It has begun. We have joined the ranks of the full time RVers. That is, between the random travel plans we have on the books (and on our wishlist), we will be calling our 2003 22’ Sportsman camper trailer home. Our little home on wheels. We are once again back to living with what we can carry with us, and we are loving it!
If you’ve been following us, you know that the nomadic, location independent, life has been our goal for a while. And thanks to Jim’s new fully remote job (wohoo!), we have reached that goal. It hasn’t been easy getting here. It has taken a lot of planning and strategizing, as well as a bit of sacrifice along the way, but we made it!
RV Life Begins
First stop? We’re back in the PNW. Washington State. This is home for us and it always calls us back. We get to see family and friends, enjoy some long missed fresh oysters, and spend a little time breathing deep of the saltwater air during low tide. Love it. Like, seriously love it … except for the rain. Have I mentioned that it rarely stops raining this time of year?
We primarily came back to the PNW help our youngest son move back after we dragged him to Montana a couple years ago. He is a PNW native to the core, he’s a Washington kid, and he is literally happy as a clam to be back. His goal was to move back to the Peninsula, so this is where our full time RV living begins.
Our first stay is just outside of Poulsbo at Kitsap Memorial State Park and then we move a little way south to Belfair State Park. I would love to share with you a glimpse of our beginning in the video below, and then a brief review of the two parks here.
For more info on the Eaz-Lift Weight Distributing Hitch seen in the video you can go here. (affiliate)
Impressions of Kitsap Memorial and Belfair State Parks
Keep in mind that we are new at full time RV living, or RVing at all for that matter, so maybe as time goes by there are other things that will stick out to us. But for now, the things we find important include the following…
KITSAP MEMORIAL STATE PARK
Kitsap Memorial is a bit of a destination for PNW weddings. It is a nice park, right on the water although the RV sites are about as far from the beach as they could have put them. There are cabins to rent and a huge hall to hold weddings and receptions. There is a big grassy area with a playground for the kiddos. The beach doesn’t have much to it, especially when the tide is high. But with a low tide, there is enough of a pebble beach for a short walk in either direction.
RV Site Quality
Sites were a bit soggy. There are not many full hookup sites at Kitsap Memorial SP and the luck of the draw gave us the muddiest one when we made our online reservation. There was a giant mud hole right outside our camper door (which I clumsily fell into one dark morning… derp). We asked the camp host if we could move to a less muddy site, but judging from his response I think he was short of vitamin D or something, so we just stayed put. They did gravel the site the day before we left, so at least that’s a nice bonus for the folks that come next.
Park Amenities
Bathrooms were private and (usually) clean. There aren’t any trails other than the short walking path to the beach.
Cell Signal / WIFI
The cell signal is not bad. We have Verizon unlimited plans and consistently had about a three bar signal. Jim had no problem connecting and using it for conference and video calls. Washington state parks don’t have Wifi.
The Nearby Town
Poulsbo is amazing. I would live here.
Groceries
Central Market is the go to spot for some seriously grubbing gourmet food, and then there is Walmart for money saving options. This has to be the poshest Walmart I’ve ever seen. Great organic selection and not too many ‘characters’ if you know what I mean.
Laundry
There is a decent laundromat in Poulsbo but go prepared, there are no restrooms.
Coffee Shops
The coffee stand just a little north of the park makes a seriously good cappuccino and the girls there are really nice. Or if you need a sit down spot and some wifi then head to Cafe Cocina in town. Great food, seriously good cappuccino, and super friendly staff.
Did I mention how much I love Poulsbo?
BELFAIR STATE PARK
We were so excited to pull in to Belfair State Park! There are several pull thru RV sites right on the water. Beautiful spots to have a campfire and a sundowner with friends. The area is bright, not so many trees that you are stuck in the shade, and the place is well kept. My favorite part of Belfair State Park is the view and the beach.
RV Site Quality
The RV sites at Belfair State Park are really nice. There are what seem to be newly laid concrete pads so you don’t have to deal with the mud like you do at Kitsap.
Park Amenities
The main draw here is the beach and the view and there are plenty of walking paths to enjoy.
Cell Signal / WIFI
The signal here is not great. It’s a bit patchy. We get one to two bars of service on Verizon. Jim was still able to get work done. But this place has us considering the purchase of a cell signal booster.
The Nearby Town
Belfair is no Poulsbo. Not even close. It’s nice that there are groceries and services nearby but the service is hit or miss.
On the plus side, there is a new brewery in town, Bent Bine Brewery. They have a great atmosphere in their tasting room and plenty of drink-worthy craft beers on tap, plus a couple of decent ciders.
Groceries
I used to regularly at this Safeway and it’s still a good place to go. Some of the locals prefer the QFC but it is a little pricier.
Laundry
There is a laundromat. That’s about the only nice thing I can say about it. It looks really nice on the outside but let me just say if you I could avoid going here for laundry, I would.
Coffee Shops
There’s a decent little coffee hut right outside the gates of Belfair State Park that knows their coffee well. For a coffee shop with Wi-Fi, the only option in town is the Starbucks.
Follow the Journey!
WHAT WE’RE ALL ABOUT…
We are going after the location independent travel lifestyle. This is something of
We are being intentional about life, designing the lifestyle we really want, and taking the steps to make it happen. Call us digital nomads, wanderlusters, nomadic spirits, call us whatever you want… just don’t call us bored.
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We plan to share our documentation of the journey, we’ll share the ups and downs, tips and tricks, and hopefully enough inspiration to motivate some of you guys to make your dreams happen, too. Are you living the life you want? What’s stopping you?
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READ MORE: RV Newbie Tips… Challenges and Observations in Our First Few Weeks of RV Life
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