When we began our sabbatical, I had no idea that we’d be still be on the road six months past our original “year off” scenario. But thanks to crafty money saving tactics like workamping and free campgrounds, we’ve been able to stretch our finances and live frugally enough to keep us on the road until at least May of ’09. We are presently under budget by $14,000 for the year.

Everyone keeps asking, “How long are you going to keep doing this?” And to tell you the truth, we really don’t know. After we meet our goal of finding some land where we can put our stuff that we presently have in storage, we’ll probably go back to seasonal workamping for the forseeable future.

In the meantime, here’s a PDF Download of our November living expenses.

This post is waaaaay overdue … we met up with some NüRVers way back in Denver where we filmed a few of them showing off the rigs they live in while traveling the country. We finally took a tour of our own rig while camped out on Jerry’s Flats.

I edited the video together a few weeks ago. Then, honestly, I just forgot all about it. So, without further ado, we present a progressive tour of full-time RVing rigs … from a used conversion van and a grease-powered coach, to our own fifth wheel trailer and one seriously classy Class A Motorhome:

What kind of rig do you roll in?

Our wheels rolled back into the Pacific Northwest just in time for the rainy season. We spent so much time inland this year, that I had forgotten what wet, cold coastal air felt like. For Jim, he was back in the climate he’s always preferred. I promptly pulled out my sweaters from under the bed, and watched my hair turn into a tangled frizzy mess.

When we embarked on our journey, we saved this region of the country for last. This was one area that we knew well, and we wanted to see the rest of North America before coming full circle back to our home turf. Seventeen months later, the circle is complete, and we are back in the Northwest, where we started from.

There’s a lot to love about the Pacific Northwest. You can get year-round organic produce, winters are easier than most areas, and incredible natural scenery is abundant. But there’s just one problem: I hate the weather!

After spending many years in the Northern California coastal fog belt, I’m sick of the Northwest’s mildew, fog and damp gray skies. After being away for so long, I think I’ve finally stopped growing mold between my fingers. Jim, on the other hand, still loves this depressing climate, and wishes I would come to my senses.

There is one Northwest region that we think we can compromise on, and that’s the Methow Valley in the northeastern Cascades of Washington. Specifically, the town of Twisp, population about 1,000. I’d heard about this tiny, backwoods artisan mecca long ago, but had never been there. Now, after all these years, we had a chance to check it out recently.

Located three hours east of Seattle, Twisp reminds me of another favorite town of mine, Salida, Colorado. When you’re standing in the middle of Twisp, you can look westward and stand in awe at the giant Cascade range towering above you. Look eastward, and you’ll see rolling hills with pastures, farms and ranches. Artists and hippies give the town flair and funk, and the weather perfectly meets our four-season criteria. During the long hot summers, tourists flock there for outdoor adventures, and in wintertime, the heavy snowfall makes Twisp a popular cross country skiing destination.

It’s almost perfect, except for one thing. The Methow Valley is seeing its share of Seattlites with big bucks, who are buying second homes there and driving up land prices. Still, it’s been a slow climb, and unlike the overpriced real estate in Salida, Colorado, there’s some relatively affordable acreage in the lower valley, starting at about $115K for 4 acres (I said relatively affordable). If we want to buy something, we should do it soon.

I can wait though, at least for a little while. Colorado is still my number one choice for buying our magical patch of dirt, and we’ll go back there in a few months to see if we find it there. But if we don’t find our spot in the Rockies, the eastern Cascades just might be the place for us.

Many thanks to all of you who completed our 2008 LiveWorkDream Reader Survey. The five lucky winners of Fodor’s new Essential USA road trip travel guide are: Mary L., okim1, shadowmoss, Kim and Sam, and Augustin C. And yes, the drawing was random!

We’ve only briefly reviewed all the responses, but have already learned quite a bit. Like how there are quite a few total strangers out there living vicariously through us. How some subscribers never even visit the site, nor realize we have photo galleries and video playlists to enjoy. How others really enjoy our random photos. And how many of our friends and frequent commenters didn’t even bother filling out our survey.

We’ll eventually analyze the survey results, implement any smart suggestions, and post a followup with more details. Until then, thank you for your continued support.

If we published a blog post for every interesting photo we took, we’d never have time to drive anywhere else and take new photos. That’s what are fulltime RVing roadtrip galleries are for.

But some things you just have to share, like this perfectly hat-shaped formation growing about 10 feet up a mossy tree in the Hoh Rainforest. Or, is it some unsuspecting traveller who stood still just a bit too long in this ever damp Northwest region we used to call home.

Why not comment with a link to one of your strangest photos …