Lifestyle Archives | Page 3 of 6 | Golden Country Cowgirl

How to Plan the Perfect Staycation

La Feria Nature Center observation deck across lake

Some people plan a staycation as a special event, but, for me, it’s a perpetual state of being. I am always planning the next adventure in my own backyard and hope to inspire you to do the same. We are often so busy with our daily lives and looking forward to that long vacation away that we forget about the awesome things around us. For the last few years, I have made it my mission to explore every nook and cranny of where I live and I want to help you plan the perfect staycation. What is a Staycation? Simply put, a staycation is a vacation where you stay home and participate in local leisure activities. Wikipedia says a staycation does not involve overnight accommodations…

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Epic 40-day California to Texas RV Itinerary

When I finally pulled away from the home I had lived in for the past four years in Pine Grove, I was both relieved and excited. I knew there were things I would miss but there were also some uncomfortable things going on that I was glad to be leaving behind. The thought of what might lie ahead – whatever that might be – was exciting! I was headed to Texas in my RV, making a lifelong dream come true. I had a general idea of what my California to Texas RV itinerary would be but I also wanted it to be fluid and flexible. To set the stage for this trip for those of you who don’t know, this was my first time ever…

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Three Years and I’m Still Here!

Today, March 7, 2019, marks the 3 year anniversary of this blog. On my first anniversary in 2017, I wrote a post about the journey to finding my blogging passion. Last year, I was so busy, I actually forgot about the anniversary! Where the Blog has Been Two and a Half Years Documenting Gold Country I moved to Gold Country in October of 2014 but I didn’t start the blog until March of 2016 when I decided I missed writing about travel. I was still writing my two pet blogs but travel, including wine and food, is my passion. The blog was fairly static in terms of growth during 2017 and 2018, but already in 2019, it is on track to more than quadruple in…

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Were They RV Must Haves or Have Nots?

While downsizing for the RV life, I made a list of RV must haves. A review of the list reveals which items were my most useful RV must haves.

A while back, while I was downsizing my house to move into my trailer, I wrote about the things I had on hand that I thought would be RV must haves. When I look back on the list, it is interesting to see what I actually used, what I didn’t need or miss, and what I wish I’d had. What do you think were my most useful RV must haves? My Most Useful RV Must Haves Before I left, I read lots of posts about how people mostly cook outside their rig. I took that to heart and took my portable gas grill as well as electric gadgets that could be plugged in outside. Most of the time though, it was too cold to cook…

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Most Viewed Posts 2018 Edition

This is one of my favorite posts to do during the year. It is so fun to look back over articles and see what was popular and resonated with my readers.

This is one of my favorite posts to do each year. It is so fun for me to look back over my articles and see what was popular and resonated with my readers during the year. It gives me food for thought about what to include as future posts. 2018 was a year of huge changes for me. The first few months of the year, things went on pretty much as usual. I visited lots of places in Gold Country to find the gems to share with you on the blog. Then, somewhere around May, some events got put into motion and I decided to start a whole new chapter in my life. I wrote all about it in post #7 below. Top Ten…

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A Newbie’s Favorite RV Membership Programs

There are quite a few RV membership programs out there. I did a lot of research and comparison to decide which were most beneficial to me. Which do you use?

When I was planning my trip from northern California to southern Texas, I researched a lot of RV membership programs to decide which would be of most benefit to me. There are quite a few options, so it wasn’t an easy task comparing them all, but there were a couple of RV membership programs that stood out for me. The RV Membership Programs I Chose Passport America for RV Parks I knew I wanted to stay in a lot of RV parks so Passport America seemed like a no-brainer to me. They let you check out their member parks before you join so I could see there were plenty on my potential route. A one-year membership costs $44. With a 50% discount at over 1600…

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What Does a 2800 Mile, 40 Night RV Trip Cost?

The cost of an RV trip is different for everyone, but I thought you might be interested in learning what my 2800 mile, 40 day RV trip cost.

Of course, the answer to this question will be different for everyone undertaking such a trip but I thought you might be interested in knowing what my 2800 mile, 40 night RV trip cost. Here’s What My RV Trip Cost Gas: $948.91 I’m sure it is no surprise to anyone that this was the biggest expense of the trip, especially since many of my miles were through California. I paid almost $5 a gallon in some places! Once I got into Arizona, the cost went down to under $4 a gallon and in Texas under $3 gallon. I was using premium gas while I was hauling because I wanted to help my car out with all the oomph I could. In retrospect, it may not…

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9 Reasons I Preferred Staying in RV Parks on My First Solo Trip

Boondocking vs staying in RV parks. Here are the nine reasons I felt more comfortable and preferred staying in RV parks on my first solo trip.

OK, I have to admit it, I played it pretty safe on my trip from northern California to southern Texas. This was my first time pulling anything larger than a horse trailer and I was traveling solo. As much as I might have liked to do more boondocking, I just felt more comfortable staying in RV parks. I was on the road for 40 nights and stayed in RV parks for 35 of those nights. All but three of those 35 nights were at Passport America parks at half price. If not for Passport America, I would have been forced to do more boondocking to save some money because I could not have afforded to pay for that many nights at full price. Most…

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Lessons Learned from Two Weeks on the Road

Check out the lessons learned on the road in just two weeks. I’m loving this journey of discovery and the continual reminders that I can do it.

I think the most important lesson I’ve learned on the road these past two weeks is that I can do a lot more than I ever thought I could, or at least more than I was ever willing to push myself to do. Fear of the unknown or fear of failure can keep us from doing so many things. I was not really fearful about this journey in general, but certain components of the journey scared me silly. I use the word silly because it turns out most of my fears were indeed silly. Take for example big trucks passing on the freeway. Yes, you definitely feel them but as long as you are aware and prepared, it is not really a big deal. A…

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Notes from an RV Newbie’s First Weekend on the Road

If my first weekend on the road as an RV newbie is any indication of how things are going to go for the next few weeks, I’m truly going to love this life.

If you have been following my blog, you know that just before my birthday I made a life changing decision to downsize, buy a travel trailer and do some long-term traveling while moving in the general direction of southern Texas. Preparing to be an RV newbie has been a monumental chore with not much to write about so it has been a while since I posted. I’m back now and plan to share the whole adventure with you. If my first weekend on the road as an RV newbie is any indication of how things are going to go for the next few weeks, I’m truly going to love this life. Day one, Friday, October 12 I finally pulled out from Pine Grove at about…

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