Nomadiversary – The First Year

On June 30, 2018 by Jay McCormick

no·mad /nōˌmad/ a person who does not stay long in the same place; a wanderer. Synonyms: itinerant, traveler, migrant, wanderer, roamer, rover

Today marks a year since we ditched suburbia and started our “not normal” nomadic life.

In the past 12 months we’ve towed our house 11,356 miles, called 53 RV resorts, campgrounds, state parks, and national forests our home, stayed at least one night in 17 states including 11 states we visited for the first time in our RV, and spent 30 days abroad in 4 countries.

”I’m excited for year two.” – Reim McCormick (June 30, 2019)

I wish I could say that it was all rainbows and unicorns, but its not. There are challenges to this lifestyle. Coexisting in 350 sq feet with a teenager and a pre-teen could drive a parent insane. Maybe we are are little off our rockers, but we wouldn’t change a thing.

”The first 5 months were okay. Then it got great.” – Luke McCormick (June 30, 2018)

We’ve experienced so many new and different things in past year. I’ve complied the top 10 experiences over the past 12 months. This list could have been a top 50. These are the positive ones. Maybe I’ll compile a list of the bottom 10 in a future post.

”Let’s just keep going.” – Ireland McCormick (June 30, 2018)

1	Watched wolves hunt a bison in Yellowstone - Since we don’t have the space for a lot of material gifts, nor do we want to continue that “tradition”, for Christmas, we gave the kids a snowmobiling excursion in Yellowstone. It was so much fun and we were fortunate to see a wolf pack hunt down a bison.	Snowmobiling in Yellowstone
2	Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with other full-time families (families that full time RV) - we hooked up with other full time traveling families at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. This should be on everyone’s bucket list. Balloons Taking Flight	ABQ Balloon Fiesta
3	Taught kids how to ski and earned an Epic service award - My bucket list item number 487 was fulfilled as I “worked” as a part time ski instructor at Park City during the winter. Overall it was a great experience and I’ll be back for round 2 next ski season. BTW…earning an award for Epic service wasn’t a bad deal either.	Ski Instructor at Park City
4	Experiencing the great imagination of artists - We visited Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. This is an absolute must if you're in the Santa Fe area. It’s the result of 100+ artists’ work. The best way I can describe Meow Wolf is like when you're listening to Pink Floyd, then get sucked into a wormhole, fall into a Tim Burton movie only to find out you're in The Upside Down. It is a crazy amazing place. Click here for the Meow Wolf website	Meow Wolf - Santa Fe
5	Spending a month abroad - We took in Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, visited Ireland’s country (Ireland), learned to drive on the wrong side in Yorkshire, rode rollercoasters in Brighton, strolled along footpaths in the Cotswold, spent a week in London, visited Stonehenge and the Cliffs of Moher, road a train to Scotland, and learned some history along the way.	Cliffs of Moher - Ireland
6	The Alpine Loop in SW Colorado - we visited Durango (twice) in the fall. We absolutely loved Durango and the surrounding area. We rented a Jeep and drove the 65 mile Alpine Loop. Most of the loop was on Jeep trails and some of it was through tundra, which is spectacular.	The Alpine Loop
7	Civil Rights Museum - We can’t say enough great things about the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. It is such a well done and moving museum. We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit there.	Civil Rights Museum - Memphis, TN
8	Visiting the Delicate Arch on New Years Day - I kicked of the new year with a couple of hikes in Arches National Park including a hike up to the always impressive Delicate Arch.	Delicate Arch - Moab, UT
9	Visited national parks - We visited eight national parks including a few we hadn’t visited before. Black Canyon of the Gunnison,, Hot Springs, Great Smokey Mountains, Mammoth Caves, Arches, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone. We also visited the North York Moors National Park in Yorkshire England.	Black Canyon of the Gunnison - Montrose, CO
10	Added a new family member - We finally gave in to the kids’ wishes (demands really) and got a dog. She has been a wonderful addition to our nomadic family. We call her Maggie!	The Mags
11	So much for a top 10. I had to add the Adirondacks. Upstate New York is crazy pretty. Mountains, rivers, forests, biking, hiking, etc. What’s not to love!	A river through the mountains - Wilmington, NY