2023 - What Exciting Adventures Lie Ahead
2022 was quite a year. We had high expectations for what lay ahead as we set out on our new adventure, and reality was everything we had hoped it would be and more. 2023 has big shoes to fill if we are to top it, but we think we have plans to do just that.
Our travels have taken us over thousands of miles and 25 stops, most of it spent on the East Coast, an area we know relatively well. The majority of our time found us on or near the beach. The beach is my wife, Kym's “happy place,” and it’s a place that is hard to pull her away from. Trust me! I love the coast and grew up around the water in New England, but the mountains and forests have become the place that centers me. The East Coast also doesn’t offer the opportunities for off-road exploration that the Western half of the country does, and I am craving remote off-road travel.
The mountains and the woods are what centers me, and where I feel at home
After nine months on the road, the only constant we have found changes itself. Changing scenery, daily rituals, campsites, and plans. Change is not bad; it is one of the main reasons that drove us to seek adventure in the first place. To escape the mundane and experience new cultures, people, and places.
2023 had us heading West, exploring areas of the country that we are much less familiar with and, in some cases, have never seen before. After spending the holidays in Florida, we spent a week in New Orleans before heading to the great state of Texas. Texas is a state that we know well, having lived there for almost four years. We started in Conroe, TX, where we established our new domicile, got our licenses, and registered our vehicles. From there, we worked our way down to Corpus Christy and South Padre before returning to San Antonio for a short stay.
Our stay in Arizona was short but eye-opening. We were not expecting all of the mountains and views of snow-capped peaks from our campsite. We also stumbled on multiple trails and had a blast exploring the mountains. Much to my Kym’s chagrin, we were in the snow for the first time since leaving Maine. It is an area we look forward to exploring even more. As we continued heading West, we spent the next few months in Southern and Central California. Being in California with the recent heavy rain and snow meant we were blessed to be surrounded by wildflowers and lush landscapes. It was a beautiful and stark contrast from the last time we were in the state, where you could see why wildfires could tear through the countryside.
As I write this, we are sitting in Southern Nevada before we head to Vegas for a short stay for a conference. It is hot, the hottest we have seen in months, even hitting 105 the first week we were here. After Vegas, we will spend three weeks in Flagstaff, AZ, to attend Overland Expo West. I can’t wait! I have wanted to attend Overland Expo West for over ten years. While we attended East this year, which was fantastic, West is still the granddaddy, and I will finally fulfill a long-time dream. Flagstaff and Northern AZ is also an area we have wanted to explore for quite a while.
Overland Expo East was fantastic, and we can’t wait to attend Overland Expo West in 2023
That is where our plans start to change dramatically. Changes are coming. Changes both in how we travel as well as to where. To date, we have primarily stayed in KOA campgrounds while fitting in as many State and National Parks and Forests as possible. This is not because we require a high level of lifestyle. This plan was driven by the fact that we have five dogs, and many campgrounds limit the number of dogs you can have. We love State and National Parks, but we have found that getting reservations, even months ahead of time, has become extremely challenging, especially on weekends! Boondocking, or camping for free on public lands, is an option and one we would love, but this was mostly not possible on the East Coast due to the lack of public lands; it is something that we want to do more of out West. Also, we’ve been having ongoing trouble with our generator, which is a requirement for access to power so we can work from the road. Shortly, we plan to try and fix it once and for all.
Our plan had worked great and had no issues other than one; KOAs are expensive, and we were burning through cash. Over the last two months, we have shifted to primarily staying in either state parks or less expensive KOAs. In order to do this, our plans have been driven more by the availability and price of reservations than by specific locations. It is early, but this change in our plans is working well. It has required extensive research, and we often spend hours on reservation sites, but to date, we have been very happy with the places we have found.
Generally, over the last nine months, we’ve spent about two weeks at each location, but strangely those two weeks have felt like months because of all the things we do and see. We don’t often find ourselves not ready to move on (with the exception of the Florida Keys, which my wife never wanted to leave and reminds me about that often!). But moving every two weeks is hard work, and we are getting tired. It is fine, but working full-time and launching Wolfpack Explorers makes it tough.
All of these factors have driven another major change in our travel plans. From Arizona, the plan was to begin the true highlight of our 2023 plans. After a quick jaunt through Utah, we planned to arrive in Wyoming for an extended stay around Yellowstone National Park. We have never been to Yellowstone, and along with Grant Teton National Park, it sits near the top of our bucket list. After over a month in Wyoming, our plans had us heading further north to Montana and Glacier National Park. And then, across the Canadian border, to spend several weeks in beautiful Banff and Jasper National Parks before continuing on to our ultimate dream, Alaska.
Our original route from Arizona had us heading up to Alaska, and then back down to Olympic National Park
Alaska is one of the key reasons we are on this trip in the first place; it is a place we have only ever dreamed of exploring. There is so much that we want to see and do. However, those plans will have to wait. We will still make our way to Wyoming from Overland Expo, but we will now be there from Jun until late September. Kym has signed up to be a camp host at a campground in the Shoshone National Forest just outside of the North East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Prior to that, we will be at a couple of State Parks around Cody, WY, until the snow fully melts and her campground opens.
The Beartooth Highway is a stunning drive and is a tourist attraction itself
Are we disappointed about losing out on Canada and Alaska? Of course! But we are ecstatic and couldn’t be happier about where we will be. If we were to pick the campground where we would settle down in for a while, this would be near the top of the list. The campground is located on the Beartooth Highway, which was Dubbed “the most beautiful roadway in America” by On the Road correspondent Charles Kuralt. The Beartooth Highway runs 68.7 miles from the North Eastern entrance of Yellowstone to Red Lodge, Montana, and climbs to an incredible 10,947 feet above sea level. At this elevation and latitude, snowstorms can occur even in the middle of the summer. As I write this, the road is currently closed for the season, and the hope is to have it open on Memorial Day weekend, weather permitting.
It is truly a wild place. This is prime grizzly territory, and the area is also home to all of the top predators, including black bears, wolves, bison, moose, mountain lions, bobcats, elk, deer, and many other animals. The Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River that runs behind the campground is also home to trophy trout. If we could go today, we would. The Yellowstone area is expensive, and the free campsite will allow us to stay for free while living our dream and will allow us to put some more money in the bank. While missing Alaska does upset us, we are not planning to stop traveling anytime soon. It will be the centerpiece of our travels next year.
Snow levels vary and drifts can be as high as 26 feet in the higher elevations.
This will allow us to spend months extensively exploring Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and all of the surrounding National Forests, along with mountains, forests, and some of the most remote areas our country has to offer. We have always thought that this area might be a place where we end up at least for part of the year once we settle back down. Only time will tell, so stay tuned!
Seeing wildlife up close in their environment, like this Bull Elk in Smoky Mountain National Park, make us feel alive
This entire trip has been a dream come true. Traveling full time, exploring the areas of this country that we don’t know well and have never been to before. Meeting new people and learning more firsthand about their lives and cultures. Seeing firsthand the history that we have only ever read about in books and learned in school. But, without a doubt, this section of our trip is what we have looked forward to the most. 2023 looks to be quite the year. And don’t worry, Kym will return to her “happy place,” and we will wrap up the year with two months down in the Keys. Not bad, not too bad at all…
