Live Work Dream Fulltime RV Travel Tips and Lifestyle Advice | Live Work Dream

Know Your Limitations

October 7, 2007 by Jim

I’ve been meaning to write about this for quite some time now. But I guess I’ve just been putting it off in fear of triggering nightmares about the day we almost got stuck in Syracuse, NY. Literally.

After a long day of driving and one missed turn, we ended up amidst the suburban sprawl of outer Syracuse in stop and go traffic at rush hour. As we rounded one corner, I noticed a bridge and barely saw the 12′ 9″ low clearance sign with just enough time to take the last possible turn before heading under. While we might have made it through, it was just too close for comfort and wasn’t worth the chance. Our rig measures 12′ 5″ at the the tallest point. To know this is a good thing.

Watch Out for The Mansons

October 7, 2007October 6, 2007 by Rene

When you’re roaming about the countryside, be careful who you tell your story to, or you could end up as a member of the latest Manson Clan.

Yesterday while shopping at one of the last Farmer’s Markets of the season here in Vermont, we stopped to admire some homemade bread being sold by vendors who appeared to be typical Vermont farmers. We sampled the breads they had, and they were so good. They were “heavenly.” Even though bread looked as dense as bricks, each sample we tasted was light and tasty. So we were blown away when the farmer told us that the breads were wheat free, and made with spelt flour. Spelt?

Isn’t spelt some some earthy, nasty ingredient that hippies bake with to snake out their colons or something? Ick! Now we’d eaten it!

Chasing Down Biodiesel

October 30, 2007October 5, 2007 by Rene

When we picked out our Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck, one of our requirements was that it had to have a diesel engine, so that we could run biodiesel or straight veggie oil (SVO) in it. We wanted to offset our footprint by buying such a large vehicle. So we took a class on Making Your Own Biodiesel, learned the ins and outs of producing and buying it, and set off on this trip with the hope that we would find it in lots of places. Eventually, we’ll make our own, but for now, we have to rely on Biodiesel.org to tell us who’s selling it and where.

Spontaneous Gardening in Our National Parks

February 5, 2020October 4, 2007 by Rene

People often ask us, “What do you do without a TV?” Well, sometimes, the best entertainment is just people watching in the campground.

For instance, last week at Acadia National Park in Maine, we watched in shock as our neighbor tried to get his 35′ fifth wheel out of the campground. This was a very tall rig. Nothing wrong with that, but as many of you know, many government campgrounds aren’t often designed for today’s RVs.

The Numbers: September 2007 Budget Figures

September 14, 2015October 4, 2007 by Rene

Ideas, tips and worksheet for creating a road trip budget forecast plan.

Our 15 Minutes of Fame: We’re Featured in RV Life Magazine!

October 3, 2007October 2, 2007 by Rene

RV Life Magazine features profile on young professionals of Live Work Dream and their RV road trip sabbatical.

Creatively Making Money with Digital Scrapbooking

October 1, 2007 by Rene

People often ask us if we miss our “stuff.” Well, the only thing I miss are my scrapbooking and card making supplies. I hated to put them in storage, and thought I’d have to say goodbye to my favorite creative outlet for a while.

But recently, I was introduced to Digital Scrapbooking, and fell in love with it. The digital way of preserving family memories is so much less expensive, more flexible — and saves a ton of space, because everything is done on my computer.

I’m enjoying it so much, that now I’m teaching others about it. Even people who don’t consider themselves “creative” are finding that they can design crafty “coffee table” style, archival quality photo books.

RVblogz.com Now Offers Free Travel Blogs!

December 2, 2007October 1, 2007 by Jim

I haven’t written any posts here in a while since I have been frantically developing the final touches for our latest online venture …

We are proud to announce that the long-awaited RVblogz.com is now online! With RVblogz.com you can get your own free travel blog to document your adventures and keep in touch with friends and family while on the road.

Be one of the first to take advantage of this new free service and join the growing community of RVbloggerz today!

Live Work and Play with Fido at Bark Harbor

October 1, 2007September 30, 2007 by Rene

With a wag of his tail, our dog Jerry always seems to bring us such good fortune. On Saturday, we took him to “Bark Harbor,” an upscale pet boutique in Bar Harbor’s downtown area. As we walked in, we noticed a flyer that advertised the business as being for sale, along with the building which has an upstairs apartment, and a separate home away from downtown. Woah!

We’ve often said that our next business would be some kind of dog-oriented operation, and the opportunity to start one was right in front of us, in one of the most beautiful locations we have been to yet.

Do It Yourself Lobster Pound Dinner

September 4, 2023September 30, 2007 by Jim

How to clean fresh lobster and make Lobster Alfredo with some great information about finding groceries near Bar harbor Maine while camping at Blackwoods Campground in Acadia National park.

Lobster Pound Review: The Docksider

November 9, 2008September 29, 2007 by Jim

This was a new site for me at a National Park campground. When we first drove up to the easternmost camp site from where we began our trip, I guessed this was a communal lobster pot where you could boil your fresh catch from Bar Harbor and feast on bugs by the fireside.

My silly dream was crushed when I discovered it to be a sink for dumping camp dishwater with a strainer basket and nearby trashcan for nasty bits. This is a good thing I suppose. After all, like the signs read, “A fed raccoon is a dead raccoon.”

But it sure felt good anyway to finally sit by a campfire again without bugs feasting on me. Especially after enjoying an authentic Down East lobster feast in Northeast Harbor. Just remember, when it comes to overindulgence, it’s not the volume of lobster one consumes, it’s the butter factor. And it is clarified butter that makes a breaks an establishment from the fine dining list.

Foodie Update: Best of Chain Grocery Stores

September 27, 2007 by Rene

From California to Maine, we’ve seen some of the best and worst grocery stores across the U.S.A. There’s been many a week when we haven’t found anything resembling fresh local produce. Lucky for us, there’s been a handfull of large chain grocery stores that have kept us from getting iron deficiencies and scurvy when no local farm stands were to be found. Here’s a handy list of some of the higher quality ones that may scratch your foodie itch while traveling cross country.

Donde Esta La Familia?

October 1, 2007September 27, 2007 by Rene

In just our first few months on the road as full-timers, we’ve met tons of great, fun people. Now that school’s back in session, we’re meeting more fulltime RVers, most of them retired. One thing I’ve noticed is, there hasn’t been a person of color in the whole bunch (I’m assuming this of course, based on outward appearances, however right or wrong that may be). But as a brown skinned person, this kind of observation is just something that one tends to notice throughout life. Please; I’m not saying it has any sort of impact on what I think of people or places, or whatever.

But I find myself wondering; why aren’t people of color getting in on the full-time RV lifestyle?

A Milestone: Splashing in the Atlantic

February 5, 2020September 26, 2007 by Rene

Team Agreda and their Tripod dog Jerry reach the Atlantic Ocean in Acadia National Park, Maine. Driving over 7,000 miles towing their RV 5th wheel trailer, they have gone from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

Living By Instinct: Discovering Plainfield, Vermont

September 26, 2007September 25, 2007 by Rene

Not Just Aimless Wanderers

Not having to watch a clock has given us the really precious gift of being able to go with the flow, follow our intuition and just let things happen. How sad that life as working fools, we are all too busy to meander down streets of different places, or stop to chat and get to know people. Why should this great learning experience be reserved for retired folks only?

Not charting a strict course is less about aimlessly wandering around the map, and more about listening to intuition, so that we can open ourselves up to what lies ahead. Doing so has brought us many adventures, and helped us to learn tons about where we might want to set down roots.

We Found a Contender: Plainfield, Vermont

Recently, after leaving Burlington and moving toward New Hampshire, Jim and I were completely starving for some grub. We kept looking for a good place to turn into, but the countryside’s driveways don’t give much room to stop an 8,000 pound trailer. Finally, we spotted one of Vermont’s unobtrusive roadside business announcement billboards (Vermont, Maine, Alaska and Hawaii are the only four states that have outlawed billboards).