We are in Seattle!
Anniversary present from Mitch: a GoPro Hero4! I am now taking awesome pictures like THIS!
This is Mitch hiking around Mt. Saint Helens. That thing is really half gone! (Mt. Saint Helens, I mean. Not Mitch. Although read my next post about his injury.)
It’s amazing how far the explosive blast and landslide went.
You can still see it smoking in the picture if you look very closely.
The weather is absolutely perfect here! The wild flowers are in full bloom.
Where are YOU today??
—
Read my next post: What Happened to Mitch’s Face: A Series of Unfortunate Events
By Valerie Coffey
When Mitch and I planned over a year ago to visit San Francisco on our year-(plus)-long RV trip, spending time in the city was not the goal. We were in the area to pick up a friend and abscond to enjoy Napa’s wine country on Memorial Day weekend. The City by the Bay on a holiday weekend is a crush of traffic and tourists, which should be avoided…by everyone.
A cruise ship passes under the Golden Gate Bridge on its way out to sea. San Francisco shines in the background.
But as we got closer, my friend had to cancel and we decided to see the City by the Bay. So we designated one day, Thursday, to spend exploring.
San Francisco is like a home of sorts to me; I’ve been there numerous times since middle school for field trips from my then-hometown of Reno, for business conferences, and visits to see a college friend. I can feel my way around the city fairly well.
Mitch had been to the city for business, but he never had time to see much. So, it was up to me (Valerie) to plan the perfect one-day SFO experience for Mitch. My plan can work for anyone. So here it is!
Continue reading
January in Palm Springs. Letting it sink in.
As we move along in nearly 9 months of full-time RV travel, Mitch and I are often asked whether we have made progress in one of our key missions of the trip: finding another place to live that is warmer and cheaper than New England. With palm trees. Within commuting distance of a major airport for Mitch’s work and our continued wanderlust. Big enough community to keep it entertaining and convenient. Far enough away from a big city so that we can afford a big backyard space with a pool. Proximity to skiing is a plus.
As a matter of fact, we have narrowed down our choices somewhat! Here’s a little recap of our favorite and not-so-favorites.
Continue reading
Oooh yes. I can relate to this article. Yes, yes, yes.
As a freelancer, I always have a clean house before I absolutely must write. From my years in publishing, I confirm it was a common joke that the editor-in-chief’s “desk” or magazine editorial opener would have a deadline every month that was on the calendar, but the column wouldn’t appear until five minutes before the issue was sent to the printer. 🙂
—
Next post:
Our Experience Comparing Music and Arts FestivalsRead all About Us: Runnin’ Down the Dream
A huge portion of my “writing process” is procrastinating. If I have something really big due, I basically have to build in time to put it off. I clean, I organize, I work on other stuff that isn’t as pressing. Then, finally, when I absolutely must, and/or when I have run out of all other things to do, I write.
This is bizarre behavior. But it is not uncommon among writers.
Megan McArdle wrote a piece for The Atlantic showing how common this is among professional writers. Though she theorizes that it’s a fear of failure that drives us to procrastinate, which doesn’t totally ring true to me. That’s never really been a thing for me. I have plenty of hangups, but that’s just not one of them. In fact, my 20s are a testament to my willingness to wallow in failure.
I don’t think there’s a concrete explanation beyond…
View original post 125 more words
By Valerie Coffey
Austin is the capitol of Texas and its also the capitol of vintage neon. It’s a gas!
I have had a lot of work the past month, so didn’t get to see as much of Austin as I’d like. I’m a science writer and have certain seasons that are busier than others. I rarely left the RV by day the whole month we were in Texas, but I went for a walk at midnight on a Wednesday just outside our quirky-cool RV park, Pecan Grove, on the quirky-cool Barton Springs Road, which is full of restaurants and bars that ooze the weird-in-a-nonconformist-way essence of Austin: neon light, strings of Edison light bulbs, al fresco dining, food trucks, and a happening music scene.
A new post from RVLuckyorWhat!
This collection is in response to the photo challenge, “Wall.”
Standing on a staircase with a pink and orange wall
Here’s a fun collection of photos of a variety of interesting…
we’ve seen in our seven months of travels in our 45-foot motorhome around the US!
—
Next post:
Austin is a Gas!
All About Us: Runnin’ Down the Dream
By Valerie Coffey
THEY ARE BOTH ORANGE!
When I saw the Daily Post’s photo challenge: “Orange you glad it’s photo challenge time?” I couldn’t resist. Since August, we’ve seen many shades of orange: from the orangey-pink rocks of the Grand Canyon to fiery orange sunsets in the Florida Keys.Here is a citrus-y collection of The Mitch & Val Roadshow’s orangest experiences in seven months of full-time RV travel around the U.S so far, in rough chronological order. Hover your mouse over each image for more information.
By Valerie Coffey
Photo: TripAdvisor
Death Valley is one of America’s most “to die for” National Parks, and it’s one of my favorite places in the world. I’ve visited the park perhaps nine times in four decades. It’s a must-see National Park if you like natural beauty, mountains, the desert, or history. Here’s why:
Death Valley, situated about three hours west of Las Vegas in the Mojave Desert, is a region of extremes — it is the lowest in elevation, the hottest in temperature and the driest in recorded rainfall in North America. It’s also one of the quietest places, and perhaps the darkest region of the U.S. at night. It’s not so much a single desert valley as much as a region consisting of several valleys, plateaus, and mountain ranges in Eastern California’s Mojave Desert. Its name comes from pioneers (the Lost 49ers), who struggled to cross this part of the frontier in 1849. The hottest air temperature ever recorded on Earth is 134°F (57°C), which occurred July 10, 1913 at Furnace Creek Ranch, which is #1 on my list:
RVLuckyOrWhat 