The Ford F150 paired with the Mesa Ridge 3110BH by Highland Ridge rig was the perfect balance of interior trailer space, lightweight for towing by a F150, and gas efficiency. We were able to average 12-13 miles per gallon when towing and the truck gets up to 25 mpg when not hitched (when touring the parks). We drove some very mountainous paths with the rig and the Ford performed beautifully. The amazing thing is that last summer when we used our Toyota Tacoma to pull the much smaller Keystone Hideout, we got around the same mpg when towing. It is amazing that we were able to upgrade our interior space 57%, from 200 square feet to 315 square feet, and not spend more on gas while towing. We had hoped for this outcome when purchasing this rig and when put to the test we were really happy with the results.
The other thing that went really well this summer was that, on average, we stayed longer in each place and we didn't drive as many miles as last summer. Being out the first year and wanting to see everything we headed west and then east when we should have probably just done one or the other so as not to wear ourselves (and the kids) out with all the driving. This year, the plan to make a loop worked out great and we visited some of the most National Park dense parts of the country!
We returned to Snowflake in large part to check out the construction that had taken place at Rancho Status Quo as we had worked with a contractor at the beginning of the summer to sketch out the plans for building a bathroom, kitchen and loft in our quonset hut building. We are really happy with the progress that was made. Here is a before and after picture:
I will share more about our progress at Rancho Status Quo in future posts, but suffice it to say that being able to live/work out of Snowflake for six weeks this summer really helped us move our project forward. This "tiny house" quonset is 500 square feet (plus the loft) and seems absolutely enormous when compared to our primary residence of 315 square feet!
Husband was able to work remotely for eight full weeks. Although he did not get to visit all of the National Parks with us, he was able to see a lot and we were together every day. In a few cases we knew internet connectivity was going to be a problem (like at Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site in WY) and in other cases the crappy connection was an unfortunate surprise we had to deal with (like in Estes Park, CO). The weBoost was used during the week we were at Ancient Cedars RV Park in Mancos, CO - without it he would not have been able to work from home. Despite the challenges we were able to find a suitable location from which he could work no matter where we were. Libraries worked well. I also worked from the road and needed internet for participating in meetings and teaching an online class. I was also able to work around poor connectivity in some locations - though I will say it can be stressful at times. The lesson learned is that Verizon lies about its 4G coverage, so you can't rely on the map. Estes Park was a prime example. But with a little flexibility and creativity we adapted and found service, albeit less convenient.
We celebrated two years of full-time RV living in June and I have to say that we are really happy with our current situation. The biggest plus is the fact that we are growing together and learning together every day. Small spaces bring people closer, both literally and figuratively. We educate our kids, we live with minimalist values, we save our money. I want to devote some future posts to our homeschooling adventures, but that aspect of our life is really going well for everyone. The kids completed 19 Junior Ranger books (a mixture of science, social studies, and history lessons) during the 7 week trip and they never once considered it work. They love doing them and collecting the badges. This summer we collected hiking medallions and a few patches (their vests were very full from last summer but I did manage to sew a few new ones on).
Looking forward to the next adventure!
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