<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Kate and Steve RV</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/</link><description>Recent content on Kate and Steve RV</description><generator>Hugo</generator><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/index.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title>St Lawrence River Cruise to Boldt Castle</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/st-lawrence-river-cruise-to-boldt-castle/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/st-lawrence-river-cruise-to-boldt-castle/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;There are a number of tour companies that will take you on a cruise of the St Lawrence River with a stop at &lt;a href="https://www.boldtcastle.com/visitorinfo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Boldt Castle&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. The campground we&amp;rsquo;re staying in had negotiated a discount with &lt;a href="https://claytonislandtours.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Clayton Island Tours&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, so this is the one we purchased. We opted for a &amp;ldquo;Two Nations Tour&amp;rdquo; with lunch. The sandwich lunches were a good value for the price and our tour was well planned and narrated. The only criticism we have is the allotment of time at Boldt Castle was not quite enough to fully see the property.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Clayton NY: Murals and Gilded Age Island Tourism</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/clayton-ny-murals-and-gilded-age-island-tourism/</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 20:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/clayton-ny-murals-and-gilded-age-island-tourism/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Another town near to where we are staying is Clayton, NY (&lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?auid=4374138687026681137&amp;amp;address=Clayton%2C&amp;#43;NY%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=44.236174%2C-76.084185&amp;amp;name=Clayton&amp;amp;lsp=6489" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;). Clayton is where the railroads stopped in the late 1800s and early 1900s, bringing up to 30,000 tourists a week to the &lt;a href="https://www.hhhistory.com/2020/03/the-thousand-islands-gilded-age.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Thousands Islands&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. There is a very large hotel right along the riverfront called 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, which is on the land where the ship harbor was located during that time. Motorized ships would take visitors out to the islands - several islands had hotels and large homes. In our afternoon here in Clayton, we walked around looking at murals, historic buildings, and reading about tourism in the 1000 Islands.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring Alexandria Bay's River Views and Charm</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-alexandria-bays-river-views-and-charm/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:03:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-alexandria-bays-river-views-and-charm/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;On our first afternoon we headed out to &lt;a href="https://visitalexbay.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Alexandria Bay&lt;/a&gt;&#10; (&lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?auid=561351932305628386&amp;amp;address=Alexandria&amp;#43;Bay%2C&amp;#43;NY%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=44.337255%2C-75.907526&amp;amp;name=Alexandria&amp;#43;Bay&amp;amp;lsp=6489" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;) to explore and see why all our friends rave about this area.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Stormy Skies at Thousand Islands Campground</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stormy-skies-at-thousand-islands-campground/</link><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2026 20:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stormy-skies-at-thousand-islands-campground/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;With all the traveling we do, would you believe that we rarely have travel days that are rainy? Much to our chagrin, the trip from Hector up to the Thousand Islands was a really stormy day.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Finger Lakes Rally: Grand Design Fun and Wine Country</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finger-lakes-rally-grand-design-fun-and-wine-country/</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 21:36:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finger-lakes-rally-grand-design-fun-and-wine-country/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;After leaving the Syracuse area, we headed down to the Finger Lakes (&lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?auid=10725584391584714499&amp;amp;address=Finger&amp;#43;Lakes%2C&amp;#43;NY%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=42.875523%2C-76.978212&amp;amp;name=Finger&amp;#43;Lakes&amp;amp;lsp=6489" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;). We stayed in a beautiful campground called &lt;a href="https://www.fingerlakesrvresort.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Finger Lakes RV Resort&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Hector, NY (&lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?place-id=I8AC2FA56CE0C89CD&amp;amp;address=3645&amp;#43;Tichenor&amp;#43;Rd%2C&amp;#43;Hector%2C&amp;#43;NY&amp;#43;&amp;#43;14841%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=42.500999%2C-76.870506&amp;amp;name=Finger&amp;#43;Lakes&amp;#43;RV&amp;#43;Resort&amp;amp;_provider=9902" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;). The week we were there, we attended the &lt;a href="https://www.gdnyrally.com/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;New York Grand Design Owners Rally&lt;/a&gt;&#10; with about 70 other units. We had a great time!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>eBiking the Old Erie Canal Trail in New York</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ebiking-the-old-erie-canal-trail-in-new-york/</link><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:47:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ebiking-the-old-erie-canal-trail-in-new-york/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We found a local bike shop to have some tune up work done on our eBikes. The guys at &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/resourcecycling" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Resource Cycling&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Fayetteville, NY (&lt;a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Resource&amp;#43;Cycling/@43.0297825,-76.017013,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x89d989b614aa9e6b:0x803ad107d42d956c!8m2!3d43.0297786!4d-76.0144381!16s%2Fg%2F11fmmmxcx1?entry=tts&amp;amp;shorturl=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;) were easy to work with and had our bikes tuned up and back to us faster than they estimated! To test them out, we took an almost 14 mile ride from&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/green-lakes-state-park-beautiful-but-watch-your-site-level/"&gt; our camp site&lt;/a&gt;&#10; to the &lt;a href="https://parks.ny.gov/visit/state-parks/old-erie-canal-state-historic-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Old Erie Canal State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; across from the park.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Fort Stanwix: A Revolutionary War Turning Point</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/fort-stanwix-a-revolutionary-war-turning-point/</link><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:55:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/fort-stanwix-a-revolutionary-war-turning-point/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We took an afternoon to drive over to &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/fost/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Fort Stanwix National Monument&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Rome, NY (&lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?place-id=I187F85B3EA3B22CB&amp;amp;address=100&amp;#43;N&amp;#43;James&amp;#43;St%2C&amp;#43;Rome%2C&amp;#43;NY&amp;#43;&amp;#43;13440%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=43.210649%2C-75.455707&amp;amp;name=Fort&amp;#43;Stanwix&amp;#43;National&amp;#43;Monument&amp;amp;_provider=9902" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;). Fort Stanwix is the name given to this fort by the British when it was built in 1758. British forces vacated the fort after the end of the &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/French-and-Indian-War" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;French and Indian war&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and the fort fell into disrepair. During the American Revolution, the Continental Army rehabilitated the fort (1777) because of its location between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Green Lakes State Park: Beautiful But Watch Your Site Level</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/green-lakes-state-park-beautiful-but-watch-your-site-level/</link><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 22:09:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/green-lakes-state-park-beautiful-but-watch-your-site-level/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Upon advice of some New York RVers, we booked a stay at &lt;a href="https://parks.ny.gov/visit/state-parks/green-lakes-state-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Green Lakes State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; (&lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?place-id=I997D289C02323303&amp;amp;address=7900&amp;#43;Green&amp;#43;Lakes&amp;#43;Rd%2C&amp;#43;Fayetteville%2C&amp;#43;NY&amp;#43;13066%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=43.047327%2C-75.983231&amp;amp;name=Green&amp;#43;Lakes&amp;#43;State&amp;#43;Park&amp;amp;_provider=9902" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;). This park is just east of Syracuse, NY and is right along the &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Erie-Canal" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Erie Canal historic waterway&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. The park itself is awesome - it has a couple lakes, a beach, a restaurant, and lots of walking trails. It also has a path to connect it to the Erie Canal trail.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Meeting Friends &amp; Ice Cream in Albany</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meeting-friends-ice-cream-in-albany/</link><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meeting-friends-ice-cream-in-albany/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We&amp;rsquo;ve mentioned a few times how we love seeing friends along the way and how community is what makes this life easier!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Free New York State Museum in Albany</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/free-new-york-state-museum-in-albany/</link><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 00:10:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/free-new-york-state-museum-in-albany/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We visited the &lt;a href="https://nysm.nysed.gov/visit" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;New York State Museum in Albany&lt;/a&gt;&#10; (&lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?address=222&amp;#43;Madison&amp;#43;Ave%2C&amp;#43;Albany%2C&amp;#43;NY&amp;#43;&amp;#43;12202%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=42.645679%2C-73.754425&amp;amp;name=222&amp;#43;Madison&amp;#43;Ave" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;) - it is 100% FREE. This museum is incredibly well done and we saw only 25% of the exhibits in the 2 hours we visited.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Someone is definitely starting to feel more like herself</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/someone-is-definitely-starting-to-feel-more-like-herself/</link><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:31:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/someone-is-definitely-starting-to-feel-more-like-herself/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Someone is definitely starting to feel more like herself!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Van Buren's Home and Thomas Cole's Studios</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/van-burens-home-and-thomas-coles-studios/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 22:12:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/van-burens-home-and-thomas-coles-studios/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;A day trip took us to the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/mava/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Martin Van Buren National Historic Site&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Kinderhook (&lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?place-id=I69C15729E32EA086&amp;amp;address=1013&amp;#43;Old&amp;#43;Post&amp;#43;Rd%2C&amp;#43;Kinderhook%2C&amp;#43;NY&amp;#43;12106%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=42.369813%2C-73.704001&amp;amp;name=Martin&amp;#43;Van&amp;#43;Buren&amp;#43;National&amp;#43;Historic&amp;#43;Site&amp;amp;_provider=9902" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;), where we stepped into the world of America’s eighth president. At Lindenwald, Van Buren’s post-presidential home, we got a glimpse into the life and times of a man whose career spanned the years from the American Revolution to the Civil War.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Visiting the Real Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/visiting-the-real-ichabod-crane-schoolhouse/</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:48:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/visiting-the-real-ichabod-crane-schoolhouse/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While out exploring the Hudson Valley area, we had to stop by the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichabod_Crane" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;&amp;ldquo;Ichabod Crane&amp;rdquo;&lt;/a&gt;&#10; schoolhouse. While &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Washington-Irving" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Washington Irving’s&lt;/a&gt;&#10; famous tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, is fiction, he did visit this particular school house and met with the teacher here - Jesse Merwin. The eccentric schoolmaster Ichabod Crane who finds himself caught up in the haunting legend of the Headless Horseman was loosely based on &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Merwin" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mr. Merwin&lt;/a&gt;&#10;.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Saying goodbye to family is never easy</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/saying-goodbye-to-family-is-never-easy/</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:57:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/saying-goodbye-to-family-is-never-easy/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Saying goodbye to family is never easy! We had such a great time and are so fortunate that they made the time to stay with us and take in the history of the Pilgrims (and Steve&amp;rsquo;s family)! Photos are from our last night together where we went out for dinner and walked around Bourne.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Cape Cod's Pilgrim Monument: Worth the 252-Foot Climb</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cape-cods-pilgrim-monument-worth-the-252-foot-climb/</link><pubDate>Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:47:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cape-cods-pilgrim-monument-worth-the-252-foot-climb/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We took an afternoon to drive all the way around Cape Cod and see the initial site of the Pilgrim landing at Provincetown (&lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?auid=6236399318712549010&amp;amp;address=Provincetown%2C&amp;#43;MA%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=42.050975%2C-70.187258&amp;amp;name=Provincetown&amp;amp;lsp=6489" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map&lt;/a&gt;&#10;). While we don&amp;rsquo;t know exactly the spot where they landed, there are a couple monuments dedicated to the &lt;a href="https://www.pilgrim-monument.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Pilgrims in Provincetown&lt;/a&gt;&#10; - one is just a plaque and the other is a tower and museum. After lunch and a quick walk on the beach (at low tide), we elected to see both.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Plimoth Patuxet Museum: Living History at Its Best</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/plimoth-patuxet-museum-living-history-at-its-best/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/plimoth-patuxet-museum-living-history-at-its-best/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While visiting Plymouth, we spent an afternoon visiting the &lt;a href="https://plimoth.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Plimoth Patuxet Museum&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. This museum is where history comes to life! It boasts two very special spots - one is a &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wampanoag" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Wampanoag&lt;/a&gt;&#10; homesite and the other is a recreation of a village with crops and animals similar to how the Pilgrims would have lived in the years after Mayflower landing in 1620.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Cape Cod Canal Trail: Perfect for E-Bike Adventures</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cape-cod-canal-trail-perfect-for-e-bike-adventures/</link><pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 13:04:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cape-cod-canal-trail-perfect-for-e-bike-adventures/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Alongside both sides of the &lt;a href="http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/CapeCodCanal.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Cape Cod Canal&lt;/a&gt;&#10; runs a multi-use trail that is about 7 miles in length. We got out and rode along the trail on our ebikes, traveling about 10 miles in total (5 down and 5 back). We enjoyed the cooler air temps near the canal and stopped to watch a few boats pass us on the canal.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Plymouth's 81-Foot Monument to the Forefathers</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/plymouths-81-foot-monument-to-the-forefathers/</link><pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 00:40:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/plymouths-81-foot-monument-to-the-forefathers/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Just outside of downtown Plymouth, an 81 foot tall memorial to the pilgrims has been erected- the &lt;a href="https://seeplymouth.com/listing/national-monument-to-the-forefathers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;National Monument to the Forefathers&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. This monument is super impressive. You pull up and there is a large circular unpaved drive around it. The monument itself is elevated slightly on a hill in the center of the circular drive; the height from the gradual hill adding to the perceived size of it.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Plymouth Rock: History vs. Legend</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/plymouth-rock-history-vs-legend/</link><pubDate>Sat, 08 Aug 2026 14:04:03 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/plymouth-rock-history-vs-legend/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We explored &lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?auid=8354112506171200921&amp;amp;address=Plymouth%2C&amp;#43;MA%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=41.954070%2C-70.658789&amp;amp;name=Plymouth&amp;amp;lsp=7618" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Plymouth&lt;/a&gt;&#10; seeing several sites. Most notably, we saw Plymouth Harbor and THE actual &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Plymouth-Rock-United-States-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Plymouth Rock&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. While Plymouth Rock is famous as &amp;ldquo;the site where the Pilgrims landed&amp;rdquo;; did you know that there is no actual written historical record of that being the case? In fact, we now know that the pilgrims on the Mayflower first came ashore in the new world in &lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?auid=6236399318712549010&amp;amp;address=Provincetown%2C&amp;#43;MA%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=42.050975%2C-70.187258&amp;amp;name=Provincetown&amp;amp;lsp=6489" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Provincetown&lt;/a&gt;&#10; on Cape Cod and after a month of exploration moved the ship to Plymouth in search for better land to farm.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Family Road Trip: Tracing Our Mayflower Roots</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/family-road-trip-tracing-our-mayflower-roots/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 22:30:03 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/family-road-trip-tracing-our-mayflower-roots/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We were joined by some our family - Steve&amp;rsquo;s Dad and Step-mother, Richard and Diane.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Diane is really big into genealogy and understanding where we all come from. Recently she was able to prove Steve&amp;rsquo;s family all the way back to the &lt;a href="https://themayflowersociety.org/history/the-mayflower-voyage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mayflower&lt;/a&gt;&#10;! What an incredible thing to know!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Update on Coco</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/update-on-coco/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:02:02 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/update-on-coco/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Sorry for the brief pause in posting! Coco is doing better, but she is still not fully acting like herself (probably a result of the meds!).&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;She had a follow up visit this week and her numbers look much better. She is eating and drinking. The plan is to keep her on meds for about another three weeks, but she should be OK after that. Consensus is that she had a &lt;a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/about/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;tick-borne&lt;/a&gt;&#10; illness.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>New Bedford's Dark Whaling History and Hope</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/new-bedfords-dark-whaling-history-and-hope/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:10:17 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/new-bedfords-dark-whaling-history-and-hope/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;During our time in Plymouth we made our way to &lt;a href="https://maps.apple.com/place?auid=1793346616090171328&amp;amp;address=New&amp;#43;Bedford%2C&amp;#43;MA%2C&amp;#43;United&amp;#43;States&amp;amp;coordinate=41.636310%2C-70.926228&amp;amp;name=New&amp;#43;Bedford&amp;amp;lsp=6489" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;New Bedford, MA&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. New Bedford is home to the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/nebe/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Not all of human history is happy or good. In fact, this park, while it does highlight some good from the area, the main focus is on the commercial whaling industry that was heavily operated from the port here.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Today isn’t a great day for Coco</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-isnt-a-great-day-for-coco/</link><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 20:02:12 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-isnt-a-great-day-for-coco/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today isn’t a great day for Coco. She’s been feeling a bit under the weather the past couple days and we took her in to the vet today which is her least favorite place. We still have a couple follow up tests to do, but the vet has narrowed down to 2 likely suspects and we’ll treat for both. Hopefully we can get the other tests completed quickly and effortlessly and get some answers to make sure we’re on the right path for healing.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>After dinner we went to Buzzards Bay Park</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/after-dinner-we-went-to-buzzards-bay-park/</link><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 01:15:07 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/after-dinner-we-went-to-buzzards-bay-park/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;After dinner, we went to Buzzards Bay Park. This park sits at the corner of the bay where the &lt;a href="https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Cape-Cod-Canal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Cape Cod Canal&lt;/a&gt;&#10; begins. Many people bring their chairs and sit near the canal to watch watercraft pass and wait for the train bridge to operate. The vertical lift train bridge is an engineering marvel. It spans over 500 feet and lowers in about 2.5 minutes, allowing trains to pass safely over the 480 foot expanse of water below. The train bridge and the canal are managed by the Corps of Engineers.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Cape Cod Gateway: Bayside Dining &amp; Passing Trains</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cape-cod-gateway-bayside-dining-passing-trains/</link><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:06 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cape-cod-gateway-bayside-dining-passing-trains/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We are staying in the town of Bourne, Massachusetts the next 2 weeks. This area is considered the &lt;a href="https://www.islands.com/1816116/massachusetts-gateway-cape-cod-charming-town-scenic-beaches-shops-sights-wareham/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Gateway to Cape Cod&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Tonight we went to dinner along the bay at a family-owned, local seafood joint. It was delicious! We sat outside along a small marina and got to see two passenger trains pass by on the tracks; one was a dinner train and the other was a commuter train from Boston to the Cape. That was a neat experience to wave at the people on the trains as they passed!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Solar Panels &amp; Generators: Upgrading Our RV Power Setup</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/solar-panels-generators-upgrading-our-rv-power-setup/</link><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 20:27:03 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/solar-panels-generators-upgrading-our-rv-power-setup/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;After our boondocking attempts last week, Steve decided to upgrade our off-grid capabilities. We already have several smaller USB battery packs for charging various things and a small EcoFlow portable power station (which worked great to watch TV at night). In an effort to save our house batteries for the important things like our refrigerator, cooking and using the roof fans, Steve purchased a portable solar panel to allow us to recharge our smaller battery packs. And while our new truck has a built in 2kw generator using it means running the engine which is sitting there burning diesel. Works well when you need to make a run to the ice cream shop though!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We are all packed up and no power to the slides</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-are-all-packed-up-and-no-power-to-the-slides/</link><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 14:00:06 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-are-all-packed-up-and-no-power-to-the-slides/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We are all packed up and no power to the slides!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Seems the work Steve was doing yesterday accidentally pulled one of the main power cables out of the switch panel. Whoops!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Fortunately, this was a quick fix to reattach the power cable and then replace a blown fuse! We were on the road right at check out, even with the extra work!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-are-all-packed-up-and-no-power-to-the-slides/photo-2_hu_9bcb7b0e7eece27b.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-are-all-packed-up-and-no-power-to-the-slides/photo-2_hu_d528f2bf684af5a.webp 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-are-all-packed-up-and-no-power-to-the-slides/photo-2_hu_7daa0e2555e95415.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-are-all-packed-up-and-no-power-to-the-slides/photo-2_hu_f8bbf7b36cb8128.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-are-all-packed-up-and-no-power-to-the-slides/photo-2_hu_7daa0e2555e95415.jpg 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="640" height="480" alt="Always check the fuses and breakers first" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Our last day on the beach and we really lived it up</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-last-day-on-the-beach-and-we-really-lived-it-up/</link><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:35:19 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-last-day-on-the-beach-and-we-really-lived-it-up/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our last day on the beach, and we really lived it up! Steve worked on a couple electrical projects today, and we spent some time this afternoon with each dog on the beach. Coco seemed to enjoy her time more than Tucker or Millie. Even though both Millie and Coco like water, neither really liked the waves. Staying true to himself, Tucker would not go near the waves at all and stopped in the rocks on the beach!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Ice Cream Truck &amp; Dominoes: Unplugged Campground Fun</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ice-cream-truck-dominoes-unplugged-campground-fun/</link><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 21:14:02 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ice-cream-truck-dominoes-unplugged-campground-fun/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today we actually played games (which is a big deal as &lt;em&gt;someone&lt;/em&gt; doesn&amp;rsquo;t like to play games)! After I got done working, Steve and I tried playing Dominoes - you know, something that doesn&amp;rsquo;t take any power! About 4:30, we were distracted by the sound of the ice cream truck rolling through the campground and went to get dessert for later. What a great treat!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ice-cream-truck-dominoes-unplugged-campground-fun/photo-2_hu_a5859ba08d58b99f.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ice-cream-truck-dominoes-unplugged-campground-fun/photo-2_hu_7133d545994bb599.webp 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ice-cream-truck-dominoes-unplugged-campground-fun/photo-2_hu_178192ab6a94f1d1.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ice-cream-truck-dominoes-unplugged-campground-fun/photo-2_hu_f14beff77197b150.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ice-cream-truck-dominoes-unplugged-campground-fun/photo-2_hu_178192ab6a94f1d1.jpg 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="640" height="480" alt="The sound of the ice cream truck" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;The sound of the ice cream truck&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Back to Ocean Views: The Boondocking Trade-Off</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/back-to-ocean-views-the-boondocking-trade-off/</link><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:14:02 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/back-to-ocean-views-the-boondocking-trade-off/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We decided to try our hand at the boondocking thing again but the last 3 days with power have been really nice! This morning we moved back over to our ocean view site making a stop at the dump station to empty our tanks.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;As I sit here this afternoon inside working, with a light breeze flowing throughout the RV, I can&amp;rsquo;t help but smile. This is a lovely way to camp.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Beach Camping Magic: Sunset Walks and Ocean Views</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/beach-camping-magic-sunset-walks-and-ocean-views/</link><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 01:12:21 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/beach-camping-magic-sunset-walks-and-ocean-views/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Camping on the beach (or near the beach in our case) has its benefits! Tonight we walked onto the beach and watched the sunset. What a beautiful sight!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/beach-camping-magic-sunset-walks-and-ocean-views/video-1.cf9c07b2.mp4" poster="/posts/beach-camping-magic-sunset-walks-and-ocean-views/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Today was finally sunny</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-was-finally-sunny/</link><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:12:02 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-was-finally-sunny/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today was finally sunny! We rode our bicycles out to Gooseberry Neck, a small island at the mouth of Buzzard&amp;rsquo;s Bay. There is a nice park here with trails in the dunes out to the beach. The beach is an interesting mix of sand and rocks. Starting down the trail, you are immediately hit with the smell of honeysuckle and the sites of the dunes all around. On the western fork of the trail, there are two cement towers. These are relics of the US&amp;rsquo;s WWII era defense system, having once served as submarine watch towers during war. Down the eastern fork is more beach with larger boulders, some of which were sunken in to the ocean.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We didn’t even make it 36 hours</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-didnt-even-make-it-36-hours/</link><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 23:57:03 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-didnt-even-make-it-36-hours/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We didn’t even make it 36 hours! While we do have solar to charge our batteries, the weather was NOT cooperative and it has been very cloudy! So this afternoon, Steve went to talk to the campground about using a generator (which they do not allow), but they did have an open site with electric available until Thursday. So, we had an impromptu short travel day to another site within the same campground. The jury is still out if we will move back and try to boondock again for the remaining 3 days of our stay here, but for now, we are a row off the beach. We can still hear the waves crashing from our site and this site is HUGE compared to the one on the beach.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Surprise Beach Boondocking: No Hookups, Just Views</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/surprise-beach-boondocking-no-hookups-just-views/</link><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/surprise-beach-boondocking-no-hookups-just-views/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Whoops! After an easy travel day, we get to our site and we realize that we have NO hookups. Not even electric! Surprise! We’re now boondocking at the beach for a week! Look at that view right outside our front door! (This was while we were filling with water. We definitely did not stay hooked up long since the potable water is communal!)&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Stay tuned to see if we make it with our solar setup and batteries.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Mystic Seaport's Hidden Gem: Historic Ship Figureheads</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/mystic-seaports-hidden-gem-historic-ship-figureheads/</link><pubDate>Sat, 18 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/mystic-seaports-hidden-gem-historic-ship-figureheads/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;My (Kate) favorite part of the Mystic Seaport museum was actually the room of figureheads. All the ones on display were from decommissioned ships from the 18th and 19th centuries, although figureheads were in use on ships many centuries before then. Figureheads come in all shapes and sizes. The exhibit currently features about 30 total carvings, with most of those being figureheads. Some, like the Hippocampus (sea horse) are not figureheads, but intricate carvings from the same period. The exhibit rotates the museums full collection which includes several dozen detailed pieces. There is also a ship&amp;rsquo;s carver location on site at the museum where you can discuss the process with the carver when he is in (he was on lunch during our visit to his shop).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring Groton's Naval History and USS Nautilus</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-grotons-naval-history-and-uss-nautilus/</link><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 17:15:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-grotons-naval-history-and-uss-nautilus/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today we visited the Submarine Force Museum and took a historic boat tour of the Thames River in the nearby town of Groton, CT. The tour was about 75 minutes and took us a couple miles up and down the Thames River, showing us sites used in the defense of our country over the past 250 years. We learned about the ship and submarine building industry, which is still a major part of the economy here, and the crucial part this area played in the founding of our country.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Mystic Seaport's Historic Shipyard Preserves America's Sailing Heritage</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/mystic-seaports-historic-shipyard-preserves-americas-sailing-heritage/</link><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:02:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/mystic-seaports-historic-shipyard-preserves-americas-sailing-heritage/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://mysticseaport.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mystic Seaport Museum&lt;/a&gt;&#10; has a working shipyard where historic ships come for restorative and preservation work. The ship builders here are trained in traditional shipbuilding methods, making this the perfect place for restoration and preservation of America&amp;rsquo;s treasures.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Currently, they are working on the Jamestown Settlement History Museum&amp;rsquo;s Flagship, the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Constant" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Susan Constant&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. While there was no active restoration in process, we were able to get up close and look at the ship in the yard and see some of the work being done on her.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Mystic Seaport Museum: A Living History Adventure</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/mystic-seaport-museum-a-living-history-adventure/</link><pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/mystic-seaport-museum-a-living-history-adventure/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;If you are planning to visit Mystic, CT we highly recommend a day (or two) at &lt;a href="https://mysticseaport.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mystic Seaport Museum&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. What an awesome place! It reminds me a LOT of The Henry Ford in Detroit (just smaller and with a different focus). We learned a bit about the whaling industry, ship building, and the historical context of the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;At the center of the amazing seaport town within the museum stands the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_W._Morgan_%28ship%29" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Charles W. Morgan&lt;/a&gt;&#10;- the last surviving wooden whaleship and oldest American merchant ship afloat. It launched in 1841 at New Bedford, Massachusetts and was one of over 3,000 American ships hunting whales at the time. The town also includes a rope maker, druggist, general store, ship carver, and several other living history exhibits.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Mystic Pizza Pilgrimage: A '80s Movie Fan's Dream</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/mystic-pizza-pilgrimage-a-80s-movie-fans-dream/</link><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 17:55:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/mystic-pizza-pilgrimage-a-80s-movie-fans-dream/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The main draw for me (Kate) to Mystic, CT was the &lt;a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095690/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;1988 film Mystic Pizza&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Not gonna lie, I&amp;rsquo;m a big fan of this movie! So when we decided to come up to New England this year, Mystic had to be on the route! The movie Mystic Pizza was inspired by a vacation that Amy Jones (screenwriter) had in this town. We took an evening to enjoy &amp;ldquo;a slice of heaven&amp;rdquo; and take in the beautiful town. We walked the main road in downtown, over the drawbridge, and stopped at the Mystic River Park. This park was super active with lots of visitors and even live music. After our walk, we stopped for ice cream at &lt;a href="https://www.mysticdrawbridgeicecream.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Drawbridge Ice Cream&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and enjoyed our dessert while people watching.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>345 Miles Through the Northeast: Our Longest Travel Day Yet</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/345-miles-through-the-northeast-our-longest-travel-day-yet/</link><pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 14:42:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/345-miles-through-the-northeast-our-longest-travel-day-yet/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today&amp;rsquo;s travel day was particularly long for us clocking in about 345 miles and 9 hours of travel. We left Cape May, NJ around 10am (which is about an hour early for us) and arrived at Mystic, CT close to 7pm. Based on several conversations with big RV owners who travel in the northeast, we decided to go about 40 miles out of the way to skirt further outside of New York City traffic. We only hit backups trying to leave the Jersey Shore and had a fairly smooth travel day, but all 5 of us are exhausted. I&amp;rsquo;m glad this part of our travel this year is behind us! Our next really long travel day is in September as we head south, but we still have a couple 250 mile days between now and then.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Pet Anxiety on Road Trips: Finding the Right Calming Dose</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pet-anxiety-on-road-trips-finding-the-right-calming-dose/</link><pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 11:17:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pet-anxiety-on-road-trips-finding-the-right-calming-dose/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Long travel days are not great for this one… we have started giving her calming treats to help her relax a bit. Her normal fireworks dose might be a smidge too much though…&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pet-anxiety-on-road-trips-finding-the-right-calming-dose/photo-1_hu_798f16a222e94f35.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pet-anxiety-on-road-trips-finding-the-right-calming-dose/photo-1_hu_5b93547392b0b7ca.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pet-anxiety-on-road-trips-finding-the-right-calming-dose/photo-1_hu_829a827c32a8c9f7.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pet-anxiety-on-road-trips-finding-the-right-calming-dose/photo-1_hu_bfc419d6553400f5.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pet-anxiety-on-road-trips-finding-the-right-calming-dose/photo-1_hu_829a827c32a8c9f7.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="901" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Hidden Gem Ice Cream Stop on New Jersey's Coast</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gem-ice-cream-stop-on-new-jerseys-coast/</link><pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 15:48:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gem-ice-cream-stop-on-new-jerseys-coast/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;With a day shortened by packing and preparing to leave this beautiful location, we decided to make a quick trip to the west coast of New Jersey. We went to North Cape May and saw where the Lewes-Cape May ferry docks, then drove up the coast to find an afternoon snack. We stopped at Fleck&amp;rsquo;s in Villas, NJ. Fleck&amp;rsquo;s is a baseball themed, family run ice cream parlor. What an awesome find! The ice cream was delicious and the service was fantastic! We definitely recommend a stop here if you are in the area!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Victorian Charm: Exploring Cape May's Historic Homes</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/victorian-charm-exploring-cape-mays-historic-homes/</link><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 17:12:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/victorian-charm-exploring-cape-mays-historic-homes/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Cape May started as a small fishing village, centered around the whaling industry. But by the mid 1700&amp;rsquo;s, it had established itself as the premier vacation spot for prominent families in the northeastern United States. Over the past 2 centuries, it has had to rebuild itself a couple times due to fire and such. Much of the current construction was completed in the late 1800s showcasing a beautiful mix of Victorian styles - Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, and American bracketed style buildings can be seen throughout the island. While in Cape May, we spent a couple hours tooling around and looking at all the beautiful homes - many of them are vacation rentals.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Cape May Point: Lighthouse, Beach &amp; WWII History</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cape-may-point-lighthouse-beach-wwii-history/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:37:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cape-may-point-lighthouse-beach-wwii-history/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This morning we drove over to &lt;a href="https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/state-park/cape-may-point-state-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Cape May Point State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. We saw the Cape May lighthouse, explored through the ecological exhibits at the park and visited the beach. On this beach is an abandoned bunker from WWII, &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_223" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Battery 223 of Fort Miles&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It was built as part of a set of batteries - connected to Cape Henlopen on the other side of the bay opening into the Atlantic Ocean - to protect Delaware Bay from intruding forces.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Visiting The Jersey Shore For the First Time</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-was-our-first-time-going-to-the-jersey-shore/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:37:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-was-our-first-time-going-to-the-jersey-shore/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This was our first time going to the Jersey Shore. We chose Wildwoods since it&amp;rsquo;s closest to where we&amp;rsquo;re staying but still a similar effect of the boardwalk, shops, etc. We are here as the season is ramping up, so it was decently busy during the week. We were a bit surprised about how far the ocean is from this particular boardwalk (it felt like 1/2 a mile!), but we still ventured out to it!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Delaware Memorial Bridge Instead of Ferry</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/delaware-memorial-bridge-instead-of-ferry/</link><pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2026 17:04:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/delaware-memorial-bridge-instead-of-ferry/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our travel day to NJ was fairly uneventful, but we made a last minute decision that may have made it a longer travel day! We had been planning to take the &lt;a href="https://www.cmlf.com/schedules-fares/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Lewes-Cape May ferry&lt;/a&gt;&#10; from DE to NJ since our next stop is Cape May. After seeing the traffic and ferry and having spoken with a few friends about taking an RV across on the ferry, we decided we would drive rather than take the ferry. Whlie we would be encouraged to explore the ferry and watch the water go by, we didn&amp;rsquo;t like that we would have to leave the dogs in the truck (with no way to keep an eye on them) while exploring the ferry. So, we&amp;rsquo;ve put it on our list for another time.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Happy 250th Birthday, America!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-250th-birthday-america/</link><pubDate>Sat, 04 Jul 2026 06:15:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-250th-birthday-america/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Wishing you a safe day celebrating 250 years of American Independence!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/happy-250th-birthday-america/video-1.a765557d.mp4" poster="/posts/happy-250th-birthday-america/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Delaware's Hidden Revolutionary War History</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/delawares-hidden-revolutionary-war-history/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:52:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/delawares-hidden-revolutionary-war-history/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We spent this Friday with Kate&amp;rsquo;s aunt and uncle, exploring Dover. We had a few people ask us about all of us being in RED, so we got to share the story with them.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We had a great time seeing the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/frst/planyourvisit/the-dover-green.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Dover Green&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, the Old State House, and the &lt;a href="https://history.delaware.gov/john-dickinson-plantation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;John Dickinson Plantation&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and learning about what makes Delaware special in the founding of our great nation!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We spent part of the afternoon at the Dickinson plantation learning about life in the colonial period. &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dickinson" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;John Dickinson&lt;/a&gt;&#10; is known as &amp;ldquo;the Penman of the American Revolution&amp;rdquo;, having penned or contributed to several notable documents written during the American Revolution.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Atlantic Liquors: Delaware's Greatest Liquor Store</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/atlantic-liquors-delawares-greatest-liquor-store/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:42:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/atlantic-liquors-delawares-greatest-liquor-store/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;On our way out to visit Fort Miles at Cape Henlopen, we came across &lt;a href="https://www.thegreatestliquorstoreintheworld.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Atlantic Liquors&lt;/a&gt;&#10;! Their tagline makes a bold statement that it is the GREATEST liquor store in the world, so we had to check it out! We had some really interesting finds while in the store.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;While we passed on the Old Bay flavored Vodka (which would likely make a mean Bloody Mary…), we did end up grabbing some Kirkland margaritas. Have you seen Kirkland branded liquors outside of a Costco Liquor store? We haven&amp;rsquo;t!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring Cape Henlopen State Park and Historic Fort Miles</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-cape-henlopen-state-park-and-historic-fort-miles/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 17:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-cape-henlopen-state-park-and-historic-fort-miles/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This afternoon we visited &lt;a href="https://www.destateparks.com/park/cape-henlopen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Cape Henlopen State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; located in Lewes, Delaware (pronounced &amp;ldquo;Lewis&amp;rdquo;). What a cool place! Lewes is in the middle of the state. The term &amp;ldquo;cape&amp;rdquo; refers to a piece of pointed land that sticks out into a body of water. They are usually smaller and narrower than a peninsula. This cape was relatively small compared to something like Cape Cod, but was interesting to see. There were also a bunch of horseshoe crabs on the beach, apparently having come ashore to mate and lay their eggs.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Tucker's Farm Animal Adventure at Our Campground</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tuckers-farm-animal-adventure-at-our-campground/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:37:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tuckers-farm-animal-adventure-at-our-campground/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The campground we&amp;rsquo;re staying in has a bunch of farm animals - chickens, turkeys, goats, peacocks, etc. Tucker keeps pulling us towards these guys! He seems to be very curious about them - I wonder if he thinks they are dogs to play with?&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tuckers-farm-animal-adventure-at-our-campground/photo-1_hu_610ca6b159821ac2.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tuckers-farm-animal-adventure-at-our-campground/photo-1_hu_ac5ffcc8149b14fc.webp 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tuckers-farm-animal-adventure-at-our-campground/photo-1_hu_921a96bf09e5ad15.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tuckers-farm-animal-adventure-at-our-campground/photo-1_hu_b6562daf4ab8186e.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tuckers-farm-animal-adventure-at-our-campground/photo-1_hu_921a96bf09e5ad15.jpg 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="640" height="480" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Family Time and Native Gardens in Delaware</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/family-time-and-native-gardens-in-delaware/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 16:52:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/family-time-and-native-gardens-in-delaware/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Some of what makes this life 100% worth the effort it takes to pick up and wholly move your home every week or two are the people you get to see. This week in Delaware, we are close to Kate&amp;rsquo;s aunt and uncle and so grateful that they could spend time with us!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Today we had lunch at &lt;a href="https://www.crookedhammockbrewery.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Crooked Hammock Brewery&lt;/a&gt;&#10; (which was awesome!) and walked through &lt;a href="https://mtcubacenter.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mt Cuba Center&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Mt. Cuba was originally the estate of &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lammot_du_Pont_Copeland" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Lammot du Pont Copeland&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and his wife Pamela Copeland, with most of the property being purchased in 1935. They worked with husband and wife architect team Samuel and Victorine Homsey to design and build the mansion on property which is still in use to this date as a visitors and education center.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring Historic Milford, Delaware's Two-County Town</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-historic-milford-delawares-two-county-town/</link><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:47:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-historic-milford-delawares-two-county-town/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We took a couple hours and walked around the park in &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford%2C_Delaware" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Milford, Delaware&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. The state of Delaware only has 3 counties and this city is in two of them! Originally a community centered around shipbuilding but now serving as an agricultural hub, the town of Milford is over 200 years old! In our walk through the park, we came across several art pieces that told the story of the town&amp;rsquo;s history. The downtown area is a quintessential small town downtown with active shops lining main street and wonderful, homey feel.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We made it to Delaware</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-made-it-to-delaware/</link><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 17:17:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-made-it-to-delaware/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We made it to Delaware! The park where we are staying this week is quiet, except for the peacocks! So relaxing in fact, that Steve decided to take a nap after our travel day&amp;hellip;&lt;br&gt;&#10;Doesn&amp;rsquo;t he look comfy?&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-made-it-to-delaware/photo-1_hu_5d5426894a71fe3e.webp 480w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-made-it-to-delaware/photo-1_hu_cb1cc67602622cfc.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-made-it-to-delaware/photo-1_hu_cb1cc67602622cfc.jpg 480w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="480" height="640" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Collecting 40+ National Park Passport Stamps in DC</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/collecting-40-national-park-passport-stamps-in-dc/</link><pubDate>Sat, 27 Jun 2026 06:37:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/collecting-40-national-park-passport-stamps-in-dc/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;As part of our travels, about 3 years ago we purchased a &lt;a href="https://americasnationalparks.org/passport-to-your-national-parks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;National Parks Passport book&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Much of our travel evolves around seeing the public lands in our great nation. Washington DC was no exception! This year, as we celebrate 250 years as an independent nation, many sites have a &lt;a href="https://americasnationalparks.org/2025/09/24/introducing-official-passport-america250-ink-stampers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;special edition 250 stamp&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in additional to their typical passport stamps.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;During our time in DC we collected almost 30 passport stamps PLUS 13 special edition 250 stamps (photo was taken after day 1 of 2).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>DC Day 2: Hard Rock, History, and White House Wonders</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dc-day-2-hard-rock-history-and-white-house-wonders/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:27:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dc-day-2-hard-rock-history-and-white-house-wonders/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Day 2 in Washington DC: we attempted to see a few things that one or both of us had on our bucket list. First, Kate collects Hard Rock Café pins, so we stopped to have lunch at HRC in DC on our way to Ford&amp;rsquo;s Theater.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;A bit disappointing, but &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/foth/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Ford&amp;rsquo;s Theater&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was closed and there was nothing on the NPS app about the closure. While we did not get to see inside the theater (Kate has been there several times), one of the docents was outside telling people the story of Abraham Lincoln&amp;rsquo;s assassination. She was even great enough to bring out the cancellation stamp for &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-national-parks-passport-book"&gt;Steve&amp;rsquo;s passport book!&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Walking DC's National Mall: 15,000 Steps of History</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/walking-dcs-national-mall-15000-steps-of-history/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:12:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/walking-dcs-national-mall-15000-steps-of-history/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Day 1 in Washington DC we decided to walk the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/nama/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;National Mall&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. The view of DC from the hill where the Washington Monument stands is one of Kate’s favorites! Today we walked a circuit of the National Mall and Tidal Basin.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We spent some time at each of the following:\&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;ul&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Washington Monument\&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;WWII Memorial\&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Lincoln Memorial\&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;West Potomac Park (this encompasses the path/park around the tidal basin - from Lincoln to Jefferson Memorials)\&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial\&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;/ul&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We walked over 15,000 steps today, so we&amp;rsquo;re pretty exhausted!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring DC by Metro: Rain, Murals &amp; Miss Chelove</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-dc-by-metro-rain-murals-miss-chelove/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:04:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-dc-by-metro-rain-murals-miss-chelove/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;It’s been raining since we arrived in DC, but today, we finally got to venture out a bit! We used the &lt;a href="https://www.wmata.com/ride/maps.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Metro Rail&lt;/a&gt;&#10; system which was very convenient to all the places we wanted to stop. On the advice of the &lt;a href="https://www.cherryhillpark.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Cherry Hill Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; staff we parked at Beltline station and rode about 30 minutes into DC. The Beltline station had plenty of parking while we&amp;rsquo;re there, even for our large dually pickup truck.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Water Towers as Art</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/water-towers-as-art/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 17:16:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/water-towers-as-art/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Have you ever seen a water tower being constructed? It&amp;rsquo;s really neat to watch! First, they build a cement foundation. Then a pedestal made out of cement or metal is raised. Next, the reservoir is typically brought in as pieces and welded around the pedestal. Once the reservoir is in one piece, it is then painted then lifted to the top of the pedestal using hydraulic lifts. The lifting process can take an entire day (8 hours!) depending on the height of the pedestal. It is then attached to the base, sealed, and a top is added. It takes a typically 12-18 months to build a water tower!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Leaving the South: Hospitality and Coke</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/leaving-the-south-hospitality-and-coke/</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:12:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/leaving-the-south-hospitality-and-coke/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;What are the things you notice about when you transition from one region to another? For Kate, there are two things that really show the transition away from the South.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;First, the people in other areas of the country do not have the same &amp;ldquo;Southern hospitality&amp;rdquo; engrained in them as those in the South. Much of the rest of the country is very direct, doesn&amp;rsquo;t just up and talk to strangers, and they certainly don&amp;rsquo;t freely give out smiles. They aren&amp;rsquo;t being rude or stand-offish, but if you are used to the overly welcoming nature of those in the South, it is definitely a noticeable difference..&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Visiting Booker T. Washington National Monument</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/visiting-booker-t-washinigton-national-monument/</link><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 17:14:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/visiting-booker-t-washinigton-national-monument/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today we visited the Booker T. Washington National Monument, a place that tells an incredible story of perseverance, education, and leadership.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Located on the tobacco farm where &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Booker-T-Washington" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Booker T. Washington&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was born into slavery in 1856, the site brings history to life through preserved landscapes and exhibits that trace his remarkable journey from enslavement to becoming one of the most influential educators and leaders in American history.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Booker T. Washington&amp;rsquo;s legacy lives on through &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tuskegee-University" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Tuskeegee University&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, where, at only 25 years old, he was named the first principal of Tuskeegee at its opening in 1881. HIs legacy also lives on in the National Negro Business League (now the National Business League) that he helped found in 1900 to promote African American businesses. He was a huge proponent of equal rights for all people and pushed for change through his writing and speaking.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Finding Peace at Appomattox Court House</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finding-peace-at-appomattox-court-house/</link><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finding-peace-at-appomattox-court-house/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/apco/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Appomattox Court House National Historic Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; is located on such a beautiful piece of land - light breeze, rolling hills, and a major roadway within earshot&amp;hellip; Even with the noise from vehicles passing, Kate found a rocking chair and took a few minutes to enjoy the peace and quiet of the grounds! Do you ever just take time to enjoy the little things like the breeze and the sunshine?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Appomattox Court House: Where the Civil War Ended</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/appomattox-court-house-where-the-civil-war-ended/</link><pubDate>Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/appomattox-court-house-where-the-civil-war-ended/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We drove southeast from Natural Bridge through the mountains to &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/apco/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Appomattox Court House&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. This once bustling little village is now maintained by the federal government as a National Historical Park.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;This is the place where in 1865, &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Lee" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Robert E. Lee &lt;/a&gt;&#10;formally surrendered to &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Ulysses S. Grant&lt;/a&gt;&#10; bringing an end to the &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;American Civil War&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. The surrender happened at the McLean House, the home of a Virginia Grocer who made a small fortune selling sugar to the Confederate Army during the war. &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/people/wilmer-mclean.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Wimer McLean&lt;/a&gt;&#10; moved to Appomattox Court House in 1863 after fighting broke out at the first battle of Bull Run (which was practically in his back yard at his farm in Northern Virginia). He moved to Appomattox Court House to keep his wife and children safe and away from the war. Little did he know that in two years&amp;rsquo; time the parlor in his home would be at the center point of the battle which led to surrender.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Do you collect pressed pennies?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-collect-pressed-pennies/</link><pubDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-collect-pressed-pennies/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Do you collect pressed pennies?&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Kate has been doing this since the 1990s. It is a cheap, space saving way to remember her travels. She has collected about 1 1/2 books of them since we&amp;rsquo;ve been on the road full time.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;As pennies are no longer being produced, what is going to happen to this collection hobby?&lt;br&gt;&#10;We recently saw that the penny press machines are now being upgraded to press nickels! Have you seen these yet? Kate was a bit hesitant that the pressed nickel would fit in the penny book, but it seems to do so just fine.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Have you been to Virginia?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/have-you-been-to-virgina/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/have-you-been-to-virgina/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Have you been to Virginia? The state motto is: Virginia is for Lovers. As part of a major Virginia tourism initiative, they began placing &lt;a href="https://www.virginia.org/blog/post/loveworks-family-adventures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;LOVEworks statues&lt;/a&gt;&#10; throughout the state in 2013. Today, there are more than 350 of them state wide! Each statue is at least 4&amp;rsquo;x4&amp;rsquo; and reflects the community in which it is erected. We saw two of these - one in Wytheville and one at Natural Bridge. As we come back through Virginia in the fall, we&amp;rsquo;ll be on the look out for some more!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Natural Bridge State Park: A Virginia Classic Revisited</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/natural-bridge-state-park-a-virginia-classic-revisited/</link><pubDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/natural-bridge-state-park-a-virginia-classic-revisited/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;What a beautiful afternoon at &lt;a href="https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/natural-bridge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Natural Bridge State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;! Steve and I were last here in November 2015 after I attended a conference in DC. At the time the park was privately owned, becoming a park in 2016. There have been some renovations of the main office area and the park. Steve remembers taking a shuttle bus down and then back up to the office, but this time, we had to walk down about 14 flights of stairs…. And then back up!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Bumpy Road, Clean Kitchen: Our RV Win</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bumpy-road-clean-kitchen-our-rv-win/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bumpy-road-clean-kitchen-our-rv-win/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our last travel day was one of the bounciest we have had in a while. Because our kitchen is in the back, we usually see aftermath of a lively travel day most clearly evident here. But, even though the silverware was all over the place, the scissors were on the floor under all the drawers, one of my &lt;a href="https://oveglove.com/products/the-ove-glove-2count" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Ove Gloves&lt;/a&gt;&#10; bounced off a hook, and the contents of the fridge moved enough to upend a tension rod, we did not have anything in the fridge spill or break. So we&amp;rsquo;ll call this a win!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>How do you move an immovable object</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-do-you-move-an-immovable-object/</link><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:22:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-do-you-move-an-immovable-object/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;How do you move an immovable object? Asking for a friend&amp;hellip;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Coco has started sitting under me as I work at my desk. Even when I get up and push in the chair, she stays put. Steve and I have no idea why she started doing this but it&amp;rsquo;s been going on the last few weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-do-you-move-an-immovable-object/photo-1_hu_a5ad445c9c6e98f7.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-do-you-move-an-immovable-object/photo-1_hu_c92333ad1197f7fb.webp 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-do-you-move-an-immovable-object/photo-1_hu_20c1641bd2b34097.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-do-you-move-an-immovable-object/photo-1_hu_d9a99687aec4807d.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-do-you-move-an-immovable-object/photo-1_hu_20c1641bd2b34097.jpg 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="640" height="480" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Military Tribute Semi-Truck Spotted in West Virginia</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/military-tribute-semi-truck-spotted-in-west-virginia/</link><pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/military-tribute-semi-truck-spotted-in-west-virginia/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While out exploring West Virginia we saw a magnificent semi-truck on the road and just had to share!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We really appreciate our military and seeing patriotism celebrated in this manner was fantastic.&lt;br&gt;&#10;The truck driver was working (and we were all driving) so we couldn&amp;rsquo;t stop him to get the history, but I would love to see if the internet can do its magic and get us some more info! The driver was very friendly and waved as I awkwardly gawked at the awesomeness of his truck! I&amp;rsquo;m sure he gets a lot of attention for it.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Steve's Dam Obsession: Bluestone Dam's 30-Year Upgrade</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/steves-dam-obsession-bluestone-dams-30-year-upgrade/</link><pubDate>Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/steves-dam-obsession-bluestone-dams-30-year-upgrade/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;One thing you may not know about Steve is that he loves seeing and learning about dams. While driving back from our day at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, we came across &lt;a href="https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/Missions/Projects/Article/3709913/history-of-bluestone-dam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Bluestone Dam&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Of course we pulled over to get a closer look!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Bluestone Dam is on the New River, forming Bluestone Lake. It is 165 feet tall and 2,048 feet long. It was built in the 1930s, and has a lot of the features of other Art Deco and Art Moderne style dams we&amp;rsquo;ve seen in our travels.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>New River Gorge: 70,000 Acres of Pure Wonder</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/new-river-gorge-70000-acres-of-pure-wonder/</link><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/new-river-gorge-70000-acres-of-pure-wonder/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;New River Gorge National Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; encompasses over 70,000 acres of land. That&amp;rsquo;s the equivalent of ~109 square miles or more than 53,000 football fields. It&amp;rsquo;s HUGE.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;It was a bit rainy the day we visited, so we elected to drive down to Grandview, the Sandstone Visitors center, and the Sandstone Falls overlook after our stop at Canyon Rim.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/grandview.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Grandview&lt;/a&gt;&#10; definitely lives up to its name! After winding through residential and farmland, seeing all the amazing Catawba rhododendrons in bloom, we arrived at a large park, complete with an amphitheater, picnic areas, and open fields to play. Just a short walk to an overlook, and we were rewarded with incredible views of the gorge, forest, and river, which was more than 1400 feet below us.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>New River Gorge: Bridge Views and Canyon Trails</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/new-river-gorge-bridge-views-and-canyon-trails/</link><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/new-river-gorge-bridge-views-and-canyon-trails/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We visited &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;New River Gorge National Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; during our stay in West Virginia. The main visitors center at &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/crvc.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Canyon Rim&lt;/a&gt;&#10; offers sweeping views of the gorge and river below. It&amp;rsquo;s located just southeast of the famous New River Gorge Bridge, so the overlooks here give you a sense of scale when comparing the bridge and the gorge.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;The bridge is the longest steel single-span arch bridge in the western hemisphere and the 3rd highest bridge in the US. It was completed in 1977, bringing a much needed connection between the eastern and western sides of the New River. Every year during October, more than 80,000 people gather to commemorate the opening of the bridge on Bridge Day. During this celebration, you can watch hundreds of base jumpers dive off the bridge, one of the few exceptions to the ban on base jumping in National Parks. I bet that is a sight to see!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Bramwell, WV: A Coal Boom Ghost Town</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bramwell-wv-a-coal-boom-ghost-town/</link><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bramwell-wv-a-coal-boom-ghost-town/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;On the advice of a local, we took an evening to drive a few miles north and check out the historic town of &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramwell,_West_Virginia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Bramwell, WV&lt;/a&gt;&#10;.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;In the late 1800&amp;rsquo;s during the coal boom, Bramwell was a place where wealthy coal operators lived - having more millionaires per capita than any other town in the US! The town sits in a curve of the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluestone_River" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Bluestone River&lt;/a&gt;&#10; with rail lines running to it and very close to the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas_Coalfield" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Pocahontas Coal Field&lt;/a&gt;&#10; making it an ideal location for corporate offices of a coal company.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Bluewell WV: Hidden Mural &amp; ATV Trail Paradise</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bluewell-wv-hidden-mural-atv-trail-paradise/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bluewell-wv-hidden-mural-atv-trail-paradise/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While driving through Bluewell, WV we saw this really cool mural on the side of one of the King Tire building. This was painted by &lt;a href="https://rodmanvisions.com/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;RodManVisions&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and accurately depicts the sounds all around us over the weekend as ATV/SxS riders head out early in the morning and come back at dusk after a long day on the trails. If ATV / SxS riding is your thing this is definitely an area you should check out!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Bee-Themed Noodle Restaurant in Tazewell, VA</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bee-themed-noodle-restaurant-in-tazewell-va/</link><pubDate>Sat, 30 May 2026 17:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bee-themed-noodle-restaurant-in-tazewell-va/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Another day and another trip to &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tazewell,_Virginia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Tazewell, VA&lt;/a&gt;&#10; to hangout with our friends! This time we ate dinner at a restaurant called &lt;a href="https://beenoodled.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;beeNoodle&amp;rsquo;d&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. As you may have guessed, BeeNoodle&amp;rsquo;d is bee themed and the decor is ON POINT.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;The booths are set up like honeycomb, the bar showcases are honeycomb, there&amp;rsquo;s a selfie station for very large (or in flight) bees, and flowers adorning the walls everywhere (even the bathrooms).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>While in Wytheville we saw this neat little car</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/while-in-wytheville-we-saw-this-neat-little-car/</link><pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/while-in-wytheville-we-saw-this-neat-little-car/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While in Wytheville we saw this neat little car. When we saw the owner was getting into the car, we asked them to tell us a bit about it. The owner, a well known and loved member of this community, is handicapped, and relies on motorized scooter to get them around. The owner worked with their insurance and with the town to have this recognized legally - basically paving the way for future people in the town who may have this need!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Wytheville VA: Hot Dogs, Ice Cream &amp; Amazing Murals</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/wytheville-va-hot-dogs-ice-cream-amazing-murals/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/wytheville-va-hot-dogs-ice-cream-amazing-murals/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We drove down to nearby Wytheville, VA to have an early dinner at &lt;a href="https://www.skeetersworldfamoushotdogs.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@skeetersworldfamous_hotdogs&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. They have really yummy hot dogs and ice cream!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;After partaking in the delicious hotdogs and beautiful ice cream art at Skeeter&amp;rsquo;s, we walked a bit in the downtown historic area and found some AMAZING public art! The murals in this town are incredible - the &lt;a href="https://www.edithbollingwilson.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Edith Bolling Wilson&lt;/a&gt;&#10; mural painted by &lt;a href="https://www.awartllc.com/projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Andrew Williams&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and the newest mural by &lt;a href="https://jonmurrill.com/murals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Jon Murrill&lt;/a&gt;&#10; were our favorites!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Historic Tazewell, Virginia: Gateway to the Back of the Dragon</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/historic-tazewell-virginia-gateway-to-the-back-of-the-dragon/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 16:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/historic-tazewell-virginia-gateway-to-the-back-of-the-dragon/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today we met up with some friends to check out Tazewell, Virginia.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;There are some lovely historic buildings in Tazewell, including 3 historic banks and a Ford dealership. Tazewell derives a lot of its tourism by being the gateway city to the &lt;a href="https://backofthedragon.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Back of the Dragon&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, Virginia&amp;rsquo;s only dedicated motorcycle and sportscar route. This 32 mile stretch of road has 438 curves and winds through 3 mountain ranges! That&amp;rsquo;s a lot of turns! We&amp;rsquo;ve put this on our list for next time (or when we have something sportier than a F-450).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Honoring Heroes: Memorial Day Reflections on the Road</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections-on-the-road/</link><pubDate>Mon, 25 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections-on-the-road/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today we remember and honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_766d48a7c403b51a.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_5de12fd794f48926.webp 1000w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_d6e0d1ca7ea6ce10.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_5d2c7ac87f31c97b.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_d6e0d1ca7ea6ce10.jpg 1000w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="1000" height="525" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Gatlinburg Date Night at Alibi Speakeasy</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/gatlinburg-date-night-at-alibi-speakeasy/</link><pubDate>Sat, 23 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/gatlinburg-date-night-at-alibi-speakeasy/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While attending the Grand Design Tennessee owners rally in Sevierville, TN, we took an evening on our own and visited Gatlinburg. Steve and I were last in Gatlinburg summer of 2019. It hasn&amp;rsquo;t changed much, but we did try something new! We had dinner at Cherokee Grill and then went to &lt;a href="https://www.alibigatlinburg.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Alibi&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, a new speakeasy, for drinks. Steve elected to have a Stella and ended the night with a Baileys on the rocks.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Do you have travel plans this year?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-have-travel-plans-this-year/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-have-travel-plans-this-year/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;If you love to travel, safety is of utmost importance. We know so many people who have had their purses slashed or the contents of their bags stolen.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Kate really loves &lt;a href="https://www.travelonbags.com/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Travelon bags&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and has used this brand for years. Travelon makes awesome anti-theft bags that are stylish and functional.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Ridge Resort: Perfect Base for Pigeon Forge Fun</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-ridge-resort-perfect-base-for-pigeon-forge-fun/</link><pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 15:51:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-ridge-resort-perfect-base-for-pigeon-forge-fun/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We really enjoyed our time at &lt;a href="https://theridgeoutdoorresort.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;The Ridge&lt;/a&gt;&#10;! What a beautiful resort! We stayed up in the new section and while our site was not quite big enough for our RV and tow vehicle, we made it work without being too far in the road.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;There is so much to do in Sevier County, TN! The Ridge has great amenities and is super close to all &lt;a href="https://www.mypigeonforge.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Pigeon Forge&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and &lt;a href="https://www.gatlinburg.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Gatlinburg&lt;/a&gt;&#10; have to offer. We were there for the Grand Design Tennessee Rally and it was awesome! It was great to connect with members of our Grand Design Family and attend a new rally for us.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Not a great way to end a travel day</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-a-great-way-to-end-a-travel-day/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 09:57:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-a-great-way-to-end-a-travel-day/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Not a great way to end a travel day. Broken gib on our microwave slide. #IYKYK&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;This is supposedly a somewhat common issue on Schwintek slides, so I guess we’re fortunate that it hasn’t happened before now… especially since our Solitude has 3 of these slides!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We should have plenty of time this week to get it drilled out and riveted back in place. Let’s hope we don’t have to try and jack up the slide box.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Impatient RV Dog Won't Wait Two Seconds</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/impatient-rv-dog-wont-wait-two-seconds/</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 May 2026 10:29:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/impatient-rv-dog-wont-wait-two-seconds/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Apparently being told to wait two seconds to go outside will &lt;strong&gt;NOT&lt;/strong&gt; be tolerated!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/impatient-rv-dog-wont-wait-two-seconds/photo-1_hu_ff1c9c4704aa625a.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/impatient-rv-dog-wont-wait-two-seconds/photo-1_hu_2ec6e3acbfe59fa1.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/impatient-rv-dog-wont-wait-two-seconds/photo-1_hu_e3313d28738e0280.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/impatient-rv-dog-wont-wait-two-seconds/photo-1_hu_70c043e3e21acc0f.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/impatient-rv-dog-wont-wait-two-seconds/photo-1_hu_e3313d28738e0280.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Dogs Approve Our New RV Setup</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dogs-approve-our-new-rv-setup/</link><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 11:23:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dogs-approve-our-new-rv-setup/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The travel day went well, the dogs didn&amp;rsquo;t seem to notice that anything was different. And Kate likes the massaging seat option we have now!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dogs-approve-our-new-rv-setup/photo-1_hu_44143f898f4adad.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dogs-approve-our-new-rv-setup/photo-1_hu_8b0d9e4f408f25f8.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dogs-approve-our-new-rv-setup/photo-1_hu_aea7ee4c50ab73d7.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dogs-approve-our-new-rv-setup/photo-1_hu_c25cd39af3cfc0ba.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dogs-approve-our-new-rv-setup/photo-1_hu_aea7ee4c50ab73d7.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Parker's New Pot + Our RV Adventure Begins</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/parkers-new-pot-our-rv-adventure-begins/</link><pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 09:39:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/parkers-new-pot-our-rv-adventure-begins/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We had to repot &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_plant" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Parker&lt;/a&gt;&#10; again today! Hopefully she won’t outgrow this one in the next 7 months!!&lt;br&gt;&#10;We start our travels tomorrow from North Georgia and will be on the road until December 1st. Stay tuned!!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/parkers-new-pot-our-rv-adventure-begins/photo-1_hu_84870787695c6128.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/parkers-new-pot-our-rv-adventure-begins/photo-1_hu_96316a5b24a80187.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/parkers-new-pot-our-rv-adventure-begins/photo-1_hu_e69da1657b64eb39.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/parkers-new-pot-our-rv-adventure-begins/photo-1_hu_b167edf5a380456d.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/parkers-new-pot-our-rv-adventure-begins/photo-1_hu_e69da1657b64eb39.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Tiki Vibes and Manatees at Crumps Landing</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tiki-vibes-and-manatees-at-crumps-landing/</link><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 07:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tiki-vibes-and-manatees-at-crumps-landing/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We met up with &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TheRandomRovers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;The Random Rovers&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and had dinner at &lt;a href="https://crumpslanding.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Crumps Landing&lt;/a&gt;&#10; during our stay in Homosassa. You may not know this, but Steve is a sucker for a tiki bar! This place is awesome!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;While we had to wait about 75 minutes for a table (on a Friday night), we enjoyed drinks and conversation while watching manatees and other activity on the Homosassa River. We even got to see a Great Blue Heron! There was a live band which, when combined with the great food, drinks, and company, provided the perfect vibe for a fun night out!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Stillwater Preserve RV Resort: Florida's Hidden Gem</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stillwater-preserve-rv-resort-floridas-hidden-gem/</link><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:28:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stillwater-preserve-rv-resort-floridas-hidden-gem/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Have you been to &lt;a href="https://www.stillwaterpreservervresort.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Stillwater Preserve RV Resort&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Homosassa, Florida?&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;This resort is just beautiful! It has generously sized RV pads and many of the sites are on water or green space. The amenities are lovely too - pool and hot tub, gym, billiards room, clubhouse, and miles of nature trails. The word &amp;ldquo;preserve&amp;rdquo; in the name is spot on, as this park is a designated nature preserve with many animals hanging around!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Surf RV Resort: A 55+ Paradise in Palmetto</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-surf-rv-resort-a-55-paradise-in-palmetto/</link><pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 04:36:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-surf-rv-resort-a-55-paradise-in-palmetto/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Wow! What a great stay at &lt;a href="https://thesurfrvresort.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;The Surf&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Palmetto, Florida! This park is beautiful!! It is a 55+ resort with HUGE sites and well maintained facilities and grounds. There are several pickleball courts with bleachers. They have lots of activities scheduled during the high season and have a permanent food truck on site (which was really good!). All the folks we met were friendly and lots of people out walking dogs and riding bikes in the park. We were in this area visiting some of Kate’s family, and this was a perfect place to stay to be central to them.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Matchy matchy</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/matchy-matchy/</link><pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 06:36:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/matchy-matchy/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Matchy matchy!! It’s not often that we both grab our shirt from the same event, but when we do, it’s photo worthy!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;I can’t believe our winter season is almost at a close! We start traveling again in the next few days. Stay tuned for some great places this year!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/matchy-matchy/photo-1_hu_bc30ec83e5fbe017.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/matchy-matchy/photo-1_hu_6745551590d57559.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/matchy-matchy/photo-1_hu_762b538c2a68a31f.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/matchy-matchy/photo-1_hu_4d54834e95144de2.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/matchy-matchy/photo-1_hu_762b538c2a68a31f.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>10 years ago, we said "I do" to choosing each other</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;10 years ago we said &amp;ldquo;I do&amp;rdquo; to choosing each other. And we still choose each other every day. It&amp;rsquo;s not ever perfect, but it&amp;rsquo;s a wonderful life overall.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;That day was an amazing spring day in Atlanta with our family beside us. And Steve even smiled (there&amp;rsquo;s photographic evidence!). Happy Anniversary!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;📸 by &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/tressness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Tressness&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-1.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-1.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-1_hu_3691ee4e0a93afa0.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-1.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-2_hu_abb7e37d234ae512.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-4_hu_a58235847bc2cc2d.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-5_hu_bf3fb78533378e26.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/10-years-ago-we-said-i-do-to-choosing-each-other/photo-6_hu_ced9ebd6a124f27e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>These shower doors have got to go!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/shower-door-removal-project/</link><pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2026 05:53:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/shower-door-removal-project/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Another week of winter, another project! This week we tackled removing our glass shower doors. Not a horribly difficult project, but it does take some time to allow the added pieces to adhere and the caulking to dry.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Huge shout out to our friends &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@fairwindsrv" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Fair Winds RV&lt;/a&gt;&#10; for all the help and support along the way! They recently did a &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRhrTaB2CGs&amp;amp;t=3s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;YouTube video&lt;/a&gt;&#10; about this project in their own RV which made our job so much easier!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>🚐💧 It’s finally here</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-the-fresh-tank-company/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:13:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-the-fresh-tank-company/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;🚐💧 It’s finally here.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;After years in the RV tank cleaning world — and living full-time on the road ourselves — we knew one thing: customers deserve better.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;So we made a change and built something of our own.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Meet &lt;a href="https://thefreshtankco.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;The Fresh Tank Company&lt;/a&gt;&#10; — a service designed around you, not a system.&lt;br&gt;&#10;✔️ Deep, professional tank cleaning&lt;br&gt;&#10;✔️ Odors eliminated (for real)&lt;br&gt;&#10;✔️ Honest, personal service — from fellow RVers&lt;br&gt;&#10;✔️ A detailed, digital after service report with personalized recommendations&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Mesmerizing Great Gravity Clock in Fort Lauderdale</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-mesmerizing-great-gravity-clock-in-fort-lauderdale/</link><pubDate>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 15:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-mesmerizing-great-gravity-clock-in-fort-lauderdale/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Took a little time to check out the &lt;a href="https://mods.org/exhibit/great-gravity-clock/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Great Gravity Clock&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Fort Lauderdale —and it did not disappoint!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Did you know? There are only 3 of the Great Gravity Clocks operational in the world - the other two are in Singapore and London. These clocks are in a class of their own, &amp;ldquo;clocking in&amp;rdquo; at a whopping 52 FEET in height! They run completely on kinetic energy so they don&amp;rsquo;t need any power to keep them moving.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>This dog loves to be outside</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-dog-loves-to-be-outside/</link><pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:28:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-dog-loves-to-be-outside/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This dog loves to be outside. She also apparently loves to dig herself a hole to lay in to stay cool. Would you let this dirty dog back in your house?&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/this-dog-loves-to-be-outside/video-1.c9ed3ff3.mp4" poster="/posts/this-dog-loves-to-be-outside/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Another week of winter and another project accomplished</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/another-week-of-winter-and-another-project-accomplished/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:17:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/another-week-of-winter-and-another-project-accomplished/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Another week of winter and another project accomplished! I tackled installing a peel and stick wallpaper on the wall behind our recliners. The hardest part was lining up the pattern, but it looks pretty good! Even reinstalling the trim was not super difficult.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Steve took the opportunity to install a &lt;a href="https://www.microair.net/pages/easytouch-rv-thermostat-replacements-select-a-brand" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Microair WiFi enabled thermostat&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. This allows us to control the air and heat remotely. We can now also check the temperatures in the RV when we’re away, giving us peace of mind leaving our &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/about-us/the-furry-companions/"&gt;three pups&lt;/a&gt;&#10; (assuming both the RV and our phones have an internet source).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Winter is a time for projects</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-is-a-time-for-projects/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 05:23:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-is-a-time-for-projects/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Winter is a time for projects! Kate installed a new pop up outlet that has 4 outlets, 4 USB ports (2 are type A and two are type C), and wireless charging on top. It also sits nearly flush with the countertop and blends in nicely. In order to install the new outlet the counter under the old pop up needed to be just a tad bit bigger! We used a diamond bit on an angle grinder to make the opening just slightly bigger. Steve held a shop vac so that most of the debris was vacuumed up as the grinding was happening.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Restore Your RV Teak Shower Seat in 3 Hours</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/restore-your-rv-teak-shower-seat-in-3-hours/</link><pubDate>Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:31:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/restore-your-rv-teak-shower-seat-in-3-hours/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We’ve been full time in our Solitude 390RK for the last 2 1/2 years and this project has been on Kate’s list for a while! If you have a teak shower seat this is a quick project to make it look brand new!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;With just a screwdriver, scrub brush, a hose, and a teak cleaner and oil, your shower seat can look brand new again!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Palm Bract Surprise: Midnight Wake-Up Call</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/palm-bract-surprise-midnight-wake-up-call/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 13:48:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/palm-bract-surprise-midnight-wake-up-call/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Not an ideal start to a nights sleep with a palm bract falling on the slide you sleep in! That was LOUD! Here&amp;rsquo;s the offender&amp;hellip; no, not Steve.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;The green thing he&amp;rsquo;s holding! A palm bract is a woody type seed pod where the seed/flowers of the palm trees grow. Once the pod is fully open and flowers begin to bloom, the bract falls off the tree, creating a midnight jolt for those of us sleeping underneath. Not all palm trees produce bracts, but the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roystonea" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Royal Palms&lt;/a&gt;&#10; we&amp;rsquo;re parked under definitely do!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Disney Day Trip: Epcot After 30 Years</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/disney-day-trip-epcot-after-30-years/</link><pubDate>Sun, 15 Feb 2026 07:26:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/disney-day-trip-epcot-after-30-years/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;I (Kate) got the opportunity this week to visit Epcot in Orlando! It’s been probaly 30 years since the last time I was on a Disney property, and maybe 35 since last visiting Epcot. I went with friends and we had a wonderful time eating our way around the world. We only rode 2 rides, but had a blast singing along to a broadway show and enjoyed ending our day with the fireworks. We even got to help paint a new mural! What a fun day!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Florida's Freezing Iguanas: What We Witnessed</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/floridas-freezing-iguanas-what-we-witnessed/</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 05:46:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/floridas-freezing-iguanas-what-we-witnessed/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;You may have heard about falling iguanas last week when it went to freezing over night in South Florida. Well, it’s a real thing!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Temperatures in the 30s and 40s will cause an iguana’s body processes to slow so much that they can’t hang on and will fall off of their perch. Usually as it warms back up, they will thaw out and move along like nothing happened. That was not the case for the one we found. 😞 I’m pretty sure the ~20ft drop to the ground from the tree above did him in.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>This is what love looks like</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-is-what-love-looks-like/</link><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 11:50:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-is-what-love-looks-like/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This is what love looks like.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Buying Publix out of your wife’s favorite fizzy water because it’s a hard to find flavor and is on B2G2 sale!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-is-what-love-looks-like/photo-1_hu_9ca625a7b72e0924.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-is-what-love-looks-like/photo-1_hu_f84784a2e3606d58.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-is-what-love-looks-like/photo-1_hu_8abee3db51ee5353.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-is-what-love-looks-like/photo-1_hu_9fe20bd80f045ce1.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-is-what-love-looks-like/photo-1_hu_8abee3db51ee5353.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We hopped on this trend. What do you think?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-hopped-on-this-trend-what-do-you-think/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:57:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-hopped-on-this-trend-what-do-you-think/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The AI image generator did a pretty good job for us. Couple of things not quite right, but overall not bad!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-hopped-on-this-trend-what-do-you-think/photo-1_hu_bc405a3a9db634a9.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-hopped-on-this-trend-what-do-you-think/photo-1_hu_4d73d7d3c3f52b15.webp 1000w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-hopped-on-this-trend-what-do-you-think/photo-1_hu_932b6e1ccec697dd.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-hopped-on-this-trend-what-do-you-think/photo-1_hu_ea11c9932792716c.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-hopped-on-this-trend-what-do-you-think/photo-1_hu_932b6e1ccec697dd.jpg 1000w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="1000" height="667" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>What’s the place you love to have lunch</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 10:29:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;What’s the place you love to have lunch? For us, it’s &lt;a href="https://mission-bbq.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mission BBQ&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Consistently delicious and a company that supports our veterans. This location is near our winter spot and it’s our first time visiting this winter.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Check out that loaded baked potato!! YUM!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-2_hu_d868f3b107d5eacc.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-2_hu_c66134a1313fb118.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-2_hu_8b7327785dbbd5e1.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-2_hu_9b37d13924ef8ea1.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-2_hu_8b7327785dbbd5e1.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-1_hu_e045ac81b8e6282f.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-1_hu_1c5fdf326cfe0ea2.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-1_hu_2f1446b9138475e3.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-1_hu_836d9e2efddef7ea.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/whats-the-place-you-love-to-have-lunch/photo-1_hu_2f1446b9138475e3.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Do you travel with a houseplant?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-travel-with-a-houseplant/</link><pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:09:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-travel-with-a-houseplant/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We got a spider plant from our friend Kerrie in August. We’ve named it Parker. Today, Parker got new soil. She has grown a LOT since August!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Pick Your Own Citrus at Dooley Groves Near Tampa</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pick-your-own-citrus-at-dooley-groves-near-tampa/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 06:27:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pick-your-own-citrus-at-dooley-groves-near-tampa/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While visiting Kate&amp;rsquo;s aunt and uncle near Tampa, she and her uncle went to pick citrus at &lt;a href="https://dooleygroves.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Dooley Groves&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon! Honeybells and red grapefruit were ripe in the orchards, but they also came home with a couple pomelos (Kate&amp;rsquo;s favorite), sweet oranges, and &lt;a href="https://gardenersmag.com/ponderosa-lemon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Ponderosa Lemons&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. The Ponderosa lemons were HUGE! Kate made a 1/2 gallon of lemonade with just one lemon!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Cleaning Day: Van Wash and Family Driveway Projects</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cleaning-day-van-wash-and-family-driveway-projects/</link><pubDate>Sun, 11 Jan 2026 17:10:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cleaning-day-van-wash-and-family-driveway-projects/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We washed the van, did a few projects around the house, and helped our family pressure wash their driveway! (Photo is part way through)&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cleaning-day-van-wash-and-family-driveway-projects/photo-1_hu_d545e52b4a94e607.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cleaning-day-van-wash-and-family-driveway-projects/photo-1_hu_39396f2654365c97.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cleaning-day-van-wash-and-family-driveway-projects/photo-1_hu_3809ace20b5e23ac.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cleaning-day-van-wash-and-family-driveway-projects/photo-1_hu_b7abaa5ae378a68f.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cleaning-day-van-wash-and-family-driveway-projects/photo-1_hu_3809ace20b5e23ac.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We have really lucked out on our trek south</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-have-really-lucked-out-on-our-trek-south/</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2026 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-have-really-lucked-out-on-our-trek-south/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This is the second HUGE site we&amp;rsquo;ve had. We stayed here for two nights and visited with some friends while in Fellsmere. This pull through site was about 90 feet long and maybe 30-35 feet wide. We could have easily stayed here all winter long. The park is just off I-95 (so there is some highway noise) and is a newer, gated park. The pad is crushed shell/coral. The site was level and the utilities worked well.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Happy New Year</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-new-year-2/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2026 13:33:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-new-year-2/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Happy New Year!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;What goals do you have for 2026? Let us know in the comments!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We have a goal to visit 14 states. It&amp;rsquo;s a pretty ambitious travel schedule for us, too. We can&amp;rsquo;t wait to share it with you!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-new-year-2/photo-1_hu_6fd2892d608a48f2.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-new-year-2/photo-1_hu_49fc6edf4ac44e85.webp 859w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-new-year-2/photo-1_hu_fe3bee1c8afd6328.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-new-year-2/photo-1_hu_9073683a627e6743.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-new-year-2/photo-1_hu_fe3bee1c8afd6328.jpg 859w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="859" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>A Year of Unexpected Adventures: 2025 by the Numbers</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-year-of-unexpected-adventures-2025-by-the-numbers/</link><pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2025 10:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-year-of-unexpected-adventures-2025-by-the-numbers/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our plans changed dramatically in April and we headed back east for medical needs, but we still made an amazing year out of it!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Darien Georgia: A Perfect Big Rig Stop</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/darien-georgia-a-perfect-big-rig-stop/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:09:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/darien-georgia-a-perfect-big-rig-stop/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We had a nice one night stop in Darien, Georgia on our 4 day trek south for winter. This is one of the LONGEST sites we’ve been in with probably room for another 40’ RV in front of our truck and a Jeep behind our van. It was super easy in and super easy out. Not all the sites in this park are this large, but they all have nice sized level pads.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Backseat Driver: Who's Really Navigating South?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/backseat-driver-whos-really-navigating-south/</link><pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 07:24:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/backseat-driver-whos-really-navigating-south/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;She doesn’t have her license and can’t see over the steering wheel so she is definitely not driving us South for the winter…&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/backseat-driver-whos-really-navigating-south/photo-1_hu_4ee2977b47ccbbef.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/backseat-driver-whos-really-navigating-south/photo-1_hu_348ed24bebeb170d.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/backseat-driver-whos-really-navigating-south/photo-1_hu_d8fbccb955b06a.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/backseat-driver-whos-really-navigating-south/photo-1_hu_3afaafe0c85c6e87.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/backseat-driver-whos-really-navigating-south/photo-1_hu_d8fbccb955b06a.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Best Tough Dog Toys for Destructive Dogs</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/best-tough-dog-toys-for-destructive-dogs/</link><pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2025 04:57:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/best-tough-dog-toys-for-destructive-dogs/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Edsel the Elephant, a &lt;a href="https://fluffandtuff.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Fluff N Tuff&lt;/a&gt;&#10; toy. These toys are the best toys for our destructive trio. Coco really loves the flamingo and Tucker loves the elephant and squirrel.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/best-tough-dog-toys-for-destructive-dogs/photo-1_hu_3eec5aafdc670c35.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/best-tough-dog-toys-for-destructive-dogs/photo-1_hu_9baa3e84fea60638.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/best-tough-dog-toys-for-destructive-dogs/photo-1_hu_b4936b1d2052ba99.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/best-tough-dog-toys-for-destructive-dogs/photo-1_hu_d7506571708dda04.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/best-tough-dog-toys-for-destructive-dogs/photo-1_hu_b4936b1d2052ba99.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>80,000 Miles: Our F-350's Epic RV Journey</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/80000-miles-our-f-350s-epic-rv-journey/</link><pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2025 07:48:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/80000-miles-our-f-350s-epic-rv-journey/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;On our final day of driving north (brrr..🥶), our 2020 F-350 rolled over 80,000 miles! We’ve put about 60k of those miles on it in the past 3.5 years of full-time RV travel.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/80000-miles-our-f-350s-epic-rv-journey/photo-1_hu_eceaf7736f0ecdb.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/80000-miles-our-f-350s-epic-rv-journey/photo-1_hu_6b836883d2dc6fc7.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/80000-miles-our-f-350s-epic-rv-journey/photo-1_hu_ad789a49bf0ebc2e.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/80000-miles-our-f-350s-epic-rv-journey/photo-1_hu_657db3e7a01d6430.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/80000-miles-our-f-350s-epic-rv-journey/photo-1_hu_ad789a49bf0ebc2e.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We’re headed North.. in the winter!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-headed-north/</link><pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2025 11:27:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-headed-north/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Whose idea was this???&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/were-headed-north/video-1.0dc2f3b6.mp4" poster="/posts/were-headed-north/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>We had some rain on our last travel day</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-had-some-rain-on-our-last-travel-day/</link><pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:23:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-had-some-rain-on-our-last-travel-day/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We had some rain on our last travel day. Steve purchased rain gear earlier this year so he doesnt have to drive in soaked clothes. The bright orange is also great in case of emergency!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Close Your RV Stove Vent Before Travel</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 13:49:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The owners manual for our Solitude notes that these vents should be CLOSED for travel and storage!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Steve is using his new collapsible ladder to close our stove vent (in the “rain”) on our last travel day.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-2_hu_da3fa4e12f74a199.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-2_hu_3782175758e4d6df.webp 834w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-2_hu_f518e3d5e4896c8e.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-2_hu_1ccf6e2599cf981c.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-2_hu_f518e3d5e4896c8e.jpg 834w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="834" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-1_hu_ab47fa8480c71bdd.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-1_hu_3c84859bd6b16ac6.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-1_hu_f0a75854c953f7e2.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-1_hu_f5c2a7b71409cabe.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/close-your-rv-stove-vent-before-travel/photo-1_hu_f0a75854c953f7e2.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Manatee Springs State Park: Wildlife Wonders in Chiefland</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/manatee-springs-state-park-wildlife-wonders-in-chiefland/</link><pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2025 06:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/manatee-springs-state-park-wildlife-wonders-in-chiefland/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We explored &lt;a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/manatee-springs-state-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Manatee Springs State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Chiefland, FL this week. We didn’t get to see any manatees, but really enjoyed touring the park. We met several lovely people as well and got to see buzzards, gators, and a river otter!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/manatee-springs-state-park-wildlife-wonders-in-chiefland/photo-1_hu_f08ff3835f009d10.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/manatee-springs-state-park-wildlife-wonders-in-chiefland/photo-1_hu_448ea7706dc21337.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/manatee-springs-state-park-wildlife-wonders-in-chiefland/photo-1_hu_770e991a74a0a7b5.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/manatee-springs-state-park-wildlife-wonders-in-chiefland/photo-1_hu_804404250a562fd.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/manatee-springs-state-park-wildlife-wonders-in-chiefland/photo-1_hu_770e991a74a0a7b5.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>How Our 3 Dogs Travel Like Pros in Our RV</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-our-3-dogs-travel-like-pros-in-our-rv/</link><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2025 04:43:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-our-3-dogs-travel-like-pros-in-our-rv/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Not sure how smushing themselves into 2/3 of the back seat is comfortable, but here they are sleeping the drive day away. &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/about-us/the-furry-companions/"&gt;Our 3 dogs&lt;/a&gt;&#10; travel really well and are good camping companions.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;In 3 years full time we’ve only had a handful of travel days with issues because of the dogs.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-our-3-dogs-travel-like-pros-in-our-rv/photo-1_hu_63de2598be418255.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-our-3-dogs-travel-like-pros-in-our-rv/photo-1_hu_ba9362725f0dd33e.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-our-3-dogs-travel-like-pros-in-our-rv/photo-1_hu_64a4bd1935c37259.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-our-3-dogs-travel-like-pros-in-our-rv/photo-1_hu_be1be688021cda03.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/how-our-3-dogs-travel-like-pros-in-our-rv/photo-1_hu_64a4bd1935c37259.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Years of RV Adventures: Our Greatest Moments</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/years-of-rv-adventures-our-greatest-moments/</link><pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 2025 14:11:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/years-of-rv-adventures-our-greatest-moments/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We hope you enjoy this little video of moments we’ve shared over the years.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/years-of-rv-adventures-our-greatest-moments/video-1.a126bafa.mp4" poster="/posts/years-of-rv-adventures-our-greatest-moments/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>This travel day is one for the books</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-travel-day-is-one-for-the-books/</link><pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 06:48:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-travel-day-is-one-for-the-books/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This travel day is one for the books! We’re actually pulling out of the park by 8:45AM!!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Photo or it didn’t happen…&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;If anyone knows Steve, he’d much prefer to still be in bed right now. But with the right motivation (a super long drive) and the right travel companions (&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063484814537" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Rolling Bayou&lt;/a&gt;&#10;), anything is possible!!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-travel-day-is-one-for-the-books/photo-1_hu_b3de596268a6ee8e.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-travel-day-is-one-for-the-books/photo-1_hu_b3eea851b68cd8a2.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-travel-day-is-one-for-the-books/photo-1_hu_ebe28472f31897ca.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-travel-day-is-one-for-the-books/photo-1_hu_22b106947c5f07d5.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/this-travel-day-is-one-for-the-books/photo-1_hu_ebe28472f31897ca.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="1198" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>TIDRadio GMRS Handheld Radios</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tidradio-gmrs-handheld-radios/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 2025 10:21:45 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tidradio-gmrs-handheld-radios/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today our holiday shopping recommended item is the TIDRadio TD-H3 GMRS Handheld Radios&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We learned very early in our RV adventures that clear communication while parking is key to success. We’ve seen many couples who use some form of hand signals and yelling to accomplish the stressful parking task, usually with poor results.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>High Visibility Safety Vests</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/high-visibility-safety-vests/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:50:41 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/high-visibility-safety-vests/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today our recommended holiday shopping item is the A-Safety Enhanced Visibility Safety Vest:&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Early in our RV travels we had a tire issue just one mile from our destination. While stopped at a traffic light on a busy six lane highway our TPMS alarm went off. Fortunately there was an empty middle turn lane we could pull in to and figure out what was going wrong.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Quakehold! Museum Putty</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/quakehold-museum-putty/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2025 09:35:59 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/quakehold-museum-putty/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our holiday shopping recommendation for today is Quakehold! Museum Putty&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;One of the challenges of living in our rolling earthquake home is keeping stuff where it belongs. When we first started out we never left anything on our counters, desks, etc. where things might fall and break on travel days. This changed when we learned about the Quakehold! museum putty product.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Govee WiFi Thermometers</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/govee-wifi-thermometers/</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:18:40 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/govee-wifi-thermometers/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today our holiday shopping recommended item is the Govee WiFi Thermometer Sensor 3 Pack.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Back when we were having problems with our RV refrigerator Steve wanted a way to track the cooling performance over time. Our friends &lt;a href="http://youtube.com/@fairwindsrv/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Fair Winds RV&lt;/a&gt;&#10; recommended these Govee wireless thermometers to us and they have been great!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Midland ER210 Weather Radio</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/midland-er210-noaa-weather-radio/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:50:26 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/midland-er210-noaa-weather-radio/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;With the start of the holiday shopping season we’re showcasing a selection of products that we own and use in our full time RV travels. These are products that we recommend and feel would make great gifts for the RVers in your life or for yourselves.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;First up we have the Midland ER210 NOAA emergency weather radio.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Happy Pups: Traveling by RV with Your Dog</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-pups-traveling-by-rv-with-your-dog/</link><pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2025 15:10:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-pups-traveling-by-rv-with-your-dog/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Happy dog 😀&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/happy-pups-traveling-by-rv-with-your-dog/video-1.dc46977f.mp4" poster="/posts/happy-pups-traveling-by-rv-with-your-dog/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>RV Windshield Replacement: Another Travel Day Setback</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-windshield-replacement-another-travel-day-setback/</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:51:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-windshield-replacement-another-travel-day-setback/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Another travel day, another windshield replacement to schedule 🤦‍♂️&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-windshield-replacement-another-travel-day-setback/photo-1_hu_d4922c622083b417.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-windshield-replacement-another-travel-day-setback/photo-1_hu_802e0940e75c63e4.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-windshield-replacement-another-travel-day-setback/photo-1_hu_a839956a74337b88.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-windshield-replacement-another-travel-day-setback/photo-1_hu_28bcc8274c9f88c8.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-windshield-replacement-another-travel-day-setback/photo-1_hu_a839956a74337b88.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We enjoyed a walk around Laurel to see the murals</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 Oct 2025 08:44:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We enjoyed a walk around Laurel, MS to see the murals. Many of these you may recognize from Hometown!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-2_hu_321885a71341218a.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-3_hu_6fbf4cc0f64ede77.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-4_hu_429c261b4ab66cdf.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-5_hu_701819340d80671.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-6_hu_4937f709285e862e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-7_hu_69c23debfeb1d75a.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-8_hu_549d8f24bbb774d6.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-9_hu_90d0819523b641de.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-10_hu_e782b7b4f8f785b5.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-11.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-11.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-11_hu_97ca7d35bf460d3e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-11.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-12.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-12.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-enjoyed-a-walk-around-laurel-to-see-the-murals/photo-12_hu_a8fbedb04470229.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-12.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>That’s very specific timing</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thats-very-specific-seen-in-hattiesburg-ms/</link><pubDate>Sun, 05 Oct 2025 11:12:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thats-very-specific-seen-in-hattiesburg-ms/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Sign seen in Hattiesburg, MS&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thats-very-specific-seen-in-hattiesburg-ms/photo-1_hu_888709370253f3d1.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thats-very-specific-seen-in-hattiesburg-ms/photo-1_hu_1565f4f797a8ef06.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thats-very-specific-seen-in-hattiesburg-ms/photo-1_hu_4151ed015602ae0e.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thats-very-specific-seen-in-hattiesburg-ms/photo-1_hu_ebbb6874290ef65c.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thats-very-specific-seen-in-hattiesburg-ms/photo-1_hu_4151ed015602ae0e.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Kate got to meet Ms. Pearl!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Kate got to meet Ms. Pearl! What a lovely lady!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;If you’ve watched Hometown, you’ve likely seen &lt;a href="https://mspearlsdiner.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Pearl’s diner&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. We enjoyed Ms. Pearl’s amazing fried chicken plate for lunch. It was also Ms. Pearl’s birthday, and the employees were handing out birthday cake to celebrate.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-2_hu_c0a37403bb76d1ef.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-2_hu_438805e6ded09404.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-2_hu_5304c1f882d966c7.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-2_hu_16a3e7c760a7e096.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-2_hu_5304c1f882d966c7.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-1_hu_74c945dff9332353.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-1_hu_9a0344b0a4c02155.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-1_hu_62b1d71faa7077e.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-1_hu_f432a3e9c7371753.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-got-to-meet-ms/photo-1_hu_62b1d71faa7077e.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Staying at a lovely 6 site RV park in Laurel. MS</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/staying-at-a-lovely-6-site-rv-park-in-laurel/</link><pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2025 14:29:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/staying-at-a-lovely-6-site-rv-park-in-laurel/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Staying at a lovely 6 site RV park in Laurel. 4 of the sites have long-term guests. No real amenities to speak of, but the owners are super nice, and gave us lots of tips for things to do in the area. There is a huge tree at the back of our site, and several large golden orb weaver spiders have made their webs on our slides. These are good (non-aggressive) spiders! And we got to see their golden silk, too, which is pretty neat!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Greetings From Laurel, MS</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-spending-a-couple-weeks-in-laurel-ms/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 12:43:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-spending-a-couple-weeks-in-laurel-ms/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We’re spending a couple weeks in Laurel, MS. The people here are lovely! Can’t wait to share our adventures with you!!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-spending-a-couple-weeks-in-laurel-ms/photo-1_hu_39f0be14b419931d.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-spending-a-couple-weeks-in-laurel-ms/photo-1_hu_bbb89a2c80875929.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-spending-a-couple-weeks-in-laurel-ms/photo-1_hu_9529123dd626c75d.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-spending-a-couple-weeks-in-laurel-ms/photo-1_hu_fdc8cdc049193fd9.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-spending-a-couple-weeks-in-laurel-ms/photo-1_hu_9529123dd626c75d.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring the town of Meridian, MS</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-spent-a-lovely-afternoon-walking-around-meridian-ms/</link><pubDate>Sun, 21 Sep 2025 08:34:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-spent-a-lovely-afternoon-walking-around-meridian-ms/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We spent a lovely afternoon walking around Meridian, MS. Meridian was established in 1860 and economically grew at a railroad crossroads. During the height of railroad usage, Meridian grew to be a very large city with over 40 trains arriving daily!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Now, parts of Meridian are kept by Mississippi State University and local businesses working to breathe life back into the city. There are also still blocks that need revival. There is so much street art throughout the more downtrodden areas, that much of our afternoon was spent on these blocks. We were amazed at the artistry that abounds here.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Hidden Gems: Our Best Charcuterie Finds on the Road</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gems-our-best-charcuterie-finds-on-the-road/</link><pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 13:58:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gems-our-best-charcuterie-finds-on-the-road/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;It may not look like much, but this charcuterie plate has some great finds from our travels (and a couple gifts from other people’s stops)!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Top row (left to right): &lt;a href="https://www.carrollssausage.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Carroll’s&lt;/a&gt;&#10; award winning summer sausage (Ashburn, GA), &lt;a href="https://sweetwatervalley.com/product/chipotle-cheddar-10oz-bar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Sweetwater Valley Farm Chipotle&lt;/a&gt;&#10; cheese and smoked Gouda (Philadelphia, TN), &lt;a href="https://www.visitelkhartcounty.com/directory/yoders-meat-cheese-company/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Yoder’s&lt;/a&gt;&#10; pepperoni cheese and garlic cheese, and Yoder’s all beef summer sausage (Shipshewana, IN).&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;The Ritz crackers and Hormel pepperoni are not so special, but were what we had on hand!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We adopted a spider plant recently</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-adopted-a-spider-plant-recently/</link><pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 11:20:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-adopted-a-spider-plant-recently/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We adopted a spider plant recently. He seems to like our rv so far, and has grown roots over the last 2 weeks. I hope we don’t kill this one like we did with Oliver, the tiger aloe plant we got at Magnolia a couple years back…&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-adopted-a-spider-plant-recently/photo-1_hu_f17ea87bdd3e1488.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-adopted-a-spider-plant-recently/photo-1_hu_4ae88a239a745caa.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-adopted-a-spider-plant-recently/photo-1_hu_9363a71127ebd1b2.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-adopted-a-spider-plant-recently/photo-1_hu_a8c4160e1dccf2cb.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-adopted-a-spider-plant-recently/photo-1_hu_9363a71127ebd1b2.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Low Branches &amp; Close Calls: Why We're Adding a Pole Saw</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/low-branches-close-calls-why-were-adding-a-pole-saw/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 12:53:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/low-branches-close-calls-why-were-adding-a-pole-saw/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Another travel day and another set of low branches on our route 😡 This time we were able to scoot around them off the side of the road and lightly brush along the roof. How many people carry a pole saw for this situation? I think one of ours is going in the RV next time we&amp;rsquo;re able to get to it.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/low-branches-close-calls-why-were-adding-a-pole-saw/photo-1_hu_68277e83c4c21e5d.webp 474w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/low-branches-close-calls-why-were-adding-a-pole-saw/photo-1_hu_fb2a44dac92492cf.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/low-branches-close-calls-why-were-adding-a-pole-saw/photo-1_hu_fb2a44dac92492cf.jpg 474w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="474" height="316" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Hoover Met RV Park: Birmingham's Convenient But Crowded Base</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hoover-met-rv-park-birminghams-convenient-but-crowded-base/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Sep 2025 05:56:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hoover-met-rv-park-birminghams-convenient-but-crowded-base/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We generally stay at the &lt;a href="https://hoovermetcomplex.com/rv-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Hoover Met&lt;/a&gt;&#10; when we’re in Birmingham. This was recommended by several people to us a few years back. All sites are full hook up and there’s lots to see and do around this part of town, including a Costco. It’s also a relatively safe area of town.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;The downsides are that you’re literally in a big parking lot and if there is a sporting event scheduled it can difficult (or impossible) to get a site.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Street Art Hunt: Birmingham's Downtown Murals</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/street-art-hunt-birminghams-downtown-murals/</link><pubDate>Sun, 07 Sep 2025 06:32:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/street-art-hunt-birminghams-downtown-murals/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Spent a lovely day driving through Birmingham and the surrounding areas. But first, Kate had to venture downtown to pick up a package, so we grabbed a shot of this mural at the corner of Third Ave. and 24th St. as we were driving around downtown. There were several other murals to capture, so we’ll make a map and try to get the next time we’re here!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/street-art-hunt-birminghams-downtown-murals/photo-1_hu_15dad28bb6e78371.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/street-art-hunt-birminghams-downtown-murals/photo-1_hu_6b69c497eea6e18d.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/street-art-hunt-birminghams-downtown-murals/photo-1_hu_8cf3209a6204031c.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/street-art-hunt-birminghams-downtown-murals/photo-1_hu_3eae9d80bb9a3c2e.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/street-art-hunt-birminghams-downtown-murals/photo-1_hu_8cf3209a6204031c.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We made it to Birmingham</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-made-it-to-birmingham/</link><pubDate>Sat, 06 Sep 2025 06:11:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-made-it-to-birmingham/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We made it to Alabama! Stopping for a few days in Birmingham to see a college friend of Kate’s. We really like the times we stay in Birmingham; these days give us a chance to recharge (and restock) before getting back on the road.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/we-made-it-to-birmingham/video-1.e795155a.mp4" poster="/posts/we-made-it-to-birmingham/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>We are super proud of Coco’s progress!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-are-super-proud-of-cocos-progress-from-last-week/</link><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2025 05:54:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-are-super-proud-of-cocos-progress-from-last-week/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We are super proud of Coco’s progress from last week! She met 6 new friends - Lucy, Bandit, Axle, Luna, Charlie, and Gretchen (intros to Charlie and Gretchen not captured). She did great with all of them, even eating a cookie with Charlie!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Help Improve Garmin RV Maps: Report Errors Today</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/help-improve-garmin-rv-maps-report-errors-today/</link><pubDate>Thu, 04 Sep 2025 08:59:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/help-improve-garmin-rv-maps-report-errors-today/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;For all our Garmin RV GPS using friends, did you know that you can submit &lt;a href="https://supportforms.garmin.com/en-US/form/report-map-error/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;map errors and routing problems&lt;/a&gt;&#10; to Garmin? You can help make maps &amp;amp; routing better for everyone!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/help-improve-garmin-rv-maps-report-errors-today/img_6780_hu_83f8bc6f4da84970.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/help-improve-garmin-rv-maps-report-errors-today/img_6780_hu_5d53e185b9eff9e.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/help-improve-garmin-rv-maps-report-errors-today/img_6780_hu_682962736084f8d7.jpeg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/help-improve-garmin-rv-maps-report-errors-today/img_6780_hu_53e14fafea3e5fdd.jpeg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/help-improve-garmin-rv-maps-report-errors-today/img_6780_hu_682962736084f8d7.jpeg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="1280" alt="Garmin RV GPS navigation display" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;This is the Garmin RV890 we use&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Low Branches Block Our Path in Tennessee</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/low-branches-block-our-path-in-tennessee/</link><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 09:57:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/low-branches-block-our-path-in-tennessee/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Having to back up on a narrow two lane road and turn around in a driveway due to super low hanging branches was not on our bingo card this year, but should have been! Thank goodness for Steve’s cautious driving and the patience of the people of Lynnville, Tennessee.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Off-Grid Power Setup Impresses Fellow RVers</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/off-grid-power-setup-impresses-fellow-rvers/</link><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 08:21:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/off-grid-power-setup-impresses-fellow-rvers/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Steve got to show off our off grid power setup to some new friends before the National rally. They were very impressed with how “clean” and well planned his install was. Both guys travel with different systems than ours, so Steve got to learn about theirs as well. He came away with some great ideas for the future!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/off-grid-power-setup-impresses-fellow-rvers/photo-1_hu_43d812b86211fa45.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/off-grid-power-setup-impresses-fellow-rvers/photo-1_hu_2f46b43d95deda21.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/off-grid-power-setup-impresses-fellow-rvers/photo-1_hu_74697c192e6ebd8e.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/off-grid-power-setup-impresses-fellow-rvers/photo-1_hu_39d771e0ecc13673.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/off-grid-power-setup-impresses-fellow-rvers/photo-1_hu_74697c192e6ebd8e.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Happy Labor Day!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cheers-to-all-those-workers-who-help-make-our-country-great-happy-labor-day/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2025 14:53:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cheers-to-all-those-workers-who-help-make-our-country-great-happy-labor-day/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Cheers to all those workers who help make our country great!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cheers-to-all-those-workers-who-help-make-our-country-great-happy-labor-day/photo-1_hu_dbb32fcda3dce15.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cheers-to-all-those-workers-who-help-make-our-country-great-happy-labor-day/photo-1_hu_267b7e6d484d9e0f.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cheers-to-all-those-workers-who-help-make-our-country-great-happy-labor-day/photo-1_hu_530c76efa718fa08.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cheers-to-all-those-workers-who-help-make-our-country-great-happy-labor-day/photo-1_hu_bad94e1ff4b90fca.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cheers-to-all-those-workers-who-help-make-our-country-great-happy-labor-day/photo-1_hu_530c76efa718fa08.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Inside Momentum's RV Factory Tour at Grand Design Rally</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/inside-momentums-rv-factory-tour-at-grand-design-rally/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2025 11:15:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/inside-momentums-rv-factory-tour-at-grand-design-rally/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;During the &lt;a href="https://www.gdrvnationalrally.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Grand Design National Rally&lt;/a&gt;&#10; we took a factory tour of the toy hauler brand- Momentum. We learned a lot about the build process and even saw a couple prototype units! What a great thing to do during the rally!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/inside-momentums-rv-factory-tour-at-grand-design-rally/photo-1_hu_2ebe6ff96cd4a32c.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/inside-momentums-rv-factory-tour-at-grand-design-rally/photo-1_hu_fe8972d1f34fae9b.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/inside-momentums-rv-factory-tour-at-grand-design-rally/photo-1_hu_1ed509006ed7d8dc.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/inside-momentums-rv-factory-tour-at-grand-design-rally/photo-1_hu_c68ea3c3b5f8599b.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/inside-momentums-rv-factory-tour-at-grand-design-rally/photo-1_hu_1ed509006ed7d8dc.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Grand Design RV Rally in Goshen: A Sunrise Adventure</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/grand-design-rv-rally-in-goshen-a-sunrise-adventure/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 2025 06:54:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/grand-design-rv-rally-in-goshen-a-sunrise-adventure/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We’re at the &lt;a href="https://www.gdrvnationalrally.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Grand Design RV National Rally&lt;/a&gt;&#10; this week in Goshen, Indiana, and having a wonderful time. The techs are working hard and doing amazing work! We’re enjoying spending time with our GRAND family!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>DIY RV Power Cord Repair: $22 and 45 Minutes</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/diy-rv-power-cord-repair-22-and-45-minutes/</link><pubDate>Wed, 20 Aug 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/diy-rv-power-cord-repair-22-and-45-minutes/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Only about $22 and 45 minutes to replace the end on our power cord after the ground lug broke off! It would have been a lot easier with the right tools, but a razor knife got the job done.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Campgrounds charging for electricity usage?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/are-you-seeing-campgrounds-charging-for-electricity-usage/</link><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/are-you-seeing-campgrounds-charging-for-electricity-usage/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Are you seeing campgrounds charging for electricity usage? We stayed overnight at a park north of Lexington, KY who charges a $5 DAILY deposit for electricity usage.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Rear Kitchen Chaos: RV Life's Silverware Drawer Reality</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rear-kitchen-chaos-rv-lifes-silverware-drawer-reality/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rear-kitchen-chaos-rv-lifes-silverware-drawer-reality/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The silverware drawer after our last travel day looks a lot like my brain on Monday morning before coffee! Having a rear kitchen is definitely not for the faint of heart.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rear-kitchen-chaos-rv-lifes-silverware-drawer-reality/photo-1_hu_b53eea97dfaa106e.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rear-kitchen-chaos-rv-lifes-silverware-drawer-reality/photo-1_hu_eb41dcaf685c5ce0.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rear-kitchen-chaos-rv-lifes-silverware-drawer-reality/photo-1_hu_fe07333f59988c05.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rear-kitchen-chaos-rv-lifes-silverware-drawer-reality/photo-1_hu_9d68543c65978334.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rear-kitchen-chaos-rv-lifes-silverware-drawer-reality/photo-1_hu_fe07333f59988c05.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>RV Troubles and Margaritas: Day 2 Disasters</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-troubles-and-margaritas-day-2-disasters/</link><pubDate>Sun, 17 Aug 2025 16:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-troubles-and-margaritas-day-2-disasters/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;m pretty sure the Watchdog is not supposed to make that noise&amp;hellip;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>And… we’re off.. again!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/and-were-off/</link><pubDate>Sat, 16 Aug 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/and-were-off/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;And… we’re off! We’re traveling for the next two months to some really awesome places.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>RV Cooking Made Easy: Our Toaster Oven Secret</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-cooking-made-easy-our-toaster-oven-secret/</link><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/rv-cooking-made-easy-our-toaster-oven-secret/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;One of the ways we try to save money on the road is to eat at home. We all know cooking in an RV is viewed as being very different than cooking at a house, but it doesn&amp;rsquo;t have to be!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Friends &amp; Food: Community While RVing</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/friends-food-community-while-rving/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2025 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/friends-food-community-while-rving/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While in St. Augustine, we had some fun times with friends! We love meeting up with people as we travel, and this time was no exception!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring St. Augustine's Public Art</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-public-art-in-st/</link><pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-public-art-in-st/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The public art in &lt;a href="https://www.visitstaugustine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;St. Augustine&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was pretty great! We spent a day driving around to some of the murals I could find online.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Fountain of Youth: Does Florida's Legend Live Up?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/fountain-of-youth-does-floridas-legend-live-up/</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:05:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/fountain-of-youth-does-floridas-legend-live-up/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Drinking from the &amp;ldquo;&lt;a href="https://www.fountainofyouthflorida.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Fountain of Youth&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&amp;rdquo;.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>St. Augustine's Fountain of Youth: History &amp; Dog-Friendly Fun</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/st-augustines-fountain-of-youth-history-dog-friendly-fun/</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/st-augustines-fountain-of-youth-history-dog-friendly-fun/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.visitstaugustine.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;St Augustine, FL&lt;/a&gt;&#10; is the oldest city in the United States. It was founded in 1565 by &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Men%c3%a9ndez_de_Avil%c3%a9s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Pedro Menendez de Aviles&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. But even before that, &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%c3%b3n" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Juan Ponce de Leon&lt;/a&gt;&#10; landed ashore here.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We always find amazing places to eat wherever we go</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-always-find-amazing-places-to-eat-wherever-we-go/</link><pubDate>Sun, 03 Aug 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-always-find-amazing-places-to-eat-wherever-we-go/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We always find amazing places to eat wherever we go! St. Augustine is so hot in the summer - we just had to find ice cream! &lt;a href="https://www.cookiebird.co" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Cookiebird Ice Cream Bar&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was an amazing find!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Stagecoach RV Resort: Your St. Augustine Base Camp</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stagecoach-rv-resort-your-st-augustine-base-camp/</link><pubDate>Sat, 02 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stagecoach-rv-resort-your-st-augustine-base-camp/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.stagecoachrv.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Stagecoach RV Resort&lt;/a&gt;&#10; is a great place to stay while visiting St. Augustine! It&amp;rsquo;s about 7 miles outside of town to the northwest.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Shakedown Trip: Testing Our 2018 RV in St. Augustine</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/shakedown-trip-testing-our-2018-rv-in-st-augustine/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/shakedown-trip-testing-our-2018-rv-in-st-augustine/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;What better way to check that everything is working properly and perform a bit of maintenance on your &amp;ldquo;backup house&amp;rdquo; than taking it on a trip?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Shine up them prongs!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/going-to-the-gd-national-rally-this-year/</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2025 16:02:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/going-to-the-gd-national-rally-this-year/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Going to the GD National Rally this year? Make sure you shine up (remove the oxidation) your power cord prongs before you go!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Happy Independence Day</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-independence-day/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-independence-day/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Happy Independence Day!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/happy-independence-day/video-1.5367d1ff.mp4" poster="/posts/happy-independence-day/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Three Years of RV Adventures: 20 States and Unforgettable Memories</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/three-years-of-rv-adventures-20-states-and-unforgettable-memories/</link><pubDate>Tue, 01 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/three-years-of-rv-adventures-20-states-and-unforgettable-memories/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Little did we know back when we started this life July 1, 2022 how much we would enjoy it. In three years, we&amp;rsquo;ve visited 20 states (in our RV) and have thousands of amazing memories.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Chapel of the Holy Cross: Sedona's Architectural Gem</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/chapel-of-the-holy-cross-sedonas-architectural-gem/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Jun 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/chapel-of-the-holy-cross-sedonas-architectural-gem/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We visited the &lt;a href="https://chapeloftheholycross.com/history" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Chapel of the Holy Cross&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Sedona and it was truly awe-inspiring. Perched between the red rock formations, this architectural marvel was completed in 1956, a vision brought to life local rancher and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Cottonwood's Old Town: Shopping and Wine Tasting</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cottonwoods-old-town-shopping-and-wine-tasting/</link><pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2025 04:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cottonwoods-old-town-shopping-and-wine-tasting/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.oldtown.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Old Town Cottonwood&amp;rsquo;s&lt;/a&gt;&#10; walkable Main Street, lined with distinctive shops and wine tasing rooms, makes for a perfect day of leisurely shopping.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Montezuma Castle: Ancient Cliff Dwelling Wonder</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/montezuma-castle-ancient-cliff-dwelling-wonder/</link><pubDate>Sat, 14 Jun 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/montezuma-castle-ancient-cliff-dwelling-wonder/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Continuing the story of the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinagua" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Sinagua people&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in the Verde Valley, we visited &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/moca/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Montezuma Castle National Monument&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. This place is incredible. Montezuma Castle is not a castle at all. It&amp;rsquo;s a five-story, 20-room cliff dwelling built into a limestone cliff 800 years ago. It looks like something out of a fantasy novel, but it was once home to real families who farmed, hunted, and lived in harmony with the land.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Tuzigoot National Monument: Ancient Pueblo Hidden in Sedona</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tuzigoot-national-monument-ancient-pueblo-hidden-in-sedona/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Jun 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tuzigoot-national-monument-ancient-pueblo-hidden-in-sedona/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We visited one of the lesser known parks while we were in Sedona - &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/tuzi/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Tuzigoot National Monument&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Wow- what a window into the past! This site preserves a 110-room pueblo built by the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinagua" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Sinagua people&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, who lived here between 1000 and 1400 AD.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Sedona's Teal-Arches McDonald's: A Desert Twist</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/sedonas-teal-arches-mcdonalds-a-desert-twist/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Jun 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/sedonas-teal-arches-mcdonalds-a-desert-twist/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Did you know Sedona is home to the only McDonald’s in the world with &lt;a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mcdonalds-teal-arches" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;teal arches&lt;/a&gt;&#10; instead of the classic golden ones? We saw it for ourselves—and yep, it’s just as quirky and cool as it sounds!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Visiting Sedona, AZ</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-next-stop-sedona/</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-next-stop-sedona/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our next stop - &lt;a href="https://visitsedona.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Sedona, AZ&lt;/a&gt;&#10;!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We spent our first afternoon in the area wandering around Sedona’s quirky little shops. Between the red rock views, local shops, handmade items, and the public street art, it felt like every corner had something for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>On the road again</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/on-the-road-again/</link><pubDate>Sun, 08 Jun 2025 04:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/on-the-road-again/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;On the road again! 🎶🎵 After an amazing couple of weeks in Tucson, we are on the road north.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Thunderbirds Surprise: Fighter Jets Over Our RV</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thunderbirds-surprise-fighter-jets-over-our-rv/</link><pubDate>Sat, 07 Jun 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thunderbirds-surprise-fighter-jets-over-our-rv/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Have you ever seen the &lt;a href="https://www.airforce.com/thunderbirds/our-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Thunderbirds&lt;/a&gt;&#10; fly? They are amazing! We didn&amp;rsquo;t realize the &lt;a href="https://www.dm.af.mil/2025-Air-Show/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Thunder &amp;amp; Lightning over Arizona air show&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was happening during our time in Tucson, so that was a really near surprise! At one point, the Thunderbirds went right over our RV - it was so awesome (and very loud!). These pilots put on a great show!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Signal Hill Petroglyphs: Ancient Art in Saguaro</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/signal-hill-petroglyphs-ancient-art-in-saguaro/</link><pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/signal-hill-petroglyphs-ancient-art-in-saguaro/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;On the drive around the park in the West/Tucson Mountain district, we stopped at Signal Hill Picnic area and took a short trail up to the largest petroglyph site in the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Saguaro National Park: East vs West Districts</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/saguaro-national-park-east-vs-west-districts/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 May 2025 15:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/saguaro-national-park-east-vs-west-districts/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/nature/saguaro.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Saguaro Cactus&lt;/a&gt;&#10; (pronounced saw-war-oh) only grows in the &lt;a href="https://www.desertmuseum.org/desert/sonora.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Sonoran Desert&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. This desert is located in Mexico, Arizona, and just a small portion of the Baja peninsula in California. These cacti can grow up to 50 feet tall and live over 200 years!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Dog-Friendly Walkways at Tucson KOA</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dog-friendly-walkways-at-tucson-koa/</link><pubDate>Wed, 28 May 2025 16:02:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dog-friendly-walkways-at-tucson-koa/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://koa.com/campgrounds/tucson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;KOA in Tucson&lt;/a&gt;&#10; has gravel sites and a concrete road with gravel mixed in, making it rough on dog toes. A smooth concrete border provides a nice transition between the two larger areas. It also gives Tucker a nice walkway that doesn&amp;rsquo;t hurt his sensitive toes.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Arizona's Metric Interstate: I-19's Unique Highway</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/arizonas-metric-interstate-i-19s-unique-highway/</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 May 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/arizonas-metric-interstate-i-19s-unique-highway/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Did you know that there is a US Interstate that is only measured using the metric system? Yep! You read that correctly! &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_19#Signage" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Interstate 19&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Arizona, which travels from Tucson to Nogales has metric signage and is fully measured using the metric system.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Honoring Heroes: Memorial Day Reflections</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections/</link><pubDate>Mon, 26 May 2025 05:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Remembering and honoring those who gave all in service to our great nation today. You will never be forgotten.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections/photo-1_hu_46f32cce72951831.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections/photo-1_hu_232640b48ec5740b.webp 859w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections/photo-1_hu_3c52a7adc056d9f.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections/photo-1_hu_208a2f185bc87968.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-memorial-day-reflections/photo-1_hu_3c52a7adc056d9f.jpg 859w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="859" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Tumacácori: Arizona's Hidden Mission Gem</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tumacacori-arizonas-hidden-mission-gem/</link><pubDate>Sun, 25 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tumacacori-arizonas-hidden-mission-gem/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Located about an hour south of Tucson is a gem of a national park that many people have not heard about. &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/tuma/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Tumacácori National Historical Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; takes you back in time to the late 1600s when Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries were traveling north from Mexico to bring European values and farming techniques to indigenous people of the area (O’odham, Yaqui, and Apache).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>World's Largest Rose Tree in Tombstone, Arizona</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/worlds-largest-rose-tree-in-tombstone-arizona/</link><pubDate>Sat, 24 May 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/worlds-largest-rose-tree-in-tombstone-arizona/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;During our day in Tombstone, we kept seeing signs for &amp;ldquo;&lt;a href="https://tombstonerosetree.com/worlds-largest-rose-tree/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;The World&amp;rsquo;s Largest Rose Tree&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&amp;rdquo;. I (Kate) have a strong love for the natural world, so this type of thing is right up my alley. The entry into the rose tree in was only $5, and there was a small museum about the history of both Tombstone and the Rose Tree Inn.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Tombstone, Arizona: A Real Wild West Town</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tombstone-arizona-a-real-wild-west-town/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tombstone-arizona-a-real-wild-west-town/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While in Tucson we took a step back in time with a day trip to &lt;a href="https://www.visitarizona.com/places/cities/tombstone" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Tombstone, AZ&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, and it was like walking straight into a Wild West movie set—only it’s all real (well, mostly 😉).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Citrus Blossoms and Busy Bees at Tucson KOA</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/citrus-blossoms-and-busy-bees-at-tucson-koa/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 May 2025 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/citrus-blossoms-and-busy-bees-at-tucson-koa/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The citrus tree in our site at the KOA in Tucson was in full bloom, so we were lucky enough to have an amazing citrus blossom smell! We also had a TON of bees. The bees didn&amp;rsquo;t bother us at all during our two week stay, even as we walked by and under the tree. Steve even washed the RV one day and they did not bother him!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;The bees were just busy collecting pollen to take back and feed the hive. So interesting to watch!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Arizona Sunsets and Free Citrus at LazyDays Tucson</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/arizona-sunsets-and-free-citrus-at-lazydays-tucson/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 May 2025 15:45:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/arizona-sunsets-and-free-citrus-at-lazydays-tucson/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We stayed at the &lt;a href="https://koa.com/campgrounds/tucson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;LazyDays KOA in Tucson&lt;/a&gt;&#10; which is a very nice park! And just LOOK at the sunsets - Arizona does not disappoint in that regard!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Shakespeare Ghost Town: West's Most Authentic History</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/shakespeare-ghost-town-wests-most-authentic-history/</link><pubDate>Mon, 19 May 2025 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/shakespeare-ghost-town-wests-most-authentic-history/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;After leaving Alamogordo, we headed west, making a stop at a &lt;a href="https://www.harvesthosts.com/?refid=iu5ecxyt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Harvest Host&lt;/a&gt;&#10; on our way to Tucson, AZ. Touted as &amp;ldquo;The West&amp;rsquo;s most authentic ghost town&amp;rdquo;, there aren&amp;rsquo;t really ghosts at &lt;a href="https://www.shakespeareghostown.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Shakespeare Ghost Town&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Lordsburg, New Mexico. But you will find the amazing story of an abandoned mining town and the generations of a family that have worked tirelessly to preserve and upkeep the physical town as well as keep the stories of the old west alive by sharing this amazing piece of history with the world.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Cloudcroft, NM: Mountain Town Magic at 9000 Feet</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cloudcroft-nm-mountain-town-magic-at-9000-feet/</link><pubDate>Sun, 18 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cloudcroft-nm-mountain-town-magic-at-9000-feet/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We ventured up to &lt;a href="https://cloudcroft.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Cloudcroft, NM&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, which sits at almost 9000 ft in elevation, high in the Sacramento Mountains and Lincoln National Forest, just east of Alamogordo. This old mining town is a really neat place to visit and offers many activities including skiing, hiking, mountain biking, hunting, golfing, shopping, and dining.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Honoring Our Heroes: Celebrating Armed Forces Day</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-our-heroes-celebrating-armed-forces-day/</link><pubDate>Sat, 17 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-our-heroes-celebrating-armed-forces-day/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;How to celebrate - Thank the military members in your life or ones that you meet! After all, FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Alamogordo has some really great public art</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2025 07:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Alamogordo has some really great public art. In 2024, they opened an art alley, which is just off Main Street. Unfortunately while we were there, the alley was under construction, so access to some of the artwork was limited. My (Kate) personal favorites are the butterflies created by &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/taylorojedacreations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@taylorojedacreations&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/TrulyWarpedbeauty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@truly_warpedbeautyart&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-2_hu_8d112b96e91c980a.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-3_hu_9fff3570948d9c75.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-4_hu_95b590c472779e1.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-5_hu_70c323d85baca048.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-6_hu_adb30c3caf222e46.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-7_hu_3a6abe2350740aea.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-8_hu_1d113c44b9aa2458.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-9_hu_98eaf51418b20a09.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alamogordo-has-some-really-great-public-art/photo-10_hu_3c4d8701abc93ac6.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Do you love pistachios?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-love-pistachios/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-love-pistachios/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Do you love pistachios? These people do! &lt;a href="https://pistachioland.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Pistachioland&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Alamogordo, NM has approximately 90 acres of pistachio trees and almost 14 acres of grapes. The climate here is perfect for growing pistachios - hot, dry, and windy! It is also the home to the &lt;a href="https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/19946" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;World&amp;rsquo;s Largest Pistachio&lt;/a&gt;&#10;! This was definitely a great stop - make sure to take the tour and get some of their homemade pistachio ice cream if you visit!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Watching Sand Dunes Shift Before Our Eyes</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/watching-sand-dunes-shift-before-our-eyes/</link><pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/watching-sand-dunes-shift-before-our-eyes/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While on our Ranger led sunset hike the wind really picked up. This video shows the sands moving in real time - easy to see how the dunes can move up to 8 feet per year!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/watching-sand-dunes-shift-before-our-eyes/video-1.4dd3de7e.mp4" poster="/posts/watching-sand-dunes-shift-before-our-eyes/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>White Sands National Park: Sledding &amp; Sunset Walks</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/white-sands-national-park-sledding-sunset-walks/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2025 07:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/white-sands-national-park-sledding-sunset-walks/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While in Alamogordo, we ventured to &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;White Sands National Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; a couple times. We had so much fun with our friends that we didn&amp;rsquo;t take many photos!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Military Tributes: Roswell's POW-MIA Memorial Park</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/military-tributes-roswells-pow-mia-memorial-park/</link><pubDate>Sat, 10 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/military-tributes-roswells-pow-mia-memorial-park/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today starts &lt;a href="https://veteran.com/armed-forces-week/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Armed Forces Week&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. There is no better way to thank our military for their service and sacrifice than showing some of the tributes from around the country.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We left Roswell and headed to Alamogordo, NM</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-left-roswell-and-headed-to-alamogordo-nm/</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-left-roswell-and-headed-to-alamogordo-nm/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We left Roswell and headed to Alamogordo, NM. You can see the bright white sands of the &lt;a href="https://home.army.mil/wsmr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;White Sands Missile Range&lt;/a&gt;&#10; from about 20 miles away on Hwy 70.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;The window is super dirty after this drive - we encountered both high winds and snow(!) on this short drive day! Pretty sure this was our first time towing through snow. In front of us are our friends &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063484814537" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@rollingbayou&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-left-roswell-and-headed-to-alamogordo-nm/photo-1_hu_44a36e6158f35ba.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-left-roswell-and-headed-to-alamogordo-nm/photo-1_hu_e767705795e68dbd.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-left-roswell-and-headed-to-alamogordo-nm/photo-1_hu_fa7338d4c269a2fa.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-left-roswell-and-headed-to-alamogordo-nm/photo-1_hu_76a4fabced2e02b4.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-left-roswell-and-headed-to-alamogordo-nm/photo-1_hu_fa7338d4c269a2fa.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Roswell's Space History Mural by Benjamin Swatez</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/roswells-space-history-mural-by-benjamin-swatez/</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/roswells-space-history-mural-by-benjamin-swatez/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;You all know how much I (Kate) love all the public art in cities we travel to. Over the past (almost) three years of full time RV travel, we have seen a LOT of &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/tags/murals/"&gt;murals&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. This one in Roswell, NM really struck me. Not only are the colors eye-catching, it shows a lot about the town, the history of the area, and even the state in just in one long wall. New Mexico in general is known for its space history.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Roswell Week: Dust Storms and Desert Surprises</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/roswell-week-dust-storms-and-desert-surprises/</link><pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/roswell-week-dust-storms-and-desert-surprises/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our week in Roswell, NM was interesting in more ways than just seeing aliens! While there, we encountered &lt;a href="https://www.weather.gov/safety/wind-dust-storm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;severe dust storms (possibly a Haboob!)&lt;/a&gt;&#10; We took some photos from the RV during one of the storms, including looking straight at the sun. Kate had to wipe down surfaces three times that week to attempt to keep up with the dust coming in the RV. If you find yourself in the southwest during dust storm season, be careful!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Roswell's UFO Museum: Truth or Fiction?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/roswells-ufo-museum-truth-or-fiction/</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/roswells-ufo-museum-truth-or-fiction/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While in Roswell, you have to check out the &lt;a href="https://www.roswellufomuseum.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;UFO museum&lt;/a&gt;&#10;! Part of it is super hokey (that&amp;rsquo;s the part we took photos in, of course), but there is a fantastic story of the crash landing and ensuing government coverup. There is also corroborating stories and evidence that those who believe that aliens really visited us could be correct!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Cinco de Mayo: The Battle Victory Celebrated More in America</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cinco-de-mayo-the-battle-victory-celebrated-more-in-america/</link><pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/cinco-de-mayo-the-battle-victory-celebrated-more-in-america/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not a celebration of Mexico&amp;rsquo;s freedom from Spain, but rather to celebrate a victory over the French in the &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Puebla" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Battle of Pueblita&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in 1862. Celebrations are actually MORE popular in America than they are in Mexico, and the day now symbolizes Mexican-American culture in the US.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>It's Star Wars day!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-star-wars-day/</link><pubDate>Sun, 04 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-star-wars-day/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s Star Wars day! What better way to celebrate than going to an alien themed &lt;a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/roswell-mcdonalds" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;McDonald&amp;rsquo;s&lt;/a&gt;&#10; for breakfast? It was super hokey, but fun, nonetheless! Steve begrudgingly took a photo with his new alien friend and I scoped out the nicely done mural next to the drive thru!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;May the Fourth be with you!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-star-wars-day/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/its-star-wars-day/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-star-wars-day/photo-2_hu_ffee18b89d930695.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-star-wars-day/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/its-star-wars-day/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-star-wars-day/photo-3_hu_e5fb8682cfa0eb81.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-star-wars-day/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/its-star-wars-day/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-star-wars-day/photo-4_hu_43d326d2ac031d37.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Next stop, Roswell NM</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/next-stop-roswell-new-mexico/</link><pubDate>Sat, 03 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/next-stop-roswell-new-mexico/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;After leaving Carlsbad, we&amp;rsquo;re headed to Roswell, NM! &lt;a href="https://www.roswell-nm.gov/Pages" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Roswell&lt;/a&gt;&#10; is just up the road about 70 miles north of Carlsbad. Yes, we are interested to see all the stories about aliens! You may never have guessed it, but science fiction is one of the things that Steve and I both love.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Artesia's Art Revival: A Small Town's Big Dreams</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/artesias-art-revival-a-small-towns-big-dreams/</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2025 07:21:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/artesias-art-revival-a-small-towns-big-dreams/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;On one of our last days in Carlsbad, we went to the neighboring town of Artesia. Artesia has been hard at work the last few years working to bring more visitors to the area - you can tell by all the newly installed artwork around town and that various parts are being fixed up very nicely.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Unexpected Strongman Competition at Carlsbad Caverns</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/unexpected-strongman-competition-at-carlsbad-caverns/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/unexpected-strongman-competition-at-carlsbad-caverns/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Went to see this amazing new mural by &lt;a href="https://artbyfish.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;artbyfish&lt;/a&gt;&#10; showing the Carlsbad Caverns, and came upon a strongman competition called King of the Cave. What a cool thing to happen upon! We watched the competition for a few minutes and were super impressed with everyone&amp;rsquo;s dedication and hard work! These competitors are amazing!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/unexpected-strongman-competition-at-carlsbad-caverns/photo-1_hu_b200fa75ef0b16b5.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/unexpected-strongman-competition-at-carlsbad-caverns/photo-1_hu_b296cdb7f03d24dd.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/unexpected-strongman-competition-at-carlsbad-caverns/photo-1_hu_10a855e475384650.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/unexpected-strongman-competition-at-carlsbad-caverns/photo-1_hu_9269454f4d0071a0.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/unexpected-strongman-competition-at-carlsbad-caverns/photo-1_hu_10a855e475384650.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Carlsbad's Historic Concrete Flume: Engineering Marvel</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/carlsbads-historic-concrete-flume-engineering-marvel/</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/carlsbads-historic-concrete-flume-engineering-marvel/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Carlsbad, NM &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsbad,_New_Mexico#History" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;was originally the town of Eddy&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. There was a spring in Eddy that was thought to have healing powers similar to those of a spring in Karlsbad, Austria. In 1899, the town voted to rename Eddy to Carlsbad, NM in hopes they could build a large resort with healing waters of the spring and attract visitors from around the world.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Sitting Bull Falls: Hidden Gem Near Carlsbad, NM</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/sitting-bull-falls-hidden-gem-near-carlsbad-nm/</link><pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/sitting-bull-falls-hidden-gem-near-carlsbad-nm/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;rsquo;re exploring Carlsbad, NM, one place you might find interesting is &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/sitting-bull-falls-recreation-area.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Sitting Bull Falls&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It&amp;rsquo;s about 40 minutes SW of town, but a nice drive. It is part of the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/lincoln-national-forest.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Lincoln National Forest&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, which is actually a HUGE area of land encompassing what used to be multiple separate forest reserves (Lincoln, Gallinas, Sacramento, Alamo and Guadalupe).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Art and Margaritas in Carlsbad, New Mexico</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/</link><pubDate>Sun, 27 Apr 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We took a quick stroll around Carlsbad, NM one evening in search of the town&amp;rsquo;s public artworks. They have an amazing plaza and arts center that has several murals and statues, but also a few murals around other parts of town. Even the police logo is artwork! Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious Mexican dinner with margaritas!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-2_hu_5499829896883c93.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-3_hu_13575c7ee49d2f02.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-4_hu_47cd6eff697357ed.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-5_hu_85419bf0779064a1.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-6_hu_5febc3ba80db14d0.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-7_hu_bbba0983a1588853.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-8_hu_2c8a010f5473fdfd.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-9_hu_928ed5423a4413af.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/art-and-margaritas-in-carlsbad-new-mexico/photo-10_hu_f87c9046e4a8a896.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring Carlsbad Caverns: Underground Wonders</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-carlsbad-caverns-underground-wonders/</link><pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-carlsbad-caverns-underground-wonders/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The main event for us while staying in Carlsbad was &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/cave/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Carlsbad Caverns National Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;.&lt;br&gt;&#10;Did you know that the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/selfguided_tours.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Big Room in Carlsbad Caverns&lt;/a&gt;&#10; is the largest single cave chamber by volume. But this doesn&amp;rsquo;t make it the biggest cave system! That record goes to &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mammoth Cave in Kentucky&lt;/a&gt;&#10; (longest cave system in the world!)&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Little Free Libraries: Finding Book Magic on the Road</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/little-free-libraries-finding-book-magic-on-the-road/</link><pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/little-free-libraries-finding-book-magic-on-the-road/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;As a full-time RVer, we usually read our books on tablets but Kate always has to snap a shot of the &lt;a href="https://littlefreelibrary.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Little Free Libraries&lt;/a&gt;&#10; wherever we go! Did you know that there are over 200,000 LFL worldwide?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Goodbye Texas hello New Mexico!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/goodbye-texas-hello-new-mexico/</link><pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/goodbye-texas-hello-new-mexico/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Travel day again! We have arrived in Carlsbad, NM! Total time in Texas was 3 months + 1 week.&lt;br&gt;&#10;Carlsbad is still in the &lt;a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Chihuahuan-Desert" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Chihuahuan Desert&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, so the landscape is very similar to Terlingua, TX.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>There is so much amazing hiking in the Big Bend area</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/there-is-so-much-amazing-hiking-in-the-big-bend-area/</link><pubDate>Sat, 19 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/there-is-so-much-amazing-hiking-in-the-big-bend-area/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;There is so much amazing hiking in the Big Bend area! On one of our last days here, we hiked the &lt;a href="https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/trail/us/texas/closed-canyon-trail" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Closed Canyon Trail&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, a trail in Big Bend Rank State Park, about 20 miles west of where we stayed.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Chisos Mountains: Desert to Forest in 4000 Feet</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/chisos-mountains-desert-to-forest-in-4000-feet/</link><pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/chisos-mountains-desert-to-forest-in-4000-feet/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our fourth trip to Big Bend during our stay in Terlingua, TX led us up the &lt;a href="https://visitbigbend.com/chisos-mountains/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Chisos Mountains&lt;/a&gt;&#10; to a second visitor center. As you head up the mountain, you see the landscape change from desert to forest. It&amp;rsquo;s a slow change, but once you realize the change, you&amp;rsquo;re awestruck!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Peregrine Falcons of Big Bend: Nature's Fastest Hunters</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/peregrine-falcons-of-big-bend-natures-fastest-hunters/</link><pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/peregrine-falcons-of-big-bend-natures-fastest-hunters/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While reading up on Big Bend, we found out that from February through May each year, parts of the park are closed to protect the nesting &lt;a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/id" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Peregrine falcons&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. These incredible birds were listed as an endangered species until 1999 and are still considered a threatened species in Texas.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Santa Elena Canyon: Big Bend's Toughest Trail</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/santa-elena-canyon-big-bends-toughest-trail/</link><pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/santa-elena-canyon-big-bends-toughest-trail/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://visitbigbend.com/santa-elena/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Santa Elena Canyon&lt;/a&gt;&#10; hike itself is about two miles, but the first part of the hike is difficult to get to. We walked through a dry creek bed, then climbed up the 6&amp;rsquo; tall sand walls of the creek bed to get to the trail. Once on the trail, it was a vertical climb up the north canyon wall with switchbacks in full sun and without much in the way of handrails!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Big Bend National Park Part IV</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Back at Big Bend National Park again! Today we decided to take Maverick Road (unpaved and not maintained year round) down to &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/secyn.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Santa Elena Canyon&lt;/a&gt;&#10; for a hike. We stopped at several locations along the way to the canyon, including &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/lunas-jacal.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Luna&amp;rsquo;s Jacal&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It&amp;rsquo;s amazing that this mud and ocotillo built structure is still standing, as its resident, Gilbert Jacal, passed away in 1947 at 108 years old!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-2_hu_33b7ae8f19d57bf6.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-3_hu_7ccc221a55e974a8.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-4_hu_ebd60a67b4aa575b.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-5_hu_96654b74a307323b.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-iv/photo-6_hu_376730a9773f09e4.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Desert Colors: Beauty Beyond the Bloom</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/desert-colors-beauty-beyond-the-bloom/</link><pubDate>Sun, 13 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/desert-colors-beauty-beyond-the-bloom/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;One of the things I always find interesting is the flora and various colors in the landscape. While you may think being in a desert would lack color, I found that the color was just very muted while in the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihuahuan_Desert" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Chihuahuan Desert&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. This photo shows a prickly pear next to an ocotillo cactus and various other plants.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Big Bend's Dark Sky Program: Stars Worth Seeing</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bends-dark-sky-program-stars-worth-seeing/</link><pubDate>Sat, 12 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bends-dark-sky-program-stars-worth-seeing/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Big Bend National Park and the surrounding areas are one of the &lt;a href="https://darksky.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;DARKEST skies&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in any national park in the continental US. The rangers here put on an amazing evening program that allows visitors to view the night sky and learn about the stars and constellations.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Grapevine Hills Trail: Big Bend's Steep Boulder Challenge</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/grapevine-hills-trail-big-bends-steep-boulder-challenge/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/grapevine-hills-trail-big-bends-steep-boulder-challenge/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-part-i/"&gt;visiting Big Bend National Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, we took Grapevine Hills Road to &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/balanced-rock-trail.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Grapevine Hills Trail&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. The road out is about 7 or 8 miles and is not maintained all season. Once you get on the trail, it&amp;rsquo;s about 2.2 miles. The first 0.8 mile is pretty easy! A bit of up and down and uneven path, but very well traveled. After the easy part, there is a sign that the next 0.25 miles is very steep. It was CORRECT!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Big Bend National Park: Worth the Wait</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-worth-the-wait/</link><pubDate>Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-national-park-worth-the-wait/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;One of the highlights of our stay in Terlingua was being able to visit &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Big Bend National Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. On our first trip into the park, we waited in line for about 45 minutes to enter the park! There were a LOT of people at the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/big-bend-visitor-centers.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Panther Junction visitor center&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, too. But once you got out into the park, it wasn&amp;rsquo;t crowded at all!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Longdraw Pizza and the Starlight Theater</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/longdraw-pizza-and-starlight-theater/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/longdraw-pizza-and-starlight-theater/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We love trying local places to eat wherever we stop! While in Terlingua we ate at two local places - Longdraw Pizza and the Starlight Theater. They were both excellent!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Big Bend Ranch State Park &amp; Contrabando Movie Set</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-ranch-state-park-contrabando-movie-set/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-bend-ranch-state-park-contrabando-movie-set/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Went for a drive through the &lt;a href="https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/big-bend-ranch" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Big Bend Ranch State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It has some AMAZING land forms.&lt;br&gt;&#10;During our drive we happened upon a sign for the &lt;a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/contrabando" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Contrabando Movie Set Site&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, so went to check it out.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Buddy Sites and Amazing Memories at Maverick Ranch</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buddy-sites-and-amazing-memories-at-maverick-ranch/</link><pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buddy-sites-and-amazing-memories-at-maverick-ranch/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We got a buddy site with our friends &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063484814537" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Rolling Bayou&lt;/a&gt;&#10; while we were at Maverick Ranch. It was a lot of fun to go out our door and be in the common area between the two sites. The scenery was amazing and so were the memories!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buddy-sites-and-amazing-memories-at-maverick-ranch/photo-1_hu_80967e7c2adb3323.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buddy-sites-and-amazing-memories-at-maverick-ranch/photo-1_hu_f5b444323610654c.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buddy-sites-and-amazing-memories-at-maverick-ranch/photo-1_hu_8a1658577e1147ea.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buddy-sites-and-amazing-memories-at-maverick-ranch/photo-1_hu_6b860b3972b7dac8.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buddy-sites-and-amazing-memories-at-maverick-ranch/photo-1_hu_8a1658577e1147ea.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Meet Clay Henry, Texas's Famous Beer-Drinking Goat Mayor</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-clay-henry-texass-famous-beer-drinking-goat-mayor/</link><pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-clay-henry-texass-famous-beer-drinking-goat-mayor/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;If you ever find yourself in Terlingua, TX look for &lt;a href="https://www.rvtravel.com/rvers-flock-lajitas-texas-meet-towns-beer-drinking-goat-mayor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Clay Henry, the Mayor&lt;/a&gt;&#10;! SPOILER:&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Two Weeks in Lajitas: Big Bend Adventure Awaits</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/two-weeks-in-lajitas-big-bend-adventure-awaits/</link><pubDate>Thu, 03 Apr 2025 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/two-weeks-in-lajitas-big-bend-adventure-awaits/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We&amp;rsquo;re staying two weeks in Lajitas, TX at &lt;a href="https://www.lajitasgolfresort.com/rv-park/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Maverick Ranch RV Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. The park we&amp;rsquo;re at is nice, although a little far from &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Big Bend National Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It is part of a much larger golf resort, and I can absolutely see coming here to golf. The scenery is incredible! We walked over to the main resort shopping and pro shop and caught a glimpse of the course. It was surprisingly green!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Have you ever seen a roadrunner before?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/have-you-ever-seen-a-roadrunner-before/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/have-you-ever-seen-a-roadrunner-before/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;They dont&amp;rsquo; look anything like the cartoon, that&amp;rsquo;s for sure! This little guy was VERY curious about us, coming within mere inches of our feet! Looks like Steve might need to work on his roadrunner beeps, though.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/have-you-ever-seen-a-roadrunner-before/video-1.970b72fc.mp4" poster="/posts/have-you-ever-seen-a-roadrunner-before/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Meet Paisano Pete: Fort Stockton's Giant Roadrunner</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/</link><pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We had just a quick overnight in Fort Stockton, where we met &lt;a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/paisano-pete-worlds-second-largest-roadrunner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Paisano Pete&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, the Fort Stockton Road Runner and second largest Road Runner in the world! We arrived after hours, but took a walk around the Chamber of Commerce building across the street from Pete. It has an incredible display behind it about the history of the area.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/photo-2_hu_dc93194f1a6fe474.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/photo-3_hu_133fd827b48046e4.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meet-paisano-pete-fort-stocktons-giant-roadrunner/photo-4_hu_491be92955f5a9ac.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Texas Hill Country's Quirky Stonehenge II Monument</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/texas-hill-countrys-quirky-stonehenge-ii-monument/</link><pubDate>Sat, 29 Mar 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/texas-hill-countrys-quirky-stonehenge-ii-monument/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This &lt;a href="https://familydestinationsguide.com/texas-discover-bizarre-stonehenge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Stonehenge&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was the culmination of a joke between two friends in the 80&amp;rsquo;s and was donated to the Hill Country Arts Foundation in the 90&amp;rsquo;s after the owner passed away. Also donated was a 13-foot replica of a Moai from Easter Island.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>2024 By The Numbers</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/2024-by-the-numbers/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:41:19 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/2024-by-the-numbers/</guid><description>&lt;h3 id="last-year-was-a-great-travel-year"&gt;Last year was a great travel year!&lt;/h3&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Here is are the highlights of our 2024 travel year by the numbers:&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;ul&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;366 nights&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Celebrated our 2nd year full time!&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;/ul&gt;</description></item><item><title>Dog Parks and Level Sites at Old River Road RV Resort</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dog-parks-and-level-sites-at-old-river-road-rv-resort/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dog-parks-and-level-sites-at-old-river-road-rv-resort/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;During our time in Kerrville, we stayed in &lt;a href="https://oldriverroadrvresort.com/rv-sites-and-cabins" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Old River Road RV Resort&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It had an amazing dog park! Coco and Marley were able to play in one of two big yards one afternoon. Coco and Tucker also made some new friends one morning during our stay. We love when parks have nicely kept dog parks (and responsible pet owners!).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>LBJ Ranch Tour: Texas Hill Country History</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We spent a long afternoon visiting the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/lyjo/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Lyndon B Johnson State and National parks&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Johnson City, TX. Much of the Ranch was shut down for renovations, but we were able to learn the history of President Johnson&amp;rsquo;s family farm and take in some of the sights. I&amp;rsquo;m sure this place is just gorgeous in spring!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-2_hu_330f5895d1b400b1.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-3_hu_ecfc10a88da5ba85.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-4_hu_9ffbf3a20136101c.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-5_hu_4e386d8c5c395152.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-6_hu_cf49b0fa8ac6088e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-7_hu_766dd9682ab2fbb6.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-8_hu_41fd6ffd7b6b9972.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-9_hu_3f47e7adedca6df2.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lbj-ranch-tour-texas-hill-country-history/photo-10_hu_4ed1ee69bfe20aa0.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Toonstone, TX: A Quirky Roadside Gem Worth the Stop</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/toonstone-tx-a-quirky-roadside-gem-worth-the-stop/</link><pubDate>Sun, 23 Mar 2025 06:14:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/toonstone-tx-a-quirky-roadside-gem-worth-the-stop/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Have you ever been to &lt;a href="https://texashighways.com/travel-news/roadside-oddity-the-cartoon-saloons-sweet-spot-between-comfort-and-welfare/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Toonstone, TX&lt;/a&gt;&#10;? It&amp;rsquo;s a real place!!!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We spent a little time exploring this roadside attraction. We even wrote our names on the walls (it&amp;rsquo;s encouraged!).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Our first 2025 travel stop is Kerrville, TX</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/</link><pubDate>Sat, 22 Mar 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our first stop of the year is in Kerrville, Texas. Kerrville is in the heart of &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Hill_Country" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Texas Hill Country&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and was where jewelry maker James Avery first began creating jewelry. We really enjoyed seeing the public art here and in the surrounding cities of Johnson City, Boerne, and Comfort.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-2_hu_ef8f2a734ec2f3a2.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-3_hu_69742e6660d1098e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-4_hu_df618a10467fe7a4.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-5_hu_276c8337b1c60664.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-6_hu_745b5991fe5b2faf.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-7_hu_e52c238931297481.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-8_hu_2a5924f4a428ae3d.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-9_hu_6b5852aee9e5bdcd.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-first-stop-of-2025-kerrville-tx/photo-10_hu_df882dcd501ee16e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Must-Try Cinnamon Rolls in Boerne, Texas</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/</link><pubDate>Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;After seeing a reel about these cinnamon rolls, we just had to try them! We were not disappointed! If you&amp;rsquo;re ever in Boerne, TX (and, yes, it&amp;rsquo;s pronounced BERNIE), stop by &lt;a href="https://richterboerne.com/location/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Richter Bakhaus&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and check them out!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/photo-2_hu_bb26b1b684662f01.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/photo-3_hu_5ef4f7350342a473.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/must-try-cinnamon-rolls-in-boerne-texas/photo-4_hu_d02514604ed64230.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Spring Garden Tours: Our Favorite RV Stops</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/spring-garden-tours-our-favorite-rv-stops/</link><pubDate>Wed, 19 Mar 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/spring-garden-tours-our-favorite-rv-stops/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;One of the things I (Kate) miss most about being in a house is the yard as winter turns to spring. I love to see the progression of the blooming trees and plants. So we make a point in our travels to always find beautiful gardens and arboretums to visit.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/spring-garden-tours-our-favorite-rv-stops/photo-1_hu_d5f4d7f6d202b2a0.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/spring-garden-tours-our-favorite-rv-stops/photo-1_hu_f761f578a2c42f81.webp 859w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/spring-garden-tours-our-favorite-rv-stops/photo-1_hu_b9fc846cfa86fe82.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/spring-garden-tours-our-favorite-rv-stops/photo-1_hu_d3cec74a723f3b6.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/spring-garden-tours-our-favorite-rv-stops/photo-1_hu_b9fc846cfa86fe82.jpg 859w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="859" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>2025 RV Adventure Begins in Brownsville, TX</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/2025-rv-adventure-begins-in-brownsville-tx/</link><pubDate>Sun, 16 Mar 2025 06:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/2025-rv-adventure-begins-in-brownsville-tx/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;And&amp;hellip; we&amp;rsquo;re off! Follow along as we start our 2025 travels leaving out of Brownsville, TX. Thanks to our friends at &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063484814537" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Rolling Bayou&lt;/a&gt;&#10; for taking (and sharing) our caravan video!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Brownsville Port Tour &amp; Dolphins at South Padre Island</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brownsville-port-tour-dolphins-at-south-padre-island/</link><pubDate>Sat, 15 Mar 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brownsville-port-tour-dolphins-at-south-padre-island/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;During our last week of &amp;ldquo;winter&amp;rdquo;, we went on a &lt;a href="https://islatours.com/the-port-of-brownsville-tour/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;cruise of the port of Brownsville&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It was really neat to see all the decommissioned ships and hear about how the ships are dismantled and the materials are reused for other purposes. We also got to see some dolphins in the Laguna Madre!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;After our tour, we went to capture a photo of the SPI sign. I think we nailed it! &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063484814537" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@rollingbayou&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Trying out local restaurants is a MUST!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Trying out local restaurants is a MUST for us! We ate at a place called Tacos al Vapor (Steamed Tacos). They had pretty yummy food and Mexican Coke! This is part of the &lt;a href="https://visitbtx.com/tacotrail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Brownsville Taco Trail&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-2_hu_5968ca539c8b7c92.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-2_hu_42e12c16c3163ec7.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-2_hu_4d03b8ab84b0c67f.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-2_hu_442d3f39f2454576.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-2_hu_4d03b8ab84b0c67f.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-1_hu_27e69ac3092eba11.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-1_hu_ab881693dfa01860.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-1_hu_98ef96b319ab2703.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-1_hu_c5159f7be268ccb.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/trying-out-local-restaurants-is-a-must/photo-1_hu_98ef96b319ab2703.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Isla Blanca Park: South Padre Island's Best Kept Secret</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/isla-blanca-park-south-padre-islands-best-kept-secret/</link><pubDate>Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/isla-blanca-park-south-padre-islands-best-kept-secret/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We spent a (very windy) morning going over to South Padre Island. At the south end of the island is Isla Blanca county park that has a bronze statue of Jesus and a message inscribed asking God to&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Hunting for Brownsville's Hidden Street Art Murals</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hunting-for-brownsvilles-hidden-street-art-murals/</link><pubDate>Sun, 09 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hunting-for-brownsvilles-hidden-street-art-murals/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We spent an afternoon walking around downtown Brownsville looking at the public art. There are cities where mural locations are well documented, but Brownsville is not one of them. It took about an hour of researching to find locations on 12 murals. Was it worth it?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We weathered the Texas blizzard of 2025 😀</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-weathered-the-texas-blizzard-of-2025/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-weathered-the-texas-blizzard-of-2025/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We weathered the Texas blizzard of 2025!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-weathered-the-texas-blizzard-of-2025/photo-1_hu_ee03ad8b57440c44.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-weathered-the-texas-blizzard-of-2025/photo-1_hu_d9d4b2219783bd3d.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-weathered-the-texas-blizzard-of-2025/photo-1_hu_c36b83aa047be7fb.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-weathered-the-texas-blizzard-of-2025/photo-1_hu_8dbb124d028ab511.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-weathered-the-texas-blizzard-of-2025/photo-1_hu_c36b83aa047be7fb.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Brownsville Winter Sunsets: South Padre Island Magic</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brownsville-winter-sunsets-south-padre-island-magic/</link><pubDate>Thu, 06 Mar 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brownsville-winter-sunsets-south-padre-island-magic/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We had no lack of amazing sunsets while in Brownsville, TX for winter this year. We even went over to South Padre Island to watch the sunset over &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_Madre_%28United_States%29" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Laguna Madre&lt;/a&gt;&#10; one evening. We really lucked out at how beautiful it was that evening!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brownsville-winter-sunsets-south-padre-island-magic/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/brownsville-winter-sunsets-south-padre-island-magic/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brownsville-winter-sunsets-south-padre-island-magic/photo-2_hu_79b32ee392454f49.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brownsville-winter-sunsets-south-padre-island-magic/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/brownsville-winter-sunsets-south-padre-island-magic/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brownsville-winter-sunsets-south-padre-island-magic/photo-3_hu_1fb52dd48b039793.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Dental Tourism at the Progreso International Bridge</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dental-tourism-at-the-progreso-international-bridge/</link><pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/dental-tourism-at-the-progreso-international-bridge/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;During our winter stay we drove over to the &lt;a href="https://texasmexicobridges.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Progreso International Bridge&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and went into Mexico. Did you know there are something like 100 dentists within a 3 block radius of this bridge?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Palo Alto Battlefield: Where US-Mexico War History Lives</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/palo-alto-battlefield-where-us-mexico-war-history-lives/</link><pubDate>Sun, 02 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/palo-alto-battlefield-where-us-mexico-war-history-lives/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Visiting the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/paal/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Palo Alto Battlefield&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was a very interesting stop on our tour of National Parks this year. The battle at Palo Alto took place in May 1846, early on in the two year war between the US and Mexico over land in the territory of Texas (western portion of Texas today and parts of OK and NM).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Baked Bear: Warm Cookie Sandwich Paradise</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/</link><pubDate>Sat, 01 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The Baked Bear was a new one for us we&amp;rsquo;d never heard of before! We can&amp;rsquo;t say enough about how awesome &lt;a href="https://www.thebakedbear.com/locations/south-padre/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;The Baked Bear on South Padre Island&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was! There are locations in several states. Make sure to ask for your cookies to be warmed!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/photo-2_hu_fc56f3519e5638f9.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/photo-3_hu_1965d39823e7aa0e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-baked-bear-warm-cookie-sandwich-paradise/photo-4_hu_887328350abb7bd2.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Honoring Heroes: Wreaths Across America in Brownsville</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We were humbled to take part in the local &lt;a href="https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Wreaths Across America&lt;/a&gt;&#10; event in Brownsville this year. Over 400 wreaths were laid on veteran graves in this beautiful historic cemetery. What an incredible way to remember and honor those who served our country. Thanks to our friends at &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063484814537" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@Rolling Bayou&lt;/a&gt;&#10; for inviting us to such an incredible event.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-2_hu_c5f541c8330210bb.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-3_hu_83437553c6d5035b.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-4_hu_159ef52f7eba4ed.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-5_hu_d438b180ce9a1893.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-heroes-wreaths-across-america-in-brownsville/photo-6_hu_3087ef92f561d2ba.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>We love having fires with friends</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-love-having-fires-with-friends/</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-love-having-fires-with-friends/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We love having fires with friends! We did not have too many fires this winter due to the constant winds in Brownsville, but the few we did have were full of stories and laughs. Marley was able to join us as well and even has his own chair!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-love-having-fires-with-friends/photo-2_hu_5bb031c67efdbcd6.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-love-having-fires-with-friends/photo-2_hu_ac7754f4254922b4.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-love-having-fires-with-friends/photo-2_hu_1b821bc7786ded4e.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-love-having-fires-with-friends/photo-2_hu_2ce5b4459c601136.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/we-love-having-fires-with-friends/photo-2_hu_1b821bc7786ded4e.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>More winter campground activities</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/</link><pubDate>Sun, 23 Feb 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Some campgrounds have lots of activities during the winter. While ours did have a few in December it was much more active in January as the &lt;a href="https://wintertexaninfo.com/pubpgs/WTearly.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Winter Texans&lt;/a&gt;&#10; began arriving after the holidays. The clubhouse had lots of puzzles so we made our own fun when something wasn&amp;rsquo;t planned! That yarn puzzle was DIFFICULT!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/photo-2_hu_e12e426103788d32.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/photo-3_hu_21d5b3e39c36e8c9.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/more-winter-campground-activities/photo-4_hu_c06c657ec92ef6d3.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Pecos Boot Trail</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-pecos-boot-trail/</link><pubDate>Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:05:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-pecos-boot-trail/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Talk about creative! &lt;a href="https://iconpolystudio.com/portfolio/pecos-boot-trail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Pecos, TX has a Boot Trail!&lt;/a&gt;&#10; We see neat stuff like this all the time as we’re passing through an area. This is a short afternoon activity we’ll add to the list for the next time we’re in western Texas.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-pecos-boot-trail/photo-1_hu_91ca5304ad63285d.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-pecos-boot-trail/photo-1_hu_c5b36f10e73dcffa.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-pecos-boot-trail/photo-1_hu_9e5880275871babc.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-pecos-boot-trail/photo-1_hu_aaec031f1873e0bd.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-pecos-boot-trail/photo-1_hu_9e5880275871babc.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="888" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Who doesn't love ice cream?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/who-doesnt-love-ice-cream/</link><pubDate>Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/who-doesnt-love-ice-cream/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Who doesn&amp;rsquo;t love ice cream?! We found this great place &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/rollingwithhne/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@rollingwithhne&lt;/a&gt;&#10; that serves ROLLED ice cream! Have you had rolled ice cream before? The process is super neat to watch. They start with CREAM and other ingredients and pour it onto a really cold slab&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>South Padre Island's Holiday Sandcastle Village</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/south-padre-islands-holiday-sandcastle-village/</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Feb 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/south-padre-islands-holiday-sandcastle-village/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We ventured over to South Padre Island, and stumbled upon the &lt;a href="https://sandcastlevillage.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Holiday Sandcastle Village of South Padre Island&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It was all dolled up for Christmas alongside some longer term sand art, such as the amazing Taylor Swift mermaid. If you&amp;rsquo;re in this area, we highly recommend checking out this rotating gallery of sand sculptures!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Winter Campground Chili Cook-Off Fun</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/</link><pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Many campgrounds and resorts have an abundance of activities for RVers who are staying for the winter! We attended the campground&amp;rsquo;s chili cook off, sampling several really good recipes. Our friend Ron over at &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/4252937268056957" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@Rolling Bayou&lt;/a&gt;&#10; won 🏆 1st place! Congrats, Ron!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-2_hu_abcbc13008b21db9.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-2_hu_1374c3a3e9ffe6d5.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-2_hu_60d338bc4cf1917d.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-2_hu_c6b9a7c52790b513.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-2_hu_60d338bc4cf1917d.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-1_hu_88182d7225b266c1.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-1_hu_6746cc4058a65766.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-1_hu_41fa5d72cc6da265.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-1_hu_1837cda852d9d95a.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/winter-campground-chili-cook-off-fun/photo-1_hu_41fa5d72cc6da265.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Our Winter started just before Thanksgiving</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-winter-started-just-before-thanksgiving/</link><pubDate>Sun, 16 Feb 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-winter-started-just-before-thanksgiving/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our &amp;ldquo;winter&amp;rdquo; season started just before Thanksgiving. Since we wintered with our friends, &lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/4252937268056957" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@Rolling Bayou&lt;/a&gt;&#10; this year we went ALL OUT for Thanksgiving!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>What does winter look like for a full-time RVer</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/what-does-winter-look-like-for-a-full-time-rver/</link><pubDate>Sat, 15 Feb 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/what-does-winter-look-like-for-a-full-time-rver/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Well, we all do it a little differently. Some spend 4-6 months in their winter location - visiting doctors, fixing their RV, and planning their next travel season.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Collecting National Park Stickers on Our RV Journey</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/collecting-national-park-stickers-on-our-rv-journey/</link><pubDate>Tue, 11 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/collecting-national-park-stickers-on-our-rv-journey/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;As we were leaving Rockport we added our Padre Island National Seashore sticker to our board. Do you keep track of the places you explore?&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/collecting-national-park-stickers-on-our-rv-journey/video-1.5d953a87.mp4" poster="/posts/collecting-national-park-stickers-on-our-rv-journey/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Padre Island: Worth the Hour-Long Drive</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/padre-island-worth-the-hour-long-drive/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/padre-island-worth-the-hour-long-drive/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;One of the most amazing things we get to see as full-time RVers is the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_lands_in_the_United_States" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;public lands in our great nation&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. While in Rockport, we drove almost an hour to visit &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Padre Island National Seashore&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It did NOT disappoint. The day we went was very windy, but the beach was clear and sunny.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Corpus Christi's Van Gogh-Inspired Skeleton Mural</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/corpus-christis-van-gogh-inspired-skeleton-mural/</link><pubDate>Sat, 08 Feb 2025 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/corpus-christis-van-gogh-inspired-skeleton-mural/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While in Corpus Christi, we made a special effort to seek out this amazing piece of mural work by artist &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/erickarbeling/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@erickarbeling&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. I first saw Eric&amp;rsquo;s work in &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/enjoy-the-second-batch-of-mural-artwork-from-our-stay-in/"&gt;Alpena, MI&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and instantly fell in love.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Corpus Christi's Amazing Public Art Trail</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/corpus-christis-amazing-public-art-trail/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/corpus-christis-amazing-public-art-trail/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Corpus Christi has an amazing &lt;a href="https://arttrailproject.org/trail/corpus-christi-mural-and-art-trail-corpus-christi-texas-united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;public art trail&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It encompasses the whole city, but in one small area of downtown, you can see over 40 different murals. Some of these are permanent installations and some are temporary while buildings are being renovated.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Big Blue Crab and History at Rockport Beach Park</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-blue-crab-and-history-at-rockport-beach-park/</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Feb 2025 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/big-blue-crab-and-history-at-rockport-beach-park/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We ventured out to &lt;a href="https://www.rockportbeach-texas.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Rockport Beach park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; one evening while in the area. Rockport has some unique public art.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>It's no secret that we love ice cream</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-no-secret-that-we-love-ice-cream/</link><pubDate>Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/its-no-secret-that-we-love-ice-cream/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s no secret that we love ice cream! While in Rockport, we found a great little ice cream shop called &lt;a href="https://grandmabsweettreats.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Grandma B&amp;rsquo;s Sweet Treats&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. They have a selection of candy and a nice selection of Blue Bell Ice Cream.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The sunsets in Rockport are amazing</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/</link><pubDate>Sat, 01 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The sunsets in Rockport are amazing! Taken on two different days, we were astonished by the colors in the sky (and how different they were from each other!). One was a moody deep pastel color palette and the other was bright yellows and oranges with a light pastel palette after the sun set. Each was gorgeous!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/photo-2_hu_4a92d364c0a3ea4e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/photo-3_hu_2dd8a4b1e9befaa5.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-sunsets-in-rockport-are-amazing/photo-4_hu_46fb1f182b7aaf73.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>From Brenham to Rockport</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/from-brenham-to-rockport/</link><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jan 2025 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/from-brenham-to-rockport/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;After we left Brenham we headed to Rockport for a week. We stayed at the KOA which was recently rebuilt. Everything had been recently updated after hurricane Harvey left the area devastated in 2017. The showers and laundry were well maintained and the facility is gated. While we didn&amp;rsquo;t use the pool or the clubhouse, they did have a couple activities scheduled the week we were there and many people did participate.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blue Bell Ice Cream in Brenham, Texas</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/blue-bell-ice-cream-in-brenham-texas/</link><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jan 2025 07:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/blue-bell-ice-cream-in-brenham-texas/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our friends told us about the &lt;a href="https://www.bluebell.com/visit-blue-bell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Blue Bell Creameries&lt;/a&gt;&#10; being in Brenham, TX. Since we were there right before Thanksgiving the factory observation deck was closed but we took a self-guided tour of their museum and grounds. We also stopped in their ice cream shop for a &lt;strong&gt;$1&lt;/strong&gt; cup of deliciousness!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Here is where 2024 took us</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/heres-where-2024-took-us/</link><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jan 2025 17:35:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/heres-where-2024-took-us/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Not the exact route we took, but here’s where 2024 took us! Lots of back and forth between Indiana and Florida. What an adventure!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/heres-where-2024-took-us/video-1.9fa0155b.mp4" poster="/posts/heres-where-2024-took-us/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Happy New Year</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-new-year/</link><pubDate>Tue, 31 Dec 2024 20:32:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/happy-new-year/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Happy New Year!!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/happy-new-year/video-1.92d5cb71.mp4" poster="/posts/happy-new-year/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Merry Christmas to all!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/merry-christmas-to-all/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:27:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/merry-christmas-to-all/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Merry Christmas from our house to yours!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/merry-christmas-to-all/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/merry-christmas-to-all/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/merry-christmas-to-all/photo-2_hu_8452261a5941e0ae.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/merry-christmas-to-all/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/merry-christmas-to-all/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/merry-christmas-to-all/photo-3_hu_5dd98053cd62268b.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>The murals of Brenham, TX</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The murals of Brenham, TX did not disappoint! What beautiful work by artists near and far.&lt;br&gt;&#10;Kate&amp;rsquo;s two favorites were the black and white of Blind Willy Johnson by &lt;a href="https://www.leviponce.com/murals" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Levi Ponce&lt;/a&gt;&#10; (with Rey Sepulveda, Nick Hernandez, Jose Ramirez, and Brad Stufflebeam) and the very colorful cowgirl and horse by &lt;a href="https://www.toniardizzone.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Toni Ardizzone&lt;/a&gt;&#10;.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-2_hu_43402aa24dc37864.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-3_hu_9f4599be6b28f609.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-4_hu_24ec8b3dd36f570e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-5_hu_b6967a455d82f335.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-6_hu_46c828db4b5d9eb6.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-7_hu_7584c5c175d7c3e3.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-8_hu_1664d2e615cf07b3.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-murals-of-brenham-tx/photo-9_hu_145f23b1da5a47be.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Downtown Brenham, TX has some really neat things to visit</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Downtown Brenham, TX has some really neat things to visit! The historic fire house was closed the day we explored the town, but this is on our list to come back to see! Also as we walked, we saw the beautiful Art Deco courthouse and Puddins Pole. It&amp;rsquo;s not every day you come across a pole with a name&amp;hellip;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-2_hu_8b740e88e935ec9f.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-3_hu_da4cc6480158804.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-4_hu_d7af595487934518.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-5_hu_54d5e70a7b597931.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-6_hu_bafdf569e35be4a3.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-7_hu_f7a8430d9de857.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-8_hu_4b48ced868549fc9.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/downtown-brenham-tx-has-some-really-neat-things-to-visit/photo-9_hu_bbf523f2a2afb544.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>We're wintering in Texas this year, y'all</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-wintering-in-texas-this-year-yall/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/were-wintering-in-texas-this-year-yall/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We&amp;rsquo;re wintering in Texas this year, y&amp;rsquo;all! The drive from Glen St. Mary, Florida to Texas was a long but uneventful 3 days. Along the way, we stayed in a few really neat &lt;a href="https://www.harvesthosts.com/?refid=iu5ecxyt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Harvest Host&lt;/a&gt;&#10; locations!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Decorated for Christmas!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/got-the-house-decorated-for-christmas-this-weekend/</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:35:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/got-the-house-decorated-for-christmas-this-weekend/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Got the house decorated for Christmas this weekend! We do very simple decorations to minimize both space and weight required to store these. Kate has to live vicariously through others, so we try to go see some light displays each year.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/got-the-house-decorated-for-christmas-this-weekend/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/got-the-house-decorated-for-christmas-this-weekend/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/got-the-house-decorated-for-christmas-this-weekend/photo-2_hu_97f325dfe1dba747.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/got-the-house-decorated-for-christmas-this-weekend/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/got-the-house-decorated-for-christmas-this-weekend/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/got-the-house-decorated-for-christmas-this-weekend/photo-3_hu_23c9ceaf94e77d2c.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Georgia Peanut RV Park: Stock Up on Sausage</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/georgia-peanut-rv-park-stock-up-on-sausage/</link><pubDate>Sun, 08 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/georgia-peanut-rv-park-stock-up-on-sausage/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;One of our favorite places to stay on our way South to Florida is the &lt;a href="https://georgiapeanutrvpark.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Georgia Peanut RV Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It&amp;rsquo;s attached to &lt;a href="https://www.carrollssausage.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Carroll&amp;rsquo;s Sausage &amp;amp; Country Store&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, and we use the opportunity to STOCK UP!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>A good time driving through Atlanta?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/is-there-ever-a-good-time-to-drive-through-atlanta/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/is-there-ever-a-good-time-to-drive-through-atlanta/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Is there EVER a good time to drive through Atlanta? It turns out that Saturday about 3pm is the perfect time to pass through. There was some slowdown, but not too bad.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/is-there-ever-a-good-time-to-drive-through-atlanta/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/is-there-ever-a-good-time-to-drive-through-atlanta/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/is-there-ever-a-good-time-to-drive-through-atlanta/photo-2_hu_7a37698bdf6e909.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/is-there-ever-a-good-time-to-drive-through-atlanta/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/is-there-ever-a-good-time-to-drive-through-atlanta/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/is-there-ever-a-good-time-to-drive-through-atlanta/photo-3_hu_36d2f99f2a84c3c5.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Hidden Gem: Chatsworth's Black Bear Mural</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gem-chatsworths-black-bear-mural/</link><pubDate>Mon, 02 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gem-chatsworths-black-bear-mural/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While taking our recycling to Chatsworth, GA, we saw this &lt;a href="https://www.daily-tribune.com/chatsworth_times/news/local/murray-chamber-unveils-black-bear-mural/article_27d0c333-9e15-513c-ad9a-a37632093ab9.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;beautiful mural&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Love how the night sky and mountains of north Georgia are in the bear.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gem-chatsworths-black-bear-mural/photo-1_hu_6522ac27f191e8c6.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gem-chatsworths-black-bear-mural/photo-1_hu_8b1c7a5ed449d27f.webp 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gem-chatsworths-black-bear-mural/photo-1_hu_b078efbeed0ab401.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gem-chatsworths-black-bear-mural/photo-1_hu_6f6c6676fd08aef7.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/hidden-gem-chatsworths-black-bear-mural/photo-1_hu_b078efbeed0ab401.jpg 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="640" height="492" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Morryde Steps Not Long Enough? Love's Travel Stop Reality Check</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/morryde-steps-not-long-enough-loves-travel-stop-reality-check/</link><pubDate>Sun, 24 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/morryde-steps-not-long-enough-loves-travel-stop-reality-check/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Did you know that your Morryde Solid Step supports only go out so far? We found out while staying at a Love&amp;rsquo;s Travel Stop overnight. Whoops! 🤷‍♀️&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Do you travel with a weather radio?</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-travel-with-a-weather-radio/</link><pubDate>Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/do-you-travel-with-a-weather-radio/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Do you travel with a weather radio? If not, &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/midland-er210-noaa-weather-radio/"&gt;we highly recommend getting one&lt;/a&gt;&#10;! Our little weather radio is super loud when it goes off. It has woken us on several occasions, but is very helpful in alerting us of inclement weather regardless of our location.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/do-you-travel-with-a-weather-radio/video-1.303b7e35.mp4" poster="/posts/do-you-travel-with-a-weather-radio/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Where Full-Time RVers Stay During Major Repairs</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/where-full-time-rvers-stay-during-major-repairs/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/where-full-time-rvers-stay-during-major-repairs/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;What do full time RVers do when their RV has to get work done? Because our RV is our home, when it needs repairs most times we fix it ourselves. But some things are too big even for the handiest DIYer out there.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Finally got around to updating our travel map</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finally-got-around-to-updating-the-map/</link><pubDate>Sun, 17 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finally-got-around-to-updating-the-map/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Finally got around to updating our travel map. 2024&amp;rsquo;s adventures added many pins, but only two new states. Looking ahead, I&amp;rsquo;m very excited to add 6+ new states next year!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finally-got-around-to-updating-the-map/photo-1_hu_40dd708fb3c34f73.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finally-got-around-to-updating-the-map/photo-1_hu_c98076640d7c343f.webp 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finally-got-around-to-updating-the-map/photo-1_hu_4487ef34088724de.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finally-got-around-to-updating-the-map/photo-1_hu_ecf1084ce0858830.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finally-got-around-to-updating-the-map/photo-1_hu_4487ef34088724de.jpg 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="640" height="480" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Thunder Bay's Mysterious Fog: Beauty and Danger</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thunder-bays-mysterious-fog-beauty-and-danger/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 Nov 2024 05:25:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thunder-bays-mysterious-fog-beauty-and-danger/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;As we are leaving Alpena, we get to experience the immediate onset of fog that was mentioned several times as one of the reasons that mariners have a difficult time navigating the waters of Thunder Bay. This fog seemingly came out of nowhere and continued for a few miles. It was hauntingly beautiful, but provided a first-hand insight into why there are so many shipwrecks in this area.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thunder-bays-mysterious-fog-beauty-and-danger/photo-1_hu_181c71e3df661819.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thunder-bays-mysterious-fog-beauty-and-danger/photo-1_hu_342280915657ecdb.webp 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thunder-bays-mysterious-fog-beauty-and-danger/photo-1_hu_7c6ba7bcd477e05b.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thunder-bays-mysterious-fog-beauty-and-danger/photo-1_hu_2b3ad5fdc8f584f9.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thunder-bays-mysterious-fog-beauty-and-danger/photo-1_hu_7c6ba7bcd477e05b.jpg 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="640" height="480" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring Shipwrecks in Thunder Bay's Glass Bottom Boat</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-shipwrecks-in-thunder-bays-glass-bottom-boat/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Nov 2024 05:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-shipwrecks-in-thunder-bays-glass-bottom-boat/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="https://alpenashipwrecktours.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Alpena Shipwreck Tour&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was really neat! We went to two different shipwrecks in Thunder Bay on the tour. The captain said that sometimes you get to see three, but the water was a bit cloudy, so it took a bit of time to maneuver the glass bottom boat to get us right on top of the wrecks. We had so much fun that we forgot to take photos of the wrecks through the bottom of the boat!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Biking the Alpena Bi-Path Trail on E-Bikes</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/</link><pubDate>Tue, 12 Nov 2024 05:22:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While in Alpena we rode a portion of the &lt;a href="https://www.visitalpena.com/places/alpena-bi-path-trail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Alpena Bi-Path Trail&lt;/a&gt;&#10; on our e-bikes. The trail is approximately 14 miles with art and parks along the trail. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon with our friends and took many stops to look at artwork and explore by foot along the way. One of our stops was at Island Park where we got off and walked around the island.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-2_hu_598ebcf6b88d98f3.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-3_hu_960be7d96a9b70de.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-4_hu_fcb68850563d7261.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-5_hu_3012d1e4e34e574f.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-6_hu_f7c001d3eb8687a4.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-7_hu_96a6b29a2f01912e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-8_hu_e180192faec5fc62.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-9_hu_699fa2a3a151b7ca.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/biking-the-alpena-bi-path-trail-on-e-bikes/photo-10_hu_ac87a880c5eb1a7.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Thank you to all our Veterans</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thank-you-to-all-our-veterans/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Nov 2024 04:55:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thank-you-to-all-our-veterans/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Thank you to all our Veterans. Today we honor your sacrifices which allow us to live so freely.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thank-you-to-all-our-veterans/photo-1_hu_7445885df6f6bcc5.webp 320w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thank-you-to-all-our-veterans/photo-1_hu_d4b04742f3b0fdfb.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/thank-you-to-all-our-veterans/photo-1_hu_d4b04742f3b0fdfb.jpg 320w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="320" height="240" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Finding Great Mexican Food on the Road in Alpena</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finding-great-mexican-food-on-the-road-in-alpena/</link><pubDate>Sun, 10 Nov 2024 05:40:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/finding-great-mexican-food-on-the-road-in-alpena/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;One of the things we always look for on the road (and it can be hit or miss, for sure!) is good Mexican food. &lt;a href="https://www.mangostequilabar.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mango&amp;rsquo;s Tequila Bar in Alpena&lt;/a&gt;&#10; did not disappoint! The food was delicious and the atmosphere was fun and inviting.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Alpena Marina Murals: A Colorful Artist Showcase</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/</link><pubDate>Sat, 09 Nov 2024 05:55:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;For our last post on the Alpena Mural Trail we feature some of the artwork shown at the marina. These are painted by multiple artists and on both front and back of a panel series. The series depict many styles and variety of tones. We really love seeing this much artwork wherever we go!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-2_hu_21eb94b2ea463160.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-3_hu_7906043b30bab469.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-4_hu_332228a82638dd62.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-5_hu_a88a9c3f211d744d.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-6_hu_f2371e30005012bb.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-7_hu_101c3553c513fec8.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-8_hu_711f234d777cf20b.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-9_hu_a7d2a13823331fb5.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-10_hu_a4a90ef0a286dfb8.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-11.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-11.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-11_hu_a0f95ca487c7dcb7.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-11.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-12.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-12.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-marina-murals-a-colorful-artist-showcase/photo-12_hu_29fa2d6ec89c5cb2.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-12.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Alpena's Amazing Murals: Part 2</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Nov 2024 05:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Enjoy the second batch of mural artwork from our stay in Alpena, Michigan!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;This incredible artwork is painted by multiple artists, including &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/ag_pnt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@ag_pnt&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/erickarbeling/reels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@erickarbeling&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_third_ge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@the_third_ge&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/blueheron.studio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;@blueheron.studio&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Please go show some love to these very talented artists by following their pages.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-2_hu_47585c878d20e386.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-3_hu_405ea519684e2ab3.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-4_hu_3194609a1af40574.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-5_hu_1b6ac62b83de4f49.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-6_hu_bc1a78cd9a6f4f60.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-7_hu_dde2442f1ce73c3.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-8_hu_b55f7b1358a03319.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-9_hu_613bd0009ef321ef.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpenas-amazing-murals-part-2/photo-10_hu_ea24b195a43c601e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>The mural trail in Alpena has some really interesting art</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-mural-trail-in-alpena-has-some-really-interesting-art/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-mural-trail-in-alpena-has-some-really-interesting-art/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The mural trail in Alpena has some really interesting art. There are so many that we can&amp;rsquo;t fit them all into one post (and it took us multiple days to find them all, even using the app)!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Shipwreck Alley: Exploring Thunder Bay's Maritime History</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/shipwreck-alley-exploring-thunder-bays-maritime-history/</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 Nov 2024 06:11:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/shipwreck-alley-exploring-thunder-bays-maritime-history/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Alpena, Michigan sits on Thunder Bay in Lake Huron and is home to the &lt;a href="https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;National Marine Sanctuary&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and &lt;a href="https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/visit/great-lakes-maritime-heritage-center.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Because of the sporadic weather seen in this area, this area is infamous for its shipwrecks. Thunder Bay is nicknamed &amp;ldquo;Shipwreck Alley&amp;rdquo; due to its number of wrecks, many of which are in shallow waters and able to be seen from kayak or by snorkeling.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Alpena, Michigan: Hidden Gem on Lake Huron</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-michigan-hidden-gem-on-lake-huron/</link><pubDate>Mon, 04 Nov 2024 07:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/alpena-michigan-hidden-gem-on-lake-huron/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our week in &lt;a href="https://www.visitalpena.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Alpena, Michigan&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was great, in spite of the rain the first couple days. The fairgrounds is a great place to stay - super quiet, and very close to town. It&amp;rsquo;s not perfect for our big rig (especially since our site flooded- the photo shows what it looked like after having a day to dry out!)&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Manistique Lighthouse and Lake Michigan Shore Walk</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/manistique-lighthouse-and-lake-michigan-shore-walk/</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Oct 2024 05:12:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/manistique-lighthouse-and-lake-michigan-shore-walk/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While at &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/kitch-iti-kipi-the-big-spring/"&gt;Kitch-iti-kipi&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, we decided to travel a few extra miles over to Manistique for an afternoon walk along the shore of Lake Michigan and visit &lt;a href="http://www.visitmanistique.com/breakwaterlight.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse&lt;/a&gt;&#10;.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Yep it’s that time of year for us</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/yep-its-that-time-of-year-for-us/</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:49:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/yep-its-that-time-of-year-for-us/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Yep it’s that time of year for us. Gotta get this task done before we’re back on the road for the next year! Made it halfway today.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/yep-its-that-time-of-year-for-us/photo-1_hu_457f92d0f37a8104.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/yep-its-that-time-of-year-for-us/photo-1_hu_42345401c7093b21.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/yep-its-that-time-of-year-for-us/photo-1_hu_fe7deb5657f832c5.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/yep-its-that-time-of-year-for-us/photo-1_hu_a95d481acd9afca9.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/yep-its-that-time-of-year-for-us/photo-1_hu_fe7deb5657f832c5.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Crystal Clear Springs: Kitch-iti-kipi's Fish Paradise</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/crystal-clear-springs-kitch-iti-kipis-fish-paradise/</link><pubDate>Mon, 28 Oct 2024 05:17:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/crystal-clear-springs-kitch-iti-kipis-fish-paradise/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Video from Kitch-iti-kipi where you can see the spring and fish.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/crystal-clear-springs-kitch-iti-kipis-fish-paradise/video-1.9ce880e9.mp4" poster="/posts/crystal-clear-springs-kitch-iti-kipis-fish-paradise/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Michigan's Clearest Spring: Kitch-iti-kipi</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/michigans-clearest-spring-kitch-iti-kipi/</link><pubDate>Mon, 28 Oct 2024 05:16:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/michigans-clearest-spring-kitch-iti-kipi/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.visitmanistique.com/bigspring.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Kitch-iti-kipi (The Big Spring)&lt;/a&gt;&#10; is near Manistique, MI on the southern side of Michigan&amp;rsquo;s Upper Peninsula. Coming in at Michigan&amp;rsquo;s largest spring, it is over 40 feet deep and 200 feet across and the water is so clear that you can see all the way to the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Crystal Clear Waters of Shallow Cove at Pictured Rocks</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/crystal-clear-waters-of-shallow-cove-at-pictured-rocks/</link><pubDate>Sun, 27 Oct 2024 10:06:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/crystal-clear-waters-of-shallow-cove-at-pictured-rocks/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;A really cool part of the &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pictured-rocks-national-lakeshore-was-absolutely-incredible/"&gt;Pictured Rocks Cruise&lt;/a&gt;&#10; we took was going into Shallow Cove. The cove is only about 15 feet deep and is just barely big enough for the tour boat we were in. The water is so clear you can see to the bottom and see the fish swimming in it! Checkout the video:&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &lt;video controls preload="metadata" class="db w-100 br1" src="https://pub-83f1c15945ad40df8d87f2934c9f1bb3.r2.dev/posts/crystal-clear-waters-of-shallow-cove-at-pictured-rocks/video-1.3770efd6.mp4" poster="/posts/crystal-clear-waters-of-shallow-cove-at-pictured-rocks/video-1-poster.jpg"&gt;&lt;/video&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;</description></item><item><title>Pictured Rocks: Colorful Cliffs of Lake Superior</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pictured-rocks-colorful-cliffs-of-lake-superior/</link><pubDate>Sat, 26 Oct 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/pictured-rocks-colorful-cliffs-of-lake-superior/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/piro/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was absolutely incredible! The rock formations in this park are the work of centuries of weather, wind and water.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;❓Did you know that the colors come from different minerals in the groundwater that are deposited on the rock as the groundwater seeps out and travels on the surface of the rock?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Michigan's Hidden Lighthouse Gem in Munising Bay</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/michigans-hidden-lighthouse-gem-in-munising-bay/</link><pubDate>Fri, 25 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/michigans-hidden-lighthouse-gem-in-munising-bay/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Michigan is surrounded by great lakes sharing borders with 4 out of 5. There are approximately 130 lighthouses that cover various points along Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and Lake Huron on the shores of Michigan. While in Munising, we visited the &lt;a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/hiawatha/recreation/grand-island-east-channel-lighthouse" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Grand Island East Channel lighthouse&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. This beautiful and weathered looking lighthouse has been featured on numerous TV shows and is photographed by thousands of visitors annually.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Spotting Bigfoot in Michigan's Upper Peninsula</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/spotting-bigfoot-in-michigans-upper-peninsula/</link><pubDate>Wed, 23 Oct 2024 05:42:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/spotting-bigfoot-in-michigans-upper-peninsula/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Many Yoopers (those who live in the upper peninsula of Michigan) believe that Bigfoot (or a colony of &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;sasquatches&lt;/a&gt;&#10; to be exact) live in the remote wilderness of the UP. There&amp;rsquo;s even groups who go out looking for evidence in hopes to find definitive proof that Bigfoot is real. We got to meet Bigfoot on our journey to Munising. He was a little aloof.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Miners Castle: Pictured Rocks' Crystal Clear Wonder</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/miners-castle-pictured-rocks-crystal-clear-wonder/</link><pubDate>Mon, 21 Oct 2024 05:31:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/miners-castle-pictured-rocks-crystal-clear-wonder/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/miners-castle.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Miners Castle&lt;/a&gt;&#10; at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is truly a site to see! There are multiple vantage points and some with handicap accessibility. The bay in this part has an average depth of 10 feet, making it very easy to view the bottom. We were really surprised at just how clear the waters were!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Munising Falls: Easy Waterfall Walk Near Town</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/munising-falls-easy-waterfall-walk-near-town/</link><pubDate>Sun, 20 Oct 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/munising-falls-easy-waterfall-walk-near-town/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;If you&amp;rsquo;re in Munising a quick and easy place to get to for an afternoon outing is &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/munising-falls.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Munising Falls&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It is about a 50 foot waterfall that is close to town and a short walk from the parking lot. The brown water is caused by tannins in the water from various trees (namely pine, hemlock, and cedar).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Touring the Historic Lighthouse Keeper's House</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/touring-the-historic-lighthouse-keepers-house/</link><pubDate>Sat, 19 Oct 2024 05:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/touring-the-historic-lighthouse-keepers-house/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The last portion of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum that we want to share is not something you get to see at a lot of museums. As it&amp;rsquo;s no longer needed to manage the lighthouse, the Keeper&amp;rsquo;s house is maintained as a museum. It captures how the keeper and family would have decorated and used the house in the late 1800&amp;rsquo;s. They have bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, and office. It was really neat to see. This site is on the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;National Register of Historic Places&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>US Life Saving Service: Heroes of the Great Lakes</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/us-life-saving-service-heroes-of-the-great-lakes/</link><pubDate>Fri, 18 Oct 2024 11:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/us-life-saving-service-heroes-of-the-great-lakes/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Continuing on our journey at Whitefish Point, another building at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum was fully dedicated to the &lt;a href="https://uslife-savingservice.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;US Life Saving Service&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Did you know that the US LSS was the precursor to the US Coast Guard?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Massive Fresnel Lens: Guiding Ships 28 Miles Away</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/massive-fresnel-lens-guiding-ships-28-miles-away/</link><pubDate>Thu, 17 Oct 2024 05:45:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/massive-fresnel-lens-guiding-ships-28-miles-away/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;One of the coolest displays of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is the &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresnel_lens" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;second order fresnel lens&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Originally from White Shoal, Michigan, this lens served Lake Michigan for over 75 years, warning sailors of shallow waters. Due to its size and the refracting capabilities of the lens, its light can be seen over 28 miles.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-the-great-lakes-shipwreck-museum-at-whitefish-point/</link><pubDate>Wed, 16 Oct 2024 06:01:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-the-great-lakes-shipwreck-museum-at-whitefish-point/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While staying in Tahquamenon Falls State Park, we ventured up to Whitefish Point. The coast along this part of Lake Superior has seen hundreds of shipwrecks in the last couple centuries, so there is not a more appropriate location for the &lt;a href="https://shipwreckmuseum.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum&lt;/a&gt;&#10;.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Tahquamenon's Lower Falls: More to Explore</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tahquamenons-lower-falls-more-to-explore/</link><pubDate>Sun, 13 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tahquamenons-lower-falls-more-to-explore/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The lower falls of &lt;a href="www.michigan.gov/recsearch/parks/tahquamenonfalls"&gt;Tahquamenon State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; were by far our favorite of the two. While not as impressive in size as the &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/the-upper-falls-at-tahquamenon-falls-state-park-are/"&gt;upper falls&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, there are actually more waterfalls. 💦&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Tahquamenon Falls: Worth Every Step</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tahquamenon-falls-worth-every-step/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/tahquamenon-falls-worth-every-step/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The Upper Falls at &lt;a href="www.michigan.gov/recsearch/parks/tahquamenonfalls"&gt;Tahquamenon Falls State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; are incredible! There are a LOT of stairs to get the best views.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Beautiful site in the lower falls Hemlock Campground</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/beautiful-site-in-the-lower-falls-hemlock-campground/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/beautiful-site-in-the-lower-falls-hemlock-campground/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Beautiful site in the lower falls Hemlock Campground! This campground only has a couple sites that are (sort of) big rig friendly. As you can tell from our photo, many branches hang down below 13'6&amp;quot;, and this loop around the park has a VERY narrow turn around. While we really love camping in state parks, this one would be a no-go for us to return again with the same rig.&lt;br&gt;&#10;Stay tuned for some of the amazing sites at this location, which made it worth it!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Firewood from a vending machine!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/firewood-vending-machine/</link><pubDate>Sun, 06 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/firewood-vending-machine/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Have you ever seen one of these before? At &lt;a href="https://www.michigan.gov/recsearch/parks/tahquamenonfalls" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Tahquamenon Falls State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we used this firewood vending machine a few times. Pop in a few dollars and a bundle of firewood is neatly dispensed behind one of two doors for your campfire burning pleasure 🔥&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/firewood-vending-machine/photo-1_hu_8b7e0efe5a4560bd.webp 480w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/firewood-vending-machine/photo-1_hu_b9485aa96fe3f465.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/firewood-vending-machine/photo-1_hu_b9485aa96fe3f465.jpg 480w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="480" height="600" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Colonial Michilimackinac: A French Fort's Legacy</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/colonial-michilimackinac-a-french-forts-legacy/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/colonial-michilimackinac-a-french-forts-legacy/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;If you like history one item to put on your list for your Mackinac trip is the &lt;a href="https://www.mackinacparks.com/attraction/colonial-michilimackinac/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Colonial Michilimackinac&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It&amp;rsquo;s a fort that was originally built in 1715 by the French and taken over by the British in 1761 after the French&amp;rsquo;s defeat in the French and Indian War.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Venturing to Mackinac Island was a lot of fun</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Once on the Island you step back in time. Options for transportation are limited to walking (which is what we did), bicycles (ebikes are restricted!), and horse and buggy. It&amp;rsquo;s really a different world! We walked around the island a bit for a couple hours and enjoyed &lt;a href="https://www.kilwins.com/ice-cream/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Kilwin&amp;rsquo;s Ice Cream&lt;/a&gt;&#10; to help alleviate the heat and get off our tired feet for a few minutes.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-2_hu_6c51e1c1fbc0633f.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-3_hu_1a368ff9a3c837fc.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-4_hu_8149bb942d5f29fc.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-5_hu_ec3ea35ad56b14e0.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-6_hu_85e929eb2258d904.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-7_hu_175b139636e8f516.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-8_hu_aa56a958c335df02.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-9_hu_d5f00bcac89a15a6.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/venturing-to-mackinac-island-was-a-lot-of-fun/photo-10_hu_dcf3358af98ed231.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Celebrating International Coffee Day on the Road</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/celebrating-international-coffee-day-on-the-road/</link><pubDate>Tue, 01 Oct 2024 05:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/celebrating-international-coffee-day-on-the-road/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;☕Happy &lt;a href="https://ico.org/international-coffee-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;International Coffee Day &lt;/a&gt;&#10;☕ Regardless of what kind of coffee you like, today&amp;rsquo;s the day to drink up and pay homage to the bean that keeps us going.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;📸 Photo of my (Kate) delicious cappuccino with gorgeous foam art from &lt;a href="https://seedscoffee.com/pages/our-story" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Seeds Coffee Co&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. in Birmingham, AL.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/celebrating-international-coffee-day-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_eef7ae2b79ef07a1.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/celebrating-international-coffee-day-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_313a402109167345.webp 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/celebrating-international-coffee-day-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_2b49b81e4ee94147.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/celebrating-international-coffee-day-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_39985a0a3d4e9027.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/celebrating-international-coffee-day-on-the-road/photo-1_hu_2b49b81e4ee94147.jpg 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="640" height="640" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Three Days in Mackinaw City: Fudge and More</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/three-days-in-mackinaw-city-fudge-and-more/</link><pubDate>Sun, 29 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/three-days-in-mackinaw-city-fudge-and-more/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We will absolutely return to visit some of the things we didn&amp;rsquo;t get to in the three days we were in &lt;a href="https://mackinawcity.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mackinaw City&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. We stayed at the &lt;a href="https://koa.com/campgrounds/mackinaw-city/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mackinaw City KOA&lt;/a&gt;&#10; which is not too far from town and provides a free shuttle to the dock if you are planning to ferry over to &lt;a href="https://www.mackinacisland.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Mackinac Island&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. We took one day to just walk the town and see what it had to offer. There are lots of lovely shops and interesting places to eat (including a Kilwins!).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Travel life is awesome, but sometimes it can be lonely</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/travel-life-is-awesome-but-sometimes-it-can-be-lonely/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/travel-life-is-awesome-but-sometimes-it-can-be-lonely/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Travel life is awesome, but sometimes it can be lonely. 🙁 How do you keep loneliness at bay on the road? 🛣 We make it a priority to meet up with friends on a regular basis. Whether they are traveling with us for a few states, meeting us at a single location, or even if they live near an area we&amp;rsquo;re visiting, we find ways to meet up, break bread, share stories, and build our friendships.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Boondocking Adventures: Our Off-Grid RV Nights</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/boondocking-adventures-our-off-grid-rv-nights/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/boondocking-adventures-our-off-grid-rv-nights/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We&amp;rsquo;re almost always are either in a full hook up (power, water, and sewer) or partial hook up (usually power and water) spot. But every once in a while, we completely boondock! Boondocking is where you go without any external services, relying only on what your RV has onboard. While we currently only do this for a night or two, we (should) have the ability to go for about a week &amp;ldquo;off grid&amp;rdquo;.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Let's talk RALLIES</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lets-talk-rallies/</link><pubDate>Sun, 22 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lets-talk-rallies/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;What type of rally is your favorite? Do you normally attend only those with your brand of camper, a specific group of people, or (are you like us) and go to a variety every year?&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Rallies are a great way to meet people, see a new area, learn about new products or services, and even get some work done on your RV. What&amp;rsquo;s your favorite thing about rallies?&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lets-talk-rallies/photo-1_hu_408dd2757bc07717.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lets-talk-rallies/photo-1_hu_f2eca1c4011bd47a.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lets-talk-rallies/photo-1_hu_e20cdfd8e3f7638d.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lets-talk-rallies/photo-1_hu_3d2c54f6b65908cb.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lets-talk-rallies/photo-1_hu_e20cdfd8e3f7638d.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Theodore Roosevelt's Historic Buffalo Site</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/theodore-roosevelts-historic-buffalo-site/</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/theodore-roosevelts-historic-buffalo-site/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Do you have a &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/passes.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;National Parks Pass&lt;/a&gt;&#10;? We bought one this year since we plan to see several over the next 12 months. While in Buffalo, we visited the &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/thri/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Historic Site&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. It was pretty neat!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Exploring Old Fort Niagara</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-old-fort-niagara/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/exploring-old-fort-niagara/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Do you like history? Seeing history in action is one of our favorite things! &lt;a href="https://www.oldfortniagara.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Old Fort Niagara&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Youngstown, NY is a really neat preservation of the history of the fort. Originally built by the French to protect their stake in the new world, Fort Niagara was built in 1678 and abandoned a few years later until 1726 when it was put into use again by the French and expanded over the next few decades.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Four Mile Creek State Park: Lake Ontario Camping Near Niagara Falls</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/four-mile-creek-state-park-lake-ontario-camping-near-niagara-falls/</link><pubDate>Mon, 16 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/four-mile-creek-state-park-lake-ontario-camping-near-niagara-falls/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;While visiting &lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/niagara-falls/"&gt;Niagara Falls&lt;/a&gt;&#10;, we stayed in &lt;a href="https://newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/four-mile-creek-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NY&amp;amp;parkId=336" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Four Mile Creek State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. The park is situated on the shore of Lake Ontario and offers mostly electric only or boon docking sites. You can also use your park pass to get into other state parks for free while you&amp;rsquo;re staying. The weather was even perfect for a fire one night!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Niagara Falls: Three Waterfalls Worth the RV Detour</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/niagara-falls-three-waterfalls-worth-the-rv-detour/</link><pubDate>Sat, 14 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/niagara-falls-three-waterfalls-worth-the-rv-detour/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Did you know that &amp;ldquo;&lt;a href="https://parks.ny.gov/visit/state-parks/niagara-falls-state-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Niagara Falls&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&amp;rdquo; refers to the city in New York where three HUGE waterfalls are located along the Niagara River? The Niagara River is the boundary line between Canada and the United States between 2 of the 5 Great Lakes - Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Buffalo Wings Showdown: Anchor Bar vs Homemade</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buffalo-wings-showdown-anchor-bar-vs-homemade/</link><pubDate>Sun, 08 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buffalo-wings-showdown-anchor-bar-vs-homemade/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Spending time in Buffalo, NY a MUST DO thing for us was to eat at THE restaurant where buffalo wings were invented. Steve worked at a wings joint in his younger years and makes really good wings. We wanted to see how different his were than the originals (and which were better!).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Buffalo's Breathtaking Cathedral: A Hidden Gem</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buffalos-breathtaking-cathedral-a-hidden-gem/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/buffalos-breathtaking-cathedral-a-hidden-gem/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Have you had any architectural finds in your travels that have just knocked your socks off? For me (Kate), churches usually do it. I am just awestruck at the immense presence I feel when I walk into them.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Honoring Labor Day: A History and Celebration</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-labor-day-a-history-and-celebration/</link><pubDate>Sun, 01 Sep 2024 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-labor-day-a-history-and-celebration/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Originally a holiday in Oregon in 1887, &lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Labor Day&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was adopted by over 30 states by 1894 when it became a federal holiday. It is a day to remember those people who work to make our communities and countries better with their labor, ingenuity, and achievements for the betterment of society.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-labor-day-a-history-and-celebration/photo-1_hu_b1ca918b2335417c.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-labor-day-a-history-and-celebration/photo-1_hu_cfdeaceec10f9bf5.webp 612w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-labor-day-a-history-and-celebration/photo-1_hu_4f0cecd3281b64ed.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-labor-day-a-history-and-celebration/photo-1_hu_aee55943a4bd69c0.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/honoring-labor-day-a-history-and-celebration/photo-1_hu_4f0cecd3281b64ed.jpg 612w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="612" height="408" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Behind the Scenes at Ford's Rouge Factory Tour</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/behind-the-scenes-at-fords-rouge-factory-tour/</link><pubDate>Fri, 30 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/behind-the-scenes-at-fords-rouge-factory-tour/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;As part of our trip to The Henry Ford, we took a tour of the Rouge Factory. While they don&amp;rsquo;t allow any photos inside the factory itself, we thought we&amp;rsquo;d share the photos of parts of the tour we were allowed to film.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Being able to watch the assembly line of the F-150 is incredible. It is a very well oiled machine, with each person doing their part in a timely manner and documenting anything they find out of spec in real time. Probably one of the most interesting thing about the factory itself is how they have engineered it to be green. Two of the initiatives really stood out as being special.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Our trip to The Henry Ford was multiple days</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-trip-to-the-henry-ford-was-multiple-days/</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/our-trip-to-the-henry-ford-was-multiple-days/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Our trip to The Henry Ford was multiple days. Highly recommend spending a few days in this area to check it out!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Part of the campus includes Greenfield Village - a combined effort of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison - which showcases life in the late 1800&amp;rsquo;s and early 1900&amp;rsquo;s in America. They have brought in historic buildings (school house, church, merchant shops, taverns, Edison&amp;rsquo;s workshop, and even homes of notorious persons from the time) from all over the country which have been painstakingly restored and displayed on the more than 80 acre property.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Paws and Travels: RV Adventures with Three Furry Friends</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/paws-and-travels-rv-adventures-with-three-furry-friends/</link><pubDate>Mon, 26 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/paws-and-travels-rv-adventures-with-three-furry-friends/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Millie, Tucker, and Coco wish all the doggos out there a beautiful day filled with treats and scratches!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/paws-and-travels-rv-adventures-with-three-furry-friends/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/paws-and-travels-rv-adventures-with-three-furry-friends/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/paws-and-travels-rv-adventures-with-three-furry-friends/photo-2_hu_a731d2504cf3ad23.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/paws-and-travels-rv-adventures-with-three-furry-friends/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/paws-and-travels-rv-adventures-with-three-furry-friends/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/paws-and-travels-rv-adventures-with-three-furry-friends/photo-3_hu_88e77be7c4092b0d.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>Giant Cabbage Makes a Catering Tin of Coleslaw</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/giant-cabbage-makes-a-catering-tin-of-coleslaw/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 05:48:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/giant-cabbage-makes-a-catering-tin-of-coleslaw/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;When your friend tell you that one head of cabbage can make a catering tin of coleslaw! Literally the biggest cabbage I’ve ever laid eyes on!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Coco says “Hi"</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/coco-says-hi/</link><pubDate>Sun, 04 Aug 2024 09:17:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/coco-says-hi/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/coco-says-hi/photo-1_hu_a31ace0e02392ef6.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/coco-says-hi/photo-1_hu_41fc0210dcacae75.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/coco-says-hi/photo-1_hu_53c18e24768816b3.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/coco-says-hi/photo-1_hu_eb5d2a886fb0c81d.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/coco-says-hi/photo-1_hu_53c18e24768816b3.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="Our dog Coco being playful" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Coco says “Hi! Please send treats!”&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;For those of you traveling with pups, what secrets do you have to keep your dogs well behaved and prevent boredom?&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Our favorite one is specifically geared towards people with more than one dog. Make sure each pupper gets some one-on-one time with you. We like to sit outside with each of ours separately and walk them separately. Walks include both time to sniff and training.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>We’ve finally seen crops other than corn and soybeans</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Aug 2024 15:52:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We’ve finally seen crops other than corn and soybeans! In Western NY, we’ve seen lots of cabbage and apples too. Kinda neat seeing both green and purple cabbage in the same field!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-2_hu_c5ad376e0466f0c6.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-2_hu_64d07501a0d43dcc.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-2_hu_bca6d1408c1196b6.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-2_hu_9ecd92f64f3bf7d4.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-2_hu_bca6d1408c1196b6.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-1_hu_8f79d0f723a0c71.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-1_hu_7e17b972a66955e6.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-1_hu_b3b52c0c16c0f4.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-1_hu_fe700a3417dfed60.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/weve-finally-seen-crops-other-than-corn-and-soybeans/photo-1_hu_b3b52c0c16c0f4.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Where Photography History Meets Romance in Rochester</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/where-photography-history-meets-romance-in-rochester/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jul 2024 10:32:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/where-photography-history-meets-romance-in-rochester/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We explored the &lt;a href="https://www.eastman.org/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;George Eastman Museum&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Rochester. If you know any of our history as a couple, you know that Steve and I met at a photography club many moons ago. The museum was split to cover both the history of photography and film and the history of George Eastman.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Life is so much better with friends</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/life-is-so-much-better-with-friends/</link><pubDate>Sat, 27 Jul 2024 19:27:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/life-is-so-much-better-with-friends/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Life is so much better with friends! Pamela Kennedy and Steve live near Rochester, and we met up with them to have lunch and tour the area. We stopped at Charlotte-Genesee lighthouse and the docent gave us lots of history on the light house and the port, then took us up to the top. It was his 4th trip up those stairs! We stopped at a local park and put our hands in Lake Ontario, making it the 2nd of the Great Lakes that we have visited and touched this year. It was MUCH warmer than Lake Michigan. What a great day!!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>When in Western NY you need to try a Loganberry</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/</link><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2024 06:56:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;When in Western NY, you need to try a Loganberry. This delicious fountain drink has no carbonation and tastes like a berry juice. It’s a combination of blackberry and raspberry flavors and is very sweet. I really enjoyed it with our pizza and wings last night.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-2_hu_a28f080b42dc93a7.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-2_hu_5484664f7a23ca3a.webp 1000w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-2_hu_5c8759ff5bc3f7b0.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-2_hu_8b89500ba8da392f.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-2_hu_5c8759ff5bc3f7b0.jpg 1000w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="1000" height="527" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-1_hu_4a38b4e75628cd89.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-1_hu_611e21dfcc2e9c4.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-1_hu_f06da46057544909.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-1_hu_32794422db20b697.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/when-in-western-ny-you-need-to-try-a-loganberry/photo-1_hu_f06da46057544909.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Bill's Old Bike Barn: A Hidden Gem in PA</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bills-old-bike-barn-a-hidden-gem-in-pa/</link><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jul 2024 06:07:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/bills-old-bike-barn-a-hidden-gem-in-pa/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We stumbled upon this awesome museum in NE Pennsylvania called &lt;a href="https://billsbikebarn.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Bill’s Old Bike Barn&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Bill has been servicing and rebuilding motorcycles for more than 65 years. In the prime of his career, he was buying and selling Harley Davidson dealerships and decided to build his retirement “job” as a museum for various items he collected and classic motorcycles he rebuilt during his career.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Two Years of Full-Time RV Living: Our Journey</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/two-years-of-full-time-rv-living-our-journey/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jul 2024 08:31:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/two-years-of-full-time-rv-living-our-journey/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;With everything going on this summer, Steve and I were pretty quiet about our recent anniversary. On July 1, 2022, we officially left the old sticks and bricks behind and moved into the RV to become nomads. Yesterday, we celebrated the 2 year anniversary of our first big trip in the RV.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Wishing everyone a safe and happy Independence Day</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/wishing-everyone-a-safe-and-happy-independence-day/</link><pubDate>Thu, 04 Jul 2024 07:10:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/wishing-everyone-a-safe-and-happy-independence-day/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Wishing everyone a safe and happy Independence Day!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/wishing-everyone-a-safe-and-happy-independence-day/featured_hu_854f9bbdf5376b39.webp 500w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/wishing-everyone-a-safe-and-happy-independence-day/featured_hu_85a95fdb18c96dd8.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/wishing-everyone-a-safe-and-happy-independence-day/featured_hu_85a95fdb18c96dd8.jpg 500w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="500" height="500" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Canton Ohio Street Art: A Spaceballs Mural Surprise</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/canton-ohio-street-art-a-spaceballs-mural-surprise/</link><pubDate>Sun, 30 Jun 2024 05:18:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/canton-ohio-street-art-a-spaceballs-mural-surprise/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We saw these murals walking around looking at street art and murals in Canton, OH. We probably snapped photos of 50 different pieces of street art that day (and did not capture all of them!).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Zoar Village: Ohio's 80-Year Communal Utopia</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/zoar-village-ohios-80-year-communal-utopia/</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:44:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/zoar-village-ohios-80-year-communal-utopia/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The other day we went to the &lt;a href="https://historiczoarvillage.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Historic Zoar Village&lt;/a&gt;&#10; (pron. like soar/oar/boar with a z at the front). Zoar, OH was founded in 1817 by a group of religious refugees from Germany. Biblically, Zoar was one of 5 cities of the plain slated for destruction in the book of Genesis. The other 4 cities were Sodom, Gomorrah, Zeboim, and Admah. Lot plead to God to keep Zoar as a place of refuge for Lot and his two daughters. It’s easy to see why Zoar, OH received this name.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>If y’all are ever up near Sleeping Bear Dunes National…</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/if-yall-are-ever-up-near-sleeping-bear-dunes-national/</link><pubDate>Sat, 08 Jun 2024 12:45:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/if-yall-are-ever-up-near-sleeping-bear-dunes-national/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/if-yall-are-ever-up-near-sleeping-bear-dunes-national/photo-1_hu_fe9d4d7af37aa3c4.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/if-yall-are-ever-up-near-sleeping-bear-dunes-national/photo-1_hu_3d64e80783a01e3c.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/if-yall-are-ever-up-near-sleeping-bear-dunes-national/photo-1_hu_2d137378b70ed36e.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/if-yall-are-ever-up-near-sleeping-bear-dunes-national/photo-1_hu_4febc0fc94c74c36.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/if-yall-are-ever-up-near-sleeping-bear-dunes-national/photo-1_hu_2d137378b70ed36e.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="A T-Rex art statue" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Kate loves T-Rex&amp;#39;s&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;If y’all are ever up near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, check out &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/curtis_warnes_functional_art/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Curtis Warnes - Functional Art&lt;/a&gt;&#10;. Genius marketing for his butterfly stand!! 🦋🦖 Of course, we HAD to stop for this awesome roadside attraction! Please meet my new friend, Gilbert the T-Rex. So cool!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Free RV Stay at Grissom Air Museum</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/free-rv-stay-at-grissom-air-museum/</link><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2024 07:21:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/free-rv-stay-at-grissom-air-museum/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We use a program called &lt;a href="https://www.harvesthosts.com/?refid=iu5ecxyt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Harvest Hosts&lt;/a&gt;&#10; for some of our overnights in between destinations. Harvest Hosting is free to stay, but there is a recommended minimum spend at the place you’re staying (currently $30).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Today marks the 13th anniversary of our first date</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/</link><pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2024 15:30:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Today marks the 13th anniversary of our first date. Who knew that we would be together all these years later (except maybe me???)? Well let’s give the folks some memories of our time together…&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;I love you and our life together, Steve.&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;div class="gallery-grid flex flex-wrap mv4 nl1 nr1"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-2.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-2.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-2_hu_22ba1adac9081e9e.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-2.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-3.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-3.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-3_hu_e1f247bd818382b.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-3.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-4.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-4.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-4_hu_85c2a331e4041501.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-4.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-5.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-5.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-5_hu_506f9a75f6291942.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-5.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-6.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-6.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-6_hu_bea6108c84515335.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-6.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-7.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-7.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-7_hu_30101e1a12a25faa.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-7.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-8.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-8.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-8_hu_da6e3fd7d4173920.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-8.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-9.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-9.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-9_hu_996b737c79be3b33.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-9.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-10.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-10.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-10_hu_e666eb2ea412504a.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-10.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-11.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-11.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-11_hu_1df9b4db89fcda0c.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-11.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-12.jpg" class="gallery-item w-50 w-33-m w-33-l pa1 db" data-full="/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-12.jpg"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/today-marks-the-13th-anniversary-of-our-first-date/photo-12_hu_f3e4b0e8d3444ea1.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="photo-12.jpg" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 h-auto br1"&gt;&#10; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description></item><item><title>We're at Wedgewood Brewing Company.</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/kate-and-steve-rv-is-at-wedgewood-brewing-company/</link><pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2024 15:59:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/kate-and-steve-rv-is-at-wedgewood-brewing-company/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/kate-and-steve-rv-is-at-wedgewood-brewing-company/photo-1_hu_2e77cf455973fb18.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/kate-and-steve-rv-is-at-wedgewood-brewing-company/photo-1_hu_4a7ede3eb8fe0f18.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/kate-and-steve-rv-is-at-wedgewood-brewing-company/photo-1_hu_ab0b3dc65e26f70a.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/kate-and-steve-rv-is-at-wedgewood-brewing-company/photo-1_hu_5e6feb1739afcb09.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/kate-and-steve-rv-is-at-wedgewood-brewing-company/photo-1_hu_ab0b3dc65e26f70a.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="A pair of frosty adult beverages" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;A good looking pair of frosty adult beverages&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;We&amp;rsquo;ve been here many times when we&amp;rsquo;re in the Northern Indiana area. Last time we were there we learned they had done away with their excellently cooked tater-tots. Kate was &lt;strong&gt;very&lt;/strong&gt; unhappy to learn this. We&amp;rsquo;ll still go back though, they have good drinks and smash burgers. Highly recommend giving them a try if you&amp;rsquo;re in the area.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Had a nice few days in Bowling Green Kentucky</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/had-a-nice-few-days-in-bowling-green-kentucky/</link><pubDate>Sat, 11 May 2024 12:44:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/had-a-nice-few-days-in-bowling-green-kentucky/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Had a nice few days in Bowling Green Kentucky. With one of us feeling a bit under the weather and the other having to work a bit extra, it was difficult for us to do much in the 3 day stay, but we still found a few murals and learned a bit about the history of the town. We also got to experience the northern lights (which is certainly rare being this far south!).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Florida Caverns State Park: Caves, Springs &amp; Trails</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/florida-caverns-state-park-caves-springs-trails/</link><pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2024 06:46:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/florida-caverns-state-park-caves-springs-trails/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We made it to &lt;a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/florida-caverns-state-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Florida Caverns State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; last week. Super neat place to explore. We took the cavern tour, walked the Beech Magnolia Trail, and went to Blue Hole Spring.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>A nice shady spot for the next few days</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-nice-shady-spot-for-the-next-few-days/</link><pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 16:35:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-nice-shady-spot-for-the-next-few-days/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-nice-shady-spot-for-the-next-few-days/photo-1_hu_6c0d3d84e867d105.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-nice-shady-spot-for-the-next-few-days/photo-1_hu_501cb39c2a91ed5e.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-nice-shady-spot-for-the-next-few-days/photo-1_hu_d253dcca47996464.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-nice-shady-spot-for-the-next-few-days/photo-1_hu_da2faf7d2b7069d5.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-nice-shady-spot-for-the-next-few-days/photo-1_hu_d253dcca47996464.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="Our RV parked under the shade of a large Oak tree" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;We like shady camp sites especially on the outside living space side&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;A nice shady spot for the next few days. Don’t let the Google images fool you this park is a lot better than the old photos show. This is Forest Grove RV Park.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Quiet Lakeside Camping at Three Rivers State Park</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/quiet-lakeside-camping-at-three-rivers-state-park/</link><pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 15:17:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/quiet-lakeside-camping-at-three-rivers-state-park/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;We spent the last few days at &lt;a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/three-rivers-state-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Three Rivers State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Sneads, Florida. The park had 31 campsites and is on Lake Seminole. It’s quiet and you can bring your boat to go fishing.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Not sure I’ve ever seen one of these flags before</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 15:47:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-1_hu_d51d3a0218cbbbd8.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-1_hu_990ad63327a68eaa.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-1_hu_82c09887da19c77.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-1_hu_fa779a83f1f024b7.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-1_hu_82c09887da19c77.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="American flag with only 45 stars" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;American flag with only 45 stars from the period 1896-1907&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-2_hu_638f63065b0e1776.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-2_hu_3a9ab6c53872797.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-2_hu_b99c2b6653f388b6.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-2_hu_ee6e6cd625465111.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/not-sure-ive-ever-seen-one-of-these-flags-before/photo-2_hu_b99c2b6653f388b6.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="Plaque detailing some history of this American flag" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Plaque detailing some history of this American flag&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>A different kind of lunch place today.</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-different-kind-of-lunch-place-today/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 10:35:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-different-kind-of-lunch-place-today/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-different-kind-of-lunch-place-today/photo-1_hu_85556f78dfe5502f.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-different-kind-of-lunch-place-today/photo-1_hu_49de43a490e42d07.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-different-kind-of-lunch-place-today/photo-1_hu_23170aac7dff8800.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-different-kind-of-lunch-place-today/photo-1_hu_f64d9fb60fe09c63.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/a-different-kind-of-lunch-place-today/photo-1_hu_23170aac7dff8800.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="This restaurant encourages diners to sign their walls with black marker" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Kate signing the wall of our unique lunch stop&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Stunning Sunrise Over Lake Seminole</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stunning-sunrise-over-lake-seminole/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 16:25:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stunning-sunrise-over-lake-seminole/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This morning’s sunrise over &lt;a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/lake-seminole-three-rivers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Lake Seminole&lt;/a&gt;&#10; was absolutely gorgeous!&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stunning-sunrise-over-lake-seminole/photo-1_hu_a5eec3c42d0339ff.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stunning-sunrise-over-lake-seminole/photo-1_hu_e70176d63aec74d.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stunning-sunrise-over-lake-seminole/photo-1_hu_4f11e4fa65d5adbb.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stunning-sunrise-over-lake-seminole/photo-1_hu_1a612de12bedd969.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/stunning-sunrise-over-lake-seminole/photo-1_hu_4f11e4fa65d5adbb.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Meeting Friends and Sunsets on the Road</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meeting-friends-and-sunsets-on-the-road/</link><pubDate>Sun, 28 Apr 2024 17:27:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/meeting-friends-and-sunsets-on-the-road/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Two of the best things about this lifestyle are the places you go and the people you meet along the way!&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>One RV Fridge Down: Why We Overpacked Our Tiny Home</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/one-rv-fridge-down-why-we-overpacked-our-tiny-home/</link><pubDate>Sat, 20 Apr 2024 21:56:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/one-rv-fridge-down-why-we-overpacked-our-tiny-home/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;And here I was thinking that the 3 fridges and 1 freezer were a tad overboard when we lived in 4500 square feet. Now that we’re in only 390 square feet- it’s definitely too much! But, at least we have the ability to be flexible when our fridge quits working, Warranty repairs are scheduled with the manufacturer (and, yes- they have been great to work with!).&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/one-rv-fridge-down-why-we-overpacked-our-tiny-home/photo-1_hu_85863aaab707bfbe.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/one-rv-fridge-down-why-we-overpacked-our-tiny-home/photo-1_hu_5324488eb489252e.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/one-rv-fridge-down-why-we-overpacked-our-tiny-home/photo-1_hu_19fc14375e5de160.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/one-rv-fridge-down-why-we-overpacked-our-tiny-home/photo-1_hu_38381e2a2b3285e7.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/one-rv-fridge-down-why-we-overpacked-our-tiny-home/photo-1_hu_19fc14375e5de160.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Dorm fridge, portable freezer and a cooler take the place of our busted refrigerator&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Margarita time!!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/margarita-time/</link><pubDate>Sun, 14 Apr 2024 14:24:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/margarita-time/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/margarita-time/photo-1_hu_7f275a8229393533.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/margarita-time/photo-1_hu_e093726f096f223c.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/margarita-time/photo-1_hu_4094c2a71b13f290.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/margarita-time/photo-1_hu_1619296fc83ed9d2.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/margarita-time/photo-1_hu_4094c2a71b13f290.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="Steve and Kate enjoy some Margaritas at the Margaritaville RV Resort bar" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Expensive but tasty drink on a warm spring day&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;Camping&amp;rdquo; at a Margaritaville RV Resort is rough work. Take your time, enjoy and relax with frosty beverages and enjoy the atmosphere.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>I saw this posted on FB the other day</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/i-saw-this-posted-on-fb-the-other-day-and-thought-it-was/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 08:19:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/i-saw-this-posted-on-fb-the-other-day-and-thought-it-was/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/i-saw-this-posted-on-fb-the-other-day-and-thought-it-was/photo-1_hu_bbcaa9bb1e5375fe.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/i-saw-this-posted-on-fb-the-other-day-and-thought-it-was/photo-1_hu_4c9368f9f5b426e8.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/i-saw-this-posted-on-fb-the-other-day-and-thought-it-was/photo-1_hu_9d00f807dcc05376.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/i-saw-this-posted-on-fb-the-other-day-and-thought-it-was/photo-1_hu_e03b5d182fd8a76a.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/i-saw-this-posted-on-fb-the-other-day-and-thought-it-was/photo-1_hu_9d00f807dcc05376.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="900" alt="This image shows the differences between poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Know your plants and which ones to avoid in the wilderness&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;I saw this posted on FB the other day and thought it was worth saving in my photos. I’ve never been good at recognizing these plants.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Millie loves watching the world go by on travel days</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/millie-loves-watching-the-world-go-by-on-travel-days/</link><pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2024 07:34:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/millie-loves-watching-the-world-go-by-on-travel-days/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/millie-loves-watching-the-world-go-by-on-travel-days/photo-1_hu_650c2515be31bad7.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/millie-loves-watching-the-world-go-by-on-travel-days/photo-1_hu_75368fccdd765998.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/millie-loves-watching-the-world-go-by-on-travel-days/photo-1_hu_ef9626ab0e6dd5eb.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/millie-loves-watching-the-world-go-by-on-travel-days/photo-1_hu_df45077b1876e1ce.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/millie-loves-watching-the-world-go-by-on-travel-days/photo-1_hu_ef9626ab0e6dd5eb.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="Our dog Millie loves to watch the world go by out the truck window on travel days" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Looking for something or just watching?&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Millie loves watching the world go by on travel days.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>As a full time RVer, you have to really consider the weather</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/as-a-full-time-rver-you-have-to-really-consider-the-weather/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2024 16:09:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/as-a-full-time-rver-you-have-to-really-consider-the-weather/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/as-a-full-time-rver-you-have-to-really-consider-the-weather/photo-1_hu_cc43334daea50679.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/as-a-full-time-rver-you-have-to-really-consider-the-weather/photo-1_hu_752ada9e7aa24968.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/as-a-full-time-rver-you-have-to-really-consider-the-weather/photo-1_hu_9b04541ff18767ba.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/as-a-full-time-rver-you-have-to-really-consider-the-weather/photo-1_hu_ce55f0e9455d13b1.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/as-a-full-time-rver-you-have-to-really-consider-the-weather/photo-1_hu_9b04541ff18767ba.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="Storm radar screen capture" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;As a full time RVer, you have to really consider the weather. This week, a huge storm with gale force wind gusts rolled through the area. Storms can be especially frightening for RVers, so you always need to know where the closest shelter is. This park doesn’t offer a storm shelter currently, but urges you to take your own precautions. In high winds, that means you fill the fresh water tank, maybe use straps to keep the RV from rolling, and cuddle up with the pups until it passes. Fortunately, this time we only had 40-42mph gusts and no cyclones (hurricanes or tornadoes).&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Just a lazy Sunday afternoon enjoying some outside time…</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/just-a-lazy-sunday-afternoon-enjoying-some-outside-time/</link><pubDate>Sun, 07 Apr 2024 15:06:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/just-a-lazy-sunday-afternoon-enjoying-some-outside-time/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/just-a-lazy-sunday-afternoon-enjoying-some-outside-time/photo-1_hu_a737b9af9d29215.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/just-a-lazy-sunday-afternoon-enjoying-some-outside-time/photo-1_hu_ffa24080723421c3.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/just-a-lazy-sunday-afternoon-enjoying-some-outside-time/photo-1_hu_87fac9f414bfd77c.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/just-a-lazy-sunday-afternoon-enjoying-some-outside-time/photo-1_hu_abe26edd97b136b9.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/just-a-lazy-sunday-afternoon-enjoying-some-outside-time/photo-1_hu_87fac9f414bfd77c.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="960" alt="Tucker our oldest dog enjoys some outside time on the fake grass" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Tucker our oldest dog enjoys some outside time on the fake grass&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Just a lazy Sunday afternoon enjoying some outside time with the shade and a nice breeze.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Looks like we’re going somewhere fun this summer!</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/looks-like-were-going-somewhere-fun-this-summer/</link><pubDate>Sat, 06 Apr 2024 09:16:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/looks-like-were-going-somewhere-fun-this-summer/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/looks-like-were-going-somewhere-fun-this-summer/photo-1_hu_78989795c4a58426.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/looks-like-were-going-somewhere-fun-this-summer/photo-1_hu_65bace95de41a60e.webp 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/looks-like-were-going-somewhere-fun-this-summer/photo-1_hu_6e90b52adec493c1.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/looks-like-were-going-somewhere-fun-this-summer/photo-1_hu_3ad5cc25efe3fe2f.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/looks-like-were-going-somewhere-fun-this-summer/photo-1_hu_6e90b52adec493c1.jpg 720w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="720" height="784" alt="Screenshot of Eventbrite notification that we received tickets" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;Yes! We scored tickets to the Grand Design National Rally again&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Strawberry Picking Season in Mountain Dora, Florida</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/strawberry-picking-season-in-mountain-dora-florida/</link><pubDate>Tue, 02 Apr 2024 11:35:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/strawberry-picking-season-in-mountain-dora-florida/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;On the last day of strawberry picking season, I (Kate) went picking at &lt;a href="https://www.visitgreatscott.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Great Scott Farms&lt;/a&gt;&#10; in Mountain Dora, Florida. It was a lovely day, especially to spend time with a couple girlfriends and their littles (or not so little in one case!). Altogether we had about 14 pounds picked in just over 30 minutes, only covering 2 or 3 rows of the field.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Traveling a different way</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/facebook-post-february-20-2024/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:21:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/facebook-post-february-20-2024/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/facebook-post-february-20-2024/photo-1_hu_be4d415168b97f29.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/facebook-post-february-20-2024/photo-1_hu_3c4ffa03d7aff875.webp 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/facebook-post-february-20-2024/photo-1_hu_ab5454238c87c7cc.jpg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/facebook-post-february-20-2024/photo-1_hu_350233443215bfaf.jpg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/facebook-post-february-20-2024/photo-1_hu_ab5454238c87c7cc.jpg 960w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="960" height="720" alt="Kate and Steve take a selfie in front of the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship before getting on board for a vacation" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10; &lt;figcaption class="f6 i gray tc mt2"&gt;This is kind of like RV travel. Ok, no not really. Bon Voyage!&lt;/figcaption&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Lavonia, Georgia</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lavonia-georgia/</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Sep 2022 18:56:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/lavonia-georgia/</guid><description>&lt;h3 id="things-we-did-while-at-tugaloo-state-park"&gt;Things we did while at &lt;a href="https://gastateparks.org/Tugaloo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Tugaloo State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;:&lt;/h3&gt;&#10;&lt;ul&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Daily hikes with the dogs&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Watched sunsets over the lake&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Bought a cooler (OUR FRIDGE DIED!)&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Camped with family (Hi Mom!)&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;/ul&gt;</description></item><item><title>Brevard, North Carolina</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brevard-north-carolina/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2022 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/brevard-north-carolina/</guid><description>&lt;h3 id="top-things-we-did-while-in-brevard-north-carolina"&gt;Top things we did while in Brevard, North Carolina&lt;/h3&gt;&#10;&lt;ul&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Antique shopping in Brevard, NC&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;A sweet treat at &lt;a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g49442-d831957-Reviews-Dolly_s_Dairy_Bar_Gift_Shop-Pisgah_Forest_North_Carolina.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Dolly’s Dairy Bar&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.visitnc.com/listing/2r9F/pisgah-national-forest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Pisgah National Forest&lt;/a&gt;&#10; Visitors Center and waterfall hike&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;/ul&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Brevard, North Carolina has a beautiful little downtown area. Our stay was rather short – only 4 nights. Next time we would definitely stay much longer.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Knoxville, Tennessee</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/knoxville-tennessee/</link><pubDate>Mon, 08 Aug 2022 22:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/knoxville-tennessee/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;figure class="mv4 ba b--black-10 br2 pa2 bg-near-white mw6 center shadow-1"&gt;&#10; &#10; &lt;picture&gt;&#10; &lt;source srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/knoxville-tennessee/SunSphere_hu_9fff9f61b853d425.webp 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/knoxville-tennessee/SunSphere_hu_5a497f6c75e4a0b4.webp 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" type="image/webp"&gt;&#10; &lt;img src="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/knoxville-tennessee/SunSphere_hu_eb060df509f08439.jpeg" srcset="https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/knoxville-tennessee/SunSphere_hu_365c14c4a22c4b5d.jpeg 600w, https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/knoxville-tennessee/SunSphere_hu_eb060df509f08439.jpeg 640w" sizes="min(512px, calc(100vw - 3rem))" width="640" height="480" alt="" loading="lazy" class="db w-100 br1" style="height:auto;"&gt;&#10; &lt;/picture&gt;&#10;&lt;/figure&gt;&#10;&lt;/p&gt;&#10;&lt;h3 id="top-things-we-did-in-knoxville"&gt;Top things we did in Knoxville:&lt;/h3&gt;&#10;&lt;ul&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;Camped at Cove Lake State Park&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.worldsfairpark.org/visit-us/history" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;World’s Fair Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and &lt;a href="https://worldsfairpark.org/sunsphere" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Knoxville Sun Sphere&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ijams.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Ijams Nature Center&lt;/a&gt;&#10; and Riverwalk Trail&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norris_Dam_State_Park" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Norris Dam State Park&lt;/a&gt;&#10;&lt;/li&gt;&#10;&lt;/ul&gt;&#10;&lt;p&gt;Knoxville has some really interesting places to explore. We walked around downtown to some of the art gardens and restaurant areas. We visited in the summer and as you would expect with a college town, it was not super busy.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Chattanooga, Tennessee</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/chattanooga-tennessee/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Aug 2022 10:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/chattanooga-tennessee/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;As part of our first full time adventure, we decided to do a small tour of certain southeast states. Mostly we wanted to explore new places but stay relatively close to our seasonal sites in north Georgia. Our first stop on the 6 week inaugural trip was Chattanooga, Tennessee&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Ready To Depart</title><link>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ready-to-depart/</link><pubDate>Wed, 13 Jul 2022 21:20:12 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.kateandsteverv.life/posts/ready-to-depart/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Here we are about ready to depart on our first full-time RV trip.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item></channel></rss>