It's been a little quiet around here lately, so I thought it was time for a quick update on where we've been and where we're headed.
After wrapping up our stay in North Georgia, we were supposed to be making our way to Alabama. As RV life sometimes reminds us, plans don't always go as expected. Because of circumstances beyond our control, we found ourselves back at Hawkins Pointe RV Park—a place we honestly didn't expect to see again.
Thankfully, that stay is almost over, and we're getting ready to hit the road once more. During the wait I've been spending some time baking and recently baked up a sourdough boule. I encourage you to use your oven for anything you would have baked in a traditional home oven. Leave a comment on what you bake in your oven.
Our next stop is Louisiana, but we'll be taking our time getting there with an overnight stop in Alabama and a couple of nights at a Harvest Hosts location in Mississippi. While we're there, we're hoping to spend a day exploring Laurel, Mississippi, the hometown of Erin and Ben Napier from HGTV's Home Town. It's a place I've wanted to visit for quite a while.
What I'm looking forward to most, though, is spending time with family. One of our grandsons has a birthday coming up, and it'll be nice to slow down for a few days and enjoy making some memories together.
After Louisiana, we'll head back toward Georgia so we can leave Big Bertha at Three Way Campers for the repairs she's been patiently waiting on. Those broken windows from our Washington, D.C. trip are finally getting replaced. We've been told the repairs should take about a week, but if you've owned an RV for any length of time, you know that "about a week" can sometimes have a very different meaning. 🤞
While Big Bertha is in the shop, we'll be staying with my mom before getting back on the road.
After that...the adventure really begins.
The plan is to start making our way north before turning west, eventually picking up I-80 as we continue exploring parts of the country we've never seen before. We haven't made any reservations yet because, honestly, we're waiting to see when we actually get our home back. Sometimes the best travel plans are the ones that leave room for a little flexibility.
So now I need your help!
If you have a favorite route north out of Georgia to connect with I-80—or any must-see stops along the way—we'd love to hear your recommendations. Some of our favorite places have come from suggestions made by fellow travelers.
As always, thanks for following along on this journey with us. We can't wait to share the next chapter!
As we prepared Big Bertha for our very first travel day, we thought we had done an excellent job securing everything inside the RV. Cabinets were latched. Drawers were locked. Loose items were tucked away.
Everything was ready.
Well...
Almost everything.
There was one exception.
One very heavy sewing cabinet.
It had locking wheels, and before leaving we talked about tying it down.
Then we convinced ourselves it would be fine.
After all, it was heavy.
It wasn't going anywhere.
Famous last words.
Not long after getting on the road, Paisley began voicing her opinion about this whole RV travel thing. She meowed... and meowed... and then meowed some more.
After about an hour, we decided to pull over and check on everyone.
We had read that many people allow their cats to ride inside the RV while traveling, and that most eventually curl up on the bed and sleep through the drive. We figured we'd give Paisley a chance to see if she'd settle down.
What happened after that is anyone's guess.
We don't have cameras inside the RV, so your theory is as good as ours.
But when we opened the door...
Our hearts sank.
The sewing cabinet we had decided not to tie down had tipped completely over.
It had crashed into the patio door, scratching the glass and breaking the hardware that secures the door to the floor.
Our "it'll be fine" decision had officially become our first expensive lesson.
Of course, because it was completely loaded with sewing supplies, fabric, and who knows what else, standing it back up wasn't exactly easy.
It felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
Eventually we wrestled it upright, secured it properly this time, made sure Paisley was comfortable, and climbed back into the truck.
Lesson learned.
Tie.
Down.
Everything.
Even the things you're convinced won't move.
Thankfully, our travel day itself was intentionally short.
Back when we traveled full-time the first time, we learned something important about ourselves—we're not interested in driving from sunrise until sunset.
These days we plan shorter travel days, usually around 200 to 250 miles, and prefer arriving between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon.
Setting up camp is so much easier when you can actually see what you're doing.
For this first day, our destination was only 228 miles away, about a three to three-and-a-half-hour drive.
That gave us plenty of time to deal with unexpected surprises... like runaway sewing cabinets.
Our destination that evening would be something new for us.
Our very first Harvest Hosts stay.
And thankfully, the rest of the day went much better than the first hour.
Or at least that's another story for the next chapter.
Lessons We Learned on Day One
Tie down everything, even if you think it can't move.
Expect the unexpected.
Traveling with pets takes patience.
Shorter travel days make stressful moments much easier to handle.
The best travel stories usually begin with something going wrong.
After three months of preparing, packing, downsizing, organizing, shopping, selling, and wondering if we had forgotten something, it was finally time to hitch up Big Bertha and hit the road.
To say we were excited would be an understatement.
We were more than ready.
Hawkins Pointe had served its purpose well. It gave us a convenient place to stay close to home while we sold the house, found our tow vehicle, organized the RV, and finished preparing for full-time travel.
For that, we're grateful.
But by the end of our stay, we were definitely ready for a change.
One thing we hadn't anticipated was the nearby race track. On race days, the sound carried everywhere. Even inside the RV—with the television on—you could still hear the cars circling the track.
It certainly made for some noisy weekends!
The park itself was convenient for our needs, but compared to our previous RV travels years ago, we were surprised by how much campground prices have increased while amenities haven't always kept pace. Hawkins Pointe had a dog park, which Oscar and Harley appreciated, but after three months we were looking forward to experiencing parks with a few more things to offer.
More than anything, though, we were simply ready to begin the adventure we'd been planning for months.
Of course, we also had a few concerns.
Oscar had never been much of a fan of travel, and now that he was older, he let us know exactly how he felt by whining for much of the drive. We hoped that after a few weeks on the road he'd settle back into RV life like he had when he was younger.
Then there was Paisley.
Traveling with a cat was completely new territory for us.
Would she hide?
Would she cry?
Would she decide she hated RV life altogether?
We honestly had no idea what to expect.
As much as we'd prepared ourselves, there were still plenty of unknowns waiting just beyond the campground exit.
That's the funny thing about starting a new adventure.
You can spend months preparing.
You can make lists.
You can research.
You can organize every cabinet in the RV.
But eventually there comes a moment when all the planning has to stop.
You simply have to put the truck in gear and go.
As we pulled out of Hawkins Pointe that morning, we weren't just leaving an RV park.
We were leaving behind months of preparation and stepping into the lifestyle we'd been dreaming about.
The open road was finally in front of us.
Big Bertha was ready.
The crew was loaded up.
Our next chapter was about to begin.
And we couldn't wait to see where the road would take us.
Have you ever had a moment when months of planning finally became reality? We'd love to hear about it in the comments!
Before we take you down another highway or into another campground, we thought it was time to properly introduce ourselves.
We're Greg and Anna, the couple behind SeasonedRVers, along with our three four-legged travel companions—Oscar, Harley, and Paisley.
Together, we're proving that life doesn't slow down just because you get older. In fact, sometimes the best adventures begin in the next season of life.
Meet Greg
Greg is a disabled Army veteran who proudly served our country for 17 years.
His military career took him all over the United States as well as overseas, giving him a love for travel long before we ever considered becoming full-time RVers.
If you spend any amount of time with Greg, you'll quickly discover that he's the quiet one in our family. He's laid back, easygoing, and rarely gets rattled by much of anything.
When we're not traveling, you'll usually find him watching the Tennessee Volunteers, talking about bass fishing, or planning the next time he can get out on the water.
Meet Anna
Then there's me...
I'm the creative one.
If it involves making something, there's a good chance I want to learn how to do it.
I love quilting, sewing, cooking, baking sourdough, photography, and just about any creative hobby that lets me use my imagination.
One of my favorite parts of RV life is discovering beautiful places to photograph and sharing our journey with all of you through SeasonedRVers.
Keeping up with our website and social media has become another creative outlet that allows me to preserve our memories while hopefully inspiring others to begin adventures of their own.
What We Enjoy Together
While we each have our own hobbies, there are plenty of things we enjoy doing together.
We both love kayaking, bowling, exploring new places, and spending Saturdays cheering on our favorite college football teams.
Whether we're visiting a small-town museum, relaxing by a lake, or simply sitting outside our RV watching the sunset, we've learned that the best memories often come from the simplest moments.
Meet the Real Bosses
No RV would be complete without a few furry companions.
Oscar and Harley are our two 11-year-old Dachshunds, and they've been with us almost our entire RV journey.
Oscar joined our family in March 2015 when he was just eight weeks old, and Harley followed four months later in July, also at eight weeks old.
Between the two of them, they've spent more of their lives living in RVs than they have in traditional houses.
Needless to say, they're pretty experienced travelers.
Then there's Paisley.
She wasn't exactly part of the original plan.
One day in July 2024, she wandered into our yard and, like so many cats do, simply decided she had found her home.
She chose us.
We took her in, and before long she became an important part of our family. Now she's happily traveling the country right alongside the rest of us.
Why "SeasonedRVers"?
People often ask how we came up with the name.
The answer is actually pretty simple.
The word "seasoned" has more than one meaning.
We're seasoned because we've lived the RV lifestyle before and have returned to it with a little more knowledge, a little more experience, and hopefully a little more wisdom than the first time around.
But we're also seasoned in life.
We're embracing this chapter knowing that getting older doesn't mean your adventures have to end. Sometimes it simply means you've learned what's truly important.
For us, this season is about slowing down just enough to appreciate the journey, meeting incredible people, discovering beautiful places, and making memories we'll carry for the rest of our lives.
We're so glad you've decided to come along for the ride.
Welcome to our journey.
Whether you're a seasoned RVer, dreaming about life on the road, or simply enjoy following along, we're happy you're here. Be sure to say hello in the comments—we'd love to get to know you too!
FUN FACTS:
Greg: Never passes up a chance to fish and bleeds orange for Tennessee football.
Anna: Can usually be found behind a camera, at a sewing machine, or baking sourdough.
Oscar: Professional ball chaser and official campground greeter.
Harley: Expert napper who believes every sunny spot was made just for her.
Paisley: Former stray turned full-time RV cat who decided to adopt us.
