As Memorial Weekend approaches and gas prices increase, as they always seem to do in anticipation for summer travel, one of my favorite phone apps is Gas Buddy. Initially I thought we’d only use the app for travel but as prices for gas in our neighborhood have rocketed past $3.59 a gallon we are using it each time we need to fill up our tanks.
I enjoy having Instagram of course. Although my photos aren’t always Instagramable I still like to share what my dinner looks like or our latest change to the 1975 GMC Eleganza 2. We have the Phillips lights Hue app on our phone so we can turn the lights on when we are away or set mood lighting – Arctic Aurora and Tropical Twilight are two of my favorite scenes to pick from.
The Weather Channel app is nice, but Seattle weather is best guessed by opening the window and looking outside! It seems the two mountain ranges to the east and west of the Puget Sound make the weather complicated to predict in the Northwest. We have all kinds of local weather effects, like the Puget Sound convergence zone caused by the Olympics and Cascade mountain rainges, we have a banana belt, the ocean, the sound, winds from the north, winds from the south – the only thing you know for sure is we don’t use an umbrella no matter the weather! On a visit to Washington DC we were stopped in our tracks while we watched EVERYONE running to their destinations while holding umbrellas over their heads – we still talk about it today it was such a sight to see.
A few outdoor apps we like are AllTrails, RVLife, Hipcamp and RVParky. These all help you find the perfect outdoor experience, no matter what your idea of the perfect camping/glamping trip may be. When we first started camping 30 some years ago we depended on books from the library or going to the bookstore and hoped you picked a good guide book to find camping spots. Many campgrounds would open the first weekend of May and you would have to drive down early to get in line to hope to get a reservation for the weekends you wanted in the limited time camping season was available. I try to remember those days when I am frustrated when I can’t get a website to open quickly instantly.
I especially like The Conqueror app right now, as I am really enjoying my virtual walks. So far this year I have walked an extra 177 miles, beyond the steps of day to day living. This week I finished my 3rd challenge, virtually walking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu in ten days. I have two virtual walks I’m considering for my next challenge, both over 200 miles so it’s a bit intimidating. I worry that I will set a distance too far that will take longer and the incentive to finish will wear off before I get to the end. I’m not affiliated with any of the apps I shared but maybe you will find one of them useful.
#gmcmotorhome #eleganza2 #tinyhomeliving #vintagecamper @myvirtualmission @theconqueror.events @http://harvesthosts.refr.cc/ournewneighborhood
Our New Neighborhood 2023 