right behind us! Note the sliding glass door inbetween.
Comparing truck size
Elisa and Ryan at their rehearsal dinner
Rehearsal and welcome party at the Annapolis Yacht Club
Elisa's big day!
We rounded out the wedding marathon with Jessie's Maid of Honor Duties for Elisa! It was another beautiful wedding (with amazing weather to boot). After packing up our wedding guest attire we realized we were EXHAUSTED. We were scheduled to head to Delaware the following weekend when we thought…what if we didn't? Luckily Sean and Michelle were not ready to kick us out yet, and we were able to change our reservation. The flexibility of RV life was really starting to pay off!
Staying at the 'Ninsula a week longer than planned gave us some time to slow down, relax with family, and enjoy the water. We took advantage of our amazing water access for paddle boarding and crabbing with Sean. We ended up with a good haul and had a crab feast overlooking the beach with Sean and Michelle's friends - it felt quintessentially Maryland! Luna even went for her first motor boat ride and actually seemed to like it!
Paddle Buds!
Chasing the boys on a morning paddle workout
Crab feast with a view
Grogu Gertie
We were also home to celebrate Father's Day and my dad's birthday. We made homemade sourdough D'z-its and key lime cookies to share with the Dads.
Farewell to Ninsula views
Mysteries of the Inlet: Delaware Seashore State Park
Bethany Beach, DE in April-May 2024
{Posted March 16, 2025}
Morning walks with a view!
We were stoked to be back at the beach after a long 2 weeks away (lol). Unfortunately Dylan's jury duty required him to make a trip back to Annapolis, but luckily he was able to make a quick turnaround back to Delaware!
Outdoor Instant Pot cooking - salsa verde pork (thanks Aunt Jen!)
Sunset bridge views
Horseshoe Crab
We unlocked a major life hack by parking our house 15 minutes from my weekend plans in Bethany Beach for Elisa's bachelorette! It was an awesome weekend of Maragaritas, chilly beach games and walks, and a party bus ride to see a 90s cover band at Seacret's! Staying so close to the bachelorette meant I could stick around for extra beach time and hanging with Elisa, who even ran over to the campground to walk our pups together!
The other major perk is the campground's close proximity to the Big Chill restaurant, which was just across the parking lot/under the bridge.
Can you tell the bridge view never got old?
The next weekend, Sharon came to visit us! We all went to Big Chill for dinner and enjoyed a hilarious game night in the RV afterwards. The next day we hopped in the truck to go to Bethany beach, walk the boardwalk, and explore shops. Surprisingly we ended up at the outlets, and the infamous Crocs were born...(iykyk)
Later that evening we heard that it might be possible to see the Northern Lights, so we bundled up and went out to the darkest point. We were uncertain if we saw the Northern Lights or just the light pollution from a nearby city...but hey it was fun to try. On our walk home we were fascinated by something swimming in the inlet. The mystery of what creature it was remains to this day(horseshoe crab, rays, or maybe Chessie?!) The next morning was a big travel day - back to Maryland.
Three Day Travel Marathon
April 2024
{Posted March 15, 2025}
Mountain views en route to Virginia
We left North Carolina with an ambitious timeline. We planned to visit Jessie's grandma, Maw Maw in Virginia on our way back to Annapolis for one night. Then we needed to get the RV to the Delaware campground we booked in time for Jessie to host a bachelorette weekend in Bethany Beach. And last, but certainly not least, Dylan had a jury duty summons in Annapolis that day after check-in.
Three travel days in a row turned out to be a lot for us. On day one we had a long drive and were doing well until we missed a turn. This resulted in the need to turn around on a small side street that luckily Dylan's practice had prepared him to navigate. We took the trailer to a campground near Maw Maw's and then spend the night hanging at her place.
Selfie with Maw Maw before we hit the road again
Documenting the evolution of Dylan's hair
Day two was pretty uneventful and familiar as we were just driving from VA back to MD, until the truck alerted us that we were getting low on Deisel Exhaust Fluid and our speeds would be throttled soon. We were pretty close to home but with traffic we decided to play it safe and find a place to stop and top off on DEF. We learned our lesson to keep an extra jug of DEF on hand just for this situation. We enjoyed a quick night visiting Dylan's family in Annapolis.
DEF refill in a Home Depot parking lot off Baltimore Beltway
Back in Annapolis visiting Lafayette
Luna on backyard squirrel patrol
Day three we were headed to the beach when we unfortunately ended up on a two lane road right after an accident happened and they shut the road down in response. We were initially hoping to wait it out (heck we had our bathroom and fridge with us so we could be patient!) but then they started turning everyone around. There was a driveway that Dylan could pull into, but this meant he had to back the RV up onto the main road, and unfortunately there were still other cars maneuvering around the accident that we had to deal with. After a tiny bit of stress and white knuckling, we made it!
We were exhausted by the time we got to our campsite, which made the parking and set up process more difficult than it needed to be, but I think we learned our lesson about pushing ourselves too hard! Once we were finally set up, we were able to take a deep breath of ocean air once again! And the views of the Indian River Inlet and bridge weren't so bad either!
Sycamore Lodge, North Carolina
April 2024
{Posted March 14, 2025}
For our first stop after Myrtle Beach we headed to Jackson Springs, NC which still felt like a Southern stop, while also working our way back towards Maryland. The drive wasn't too long but we were exhausted by the time we got the camper set up and ventured out for food. We spotted a picnic table at the pizza shop and ended up having an impromptu picnic. By the time we got back to our site I (Jessie) was ready for bed, at approximately 8pm which is crazy for this night owl. When we woke up refreshed the next day we were able to explore the campground a bit and found the “Jurassic Bark” dog park which might be the best dog park name we've seen!
Some friendly neighbors showed us around the park, lake, and the trails-which we were excited to test out for a new morning run route. After work Dylan played a lot of basketball while Jessie and Luna hunted for the biggest pine cones they could find. Jessie also got to catch up with one of her old college roommates which was an awesome treat!
Giant Pinecone
This campground gave us a lot of time to hang outside with the mild weather, bonfire ring, and food trucks that came to the campground. We loved being able to "eat out" on the weekend without having to drive anywhere.
We read that iceberg lettuce could be a fun enrichment treat for dogs, Luna loved shredding it!
Myrtle Beach Wrap-up...for now
Early April 2024
{Posted March 15, 2025}
With the end of our beach time looming, I was motivated to squeeze in as much beach as possible! One evening after work we discovered a ton of cannonball / cabbage head jellyfish washed up on shore. Luna was very interested! We were also motivated to take advantage of our site's hammock trees. Dylan even figured out how to work from the hammock, which got the Luna stamp of approval!
WFH = work from hammock
View of our site from the hammock
I (Jessie) took a little side trip home to Maryland for Elisa's bridal shower. While I was home I took advantage of the proximity to see family, meet my Aunt and Uncle's new pup Dewey, and meet Emily's new puppy, Willow. My dad also hosted a little family brunch to get everyone together before he drove me to the airport, thanks Dad!
Dusty and Dewey
Bridal Shower
Willow
When I got back to Myrtle we only had one week before our next big move. We decided to plan ahead this time and actually worked on packing up all of our outdoor gear, and organizing things in the truck cap a few days early. We figured packing would keep everything dry if it rained close to our moving day. We took a nice break from work to enjoy the Solar Eclipse with homemade pinhole projectors.
Truck cap before organizing
Truck cap after organizing
Pinhole projector view of the Total Lunar Eclipse
Our last morning in Myrtle was bittersweet, we woke up early to watch the sunrise on the lake/beach one last time. To our delight, the RV park coffee shop camper was open, so we enjoyed some coffees for our goodbye walk on the beach. Packing up after being stationary for 5 weeks was a lot of work, but we somehow managed to pull out of our site pretty close to check out time.
farewell turtles
Peepin' into Spring
The End of March 2024
{Posted February 21, 2025}
By the end of March we were finally getting the South Carolina sun and warmth! We got in a nice run on the beach with Luna, and were excited to see that the outdoor pool and lazy river (which I had been itching to test out) were finally open! We hustled to the pool/lazy river while the sun was still shining. The water temps were chilly but it was cool to finally swim in the pool and lazy river that we had looked at all winter! Another thing to celebrate was my brother and his fiancé got engaged this weekend!
Outdoor pool and Lazy river
Our friendly nextdoor neighbors had friends joining them on the other side as well. We started chatting one day, and got invited to join them all for a bonfire. We were pumped, because this campground has no fire pits and we love a good bonfire! It was cool to see the collapsible fire pit they travel with, spoiler alert we now have one - thanks Elisa!!! Even better, we got to hear their travel stories and learn some tips from some RV veterans! It also turned out that there was another software developer in the mix who Dylan got to connect with!
Our first visitor, Sharon, arrived to Myrtle Beach when we finished work on the Friday of Easter weekend. We were excited to show her around and took a lovely sunset stroll on the beach. This may have resulted in a very delayed dinner of sub-par pizza around 10pm but hey the beach was glorious! We had the best Saturday morning: coffee and couch snuggles! Luna was not too upset about another human to give her loves! After some chores, grocery shopping, and meal prep we made our way to the beach and were surprised to meet the Easter Bunny on our journey! It was a bit of a windy day on the beach so we didn't last long, which was alright because we had coordinated a BBQ/bonfire with our neighbors, complete with roasted peeps/s'mores.
Snuggles with Gram B
Camprground Easter Bunny on the way to the beach
Chef Dylan whipped us up a delicious Sunday brunch (his specialty) before we attempted round 2 of Easter weekend beach trips. It was a gorgeous and sunny day, and Dylan even swam in the Ocean! We also chatted with some friendly fellow travelers from Canada. Our Easter dinner ended up being a picnic of charcuterie and other leftovers while hanging outside at the campsite! We enjoyed a sunrise walk and coffee before Gram-B departed, and our usual work week resumed.
Cycle, Sip, Swing, and File: A St. Paddy's Celebration
March 17, 2024
{Posted February 21, 2025}
Our first week in the new campsite was exciting! After the truck cap was installed, we found out there was a classic car show happening in Myrtle Beach. Our site along the main entrance road to the RV mega-park turned out to be convenient for watching all of the classic cars and trucks come into the park. We didn't even feel the need to go to the show after seeing everyone drive into the campground. We did take a morning walk around the park to look at some more of the classic vehicles before they checked out.
Spotting the Classic Trucks
Spotting the Classic Trucks
The sun was shining so we decided it was a great day to knock a few more things off our Myrtle Beach bucket list; a bike ride on the beach AND a stop at Ocean Annie's for a drink. When we took turns snuggling Luna in the hammock, which predictably made for some super cute photos! It turns out hanging outside on a nice day is also a great way to meet neighbors. Some new neighbors pulled in right next to our hammock and we got to chat with them a bit.
Biking on the Beach
Drinks at Ocean Annie's
After all of our fun it was time to do the real "work" of the weekend and take care of the dreaded taxes....But at least we had a great dinner to look forward to! We always love the excuse to make a special meal for a holiday, so we decided to continue testing out our instant pot to make corned beef and cabbage. It was delicious!
Corned Beef, cabbage, and corn bread (classic combo, right?!)
RV Kitchen Chronicles
The Never-Ending Dish Dilemma: February and March 2024
{Posted January 10, 2025}
Sourdough Focaccia
We love cooking, but it definitely took some time to figure out how cooking while living full time in an RV would work for us.
I was actually impressed at how much food we could tetris into our tiny refrigerator! (Honorable mention to our tiny outdoor fridge that is great for overflow storage!) It became obvious that our real problem would be the dishes. At first I didn't change much about how I grocery shopped for the RV from how I grocery shopped in a house. I liked to plan for multiple dinners a week and a meal to prep for lunches, plus staples for breakfast and snacks.
We became very comfortable cooking on our propane stove, and occasionally tested the oven. However, while we don't mind washing dishes by hand but it got to be a little exhausting to wash every dish you used each day on top of all of the dishes you created by cooking meals. Our kitchen island frequently turns into the dish drying station, and thank goodness for the USB rechargeable fan we bought that has been a game changer for dish drying! This got us thinking about how to reduce dishes, which is a work in progress still...
We were the lucky inheritors of multiple appliances from Dylan's Aunt and Uncle that have helped. They gave us an instant pot, propane grill, electric water kettle, and toaster oven! Of course living in a tiny space we were concerned about taking in so many new things, but we decided to bring them home, test them out and see what we liked, and prayed we could find some storage space for them!
Although our RV is equipped with an outdoor stove, it is kind of weak. A slight breeze can make the weak flame even less effective. Not to mention that you can't grill on an outdoor stove, so we were excited to get back to grilling, which of course usually results in fewer dishes too! The electric kettle works well for morning coffee, although we can always boil water on the stove too. It felt great to incorporate a toaster back into our lives! We had been trying to toast bread etc. on the stove but it's a bit quicker to toast your bread in the toaster while you cook eggs on the stove.
In our "sticks and bricks" house we used our CrockPot all the time, but determined it was too large to bring with us. We had done some research about instant pots but decided to wait and see. But hey, when I heard a family member had an extra instant pot I jumped at the chance to try it out! There is definitely a learning curve to instant pot cooking but we have had a lot of fun trying out recipes and all of its functionalities! The instant pot became key for us in our quest to reduce dishes! We ended up working towards a cook once, eat all week strategy. This meant fewer dishes, and less prep time in the kitchen if we didn't feel like cooking after work.
Needless to say, I became highly motivated to figure out storage for all of our new appliances so that we could bring them on our travels!
Homemade pierogis
Salmon Rice Bowl
Sourdough Discard Pizza
Testing out our new grill
Instant Pot Enchilada Soup
Instant Pot cooking outside!
Clifford's New Hat
Goodbyes and Gear Upgrades: March 2024
{Posted January 7, 2025}
Staying in Myrtle Beach was exciting because we got some extra time with Dylan's Aunt and Uncle, but it also meant we had to say goodbye and send them off on their European Adventure. Uncle Vic spoiled Luna with some steak and love for their final visit. We also enjoyed a long sunset walk on the beach and around the park.
This week also marked a milestone in Luna's recovery - 10 weeks post surgery! We took some videos of her walking to send to the surgeon for review. Later in the week we had a call with the surgeon who was pleased with Luna's recovery and eased some anxiety I had about pushing her activity levels. The leg hair on the other hand was choosing quite an interesting re-growth pattern with her spot being the last to grow back.
At some point once we knew we were staying in Myrtle, we decided it was time to bite the bullet and find a truck cap for Clifford (The Big Red Truck). We did some research and went to a local shop one Saturday morning to learn more about the options and pricing. I'm not sure if the cap was really nice, or we were just so ready for extra storage, but we made up our minds quickly! We ordered a mid-rise cap that would be color matched, and picked out features we hoped to use for camping and maybe a solar panel installation in the future. It was a little bit of a gamble as they said it could take some time for the cap to come in and we knew we were planning to leave early April. Luckily, the cap came faster than we expected and install was quick. It was a little bittersweet (mostly for Dylan) to lose the truck bed by adding a cap, but the cap immediately proved useful as our new garage/shed!
Last time standing up in the truck bed
Approaching Checkout Date... and Still Wingin' It
March 2024
{Posted January 7, 2025}
We were having fun in Myrtle Beach, enjoying easy access to the beach in the off-season even though it wasn't very warm. We knew our checkout date was looming, but had no idea where to go. We had to head North again for some weddings in the spring/early summer so we decided against moving further South. We debated trying to find another beach or another campground in the Carolinas to continue enjoying off-season beach time.
In the end, our adjustment to full time living and working on the road was exhausting enough that we decided it might be nice to stay in Myrtle Beach so we could continue settling. Staying in Myrtle also meant we could squeeze in some more time with Bug and Vic before their big EuroTrip. After checking out a campground down the road we decided to see if we could stay at our current campground. We were able to get another site in a different section of the campground, by the lake, just a little further from the ocean. We took a walk to scope out our future digs, and I was immediately enamored by the extra space and trees (hammock time!!!)!.
On moving day we realized we had not prepared enough ahead of time to move because, after all, it was just up the road in the SAME campground. Moving day came with a huge rainstorm, which Dylan embraced by wearing his bathing suit to take care of all outside tasks while I packed inside. (It was not bathing suit weather in case you were wondering...) Somehow we still managed to get everything packed and hitched up within minutes of checkout time!
Our new site was along the main campground road and we ended up backing up traffic just a tad while Dylan backed into the new spot (like a champ, nailing it on the first try).
The storm broke in time for us to finish getting set up with minimal rain. We treated ourselves to a feast at Cook-Out after we got everything set up in the new site. A few "Carolina Squat" vehicles were also at Cook Out, so we enjoyed the entertainment with our meal. After being in Myrtle for approximately 5 weeks we did our first tourist-y activity and took a leisurely drive down Ocean Boulevard on our way home!
Carolina Squat
Our new site allowed us to watch the sunrise over the lake and the ocean at the same time!
A Season by the Sea
Adjusting to full-time RV life at Myrtle Beach: February 2024
{Posted December 2024}
It turns out being at the beach in the winter means having the beach to yourself most of the time and we were a-okay with that! It was fun to watch the tides even if they sometimes flooded into the RV park, luckily we were far enough from the dunes that our site stayed dry.
Although we had traveled 8 hours South, it was still a chilly winter. When Luna wasn't snuggled up in front of the fire, she spent her days working on building her muscle, and growing her leg hair post ACL surgery.
We spent the month of February squeezing in lots of facetimes and family time after work! I also took advantage of access to a "real" oven to do some baking while visiting Aunt Bug and Uncle Vic.
Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
We did not do a ton of exploring outside of the campground during our first month as "full-time RVers". We were working on figuring out our new lifestyle, including the mundane task of maximizing our storage space. This involved lots of measuring and shopping for the perfect sized bins to help us use our storage compartments more effectively. We also FINALLY bought a trash can for the RV after owning it for almost a year...goodbye trash bag hanging from the end of our kitchen island! Baby steps, right?
Sunrise beach walks may turn me into a morning person!
Who can pass up a sunset walk on the beach?
Lovebirds walking into the sunet...
The Big Move
Moving into the RV and the Journey South: February 3-4, 2024
{Posted December 2024}
Roommate picture (minus Luna who was already in the truck)
As it turns out, moving into an RV is not much easier than moving to a new house. Big thanks to our family members that made donation runs, carried boxes, cooked for us, or graciously allowed us to store boxes in their homes! Thank you also to our awesome neighbors who showed us so much generosity and support as we learned to drive and park our giant home on wheels...often blocking the whole street trying to do so!
After many days of preparation, it was time to put the trailer slides in to drive.
After weeks of packing, sorting, storing, and donating, we finally got all of the "essentials" packed up to hit the road. We were aiming to leave Annapolis around noon, and I think we left closer to 3:30pm but we were happy to at least be hitting the road that day! Dylan wanted to get some experience driving in the dark for the first drive day en route to Myrtle Beach, so we caught sunset at a rest stop and began perusing our options for where to sleep for the night.
Not too shabby of a view for our first Rest Stop parked on the truck side.
Luckily we found a Cracker Barrel close to our route that allowed overnight parking and had RV spots open. Pulling in to find a roaring fire inside, and a hot meal to go(plus some beer) made our first night sleeping "on the road" that much better! However, I was a little confused when I woke up in my bed and remembered that I was in a parking lot...
Home for the night at Cracker Barrel, I was so glad a space was open! We had so many belongings packed in the truck bed, I did not think I would sleep well if we had to park at Walmart (much more foot traffic than Cracker Barrel overnight).
Pretty nice to snuggle up in your own bed after a long day of driving!
After a quick trip to the Dunkin Donuts across the street, we were ready to hit the road again! We made great time to the Myrtle Beach Travel Park and had plenty of daylight to get setup. We were excited to explore our home for the next 5 weeks! Luna was still recovering from her ACL surgery in December, but we figured beach walks might be the key to work on building back her strength!
Our set up in Myrtle Beach! We were parked close enough to the dunes that we could see the ocean from our windows!
I was grateful we had dinner plans with Dylan's Aunt and Uncle (the RV veterans who recommended the Myrtle Beach RV park)! I can't think of a better way to kick off our RV adventure than delicious food with family! They spoiled us by bringing a home cooked meal along with table settings and dishes. They even took all of the dirty dishes home to wash! Thanks Bug and Vic <3 We were glad we took the next day off of work to rest and finish getting settled.
First dinner in Myrtle Beach!
