Outland Adventures

 🚧 When Plans Go Sideways Outland Adventures Blog If RV life has taught us anything, it’s this: the plan is a suggestion at best. You can map it out, time it perfectly, even do that thing where you feel wildly responsible about leaving early to “beat traffic”… and the universe will still look at your itinerary, laugh softly, and reroute you through a detour involving construction, a blinking warning light, and a gas station that only accepts cash and vibes. Somewhere between point A and point B, things almost always go a little sideways. The detour that wasn’t on any map There was a stretch of road where everything looked simple enough—flat highway, decent weather, Wildebeest humming along like she actually enjoyed behaving for once. We were ahead of schedule, which is RV-speak for “something is definitely about to happen.” Then came the sign: ROAD CLOSED AHEAD. Not “lane shift.” Not “expect delays.” Closed. The kind of closed that assumes you already know where you’re go...

  Outland Adventures Blog: Life Inside Wildebeest This one’s for the “but how do you actually LIVE in there?” crowd. We’re pulling back the curtain on what day-to-day life really looks like inside Wildebeest—from cooking setups and storage Tetris to the little routines that make this lifestyle work (and the moments that absolutely don’t). Spoiler: it’s equal parts cozy and “why did we think this was a good idea?” 😅 First things first: yes, we really live here Wildebeest isn’t a weekend toy or a staged travel setup. It’s home. A 1990 Ford E350 shuttle bus conversion that’s seen more miles than most people’s family cars and somehow still manages to hold our entire life inside it. It’s tight. It’s loud when the wind hits it right. And it absolutely has opinions about how we organize things. The kitchen: minimal space, maximum strategy Cooking inside Wildebeest is less “culinary experience” and more “carefully choreographed survival routine.” We don’t have the luxury of sp...

  Spring skies... really do hit different when you’re living life on the move.  There’s something about this time of year—the air still carrying a bit of winter’s edge, but the light stretching longer each evening—that makes both sunrise and sunset feel a little more intentional. Like the world is quietly showing off just for a moment before getting back to business. For us at Outland Adventures , golden hour isn’t just “nice lighting for photos.” It’s pause time. It’s coffee-on-the-steps-of-the-Wildebeest kind of mornings. It’s “let’s sit here a few extra minutes and not rush anywhere yet” evenings. And after enough miles, you start learning that the best views aren’t always the famous ones—they’re the ones you just happen to be parked in front of when the sky decides to put on a show. One of our favorite sunrise setups is anything wide open. Think old backroads, field edges, or those quiet pull-offs where the horizon feels endless. There’s a certain calm in watching the l...

 Roadside Oddities with Outland Adventures There’s something about the open road that makes you start noticing things you’d swear shouldn’t exist—but absolutely do. Giant boots sitting in parking lots. A 40-foot-long hot dog outside a gas station. A concrete cow staring you down like it knows your secrets. And honestly? That’s the magic of it. Welcome to Roadside Oddities 🤪 —where the map is more of a suggestion and curiosity always wins over “we should probably keep driving.” Out here in Wildebeest (our 1990 Ford E350 Shuttle Bus conversion), we’ve learned that the best travel days aren’t always about the destination. Sometimes they’re about the moment Chris slams the brakes because there’s a 20-foot-tall fiberglass squirrel pointing at a bait shop and Amanda is already halfway out the door with a camera. Because yes—we are absolutely stopping for that. 🛣️ The Beauty of “What IS That?” Roadside oddities are the universe’s way of saying, “Hey, you were getting a little too...

  Historic Routes & Hidden Gems 🛣️ Old highways, forgotten towns, and hidden spots you’ll want to add to your bucket list. There’s something magical about getting off the interstate and onto the roads that time forgot. You know the ones—two-lane highways with peeling paint lines, faded roadside signs still clinging to stories from the 1950s, and small towns that feel like they’re half in the present and half in a memory you accidentally stepped into. At Outland Adventures , we live for that feeling. The kind you only get when you’re not in a rush… when the GPS says “faster route available” and you say, “no thanks, I want the weird one.” 🛤️ Old Highways That Still Tell Stories Before the big interstates cut straight lines across the country, America was stitched together by winding highways that followed rivers, hills, and whatever path the land allowed. Some of those routes are still alive if you know where to look. Sections of old Route 66 still glow with neon n...

  Small-Town Spring Festivals Worth the Stop 🎉 Spring is in full swing, and honestly, there’s nothing quite like rolling into a small town just in time for its festival. Streets decked out in decorations, the smell of fried dough wafting through the air, and locals waving like you’re part of the family—it’s the kind of charm you just can’t get from big-city events. From pie contests to parades, small towns know how to celebrate the season, and we’re here to spotlight the ones that make a road trip extra fun. 🌸🚐 Here’s a mix of quirky small-town festivals happening March through May that are totally worth a pit stop: Pasadena, TX – Pasadena Strawberry Festival (Late March): One of the sweetest spring festivals around! Strawberries in every form imaginable, carnival rides, and live music make it a perfect mix of fun and flavor. 🍓🎶 Macon, GA – International Cherry Blossom Festival (Late March – Early April): Macon goes full pink-and-white for the blooms! Parades, local ...

  Abandoned Wonders: Exploring Forgotten Places There’s something oddly captivating about places that time forgot. 🏚️ When you spend as much time on the road as we do, you start noticing them everywhere—old motels with faded neon signs, boarded-up diners that probably served a thousand cups of coffee a day, and quiet little towns where the main street feels frozen in another decade. These abandoned places aren’t just empty buildings. They’re stories. Traveling in Wildebeest , our trusty 1990 Ford E350 shuttle bus conversion , we’ve rolled past more forgotten places than we can count. Some sit quietly along backroads, slowly surrendering to weeds and rust. Others are tucked just outside thriving small towns, like ghosts of a previous era watching life move on without them. The Allure of the Forgotten Part of the magic of RV travel is that you’re not limited to the big tourist stops. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries happen when you take the slower road and stumble ont...

  The Great Roadside Snack Test Thursday, March 5 – Outland Adventures There are two types of road trip people: The ones who pack sensible snacks… And the ones who slam on the brakes when they see a neon sign shaped like a hotdog. You already know which ones we are. As full-time travelers, we pass hundreds of diners, snack shacks, gas station grills, and mysterious “World Famous” food stops. Some look questionable. Some look legendary. Some look like they haven’t changed since 1974—and that’s either a red flag or a glowing review. So we decided to put them to the test. Welcome to The Great Roadside Snack Test . 🧪 The Official (Very Scientific) Rating System Every stop gets judged on: ⭐ Flavor (obviously) 🧂 Seasoning confidence 🧼 Cleanliness vibes 💵 Price vs. portion 🚐 “Would we pull Wildebeest over again?” No mercy. No nostalgia bias. Just honest, road-weary tastebuds. 🍔 Stop #1: The Neon Burger Barn You know the place. Giant glowing cow on t...

  Hidden Gems of the Midwest Tuesday, March 3 – Outland Adventures When most people think about travel, they think beaches, mountains, or big cities with skylines that scrape the clouds. But some of our favorite places? They don’t make the brochures. They’re tucked between cornfields. Sitting quietly along two-lane highways. Blink-and-you-miss-it towns with one gas station, one diner, and one really weird statue no one can quite explain. The Midwest is full of hidden gems — and we live for finding them. The Towns You Almost Drive Past You know the kind. Population: 642. One flashing stoplight. A mural on the side of a brick building that hasn’t changed since 1978. And somehow? It ends up being the highlight of the week. These towns aren’t trying to impress anyone. They’re just… themselves. Local cafés where the pie is homemade. Antique stores packed floor to ceiling. A barber shop that still uses a striped pole out front. We’ve learned that if something makes us ...

  Odd Museums and Local History Stops That Are Actually Fun Not all museums are the kind where you shuffle quietly from one display to the next. Some surprise you, make you laugh, and even leave you wondering how you didn’t know about them before. On our travels, we’ve discovered that the quirkiest museums often end up being the most memorable—and surprisingly fun. Take the car museums we’ve stumbled upon along the way. From classic muscle cars to rare vintage models, these stops weren’t just about looking at shiny vehicles—they were mini time machines. Walking among cars that once roared down old highways, reading their backstories, and spotting unique oddities like cars with unconventional designs or quirky modifications made the experience both fun and fascinating. Even if you’re not a car fanatic, the passion and creativity behind these collections are hard not to admire. Then there’s the Fur Trappers Museum we visited. At first glance, you might think it would be dusty an...

Planning the Perfect Travel Day A smooth travel day doesn’t happen by accident. Over time, we’ve learned that a little planning makes a huge difference—not just in getting from point A to point B, but in actually enjoying the journey. Here’s how we plan our travel days to keep them as stress-free as possible. 1. Start with the Route (But Stay Flexible) The first step is mapping out the general route. We look at: Distance and estimated driving time Road conditions and major construction areas Weather along the route We try to avoid pushing too far in one day. Shorter drives mean we arrive with enough energy to settle in, cook, and relax instead of collapsing into bed. Of course, flexibility is key. Detours sometimes lead to the best unexpected discoveries— quirky roadside stops and small towns are kind of our thing, after all. 2. Plan Fuel and Stretch Stops Driving for hours straight isn’t fun or safe, so we plan stops ahead of time. We look for: Gas stations wit...

  Small Towns We Didn’t Expect to Love When you travel full-time, you learn something quickly: the places you circle on the map aren’t always the ones that steal your heart. Sometimes it’s not the big-name destinations or the “Top 10” travel lists that stick with you. It’s the towns you pulled into for gas. The places you planned to stay one night. The spots you almost skipped. Today we’re sharing a few kinds of small towns that completely surprised us — and why slowing down in places like these can turn a simple stop into a core memory . The “We Just Needed Groceries” Town You know the one. You’re low on snacks. The propane situation is questionable. The GPS says it’s the closest stop. You pull in expecting a basic strip mall and leave three hours later because: There’s a locally owned diner with pie that tastes like someone’s grandma made it. The hardware store still has creaky wood floors. The cashier calls you “hon” and means it. There’s a tiny mural tucke...