After 3 months of working on the Dolphin we'll break her in by taking her across the US and back. Jacqui's family is rallying together for a cruise out of Tampa, FL and neither of us has driven across the continental US in one go. After rebuilds, upgrades, sprucing up and countless other forms of work done on the Dolphin, 6,000 miles and a month of living in her is exactly the trial she needs before we enter the true unknown of crossing boarders. Not to mention it'll be an amazing experience on it's own!

Click on images in the gallery to learn a bit more about our journey along the way.

*The lovely Dolphina, about to depart from Alameda, CA*

Part 1: The Journey Begins. We packed all the belongings we anticipated we may need for a year of travel and kiting and hit the road. Our deadlines included meeting up with friends and family on the East Coast. Beyond that, we were free to see the sites at our leisure.

Highlights of this first part of the trip include riding mules in the Grand Canyon on Cameron's bday, eating BBQ in Texas, Gumbo and Chicken&Waffles in NOLA, and hanging out with friends along the way from Indio, to Austin, Atlanta and Charleston. Reminder: click on any image to see it full size and read a bit about the trip.

Part 2: Family Vacation. The reason for driving across the country and back (other than meeting up with friends and seeing the sites) was to meet up with my family for a vacation. We stayed at my aunt's house, arriving Christmas day. Then after a day at Epcot we boarded a cruise! Not the wisest idea to live a life of gluttony before committing to RV life for a year ;-)

Part 3: Heading Back. We bee-lined it back to San Diego as fast as our lil' Dolphin could take us (max speed 55mph) as we're eager to cross the border! I highly recommend a visit to Carlsbad Caverns in NM, one of the most breathtaking and spectacular places I've ever seen and my photos do not do it justice.