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Vanabode 13,644 mile 31 week 22 State Camping Road Trip

Finished our 2020 Covid Tour of United States during lockdowns. Traveled 13,644 miles through 22 states in 31 weeks on this Vanabode Trip. Paid for camping 13 nights. The remaining nights we camped free thanks to our incredibly well designed all electric Vanabode custom built on a 2017 Dodge Ram Promaster. VANABODE YOUTUBE CHANNEL hosts dozens of high definition wide screen videos of this trip suitable for watching on big screen televisions. Computer says 18.8 miles per gallon average for the entire trip including many hours idling with AC on while eating in Van when restaurants were take out only. Average speed reported as 31 mph. See YouTube Vanabode channel for videos of some highlights traveling through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia. 

You can do this too on less than $20 per day per person, including food, gas, and lodging. Vanabode contains all the information you need to travel forever NOW and earn your way around the country if you wish.

indian bread rocks blm

Above: Indian Bread Rocks BLM land offered days and nights of fun free camping with near total isolation from the infected!

arizona las cienegas nca

Above: Camping among the African Savannah like grasslands of Arizona in Las Ciengas NCA

arizona saguara forrest blm cactus flower

Above: Ocotilla flower blooms in the bright warm sun

arizona ironwood forest

Above: Free camping among the Saguaros of Arizona's Ironwood forest

arizona saddle mountain blm

Above: Camping beneath the beautiful mountains of Saddle Mountain in Arizona. Hiking here among the flowers and plants is easy and fun too.

arizona lake havasu city

Above: We really enjoyed our days here in Lake Havasu City with super easy waterfront park access, free parking, and lots to do. Cold clear waters refresh after hours beneath the wonderful hot sun. At night we camped free on BLM land about 8 miles away.

nevada day moon

Above: Kelly shot this day moon without special equipment. Clear skies and little humidity in the desert help make the time here incredible

nevada lovell canyon blm camping

Above: Nevada's Lovell Canyon within BLM lands offered more great offgrid, remote, fun, easy camping

nevada pahrump tortoise

Above: While camping Nevada's great wild wild west town of Pahrump this little tortoise cruised by.

nevada overton poverty flats

Above: Nevada's Poverty Flats outside Overton offers great hiking and free camping. We are on this side of the canyon but across the way you can see tiny white lines on the edge. Those are fellow campers. That's how big it all is and how clear it all is out here.

navada caterpillar

Above: My wife shot this prickly little caterpillar that you don't want in your sleeping bag

nevada poverty flat night

Above: Nearly every single sunrise and sunset out here is worth sitting out for.

nevada free camping

Above: Nevada offers stunning terrain. We've spent months free camping in the desert, mountains, and waterways of this fantastic state

nevada petrified wood

Above: We found this beautiful petrified wood among millions of rocks while hiking

nevada full desert sun

Above: Winter camping out her beneath the hot Nevada sun is sublime

nevada overton free vanabode camping

Above:Like the native peoples before us we try to keep the smallest footprint possible on the land. One of many reasons we use a Vanabode for travel rather than all the other options out there.

nevada cow drinking

Above:I told Kelly I was going to WATER A COW. She said, "No way! I dare you". Well you see it. That little blacky was thirsty.

nevada free camping hiking

Above: After scouting out the area we ended up spending a few days free camping behind those big brown rocks.

nevada jackrabbit

Above: Jackrabbit? Desert Hare? Bunny boy?

nevada blm camping

Above: Can you see the Vanabode back there? It's easy to disappear out here

nevada free camping

Above: Rare rain coming. We love desert storm shows.

nevada simple easy vanabode camping

Above: It only takes about 4 minutes to make and break camp.

nevada skies

Above: Nevada desert skies.

nevada

Above: Every single day it's the beauty I need.

nevada desert death

Above: Found this skeleton on a remote hike while in Nevada.

nevada birds caliente

Above: We paid to camp a few days in Caliente Nevada. Spent time in a little stream nearby watching wildlife and soaking up the weather

nevada beaver

Above: We were astonished when this beaver swam within 10 feet of us HERE IN THE DESERT!

utah uitna flats dispersed camping

Above: Utah's Uitna Flats dispersed camping is fun and nice and cool at the high elevation near Brian Head. Here we were so quiet a small herd of rare Pronghorn Antelope passed by unfazed. They are typically extremely skittish.

utah wild camping

Above: Utah camping among the pines. Smells so good here!

utah twin hollows cave hiking

Above: We really strive for the widest variety of experiences when we travel. Here Utah's Twin Hollows offers the opportunity to explore some dark scary caves less than a mile from where we are camping on the river.

utah twin hollows camping

Above: Feet in the icy cold waters, skin in the hot sun, camping in the shade.

utah five mile valley

Above: Probably the weirdest find of the year. I pulled off in a random deep canyon and parked in one of only three spots big enough to hold a car. The next day we hiked and found this pile of cars stacked up BENEATH the highway. It was actually being used to shore up the cliff holding the road above us.

utah camping

Above: We got DOWN IN IT here. A big RV would never be able to transverse the path in. Deep in the canyon, it was nearly silent at night save the coyotes, humming birds, and wind whispering through the pines.

utah hills

Above: Utah's rock formations offer endless photo opps and lots of hiking fun. You could hike just this one state your entire life and never see all you wanted.

arizona lake powell swim

Above: They tried to keep us out because of Covid but I'd driven way too far to skip Lake Powell. This astonishing place cannot be captured with a camera but here Kelly enjoys the clear cold waters. I can only swim for about an hour, then I get out and dry in the sun for an hour, then jump back in, rinse, repeat.

arizona lake powell hike down

Above: I was able to skirt the deserted road blocks set up to keep us out. I parked up top, and we hiked down the cliffs to the beach below. Then we swam out to the island you see in the picture to goof off. We only saw 5 other people in the water all day.

utah losee canyon

Above: Losee Canyon Utah

utah losee canyon secret hike

Above: Remote hiking Losee Canyon. Now with Covid scaring everyone we have the place to ourselves. Never saw a single person besides my wife.

utah lizard

Above: Lizards in Utah, so cute, so pouty.

utah hiking

Above: Remote hiking and camping in Losee Canyon.

utah kodachrome basin state park

Above: Utah's Kodachrome Basin State Park

lower calf creek falls

Above: Unreal 5 hour round trip hike through dark forest, desert grassland prairie, and sunny hilly rock formations leads to spectacular water fall deep in the canyon.

utah lower calf creek falls

Above: Utah's Lower Calf Creek Falls

utah scipio lake

Above: Day tripping in Utah at Scipio Lake

utah provo

Above: Provo Utah hosts a massive temple in town.

utah provo lake camping

Above: Monster lake with free lakeside camping in Provo. Don't come in the winter though or you'll freeze.

nevada winnemucca sunset

Above: Nevada town of Winnemucca at sunset

nevada winnemucca skies

Above: Winnemucca Nevada mountain range and mountains. It's very comfortable here in the summer.

nevada farm in desert

Above: Northern Nevada farm in the desert in summer.

nevada winnemucca farm

Above: Winnemucca farm sunset.

nevada desert rainbow

Above: Rare Nevada desert rainbow

nevada-google-secret-wifi-balloon

Above: Google puts up a secret balloon that carries Internet wifi services

san francisco palace of fine arts

Above: San Francisco Palace Of Fine Arts

san francisco

Above: San Francisco approach on a moody but somewhat clear day

california mendocino botanical gardens

Above: California's Fort Bragg offers the spectacular Mendocino Botanical Gardens

california mendocino botanical gardens dahlia

Above: The Dahlias of the Mendocino Botanical Gardens

oregon-mushrooms-lunch-ocean

Above: We had delicious wierd fresh mushrooms with oceanfront lunch in Oregon

oregon ocean vanabode camping

Above: Here we had some sweet oceanfront vanabode offgrid camping

oregon river camping

Above: Oregon offered some riverfront camping too.

wyoming jackson hole squirrel

Above: This little squirrel was muching berries at our camp site in Jackson Hole Wyoming

wyoming grand teton national park

Above: Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park is always a better choice to avoid crowds than Yellowstone.

wyoming grand teton kelly lake

Above: Kelly in the lake at Grand Teton National Park.

grand teton national park bear cubs

Above: Grand Teton National Park bear cubs

wyoming grand teton area

Above: Wyoming Grand Teton area camping.

yellowstone

Above: Yellowstone launchs 3 days before the fires broke out and they closed the park

yellowstone buffalo

Above: Yellowstone Buffalo

yellowstone-rare-red-mink

Above: This snarky little rare red mink devil ran up to me begging in Yellowstone.

yellowstone-morning

Above: Early moody Yellowstone morning before those pesky crowds show up.

montana mallards rest waterfront camping

Above: Montana's unlikely waterfront camping at Mallards Rest

wyoming-hummingbird-size-day-moth

Above: This Wyoming Hummingbird size day moth buzzed us on his way to nectar

minnesota minneapolis museum

Above: LOVE the third headlight up front. We do nearly every art museum and gallery we come across while traveling. Our Vanabode fits perfectly in a single car sized parking spot meaning no hassles with parking. Here the Minneapolis Museum shows spectacular taste in a wide variety of artifacts

minnesota minneapolis museum chair

Above: Minnesota Museum showcases this antique hand made chair in pristine condition. Look at those curves!

minnesota minneapolis mall of america

Above: Yea we do all the shopping spots too. This is the biggest mall in America.

minnesota saint paul

Above: For size that's me on the porch! Saint Paul Minnesota has some great architecture. Coming from Florida, architectural tours are always fun for us.

wisconsin rare albino bison

Above: In Wisconsin we found this rare albino American Bison.

wisconsin sheboygan art gallery

Above: In Sheboygan this art gallery has some stunning hand made, hand painted, hand forged ceramic tiles.

wisconsin sheboygan custom tile bathroom

Above: Wisconsin art gallery in Sheboygan had this custom tile bathroom to beat all else.

wisconsin milwaukee

Above: Milwaukee Wisconsin - big city - big architecture (and good street food too).

wife fonzi

Above: My wife with Fonzi

virginia museum fine art

Above: The Virginia Museum of Fine Art had so much astonishing history and antiques of the highest quality. Do you have any idea hold long it takes a team of craftsman to make this set by HAND?

virginia museum fine art couch

Above: Another hand carved beauty at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art

virginia maymont

Above: Maymont near Richmond was a great free park to hand in all day

After more than ten years of Vanabode travel over hundreds of thousands of miles of country there is STILL no safer, cheaper, easier, more fun method of travel within our borders.

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