FIVE PARKS LIFE
THE WRITTEN STUFF · ONE ENTRY PER STOP

The Journal

videos are the movie, this is the diary

Where we stayed, what it cost, what we'd do differently, and everything that never makes the final cut. Newest first.

A bank sign-in page with Claude in a side panel saying go ahead and log in, tell me when you are in ENTRY 18

The Month AI Stopped Helping and Started Doing

Every fall I get an email I dread. It's from our accountant. It's perfectly polite, yet it means two weeks of my life are about to…

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Control panel of a blue Pulsar dual fuel generator with CO Sentry, a yellow 30 amp RV plug connected. ENTRY 17

Everything We Bought to Set Up Our Travel Trailer (and What We Paid)

Our real first-year shopping list for the Brinkley: a lot of Amazon boxes and one very expensive battery, grouped by what each thing is for, with roughly what we paid.

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A black Ford pickup parked in front of the Brinkley travel trailer at a gravel desert campsite. ENTRY 16

What a Year on the Road Actually Cost Us

Campsites were a little over $30 a night. The real cost of a year in the Brinkley, with everything it takes to keep it rolling, was closer to $200 a night. Here's the honest picture in round numbers, plus what it cost to get set up.

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Brinkley Model I travel trailer at a campsite with sunset light reflecting in its windows and e-bikes beside it. ENTRY 15

Brinkley Model I 235 Review: Our Honest First Year

A year and 85 nights in our 2026 Brinkley Model I 235: what broke and what we upgraded, plus what we love and what we'd change.

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Digital Texas State Parks Pass in Matt's name next to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife logo with a bighorn ram. ENTRY 14

Texas vs. Colorado State Park Passes: What Ours Actually Saved Us

The Texas State Parks Pass paid us back more than $200 on $70, and Colorado's $29 Keep Colorado Wild pass covered itself in three days. What they really did for us, and two mistakes to skip.

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Starlink Mini dish on a tripod stand at a leaf-covered campsite beside the power pedestal. ENTRY 13

Starlink Mini for RV Life: What It Actually Costs Us

Our Starlink Mini kit was about $540 and service runs about $170 a month. Here's what our internet really cost over a year of RV travel.

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Matt and Erin smiling in camp chairs with Rindo beside a propane fire pit as the sun sets through the pines. ENTRY 12

Our Snowbird RV Route: Colorado to Texas and Back

Our first snowbird winter in the Brinkley: Colorado to Texas through New Mexico, and home through Arizona. Every stop in order, with costs by state.

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Matt's digital lifetime Access Pass from Recreation.gov, issued January 24, 2026, showing an owl in flight. ENTRY 11

How I Got a Lifetime Access Pass for Tinnitus (and What It Has Actually Saved Us)

I got a free, lifetime America the Beautiful Access Pass for tinnitus. How I applied online in three days, what it covers, the fine print, and the roughly $170 it has saved us so far.

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Matt kneeling on gravel with a bottle jack and tool bag, working on a tire of the travel trailer. ENTRY 10

What We Learned in Our First Year of RV Travel

Eleven lessons from our first year of RV travel, each with the rough number behind it, from one very expensive flat tire to a $70 pass that paid back more than $200.

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Interior of the Brinkley travel trailer looking toward the bed, with a hanging plant, desk and pine trees outside. ENTRY 09

Battery Powered Wall Sconces in Our RV: A GlowRight Review

The battery powered wall sconces we love in our travel trailer, the GlowRight lights we'd skip, and roughly what we paid for all of it.

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Brinkley trailer and pickup truck parked below a juniper-dotted hillside in Colorado in warm evening light. ENTRY 08

Colorado RV Camping: Every Spot We’ve Stayed, by Region

Eleven Colorado campgrounds from our first year in the Brinkley, sorted by region. BLM land ran under $10 a night.

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Brinkley trailer, pickup truck, e-bikes and a generator on an open grassy campsite on federal land at sunset. ENTRY 07

Cheap RV Camping on Federal Land: What We Paid in a Year

Federal land was our cheapest camping at around $16 a night. Here's every federal stop we made in a year, and what each one was like.

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Folding portable solar panel set up on red dirt among pinyon and juniper trees, with its cable running to camp. ENTRY 06

Off-Grid Power for a Travel Trailer: What We Actually Use

How we power our travel trailer off grid with a 460Ah lithium battery and roof solar, plus our backups. What each piece does and what we paid.

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Brinkley trailer glowing at night at a wooded Texas state park campsite with string lights, rug and picnic table. ENTRY 05

Texas State Parks in Winter: 25 RV Nights at About $25 a Night

We camped 25 nights in ten Texas state parks in our travel trailer for about $25 a night. What every park was like, plus what to know in winter.

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Black Ford pickup and Brinkley travel trailer parked at a gravel campsite among junipers and autumn trees. ENTRY 04

The Best RV YouTube Channels for Beginners (Our Favorites)

The RV YouTube channels and podcast I watched for three years before we bought our trailer, from Keep Your Daydream to Josh the RV Nerd.

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Matt and Erin smiling on a rocky riverbank with Rindo, their senior dog, below a limestone bluff. ENTRY 03

RV Travel With a Senior Dog: What We Do for Rindo

Rindo is twelve and lives on the road with us. How we plan walks around her range, handle heat, and the dog gear we actually bought for the trailer.

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Matt and Erin taking a selfie in a grassy desert campground with rugged mountains behind them at dusk. ENTRY 02

Arizona and New Mexico State Parks for RV Camping: What We Paid

Arizona state parks cost us about $50 a night and New Mexico about $35. Nine parks, plus the fee schedules that explain the gap.

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The Brinkley trailer at a gravel desert site with a lit fire pit and pink sunset clouds overhead. ENTRY 01

Volume Two: Why We’re Trading Our Foundation for Four Wheels

The kids are off to college, the half-and-half life between Costa Rica and Colorado has run its course, and we bought an RV. Here's why we're starting Volume Two.

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