If you didn't know, or weren't already planning something, June 3rd is delightfully known as National Doughnut Day (I hate that way to spell donut. It's donut. Right? Right?!) Since discovering this important day in our country's history, Vanessa and I got to talk about donuts....then about coffee....then about coffee shops....then about how much we LOVE coffee shops. Living in an RV forces us to get creative with how we get work done, which means lots and lots of coffee shops. First and foremost, we love coffee. Secondly, we love unique spots where we can hunker down for the day and get some work done. So, we started yapping away about our favorite coffee spots we've been to so far in our travels and thought, HEY! Let's write about it!

So, here it is. In honor of National Doughnut Day (GAH), our favorite coffee shops across the country...in no particular order.
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The Ugly Mug is in the Sellwood area of Portland, which we found extremely charming and bohemian. All mom-and-pop shops, no big businesses, everyone walking around even in the rain. We happened upon The Ugly Mug in a quest for free WiFi, and they indeed have it in abundance. They also have a variety of unusual coffee drinks, beyond just the regular espressos and Americanos. Also, if you go a bit later on in the afternoon, they have very inexpensive beers to choose from. Inexpensive as in $2. For craft beer. Yowza.

We stayed all afternoon on the comfy couches—electrical outlets aplenty. They closed a bit early (6pm), which was strange, but the barista closing up shop did give us the rest of the brewed coffee in the carafe for free to-go. It was a perfect way to end a rainy, work-filled day.
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We loooooooved this huge hipster spot in Ukiah. They roast their own goods, they sell Chemex (we bought ours there!) there are tons of seats and couches and tables, not to mention a ginormous window to watch them roast and batch up their coffee. We loved the fact that Black Oak Coffee Roasters had an unusual menu of drinks. It wasn't just your average cup of Joe. They featured drinks like the Lovers Lane Latte, which Vanessa had, that showcased a sprinkling of BEE POLLEN. It was unusual, it was unique, it was an amazing experience. We expected nothing less from a coffee joint in Ukiah.
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This is the OG coffee spot for us. Since beginning our journey in Fort Lauderdale, we have since craved our favorite coffee joint located at the Yellow Green Farmer's market. Kay Rico Coffee is family-owned and operated, and we have to admit, it's one of the greatest families around. They treat each customer like one of their own, and you can just tell they love what they do. We cannot wait for them to open up a brick-and-mortar so we can lounge around whenever we visit.

​As far as coffee is concerned, you MUST try the Bullet Proof. We've had it a dozen times and it is still as delicious as the first time we tried it. Vanessa opts for the vegan version, which any coffee shop that has vegan versions of anything is A-okay in our book.

I have to say, I had the best cortado I've ever had in my life at Either/Or in Portland. And I'm part Cuban....so.....yeah...

​But in all honesty, Either/Or is a no frills, coffee shop with a unique menu and variety of unusual but delicious pastries. They offer espresso flights for people to try the different roasts, plus handmade Italian sodas. The seating is limited, so you my want to take your delicious coffee to-go. Also, the only gripe for me was that they had zero outlets for personal use. ZERO. I get it, they don't want people lingering and taking up precious real estate, 'specially when seating is so limited in the first place. But it was still unusual. 

However, for that cortado with steamed hemp milk, they can do pretty much whatever they want.

Ahhh, yes. Cafe Maude is nestled inside our wonderful 24-ft RV. Every morning, we brew delectable coffee from the comforts of our small RV kitchen. As you know, our Chemex has been the perfect addition to our family, and often times Vanessa and I find that staying in and enjoying a few cups at our dinette is almost always a better option than venturing out. I wouldn't trade our morning moments of coffee consumption inside of our tiny RV's belly for anything else in the world.

We'll probably make this coffee shop love list an ongoing thing the more we travel. If you have any recommendations of coffee shops in the country you think we should try, share in the comments below! We love suggestions :)

​Happy Travels!

When we bought Maude, there was slight wear-and-tear. She's a 2007, so we knew we weren't getting her straight out of the box, brand new. And we were fine with that. Because we were still learning how to maneuver this whale-of-a-vehicle, and some bumps were going to be felt. However, one part of the "wear" that Maude came with, was an old, shag carpet, installed on the slide and cab.

It was gross. Dirty, gross. Not like what one might find in a beard that isn't maintained. More like dirt. Apparently Maude's previous owners clomped around in shoes and didn't care that the BEIGE carpet was slowly changing shades. The fix was simple: we needed to clean the RV carpet.

Part of the issue was fixed after we tore up the carpet around and on the slide. As mentioned in our previous post about replacing our RV couch, there was some pretty phenomenal wood underneath that we stained and capped. But, that didn't resolve the issue with the carpet in the cab.

We vowed this summer to clean the carpet. We couldn't take it anymore. We wanted cleanliness! We wanted beige! We wanted damn near brand new!

​Note carpet color below...

We got lucky when we visited Vanessa's family this past week. Vanessa's mom had a secret weapon that she whipped out for us to try....a home carpet cleaner. REJOICE!

Vanessa lugged that puppy up our stairs and went to town on our carpet. Let me just tell you, the results were life-changing. The dirt that came up not only lightened our carpet back to practically new, but it also neutralized the air inside the RV. Not that Maude was the smelly kid in class....or on the road.... But she did have a scent. A natural musk if you will. That when you walked in, you recognized good old Maude.

Cleaning the carpet neutralized the air. So not only was the carpet clean and free of dirt and debri, it also didn't capture 9 years of smells.

Here is the final product....

We've decided to clean the carpet twice a year at minimum. Even if you don't think your RV interior needs it, it probably does. Give it a whirl and let us know what happens, you may just be as pleasantly surprised as we were.

​See you on the road!

We're coming up on a full year that we've owned Maude, and a few months shy of a year of full-time RV living. It's been quite a road of ups and downs, ins and outs, and savoring my trusty set of ear plugs. It's true, we've learned a sh*t ton from living on the road full-time, along with RV life. Instead of getting all crazy in-depth about what we've learned (since we tend to ramble every so often in a lengthy blog post) we've decided to make a quick list of tips and tricks for RV living. If you feel like setting this to some music, you can pretend we're giving these tips like that Baz Lurmann Sunscreen song. So without further adieu....

1. Wear sunscreen. Haha no, seriously. Buy a good one, too. Don't skimp. Your traveling body will thank you.
2. Earplugs are crucial, especially if you boondock. Make sure they are comfy for your ears, and you won't lose them.
3. Caulk, caulk, and caulk some more. Everything that can be caulked, do it. And do it right.
4. The science of air flow: turn your bathroom fan on and open your bunk window, the flow will create this vortex of wind to keep you cool all night.
5. Mold grows. Crack a window when you shower, if you don't have a fan.
6. Keep a lot of superglue on hand. Things break, snap off, crack. Superglue has worked wonders as a quick fix.
7. THINGS SHIFT IN TRANSIT. Open cabinets slowly after you've been moving.
8. If you give everything you own a place in your RV, you'll be stress-free and never lose sh*t.
9. Keep $20 cash handy. In a secret spot perhaps. Because hitting unexpected tolls and bridges can be garbage.
10. If you want things to look pretty on a counter top, Velcro that sh*t down. It'll look great and stay safe.
​11. Don't mask smells with chemicals. Essential oils with distilled water work wonders as an all-natural air freshener. 
12. Find things you love to pass the time. Sometimes you'll get caught in the rain, and have zero WiFi, limited battery power, and tons of time. Puzzles and books do the trick for us.
13. There are always, ALWAYS free things to do in a new city. There is no need to go broke in a day on a new exploration.
14. Invest in a hand vac. We vacuum every damn day. It takes less than 3 minutes. 
15. Keep vents clean and clear, and under control. Heat flows from the vents underneath so if you have crap or hair or rogue Q-tips (thanks, Vanessa), it may block air flow or just add a bunch of dust and crap to the air you breath.
16. Water filter, yassssss. Some RV parks, or even county spigots taste gross and who knows, might kill you. A filter will help all that.
17. Groupon, damnit. Any time we get to a new city, we Groupon the hell out of it. We've been introduced to some of our favorite city restaurants and activities through the wonder that is Groupon.
18. Keep a roll of quarters at all times. In case you're bitten randomly by the laundry bug or you stumble upon a pinball machine.
19. If ever your black tank sensors stop working....try dumping a bag of ice down the gullet of the tank, and drive around. Let things knock around. It just may do the trick.
20. WD-40 is a friend and confidant. For stairs, creaky doors, a noisy dinette table. Spray liberally and revel in wonder that is commercial lubrication.

So there you have it...some of the tips and tricks we've learned throughout our life of RV living. I'm sure there is much, much more to learn. So stayed tuned for various volumes of these helpful tidbits as we venture on.

Remember when we said we weren't leaving Oregon? We were only half joking. To be honest, visiting Pacific City was part of the reason why we came to that conclusion. I don't think I mentioned before, when Vanessa and I financed the RV, we received 30 days of free RV camping from Thousand Trails. Super cool, right? 30 nights in any selected region of our choice. We saved our 30 nights, collecting them in our cheeks like little hamsters, until we made it to the west coast to use in Oregon. That's right, we chose the Pacific Northwest to indulge in our free camping and let me tell you—we chose right.

​Pacific City f*^&ing rules. It's this adorably small, yet highly energized surfing city with tons of mom & pop shops and local friendly vibes.

We stayed at the Pacific City RV Park, which was spread out on a few acres of land in the hills a few miles away. First, our campsite was a beaut. Right on the edge of a little bluff, with an insane view of the ocean.

It was such a killer spot we ended up extending our stay twice, totaling up at eleven days. There was a little beach trail from the park, which with a hop, skip, and teeny tiny hike, you're right at the edge of the beach staring into the Pacific feeling the spray of waves on your face and sand pooling at your feet. We went down to the ocean many times with the pups, and they had a blast.

 

The park does do a great job of coming up with activities and events. We were witness to candy bar BINGO, a Saturday brunch buffet, and poolside weekend BBQs. They also have a legit mini-golf course and hot tub. 

The one downside I would say—no site-to-site WiFi. You would have to go to The Lodge in order to get any traces of internet, and even there it was shoddy at best. (The park rep said it's a step above dial up).

But, in town, we had T-Mobile LTE full force.
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Grateful Bread Bakery. hands down. You need to hit up this spot for breakfast or lunch. When you walk in, the delicious scent of freshly baked scones hits you like a ton of....well, scones. They made a variety of them, and they're crisp, but fluffy, soft, but have a crunch.

The ingredients in their dishes were full of flavor and noticeably fresh. The menu was eclectic, featuring both entrees for meat and non-meat eaters alike. They also cater to vegans, which was refreshing. However, for non-vegans, order the biscuits. I could probably eat those fluffy clouds of baked glory with some jam all day.

A quick story about Grateful Bread. After Vanessa was jonesing for something sweet, the woman behind the counter said they normally make vegans cookies, but were all out.

But wait, get this....she said that she'll have the kitchen whip some up for the next day and that if we come back, she'll have them ready for us. NO WAY. Never have we experienced that type of customer service, nor that type of pride in their product. 

Guess what, we went back and the vegan cookies, which indeed were more like scones, we out of this world. Chunks of sweet fruits and veggies dotted the scone...cookie...let's call it a skookie for time's sake. It tasted almost like a piece of fruit cake, but without all the sugar and fake chewy fruit.

​They also use Tillamook cheese, which....shoot, that's just a whole other blog post. 
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Pelican Pub and Brewery, which is right on the dang ocean. Literally. Sand gets kicked onto the patio on the reg. They brew their own beer....first....and second, the prices are very reasonable. If you like what they brew, you bring a growler and take it to-go. 

I tried the beer flight, and while some of the beers were super IPA, bitter and strong, I found a favorite in the MacPelican, a beautifully amber Scottish ale, which was smooth and tasty. Another notable favorite was the Kiwanda Cream Ale, which tasted nothing like cream, but was a night light alternative without tasting like all water.

Lots of locals frequent this spot, as well as many surfers, too, after a day on the water.

Pacific City was very accommodating with parking, plus it was all free. We even had some friends in a bus boondock close to the ocean without being disturbed. Since it's mostly a seasonal town, boondocking on a side street doesn't seem too impossible. Come summertime though, it might be another story.

​Again, Pelican Pub and Brewery. The thing is though, it's a bit pricey. Since we were saving so much money on camping for free, plus eating light for a few weeks, we splurged at Pelican and it was indeed worth it. Probably, hands-down, best Fish & Chips I've ever had. They used Alaskan Cod, and had thick chunks of it breaded deliciously (no oily batter sh*t), paired with some heavenly creamy tartar sauce. I could probably do without the chunks of pineapple in my coleslaw, but that's beside the point.

Vanessa ordered a Sweet Potato Quinoa Cake, and again, freakin' delicious. There was a tangy, sweet remoulade sauce on the bottom which one could drink for breakfast it was so good, plus massive, crisp asparagus, dangling on top of the cake. SO GOOD.

We also had a curry coconut milk soup, which was on their menu as a weekly special, and almost died it was that good. We're going to try and remake it so stay tuned.

We were able to get a lot of work down in The Lodge at our camp, but when we wanted to venture out and explore the city, we ended up at Stimulus Espresso Cafe, a cute coffee shop across from Haystack Rock. It was small, but they featured a nice menu of options, plus super strong WiFi. The upside, was they had all-natural dog treats for dogs for $1, which we jumped on. The downside, they don't have a bathroom. Tres weird.

Pacific City is all about the outdoors. Surfing, kayaking, paddleboarding, kite surfing, sand boarding— hell, we even saw a white pick-up truck at the ocean's edge, with a guy in the truck bed holding a rope, pulling another guy on a wakeboard across the tide. You can rent both surf boards and sand boards and try your hand at either. Although, I would recommend a wet suit because dude, the water is not quite right yet. 

Overall, we had an incredible time in Pacific City. We rested, we relaxed, we read like 18 books each, and we also saved a lot of bees from getting stuck in The Lodge. We also cooked over the campfire and watched a ton of sunsets. 

Sigh, Pacific City. Cheap living at its finest.

Have you been to Pacific City or Cape Kiwanda? Let us know what you thought!

After San Francisco, Vanessa had a birthday surprise planned. It goes without saying, that it's hard to plan surprises when you're living in an RV. Everyone is pretty much in everyone else's business, so surprises are few and far between. But, Vanessa did a great job at keeping this little gem a secret.

Orr Hot Springs is nestled deep in the rolling hills of the Mendocino Coastal Range. It's the type of place that if research wasn't done prior to visiting Ukiah, you'd never even know it existed. Which is honestly what the Hot Springs probably prefers. They revel in exclusivity, not in a pompous "look-at-us-we're-fancy" type of way, but in a way that truly has the visitors in mind. Besides, if you have a bunch of people flocking to the Hot Springs like it was Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, who would really be able to enjoy themselves?

After a 12-mile trek through the mountains, up and down, around and over, we made it to the right place. It's secluded, it's hidden, it's private—everything we hoped it would be. 

Since it's located in such a remote part of the Ukiah mountainside, there's not a sound for miles except for the rustling of branches above our heads and the trickle of a stream which runs through the resort. Silence, seclusion, and a little slice of heaven.

The thing about Orr Hot Springs Resort is that if you aren't staying the night in one of the yurts, cabins, or tents, then they only admit a few parties to spend the day. That's how much they value the seclusion and integrity of the place. 

After checking in, we were met by a friendly face who was herself, checking out. The first thing she asked us, was if we wanted some vegetables. A bit confused, we said yes, and Vanessa followed her into the community kitchen.

Turns out, Orr Hot Springs doesn't sell food, or have any sort of concessions. Yet, they offer a HUGE community kitchen and encourage visitors to bring their own food and use everything at their leisure. Since this woman was leaving back to San Francisco, she had a ton of food that she didn't want to throw away. So, we procured:

Vegetable Sushi
Brown Rice
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Kale
Tomatoes
Hummus
A 3/4 full bottle of red

​That's how we came to have this delicious feast...

The kitchen itself was enormous, and had literally everything you could ask for. It was like a commercial kitchen, that was free to use, as long as you cleaned up after yourself before you ate. That was their ONLY requirement. That, and you needed to compost your scraps for the chickens. We had a blast cooking our meals with fellow hot springers (is that a thing?), listening to someone play the piano in the other room. It was such a relaxing environment....and I haven't even mentioned the springs yet.

There were different ways in which you could enjoy the springs, located throughout the property. From the two HOT pools, which could fit about 10 people in each comfortably, to the giant cold pool in the back, plus a barrage of claw-foot tubs which featured water directly from the springs at various temperatures. At the top of the highest deck were two stargazing tubs, where you could soak and watch the stars. They also had a handful of private rooms, each with an individual tub of their own. Plus, there was both a wet sauna and dry sauna at the back of the property. 

​After you were done with a tub, you drained it, scrubbed it out with a scrub brush, and refilled it for the next person. It was that simple. Every time you approached an empty tub, it was already filled with fresh spring water for you to enjoy.

​It was truly a tranquil, magical place.

In case you didn't know why hot springs are so damn great, it's not just because they're warm and relaxing. The mineral waters are heralded as bringing relief to arthritis and rheumatism, and to blood, kidney and liver disorders. This is why many hot springs were deemed "healing waters" in the past, due to the variety of health benefits from just sitting and absorbing the minerals into your skin.

Everyone was extremely friendly and respectful—especially because it was clothing optional. I've never really experienced anything of the kind before, but it was nice to see people of all different shapes and sizes completely comfortable in their own skin. There were no creepy men, no insecure women...everyone was free and confident which added to the serene atmosphere. Being a naturalist herself, Vanessa felt right at home.

We fell asleep in our bath tubs at one point, the sun shining overhead. The water was extremely pleasant, not too hot, not too cold. But after the few weeks we had of running around from state to state, it was a glorious way to unwind, and soak in  some sun and minerals. We will absolutely be back to visit Orr Hot Springs, maybe a bit more prepared with our own food, and perhaps we'll bring our tent and camp next to the stream for a nice, quiet weekend.

​Until then...it's back to living in an RV for us!