Once again, we are on the move, and what was originally two, and then three locations, is now four.
This move was a bit of a planned one, as our third location could not guarantee how long we would be able to stay. However, because we found a new soul, it was a blessing in disguise, as it gave us the chance for sort of a "mini shakedown". We were able to hook up the rig, take it to the next spot, and ended up getting there in one piece. We're still crunching numbers on fuel usage, and will probably need a bit longer on "heavy travel" to know what we actually use, but so far we're looking decent.
Yes, local obligations are still a thing. However, plans have definitely shaped up for the summer, assuming all goes well. You'll see more when it comes time to start yet another trip. In the meantime, be sure to Follow Your Internal Compass as you move forward.
And now for something completely different... Freedom Rolling reviews craft beers from across the country. First, as a quick disclaimer, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be. That being said, what's out there, and is it any good?
We start our journey by heading to San Antonio, Texas, home of the Alamo, the Spurs, and one of the newer locations having brewed for about 13 years as of the time of this writing, Ranger Creek Brewing. For something a little lighter in color, try out their "Love Struck Hefe", a hefeweizen with its name inspired by a Stevie Ray Vaughan song. This one has a very light color and smooth taste, perfect for a day at the beach or other warmer weather get-together. There is a bit of a dry sensation once you've finished a few sips that will make your mouth feel coated and needing some sort of a relief. That aside, it is an above average hefeweizen on the market, and worth trying if it's available in your area.
We now venture off to Fort Collins, Colorado, home of the Odell Brewing Company. Odell's flagship offering is an amber ale called "90 Shilling", a name stemming from an old Scottish beer tax. This particular brew has that familiar copper color one comes to expect from an amber ale, with a hint of a hop taste that may turn off the novice beer drinker from its bite, yet provides a smooth experience for those who regularly enjoy amber ales. Although it isn't the best beer out there, it will certainly rank as one you'll be happy to have once again.
Our last stop takes us to Conroe, Texas, home of Southern Star Brewing since 2007. If you're looking for a good warm weather beer, look no further than the "Bombshell Blonde" American Blonde Ale. This particular brew is very light in color, although the hops will start to hit on first taste. The hops are on the light to moderate level, but will certainly catch you if you're not ready for it. Once you get past the "bite", this beer goes down very smoothly, and is one certainly to enjoy.
So as your Internal Compass takes you across the country, try some of the local craft beers as able, and see how they fare for you.
No matter the size of a city, one typically pines for a great food truck scene. Even within the relatively small Mountain Home, Arkansas, there are plenty of options available, and here's just a taste of what's offered.
First, we take you to Plaza Center on the east side of the city, where the middle of the parking lot is home to several semi-permanent food-truck-like kitchens. One of these is Ozark Mountain BBQ. Run by Doc, Dennis, Dallas, and staff, Ozark Mountain offers generous plates containing one of several meat options from their nearby smokers, a selection of sides bound to make most happy, and a couple of sauces making you want to have more. One highlight to their menu is their version of a "Frito Pie", an entrée that will remind you of nachos, but take you on a tour of their menu. Bring your furry little friend with you, as the purchase of a meal may come with a "pup cup", a small container of non-sauced pulled pork. We did notice that as much as the original three have done a great job, the introduction of staff let quality slightly slip. However, if you want good barbecue, this is a great place to go.
Heading closer to the center of the city, take a quick trip south of the border to Dos Gringos in Mountain Home. Dos Gringos offers a wide variety of wet and dry burritos, along with tacos, quesadilla plates, and breakfast specials. Although several Mexican establishments adorn the city, Dos Gringos provides quality food at a reasonable price without worries pertaining to shellfish allergies. Call ahead if planning a visit, as this establishment will tend to close on certain regular days in order to cater another event. However, once you're able to find them on an open day, this is one fine place to visit.
When you're ready for a dessert course, head back to Plaza Center for Sno Biz shaved ice. First starting in Minnesota, Sno Biz has expanded all across the midwest and south with several locations across the greater Ozark area, offering a wide variety of shaved ice concoctions. This is a seasonal business in Mountain Home, so don't expect to be able to buy any product during the winter months. When they are open though, Sno Biz continues to offer reasonable prices for all to enjoy. Try adding vanilla cream to even some of their regular offerings, or be creative and combine your own choices of syrups. If you're worried your shaved ice might collapse outward, add a spill stopper. You may even be lucky enough to find their mobile food truck in the Harps' parking lot, or somewhere else in town.
So the next time you Follow your Internal Compass, make a stop at some of the food trucks in the local area.
Ah, toll roads. You've already paid a tax for the highways once in the form of fuel, and now they expect you to pay again?! And with that rig behind you, it's going to be even MORE?! If you're planning your next road trip, here's some tips on how to avoid some of those pesky tolls.
The first, and probably most widely well known, is what we like to call "The Jersey Effect". In the case of most bridges, whether crossing the Delaware or the Hudson, you usually don't have to pay to enter New Jersey, but you almost always have to pay to leave. There are a few bridges that are free, but can be very narrow or even prohibit trucks and RVs altogether, so plan ahead. This effect isn't limited to Pennsylvania or Delaware, either. If you're planning a trip to New England, the Hudson River has several crossings, and although you aren't going specifically into New Jersey, tolls are collected going "away from New Jersey" (eastbound), but are not collected going "towards New Jersey" (westbound).
Secondly, remember that the limited access highways are typically what's tolled, so try some US or state routes that have at-grade intersections. Need to get to Delaware from Baltimore? Try US 1 and MD/DE 273. Heading west from Cleveland? OH 2 is actually really nice, coupled with US 20 if you need to go due west of Toledo. Need to go east to Boston? Vermont and New Hampshire help you there, with VT/NH 9 and NH 101. Remember that this isn't always the case, especially when you consider both the aforementioned Jersey Effect, as well as some of the bridges across the bays near Annapolis, Norfolk, and San Francisco. Also be careful, because states like Texas and Florida have their toll roads on state highways to get around federal funding blocks, so an interstate highway may be better in those cases.
The third thing to remember is that optimization takes practice. You probably aren't going to find the best route right away, and it'll take some playing with bypasses and shortcuts to get it right. If you're traveling a long way, try to use the distance to your advantage, because the gas hit isn't that bad. North of Chicago is easy to go US 41 past Waukegan after using I-94, but if you're heading west to Iowa and chose to go towards Fort Wayne from Toledo, why not stay on US 24, go to Peoria, and avoid Chicago altogether? US 30 to I-80 is very tempting, but goes through what seems like a bad part of town. Keep an eye on the fuel usage because western towns are spread a bit more thin, but with some planning, you should be OK.
Don't let Following your Internal Compass cost you an arm and a leg. Find your way around the toll roads and enjoy this country.
Looking for a good burger? Try this place on for size.
The next time you head to Billings, Montana, make a stop at The Burger Dive. First opened in 2010 by Brad Halsten, the Burger Dive has been the quintessential place to find a good burger while driving along Interstate 90. While there, choose from a variety of burgers, fries, and milkshakes, along with a few other options that may be to your liking. The Burger Dive has won several awards both locally and nationally, including Best Burger at the World Food Championships in 2016. Television foodies may recognize this place from one of their favorite food documentary programs.
We had made two visits to this place way back in 2016, before the burger award was given, as part of our trip to the Pacific Northwest. The inside of the restaurant had a bit of a "retro" feel to it, but unlike similar major chain restaurants, had its own unique stamp. It was a convenient lunch stop both times, but the very good quality of burgers that made us want to stop again on the way back.
The awards that The Burger Dive received are definitely well deserved, and we can see why they attracted the attention of a food documentary program. From what we understand about this place, the popularity has risen immensely to where our judging of visit would be unfair from then to now, the prices have doubled since the last time we were there, and there were newspaper rumors of a change in location within the city. If it's anything like what we experienced then, this will be a terrific place to have another great burger.
So next time you're driving through Montana, Follow your Internal Compass right to The Burger Dive.
Get ready to take your taste buds south of the border.
Scattered throughout south Texas is a regional chain of restaurants called Taco Palenque. Taco Palenque started as one humble restaurant in Laredo, TX in 1987 by Juan Francisco Ochoa. Armed with several authentic Mexican recipes, Ochoa sought to bring his fast food concept to the people of Texas. The several entrées at Taco Palenque are made to order, each coming with an endless side of tortilla chips and salsa. As of the time of writing, over 30 locations are spread throughout south Texas, including one Mexican location should you wish to enjoy this food while south of the border.
Thus far, our visits have brought us to several locations during the lunch, dinner, and late night dining services, as some of the Taco Palenque locations run for 24 hours. The bilingual counter service is quite friendly and easy to understand, while the menu is easy enough to follow. One of their most popular offerings is the Matamoros combo, although the fajitas, quesadillas, and chicken flautas are also great choices. Although you could use their drive-thru option to pick up your meal on the way home, take some time to stop inside for either a dine-in or to-go order, and while you wait, enjoy the endless chips with their avocado-based salsa, a medium-spiced salsa that will make you addicted to this restaurant for many months. If the avocado doesn't speak to you, there are a multitude of other salsa, pico de gallo, and vegetable options available at the chips station.
Taco Palenque has been voted as the Best Fast Food in Texas by Food & Wine Magazine, and this is no fluke. When you have their offerings, you wouldn't think you were in a fast food joint. Be prepared to spend a little more than you would at similar locations, but the quality of what you receive will be well worth the cost. This quality doesn't seem to diminish as you head to different locations whether near or further north from the border, either.
The more time your Internal Compass sends you to south Texas, the more you'll likely be seeking out Taco Palenque.
Our first soul has been retired.
The Ford F150 has been sold. Although this truck was very good as a starter vehicle and allowed us to explore what we have thus far, it's the end of the road with us. Even with the tow package upgrade, she was still only able to pull about 6000 pounds. Although our present heart fits the bill, it won't last forever, and we need options to be able to get something a little bigger. Farewell, F150; may she serve another owner well.
Enter into Freedom Rolling's lives soul number two, a Dodge Ram 2500. With nearly double the towing capacity and already being setup to be able to take on a Fifth Wheel, she is a welcome addition to the Freedom Rolling family. The one major change to our basic expenses, though, is that we say goodbye to the relatively inexpensive unleaded gasoline, and hello to diesel fuel. There's still some need for gasoline with the generator so we haven't lost our spare completely, but diesel will bring some new challenges and new procurements, along with some options should we wish to find another rig.
So join us as we Follow our Internal Compass with our new found soul.
Do you want to keep driving south along the coast of Texas until you run out of this country? You're about to find a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow.
Welcome to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, or "RGV" as it is known locally. The RGV is one of the southernmost points in the Continental United States, second only to Florida. This section borders both the Rio Grande itself, which separates Texas from Mexico, as well as the Gulf of Mexico. Metropolitan areas on the United States side include Brownsville and McAllen, connected by the lowest highway number on the Interstate Highway System, Interstate 2. The RGV is accessible by several US highways, one of which is in the process of being upgraded to Interstate 69E, as part of the "NAFTA Superhighway".
While in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, one of the highlights of the trip will be a drive along Texas Highway 4 towards Boca Chica Beach. Along the route, catch a view of the Palmito Hill Battlefield. Fought during the War Between the States, this battle was unique in that it was fought after the southern generals had already surrendered in Virginia, yet their forces were able to claim victory. Head further down the road to see one of the newest and awe-inspiring developments: Starbase, Texas. Starbase is used to develop the SpaceX company's newest rocket at the time of writing, Starship. Although the road is closed during tests and launches, drivers will actually be able to drive right next to the development warehouses, the stacking high bays, the launch tower with test stands, and even see some of the rockets both retired from flight and presently in development.
If the rural life isn't your cup of tea and want something a little more bustling, head east from the highway to South Padre Island. Right along the Gulf of Mexico, this island community has built up to quite the resort destination, with high-rise condominiums and Winter Texans abound. See a dolphin or two as you take the bridge from the mainland, and park at one of the free day-use public accesses to spend time at the beach. On a clear day either on the island or along the Texas Highway 48 connector on the mainland, you may even be able to see the aforementioned Starbase and some of its activity from a safe distance.
So the next time your Internal Compass takes you southbound, consider making a stop at the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
As of the time this article is written, it has been about a year and three-quarters since we've taken to living on the road. Now being more experienced on the road and figuring out what we want, it's time for some kitchen upgrades.
First thing's first, that kitchen sink. OK, so this one was slightly borne of necessity with a cold spell and unsuccessfully trying to drip. Don't worry, it wasn't the full sink itself, just the faucet. Those rigid sticks that can only spin back and forth just don't work well anyway, especially if you use a filtered water pitcher. So let's upgrade to a Project Source pull-down pre-rinse kitchen faucet. Not only is the water flow good, there's a spray feature, and the nozzle also comes off the mount to use just off the sink. Best of all, it's still of an appropriate size to fit into the small kitchen! Thanks to a couple of friends for helping us install this, too.
When you spend all this time on the road, you figure out what sort of things on which you want to chow down. After all, you can't live an entire life on hot dogs and s'mores with the more-than-occasional visit to the fast food joint. For us, having spent a lot of time in the south, partially thanks to one of our friends on trip 9, that has become smoked meats. Needless to say, with Christmas having been around the corner, we were able to procure ourselves a table top smoker from Buc-ee's. Some of you following us on social media may have seen us coming up with some creations on a smoker; who knows what will come next? As with everything, there's a bit of a learning curve to get it going, but we'll get there.
For the final upgrade we've made thus far, it's time for a new outdoor grill. This was once again borne of necessity, with our old grill having some propane issues, but it was really the setup of the grill itself that wasn't working all too well. Enter the Expert Grill Pioneer 28-inch Portable Propane Gas Griddle. After putting it together and seasoning the cast iron with avocado oil, this is bringing good times in cooking! There is a slight trade off in the lack of grill marks, but we'll leave you to judge that importance for yourself on social media. The larger cooking surface opens up many more options for what to make, there's no more having to fiddle around with water in an under-pan, and cleanup is a breeze.
There may be more kitchen upgrades down the road as we Follow our Internal Compass, so who knows what will come.
Cooking, cleaning, cr- Oh wait, we're not talking about the three "C"'s, but rather our wonderful adventures with the three bodies of water, or "seas", surrounding the Continental United States.
We begin all the way back in June of 2016, a random road trip in order to "mark off" more of the southern states. Staying a little east of Pensacola, Florida came the first experience of one of the seas surrounding this nation: The Gulf of Mexico. The first taste of the water was love that we fell in, and we mean that literally. It wasn't serious enough to abort the trip, as we had continued on towards Louisiana, but it does remain one of our favorite bodies of water, having spent a trip workamping there, albeit on a sound separated by the gulf by an island, but still a nice location. Those looking to check out the Gulf of Mexico will obviously know about the beaches of Texas and the west side of Florida, but don't count out the rest of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, as Alabama and Mississippi can be just as beautiful. Louisiana may be a bit on the swampy side in some places, but can be just as enjoyable as you head to the west.
Fast forward a few months to August 2016 and our second incredibly ambitious road trip across the country, this time to the northwest. One side trip to Long Beach, Washington met our second of the seas: The Pacific Ocean. When many think of the Pacific, they associate it with California, but once you cross the Cascade and Olympic ranges, you're in for quite the time. As the densely populated areas of Western Oregon and Washington are about 30-40 miles inland, the coast will seem off the beaten track, but that just makes for a more special and exclusive visit. Without all the hustle and bustle, you really have a chance to just sit back and enjoy yourself, perhaps even watch the sunset over the water. The Pacific might be a little bit of a trip depending on whether you're in Washington, Oregon, or even Northern California, but find US 101, and it is very much worth it.
It may come as a surprise that our third visited sea was the closest to where we were living at the time, and that's the Atlantic Ocean. One random day trip to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and not only do we get the third sea, but the vehicle that was used reached its 48th and final state in the Continental United States. Visiting the Atlantic can be a bit precarious, as Northern New England, especially Maine, is quite rocky, and the beaches of Atlantic City in southern New Jersey aren't all that well kept. However, spend a couple of hours on the beach, and you will find its incredible healing qualities for your body. It will be no wonder why so many say that they enjoy "long walks on the beach", and although it sounds a bit cliché, don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Along with the Mid-Atlantic, the Atlantic beaches of Florida and North Carolina are worth a visit. You can also find the Atlantic Ocean in Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
Will your Internal Compass bring you to one of the three seas of the country? Perhaps it's worth a visit for you.
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