We keep track of a few things in our full-time RVing and boondocking lifestyle, and they make for some fun statistics.  As these

stats show, we changed our travel style a lot between our beginning in May, 2007 and now in November, 2008.  We covered a lot

of ground and drove a lot of miles at first.  Then we slowed way down, drove less and saw more in each place.

Back in our workaday lives, we easily drove over 4,000 miles per month between our two cars.  When we started traveling that

dropped to 2,000 miles per month as we had just one vehicle to drive.  In the past six months our driving has dropped even

further to less than 1,000 miles per month.

Our nightly camping fees were quite high at the beginning, reaching a peak average of $16.20 per night by July 16, 2007, just 8

weeks into our new traveling lifestyle.  Then we learned about the pleasure and value of boondocking, and we gradually

stopped staying at campgrounds and RV parks.  In this second year of travel we have been paying for camping just 7% of the

time and boondocking or overnighting in quiet public places 93% of the time.

Fuel prices skyrocketed while we were in Florida in the Spring of 2008 and peaked when we got to the North Rim of the Grand

Canyon in July, 2008.  Then they plummeted while we were in California and Arizona in the Fall of 2008.  Now we pay less than

we did when we started 18 months ago.  Last summer it cost up to $183 to fill the diesel tank.  Now it costs as little as $85.

I'd like to think we are riding our bikes more, but despite using our bikes for commuting all over the San Diego waterfront, finding

some great cycling around Bryce, Utah, and riding with a club in Yuma, Arizona, we seem to still be averaging a dismal 225 miles

per month.  There was a time when we did that each week.  Oh well -- we've traded new views on every mile for unchanging

views on a zillion miles.

Year ended

6 months ended

5/21/08

11/20/08

DRIVING RELATED

Total miles driven

25,207

5,432

Total miles towing the trailer

15,937

3,322

Total miles ridden on our bikes

2,500 (each)

1,350 (each)

Cheapest diesel seen

$2.64/gal, TX, May '07

$2.38/gal, Yuma, AZ, Nov '08

Most Expensive diesel seen

$4.79/gal, KS, May '08

$5.34/gal, Grand Canyon, July '08

CAMPING RELATED

Total spent on campgrounds

$3,009

$261

Average cost of camping per night

$8.22

$1.43

Nights in public campgrounds

174

27

Nights in private RV parks

61

3

Nights boondocking

58

99

Nights in friends' driveways

32

1

Nights in rest areas / pullouts

16

20

Nights in casino parking lots

12

12

Nights at Walmart

6

0

Nights in commercial parking lots

3

16

Nights in Visitors Center lots

3

1

Nights in truck stops

1

0

Number of different locations

103

37

Nights with hookups

67

14

Total Nights

366

183

TRAVEL RELATED

States visited

20

7

Locations overnighted

103

37

Most time in one state

Florida, 3 months

AZ, 2 months

Least time in one state

Missouri, a few hours

TX, a few hours

Longest stay in one spot

15 days, RV Park, Florida

29 days, Utah

Mayport Naval Station

Bryce Canyon Area

Worst weather

Golf ball sized hail, KS

•

Longest time between truck fillups

•

30 days