This week began with our longest drive yet and ended only ten minutes from the home of friends we didn’t even know when we arrived.

In between, there were beach afternoons, four different food trucks, countless carousel rides, Penn State football beside the campfire, a train ride through the Adirondacks, pottery lessons outside, giant trolls hidden in the forest, and a late-night walk beneath more stars than we knew where to look.

But the part we’ll remember most wasn’t any single destination.

It was watching the girls run barefoot through the campground with a pack of new friends. It was neighbors keeping us company after the kids left and inviting us to dinner. It was gathering around telescopes with more than fifteen people who had started the week as strangers.

This week reminded us that sometimes the best part of arriving somewhere new is discovering the people who were waiting there.

The Longest Drive Yet 🚐

Last Thursday brought our longest drive since moving into the camper full-time.

Halfway through our drive, we made a Walmart pickup stop to stock the camper and attempt to solve a few of the less glamorous realities of living in a small space with four humans and four animals.

Thanks to our Waggle monitor, we knew the humidity inside the camper had been off the charts. We invested in a few dehumidifiers, along with an air purifier to help combat the occasional kitty litter box smells.

Full-time travel: come for the beautiful destinations, stay for the humidity readings and air-quality management.

By the time we finally arrived to camp and got everything set up, no one had much energy left. Thankfully, our neighbor Jerry helped us get settled, and we ended the day with an easy campfire night.

After our longest travel day yet, sitting beside the fire felt like exactly where we were supposed to be.

Dinner, Four Ways 🍻

Friday brought us back into our homeschool rhythm, followed by an afternoon at the campground beach.

John and I stretched out in the sand while the girls played, which felt like a rare and beautiful arrangement where everyone was doing exactly what they wanted at the same time.

That evening, we headed to Raquette River Brewing, a local brewery with live music, a great atmosphere, yummy drinks, and four food trucks parked outside.

Naturally, all four of us ordered dinner from a different one.

One of my favorite things about traveling is how often dinner becomes part of the adventure, which is how we've always treated food in our household. Everyone gets to try something new, no one has to agree on a restaurant, and somehow eating four completely different meals at one table feels perfectly normal.

Ten Carousel Rides and a $40 TV 🎠

Saturday started slowly, squeezing in an early-morning work session while the girls enjoyed a lazy morning, then we cleaned up and headed down the road to Saranac Lake.

After lunch at Bitters & Bones, we visited the Adirondack Carousel, and what we expected to be a quick stop turned into one of those afternoons that becomes special because of the people you meet there.

The girls made a new friend whose family was heading home that day, and together they rode the carousel at least ten times.

The volunteer running it made every ride feel like its own adventure. The kids took turns tossing stuffed animals into a basket as they circled around, and each carousel animal came with a playful prop. John rode John the deer (an ode to John Deere) while I chose the fly and was given a fly swatter just in case he tried to bite me.

They even had a puzzle for the adults to solve while the kids rode, which may have been my favorite part.

Eventually, we made our way outside to the playground, then followed the river walk back toward the truck.

That afternoon was also the first Penn State football game of the season, so John was eager to return to the campground. Our camper has a space for an outdoor TV, and he had been talking about buying one since we moved in, but we decided to hold off.

We made a quick pit stop at a thrift store and found one for $40. Apparently, some things are simply meant to be.

We headed back to the camper, set up the TV quick and John happily watched the game outside beside the campfire while the girls disappeared into a growing pack of campground kids and played at the playground until dark.

We invited some of their new friends over for s’mores and spent the rest of the night talking with their mom and grandparents, Joe and Cindy.

We had no idea yet how much these new friendships would shape the rest of our week.

The Campground Family 💛

Sunday morning, the girls ran right back outside to play with their new friends.

That afternoon, we boarded the Tupper Lake Explorer for a scenic ride toward Sabattis. For an hour and a half, we relaxed as the train carried us through the Adirondacks past forests, wetlands, and stretches of scenery we otherwise would never have seen.

When we returned, the kids picked up exactly where they had left off. By then, they had created an entire campground family. Lizzie and her new “husband,” Everett (the two youngest members of the group) somehow had lots of “children” to care for.

The whole crew spent hours playing family, making up stories, and running between campsites while the adults sat nearby getting to know one another.

It was one of those wonderfully simple travel days: a train ride, fresh air, and kids who needed nothing more than each other and plenty of room to play.

More Stars Than We Could Count 🔭

After sunset, more than fifteen of us set off together for the Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory.

Several people in the group visit the area annually, and one family even lived nearby, but none of us had ever been to the observatory.

We started outside, looking for constellations across Tupper Lake’s incredibly dark sky. Then we stepped inside the roll-off-roof observatory and took turns peering through its telescopes.

Through them, we saw enormous star clusters containing thousands of stars, some within our own galaxy and others far beyond it. John even saw three shooting stars!

It was difficult to wrap our minds around what we were seeing. There we were, standing beneath a sky filled with more stars than we could count, surrounded by people we had only met a few days earlier.

It felt both incredibly small and incredibly special.

There are places we visit because they are written into our plans. Then there are nights like this one, created almost entirely by the people who happen to cross our path.

Outdoor Art and an Unexpected Dinner Invitation 🎨

After our late night beneath the stars, everyone slept in on Monday.

Most of the campground families had to head home so their kids could return to school. The girls said goodbye to their new friends, but Joe and Cindy stayed behind a little longer like us.

We eased back into our homeschool routine, taking advantage of the beautiful weather to bring art class outside for a pottery lesson.

Traveling full-time continues to stretch our idea of what school can look like. Sometimes it happens at a picnic table. Sometimes it happens inside a museum or along a trail. Sometimes it means working with clay outside while the Adirondack air winds through the trees.

That evening, our neighbors invited us over for dinner. We watched the live-action Tarzan, shared a meal, and got the inside scoop on places we should visit during our upcoming travels through New York and Vermont.

There is something so lovely about being welcomed into someone else’s space, especially when you’re far from your own familiar community.

Hunting for Giants 🌿

Tuesday began with a lot of work catch-up after the long weekend. Once we finally closed our computers, we headed to The Wild Center for what became my favorite field trip of our journey so far.

Six enormous trolls created by artist Thomas Dambo are hidden throughout the property, and at the girls’ request, we set out to find every one.

But this wasn’t simply a scavenger hunt. Each troll had a different lesson to teach about caring for the earth and reconnecting with the natural world.

Our hunt began with Rosa Sunfinger near the parking lot. Rosa uses her life-giving fingers to grow plants in places humans have abandoned, showing how nature can bring even seemingly useless things back to life.

A short walk brought us to Sofus Lotus and what the girls decided must be his house, built from winding branches and sticks. With his ear close to the ground, Sofus reminds humans to slow down, listen carefully, and notice when nature’s rhythms begin to change.

From there, we explored the natural playground, climbing through the treehouse, eagle’s nest, and giant spider web before returning to our troll hunt.

Next came Basse Buller, the wild and rebellious artist of the group. He creates symbols and shapes inspired by nature and isn’t afraid to break a few rules if it means protecting the planet. His area invited visitors to create their own structures from loose sticks and rocks.

Lowina, however, was less interested in building and more interested in the caterpillar she discovered nearby, immediately fell in love with, and desperately wanted to bring home.

We eventually convinced her to leave her new friend in his home and continued toward my favorite troll, Kamma Can. Kamma sees possibilities where humans see garbage, turning discarded plastic into colorful art and reminding us not to throw things away before imagining what else they could become.

At the beginning of her trail, we picked up wooden balls with the promise that something fun was waiting ahead. Along the way, we discovered thirteen hand-carved wooden ball tracks, like forest versions of skee-ball. The girls had a blast racing from one to the next, using pulleys and winding tracks to send their balls rolling through the woods.

It was brilliant. They walked the entire trail without asking for the stroller because they were too busy wondering what would come next.

At the bottom of the hill, we finally found Kamma Can with all of her colorful "jewelry." Then we climbed all the way back up and ventured into the musical forest in search of Ibbi Pip.

Ibbi is a friend to the animals who builds colorful birdhouses from reclaimed wood, demonstrating how materials humans have discarded can be given a new purpose while helping other living things.

After exploring the trails, we headed inside to learn more about the wildlife and ecosystems of the Adirondacks.

Just outside the center, we found our sixth and final troll, Ronja Redeye. Ronja is the fearless leader of the group. Even though she's the smallest, she uses her voice with compassion and honesty to inspire humans to change (best message for my girls ever!). She reminds us that words are powerful and that speaking up can be an important part of protecting the things we love.

At every troll, the girls could make a crayon rubbing to mark their discovery on the scavenger hunt. They loved watching the page fill as we made our way through the forest in search of the trolls, chanting "We're going on a Troll Hunt!"

I loved the larger message behind the trolls even more: Save the Humans.

The six trolls believe humans can still learn to live differently, not by separating ourselves from nature, but by slowing down, listening, creating, reusing, caring for other living things, and speaking up for the world around us.

It was the perfect combination of art, nature, movement, imagination, and learning, exactly the kind of field trip that reminds me why we chose this life.

We celebrated completing our troll hunt with a second visit to the brewery, then returned to the camper for a quiet movie night. Sometimes the best days end with everyone completely worn out in the happiest possible way.

The People Who Made This Stop Feel Like Home 🤍

This morning, it was time to pack up again.

We finished breaking down camp, said one final goodbye to Joe and Cindy, and pulled away toward our next destination. Funny enough, our next campsite is a Harvest Host, only about ten minutes from their home.

We arrived in the Adirondacks expecting beautiful scenery, outdoor adventures, and a few new places to explore. We found all of that.

But we also found Jerry, who helped us set up our fire after our exhausting long drive. We found carousel volunteers who turned a simple ride into an afternoon the girls couldn’t stop talking about. We found Joe and Cindy, who shared stories, travel advice, s’mores, and part of their family with us. And the girls found a whole campground crew.

One of the things I worried about most before we began traveling full-time was whether the girls would miss having a consistent community. They do miss people. We all do.

But we’re also learning that community can find us in unexpected places. Sometimes it lasts for years. Sometimes it lasts for one long weekend. Sometimes it looks like a group of children creating an entire imaginary family on a campground playground while their parents become friends beside the fire.

The time may be short, but that doesn’t make the connection any less real.

Until Next Time… 🤍

This week carried us through our longest drive yet and into one of our sweetest campground experiences so far. There were beach days, food-truck dinners, at least ten carousel rides, a perfectly timed thrift-store TV, scenic train views, outdoor pottery, six giant trolls, and thousands of stars shimmering through telescopes.

But more than anything, there were people. People who helped us. People who welcomed us. People who played with our children, shared meals with us, offered advice, and turned an unfamiliar campground into a little neighborhood.

Life on the road means saying goodbye often. That part may never become easy. But it also means we get to keep discovering just how quickly strangers can become friends and how many different places can begin to feel like home.

Ready to Plan Something Unforgettable?

Thanks for riding along with us this week, and for letting our travels inspire your own. Your next adventure is closer than you think.🤍

Until the next stop,

The Wagner Family