On Valentine’s Day, we packed up our rig in Del Rio after only staying a week and took off for Marfa, Texas. About Marfa Once a dying West Texas town, Marfa was revived in the last few decades as a mecca for minimalist art. Although its population is only around 2,000, there are art galleries aplenty, and lots to see.…
Infographic: Celebrating 100 Days on the Road
Today is our 100th day in our RV! We’re celebrating in true geeky form with an infographic about our journey so far. Here’s to many more adventures! If you haven’t signed up to be on our mailing list, we’d love for you to do so by clicking the email icon near the bottom of the infographic. You’ll get monthly updates…
Adventures on the Border: Del Rio, Texas
Although our time in Del Rio was cut short by repairs, we managed to pack in a lot during our week-long stay. Exploring Del Rio Del Rio is a city of 35,000 just across the US-Mexico border from the much larger Ciudad Acuña. Its most charming side is its historic downtown. We had fun checking out the local Mexican food. Tasty?…
RV Plumbing Repairs and an Unfortunate Surprise
What follows is a not-particularly-tragic tale on the virtues of patience and having a good sense of humor. The Problem During our last week in San Marcos, our black tank valve release (of the cable variety) broke, making it very difficult to open and close the tank. In fact, I wasn’t strong enough to do it; only Josh was. Fortunately, our…
The Crappy Side of RVing: What to Do When There’s No Sewer Connection
On two occassions we’ve had to spend some quality time at an RV repair shop. Both places, Best Preowned RV in Houston and Iron Horse RV in San Antonio, have done quality work and have been super accommodating, even allowing us to stay in their parking lots for free. At both places we’ve had shore power, varying from 30-50 amp. We’ve…
January in the Texas Hill Country
Consider this fair warning: we got a new camera, so you have before you a photo-heavy post. Say cheese! Where We Stayed During my 10+ years living in Texas, I’ve cultivated a love for the stunning Palo Duro Canyon and West Texas mountains, but my favorite part of the state is the Hill Country. I’ve been on numerous camping trips in the…
RV Makeover: Bathroom Edition
Even though there’s a growing population of young folks — especially families — buying RVs and even going full-time, the primary target demographic remains a bit older than us. So to spruce up our RV’s interior a bit, we’ve started painting and reupholstering. Cue the new Ardent Camper blog post series intro music. It’s time for… RV Makeover: Bathroom Edition! Before…
Goodbye, Houston!
Ardent Camper’s website may have been quiet for the last few weeks, but life has been anything but. On Saturday, we officially left Houston. And we don’t expect to be back until the holidays. It’s a bittersweet feeling, knowing we’re adventure-bound but leaving family and good friends behind. But first, let’s back up a little bit, because the last time…
Happy Holidays in the Texas Panhandle
Is This the Way to Amarillo After we left Livingston, we headed northwest for Amarillo, Texas to join Josh’s family for the holidays. When we start our cross-country adventures, we plan on traveling 200-300 miles every two weeks. This was our first big haul (the trip from Houston to Livingston was only 60 miles), and it was an ambitious 585…
Our First Journey: Livingston, Texas
On December 10, we left Best Preowned RV, where we had been living for two and a half weeks while Serenity, our fifth wheel, was repaired from its blowout. We were grateful for the folks at Best Preowned for taking good care of our RV and being so hospitable by letting us stay on their lot for so long. But we…