The 50 Best Things We Did: Year Three

Last updated: July 21st, 2024 | Originally published: July 14, 2024

It’s fun to look back at the shape our years have taken, and how the events and locations can affect our view of the time we spend traveling. Of our three years living full-time on the road, year three was our favorite, even though we visited fewer dynamic destinations than previous years.

There were no Southern Utah National Parks on the itinerary this year. No nine-week road trips across the Great Lakes region. We didn’t flop ourselves in the idyllic Florida Panhandle beaches, or eat our way across Charleston. Nor did we hang with bison in the Black Hills, walk the Big Room at Carlsbad, or brave the rodeo waves of Niagara Falls.

In 2023-2024 the drama was lower with one less child and one less dog. What a revelation! The beaches were abundant, church members were friendly, and everyone partook in community activities. But only Ryan worked. Always remember there’s someone working here. Those horse riding lessons don’t pay for themselves. It’s Ryan, btw, who does the work.

Bryce and his fiancé, Lizzy, visited us in Florida for Thanksgiving, which was the first time Monica met her future daughter-in-law. We peeled potatoes and rode minty blue waves on our boogie boards.

Six months later she and Bryce were married in our backyard on June 15th. We spent over 40 days doing yard work leading up to the big day, a true labor of love. The wedding and reception were absolutely fabulous, one of the greatest days of our lives. We could not be happier for the two of them finding each other. And Lizzy is a total score for the Hoffmann family. The Burt’s did an amazing job raising her.

And then Jason Cassarino, my step-brother, married his longtime sweetheart, Jessica Winters, one week after Bryce and Lizzy. It was the best week ever and a perfect capper to our three year whirlwind.

Monica and I did temple work wherever we lived: Kansas City, Fort Lauderdale, North Chicago, and Seattle. We love to spend time in our beautiful Temples.

Apollo took karate lessons in Topeka while Halea participated in Horse Camp and Zoo Camp and Monica enjoyed a pottery class. Monica and Ryan joined a ukulele group in South Florida and had a blast. In Chicago we hunkered down a bit due to the winter weather, but the family was highly involved in our church community.

In between our work assignments we delighted in a ten day excursion to Colorado Springs, enjoyed a week in Saint Augustine, a week at Universal Studios, and took a shockingly expensive Caribbean cruise to Martinique, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Thomas, and Antigua.

Some of our favorite memories are not from cruises and fun parks, though. Combing Juno Beach for garbage several times per week was one of Monica’s preferred activities. Monica is really into garbage these days. Ryan extracted great joy from long boarding around the RV park in Topeka. And Monica had the time of her life during her emergency appendectomy on an otherwise ordinary night.

It was a year of little things; of quiet times; of pleasant people; and emergency surgeries.

At the conclusion of our Chicago assignment in April, we packed up our house in San Antonio and drove everything up to Seattle. This took two trips, so Monica and Ryan flew back down to load up a Penske Truck with everything the RV couldn’t carry. We called it our anniversary trip, and treated it as such.

In spite of how wonderful the past 12 months have been, or the past three years have been, our family RV travel adventure is over. It’s true. We are hanging up the lifestyle. In a matter of weeks our Class-A Motorhome will be on the RVtrader.com.

The reason why? We’re exhausted. Ryan may work full time hours, but we’ve been on a vacation with chores for 34 months. The kids need a break, Driver’s Ed., and braces. Monica needs a full-sized kitchen and king-sized bed.

Ryan will be hitting the road solo in July, but we aren’t sure how long he’ll keep this job. It’s in the Lord’s hands from here. For now Monica and the kids will live in Seattle like normal people while Ryan saunters about the country like a lone wolf.

The following are the 50 Best Things We Did in Year 3. Here’s a look at Year 1 and Year 2 if you’re interested in seeing all the amazing things we’ve done since we hit the road full-time in July 2021. Toward the bottom are some of the worst things we did, which is always fun. Enjoy!

1. Canyoning in Dominica

This was our ultimate Caribbean adventure. For three hours we rappelled and chucked our bodies down a series of waterfalls in the mountains of Dominica. Our guides were hilarious and our shoes were destroyed. Grandma Pam rocked it, too!

2. Garden of the Gods

How many places of such astonishing beauty reside in the middle of a large city? The garden is an easy-to-visit, easy-to-love kind of place; surreal and beautiful like a walkabout daydream. Read More.

3. Royal Gorge Via Ferrata

Royal Gorg e is home to America’s highest suspension bridge, which traverses the Arkansas River at a towering 956 feet above the water below. They have an iron-run ladder system running up the side of the gorge for about 600′, which Halea and I tackled with our guide. It was challenging and exhilarating.

4. KC BBQ

I reckon we spent the better part of $900 on Kansas City BBQ when all’s said and done. As you can imagine, it was a glorious, life-changing event. KC and Austin are the two best cities for BBQ. Feel free to disagree in the comments. Here are the 12 Best BBQ Restaurants in Kansas City.

5. Downtown Saint Augustine

The oldest city in the USA, founded by the Spaniards in 1565. The old fortress is still here, as are a multitude of gorgeous buildings erected during the gilded age. One of our favorite cities.

6. Cleaning Juno Beach

Juno Beach is great by itself, but Monica led our family in many beach cleaning service opportunities during our three months of residency in Jupiter, Florida. If you serve someone, or something, you will grow to love them. We love Juno Beach — here’s our Love Letter.

7. Long Boarding in Topeka

The kids never used their longboards and the RV Park had smooth concrete paths, so every night Monica and I would grab the longboards at sunset and glide up and down the park. We aren’t exactly teenagers so we received some crooked smiles from park residents. Man, it was fun.

8. Meow Wolf, Denver

Meow Wolf: Convergence Station is an over-stimulating phenomenon. It’s like going to Trader Joe’s for the first time if Trader Joe’s were a super-weird maze. It’s unbelievable really, a massive achievement of artistry and world-building. Confusion has never felt so good. Read More.

9. Universal Studios

Honestly, it wasn’t everything we hoped it would be. Harry Potter Wizzarding World was a hit with Halea. We drank all the butterbeer and waved the wand like foolios. Of course we watched all the movies beforehand, which is something I’d resisted for years. The VelociCoaster was friggin’ great and Hagrid’s Motorcycle ride was pretty cool, too. FWIW, five days is too much time. 2-3 days is plenty.

10. Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

That’s the biggest T-Rex ever discovered. Her name is Sue. She’s pretty fat and the fact we can stand next to her is rad. Easily one of the best museums we’ve visited in our USA travels.

11. Steamboat Arabia Museum

This place tells the story of sunken steamboat from 1855 that lay buried 130 years until air conditioning repair men embarked on a treasure hunt for the ages. The Steamboat Arabia would eventually yield the the world’s largest single collection of pre-Civil War artifacts. This was our most surprising excursion of the year.

12. The Vizcaya

The gilded age was a glorious era where wealthy men built incredible things. The Biltmore, Hearst Castle, and the Vizcaya are prime examples of gilded age mansions. James Deering inherited his money from his father, a farming equipment tycoon. This is where he threw his parties.

13. Stingrays in Antigua

The whole process of disembarking a cruise ship, getting on a shuttle, going through a safety presentation, etc., frankly sucks. But those 20 minutes we spent holding massive sting rays in our arms, of having them brush past our legs unannounced, were a magical ocean free-for-all. Those suckers are soft and a little bit scary. Apollo hated every minute of it!

14. Pike’s Peak

Pikes Peak in Colorado Spring s is one of two 14,000′ mountains in the USA that allow visitors to summit by car. That’s out of 96 total fourteeners. The drive up was great and the drive down was even better, but up top we were appropriately whelmed. R ead More about the drive.

15. American Family Field — Brewers vs. Mariners

AFF is a massive cathedral and perhaps the nicest stadium in the sport. My friend Ollie Lamp and I caught two Brewer games versus our visiting Seattle Mariners. Milwaukee fans seem real nice until about the 7th inning…. and once they’re fully liquored up the threat of beatdowns comes out.

16. Magens Bay Beach, Saint Thomas

The internet says this is one of the top 10 beaches in the world. Someday I hope to validate that statement. Until then, Maggans Bay will have to settle for being one of the top 3 beaches we’ve visited.

17. Fort Lauderdale Beaches

Of all the beaches in South Florida, we like Fort Lauderdale’s beaches most. Nice sand, colorful water, plenty of space, easy access, and a wild threatening tide. It doesn’t hurt that the area is full of mansions and lamborghinis.

18. St. Augustine Beach

There is something unusual and interesting about this beach that I cannot put my finger on, but I love it and I want to go back some sunny day. We met a weed-drenched bum who blurted swears and taught us how to feed the birds so they don’t s–t in our mouths. Good times!

19. Everglades National Park

It’s an unusual National Park to say the least. Not all that pretty. The best part was the manatees.

20. Manitou Incline

The Manitou Incline is a man-made staircase that gains 2,000′ of elevation in one mile. This is one of the hardest things we’ve ever attempted. We are proud to have made it over 2700 stairs to the top of satan’s stairmaster. Learn about our experience HERE!

21. Topeka State Capitol Dome Tour

39 of the 50 US Capitols have domed structures, but only Kansas allows visitors to tour the dome. We had to climb a lot of stairs and it was a little scary (especially the final ascent into the cupola), but the experience was unforgettable. Learn about Topeka, Kansas Here.

22. Wriggly Field

A classic stadium with first-rate baseball fans. They even sing a song after the game, Go Cubs Go, whether they win or lose. It’s the darndest thing. The game ends and you get up to go, but no one goes anywhere. Then this cheesy music starts playing and everybody is singing and waving flags. It’s awesome. We’ve been to better stadiums, but Wriggly Field is an experience.

23. WPB Green Market / Sandi

This is the best outdoor market we’ve seen in our USA travels. The setting is lovely in downtown West Palm Beach and the crowd is pleasant. We sniffed the stalls, bought some brisket, and had a day. At Christmas they build a gigantic sandcastle named Sandi. Like, real big.

24. Adler Planetarium, Chicago

If traveling the country has taught me anything it is to embrace the old nerd that lives beneath my tough, super cool exterior. The Adler Planetarium on the Chicago waterfront is the ultimate nerd kingdom. All things Universe are found here. I can read facts about planets, and nebula, and superclusters of galaxies while she crochets at the hotel and everyone is happy.

25. Alligator Farm in St. Augustine

If you want to see hundreds of alligators (and crocodiles, caimans, etc.), this is your Graceland. You’ll see so many damn alligators that you’ll never need to see another gator the rest of your life. Years down the road someone will be like, “Oh, my gosh! Look at that an alligator!” And you’ll be like, “I wonder what’s going on at the Adler Planetarium.”

26. Chicago Botanic Gardens

One of the most beautiful botanical gardens we’ve visited around the country. A huge, sprawling garden on par with the one in Saint Louis.

27. River City Farmer Market, KC

Another fantastic outdoor market we’ve found, and a true farmer market with stall after stall of gorgeous produce, some of which is very unusual. Have you ever seen a black watermelon? What do you mean what’s that supposed to mean? Learn all about the things to do in Kansas City HERE.

28. Henry Flagler Museum

The Flagler Museum is another spectacular Gilded Age Mansion in South Florida. Henry Flagler was the brains behind Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, and is mostly responsible for developing this part of the country. The inside of the Flagler is better than the Vizcaya, but it lacks the gardens and ambience.

29. Castillo De San Marcos National Monument

This is the ancient fortress the Spaniards built in Saint Augustine. The walls are made from coquina, a rare limestone. The base of the fortress is shaped like a star. The coolest part is, this relic is virtually in the city just steps away from the shops.

30. The Pitons in St. Lucia

Twin volcanic plugs (or mountains) called the Pitons are the defining geological feature of the south Caribbean. This photo shows the smaller, more photogenic piton, Petite Piton. I wanted to climb the Gros Piton, but the cruise ship didn’t allow for enough time.

31. Adam-Ondi-Ahmen

This is a spiritually important site for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It is found in Missouri, about an hour north of Kansas City. If you’d like to learn more, click here.

32. Las Olas Boulevard

Most towns have a main street when all the shopping and restaurants cluster together. Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale is one of the best we’ve found. There were parrots singing in the trees!

33. Art Institute of Chicago

Another great Chicago museum. We saw American Gothic, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Nighthawks, Waterlilies, and one of Van Gogh’s self-portraits.

34. Powell Gardens, Kansas City

Powell Botanical Gardens is the premiere botanical garden in Kansas City. We love kicking around these garden-type places. I take photos. Monica makes fun of me. We really do compliment each other.

35. Paint Mines, Colorado Springs

This is yet another installment of America’s vast collection of hoodoo parks, albeit one with a purple twist. The colorful hoodoos found in the Paint Mines were used by Native Americans to make paint. I had the place to myself for an entire morning and it was surreal. Learn more HER E.

36. Kauffman Stadium

Not all baseball stadiums are created equal and Kauffman Stadium is a good one. Despite being one of the older stadiums still in use (built in 1973), it’s held up well (with two renovations), and is quite beautiful considering the thing is made of concrete. We watched the M’s beat the Royals while sitting in a section reserved for people with special needs. We felt right at home 🙂

37. Negro Leagues Museum

Kansas City was home to arguably the greatest team in the Negro Leagues, the KC Monarchs. Players like Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Jackie Robinson, and Ernie Banks played for the juggernaut. I took an afternoon to learn about this chapter of baseball and came away highly impressed not just with the league and facility, but Josh Gibson, one of the best hitters to every walk the earth.

38. Kansas City Zoo

Voted one of America’s best zoos, it’s also ranked number one in the nation for African Animals Exhibits. We spent the day lugging ourselves around this massive zoo in hot hot heat. So many fun animals.

39. Flamingo Gardens

Part botanical garden, part zoo, the flamingo gardens were our favorite animal excursion in South Florida. I’d never been up-close and personal with a flamingo before. They are a bit intimidating, as the look in their eye borders on hostile.

40. Evil Knievel Museum

Growing up in the 70’s/80’s Evel Knievel was America’s daredevil, and any attempt at bravery could draw reference to his death-defying feats. He was Elvis Presley on a motorcycle; as patriotic as apple pie; the windy edge of the American dream. We learned about each of his major stunts, especially the crashes.

41. Brown vs. Board of Education

One of the Topeka, Kansas “claims to fame” is the historical event, Brown v. Board of Educatio n. The National Hi storic Site is located at the former Sumner Elementary Scho ol turned museum where schoolgirl Linda Brown was refused admission. The whole saga is represented here; it is interesting, painful, and horrifying.

42. NOTO Arts District, Topeka

NOT O stands for “North Topeka”, an isolated neighborhood/art community. This is the most photogenic place in Topeka, with colorful murals, good restaurants, and drug-abusing men riding bicycles in abundance. Monica’s pottery class was here so we spent some time walking around.

43. Climbing Gym, Chicago

Halea wanted a climbing gym for her birthday, so we bought her one. Not really. Her and Apollo spent a few hours climbing 25′ high colorful walls of varying difficulty. They were exhausted within an hour but we made them keep climbing to get our money’s worth. Not really, but kinda sorta.

44. Bahai Temple, Chicago

This place was super cool. There are only six Bahai temples in the world. This one is north of downtown Chicago just off of Lake Michigan. The exterior is perfectly symmetrical and the inside is ornate and highly elaborate. Everything was open to the public.

45. West Bottoms Antiques District

In this old, industrial neighborhood on the Kansas side of the city we found a large assortment of antique stores, restaurants (including famed barbecue joint Chef J BBQ), and some really incredible architecture. A great place to stroll, shop, or take photos.

46. Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings

isitors to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings can walk all throughout the pueblos, which is fascinating. This is the best preserved representation of ancient Ute people’s homes, even if it was packed up and moved from another location by the National Parks people.

47. Downtown Denver

Downtown Denver is a wonderful place to stroll. We’d heard all the nightmares of homeless encampments, but none were visible in the essential streets at the center of town. Well, there was that one guy screaming obscenities at his internal stimuli.

48. Duboise Park

One of the prettiest parks we’ve seen. Located on the Jupiter Inlet near the Jupiter Lighthouse and close to the beaches. A great place to enjoy some fancy donuts and go for a walk.

49. Mitchell Domes, Milwaukee

This throwback facility in Milwaukee has three glass-domed greenhouses featuring plants from different climates. One dome is tropical and another is desert. The above dome is a rotating exhibit. Overall a nice twist on a botanical garden. If you attended elementary school in the 1970’s or 1980’s you’re gonna have a nostalgic fit.

50. Norton Museum of Art

A good art museum in a nice part of town.

51. Frank Lloyd Wright Home, Chicago

I’m a total goober for Frank Lloyd Wright designs. This one is special: It’s the home he designed for himself when he first began his architecture career. In addition to his personal residence, which he used as a studio, he designed a half-dozen other houses on the same street. Very cool for FLW wonks.

52. Glore Psychiatric Museum

Could you swallow a nail? How about 453 of them? One patient in St. Joseph’s State Lunatic Asylum did just that. At the Glore Psychiatric Museum we not only learned about the history of this particular mental health hospital, but the ebbs and flows of mental health treatment over the past 150 years.

53. Saint Augustine Lighthouse

If you’ve seen one lighthouse you’ve pretty much seen them all. We’ll keep climbing them, nonetheless. The view at the top of this one is better than most, and the facility is first rate.

And Some Disappointing Places:

West Palm Beach, Florida

I feel kinda bad saying it because the houses are bonkers and we love posh areas, but West Palm Beach is not accessible or welcoming and therefore it was disappointing. Unless the Green Market is open or Sandi is up during the holidays, there are better places on the coast.

The Caribbean

This could be a rant and probably deserves its own article. The Caribbean is poor and rundown and everyone wants something from you. We had pleasant experiences, but won’t be returning.

Miami Beach

Miami Beach looks classy on the outside with its 50’s style hotels and antique cars. Yet, belying this facade is the most classless collection of tourists we’ve seen this side of the Vegas strip.

In broad daylight obese people in tight clothing were grinding their posteriors on the wind like dogs. Street-side hotel bars presented like third rate strip clubs. Jersey-clad stoners tended to their swears as the mentally ill pulled down their pants and walked in the middle of the road.

It was a circus of the cast down. A baseborn bizarre. A vulgar display of humanity gone feral.

Lawrence, Kansas

When we were in Topeka everyone gushed about Lawrence. This might sound silly to someone from a legitimate city, but Lawrence is considered metropolitan in East Kansas. Well, it wasn’t all that great. We actually preferred the less-refined, road-worn Topeka.

South Beach, Miami

It’s a nice beach, so don’t get us wrong. We aren’t sure why we expected the place to dazzle us, so perhaps our expectations were the problem. Or maybe Miami is the problem.

Guaranteed Rate Field — Home of the Chicago White Sox

This is what baseball in hell looks like. Dark clothing, low ceilings in the concourses, loud, aggressive rap music all throughout the game, and zero frills throughout the stadium. This is the base-model compact car of stadiums, and it has a large dent in the driver’s side door, and Taco Bell stains in the seats, and smells like farts and cigarettes.

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

We’ve eaten at all the recommended places: Giordano’s, Lou Malnati’s, Pequod’s, and Rosati’s, and they’re all pretty decent. Please don’t bother telling us, “You have to try <insert pizza name here> because THEY’RE THE ACTUAL BEST pizza in Chicago!” Because everyone already did that and we are not impressed. New York Pizza is unquestionably superior. This question has been answered. Have a seat, Chicago.

Of all the Chicago deep-dish pies, Lou Malnati’s is consistently better than the others. Pequod’s sucks.

An Honest Conclusion

Well, that’s a wrap! We are no longer living full-time on the road, so unless something changes, this will be the last yearly report of what we’ve done. It’s a little bit sad, but it’s for the better.

We have discussed heading back out on the road as a couple once the kids finish high school. We’ll see if something like that can be arranged. It’s ultimately up to the Lord — He always has plans for us regardless of our best ideas.

Living full-time on the road has meant different things to each of us, and I imagine it will be years before we fully understand how it has affected our lives. It was a massive endeavor to live in a motorhome with children and dogs for almost three years (as I’m sure you can imagine).

I wouldn’t trade it for all the money back. We could have invested the money, but in the best possible way that’s exactly what we did. Everyone has grown up and stretched themselves in ways that wouldn’t have been possible had we stayed in our home, jobs, schools, etc. It might have been hard, but our lives have been touched by the experience. And we have touched other’s lives by the experience.

Some things we know to be true as a result of our travels:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is wonderful wherever we go. We always have friends and a place to worship and a community to serve. Also, the doctrine never changes!

Middle America and the South are incredibly friendly. We’ve grown to prefer the East Coast over the West Coast, which stinks cause we live in Seattle.

America is beautiful in all its regional varieties — except North Texas and Oklahoma. I can’t lie. Amarillo, Brownfield, and the scrubby oilfields are not attractive one bit. And Oklahoma is … dirt? Maybe some tall grass? Sorry y’all, I’m sure you’re fantastic people. You can have Oklahoma.

Involving ourselves in the community through service opportunities, classes, and activities elevated our adventure from a road-school-working-vacation. It allowed us to put down roots and endear ourselves to the places we lived. Sightseeing is great, but getting to know the people and serving them made a huge difference in our lifestyle satisfaction.

Vacation is exhausting when you explore. Also, hardly anyone explores their own hometown. We are amazed at how many people don’t go anywhere, or do anything, or eat only at chain restaurants, etc.

People do different drugs in different regions. I work in mental health so I know this. Some like meth and heroin, others prefer crack and flocka. Who knew?!

Our Veterans are gold wherever they are. We love our veterans. Y’all are a class within a class and we are thankful for you and what you’ve done for our nation.

Not having yard work or things to clean sounds nice, but maintaining a home brings a satisfaction that has been missing the past few years. Hotel life is not good. RV life is better, but still lacks necessary components of productivity for mental health.

Monica doesn’t age very fast. She looks fantastic for 45 years old (and works really hard to look that way). I am a lucky man to share a life with her. She’s also quite the artist these days, tapping into these hidden talents. And her farming roots are starting to come out. I’ll be surprised if I ever get her back out on the road for a length of time. She wants to grow meat chickens.

Halea is very self sufficient and has a lot of confidence in her abilities. She doesn’t have to prove herself to anyone, either. She has the capacity to stand and deliver without experience, which I admire. She’s growing to be a highly capable woman. And she has a huge heart!

Apollo is the greatest guy I know — There is no better man alive. I admire him for his stalwartness, his flexibility (he’s autistic, right?), his friendliness, his ability to forgive, his willingness to do the right thing (or the dutiful thing), and his super positive attitude. He can laugh off pretty much anything, even if he’s angry about it.

Well, I’m rambling now, so I’ll close. Traveling is the best. Living full-time on the road is hard but it’s completely worth it. Everyone should be so lucky to drive laps around this incredible country of ours like we have. We are blessed. All Americans are blessed. Never forget it.

Thanks for reading. We love you. The Hoffmann’s.