One Last Road Trip Recap: Saying Goodbye to the Blog, Not the Journey

One Last Road Trip Recap: Saying Goodbye to the Blog, Not the Journey

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Hi friends! The time has come to officially retire our little blog. It was starting to feel too much like actual work, which was stealing joy from the journey. But don’t worry—we’re not hanging up the van keys just yet! We’re still road-tripping every summer, and you can follow along on Facebook (Debbie Ritter) or follow me on Instagram (@debbiethevanlifer). Before we see you in the Meta Universe, here is one final recap of our summer adventures—featuring new-to-us gems and…

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Look out Florida, here we come!

Look out Florida, here we come!

An update from Mark and Debbie … Hi friends! Looking back, I can’t believe it’s been a year since we documented our travels. Since we last posted about Alaska, we: And now we have a bit of news to share about our future plans! Something that I didn’t think about when we sold our Michigan home (almost 3 years ago) is that the winter months are very dark very early. Although the southern states are warm year-round, the sun still…

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Exploring the Kenai Peninsula

Exploring the Kenai Peninsula

Hi friends! The Kenai peninsula is a compact area in the southern coastal area of Alaska. This beautiful part of the state is surrounded by water, mountains and glaciers! We spent over a week exploring this diverse area. Here is a map of the area to help a bit with navigation! Homer, Alaska – the Halibut Capital of the World When I think of Homer, I immediately think of the infamous ‘Homer Spit’. The spit is a 5 mile strip…

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The Alaskan Adventure Continues

The Alaskan Adventure Continues

Hi friends! Hope you are having a great summer! Mark and I entered Alaska on June 15th, which means that we have been here for 6 weeks! Since we are returning to the Lower 48 over Labor Day weekend, we have just shy of 5 weeks remaining! Time is flying by! Our last post was about time spent in Bettles Lodge, which is north of the Arctic Circle. After Bettles, we spent a bit of time in Fairbanks and drove…

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The Alaskan Adventure Begins

The Alaskan Adventure Begins

We stayed in historic Bettles Lodge (built in 1952). If you are a National Park Collector, then this is definitely one way to have ‘boots on the ground’ in both Kobuk Valley and Gates of the Arctic National Parks.

Spring in the Ozarks

Spring in the Ozarks

Hi friends! Here are a few highlights from our 2023 trip to date including The Natchez Trace Parkway, Little Rock, Hot Springs and the Buffalo National River!

What’s In The Van?

What’s In The Van?

As we set off on our next adventure, a friend recently asked how, exactly, we are living out of our Winnebago Revel for months at a time. He is thinking to embark on a similar lifestyle and I agreed to create a post on ‘What’s In The Van’. So, here it goes …

2022 Year in Review

2022 Year in Review

Generally speaking, 2022 felt more relaxed than our 2021 itinerary. In 2021, we had several planned milestone stops, which helped set our travel schedule. However, in 2022, we were on the road for more months with fewer milestone dates. Our plans were quite ‘fluid’ (which, oftentimes, I would think ‘who ARE we right now?’).