Well, it’s been a hot minute since the last blog post and this overdue post talks all about crazy adventures at LOZ, aka Lake of the Ozarks.
We spent just over a year in Missouri (arriving in September 2024) and it was a challenging time. Work had its ups and downs and the weather challenged us a lot of days in the RV. Our first winter, we experienced days with below zero temps, snow, freezing waterlines so no water, a power outage, getting propane daily, lots of rain in the spring, a mini-tornado, and then a very hot and humid summer. We had to get creative with cooling down the RV since we only have one air conditioner: we previously purchased a portable air conditioner unit (long story!) and put that next to the bed. That was fun to climb around all summer long. 🙄
We stayed in a rental house that second winter and that worked out perfectly. The only issue was that was our 4th time packing up and moving in the last 4 years so that’s starting to take a toll. It was nice to be surrounded by modern conveniences again though: space for Buckley to roam around (he took over all 4 beds, lol), a dishwasher, a large kitchen, and washer/dryer. A few weeks before moving back into the RV, we decided to do some upgrades instead of purchasing a new RV so out with the gross carpet and old hot water heater and hello new flooring and tankless water heater (aka: Jen can take a longer shower and no waiting 25 minutes in between showers for the water to warm back up). In the midst of all that, Brad got a new job in Michigan so we were really on a strict timeline. We moved to Michigan in March but that’s for another time.
A quick rundown of what we did in Missouri: boating (of course), Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Lake Ozark State Park, visited two new states: Oklahoma (Natural Falls State Park) and Arkansas (Eureka Springs), Bennett Springs State Park, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, Branson (Top of the Rock), hiked multiple conservation areas, and the best part, new hiking friends!
Jen randomly saw a FB post about a local hiking group, connected with the organizatior, and the rest is history! These ladies made our time in Missiouri so fun and enjoyable. We hiked almost weekly and went on two out of state hiking trips to Arkansas, hiking Haw Creek Falls, Pack Rat Falls, Pam’s Grotto, Hwy 123 Falls, and Goat Bluff. Our time together with the group made our time in Missouri special and it was hard to leave the small community we became familiar with.
But atlas, the only constant is change so here Brad and I are living in the state we met in. Till next time, happy trails!
Roaming Free In An RV 