Do You Keep an RVing Log or Diary?

[dcmac214]

A question out of semi-idle curiosity.
How many of you keep a store-bought log book like this?

We only have a sort of running diary on the tablet where we record the dates, where we were, who was with us (Gkids, friends), memorable moments. Done with just the bare fact info, with hardly a complete sentence. Anything more is way too anal and detailed for us.

[2gypsies1]

I have over 300 single-spaced pages on the computer arranged by state of the campgrounds/boondocking spots we've stayed during our 16 years of full-timing. We referred to it often for return stays. If we liked the place we usually did a walk-thru and made note of good campsite numbers for later use.

[Atlee]

I kept a blog during our post retirement journey across the USA. From Richmond, VA, to Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, back through northern part of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, and back home to Virginia.

I did the blog at the behest of my son, so he could keep track of where we were. Of course, I couldn't do the blog every day since I didn't have Wi-Fi every day.

This year our big trip will go to Arkansas, Monument Valley, Crators of the Moon NP, ID, Grand Teton NP, Yellowstone NP, Cody, Little Big Horn NB, the Black Hills, Badlands NP, and Michigan (where my daughter and S-I-L live).

I plan on getting a wall sized road map for my granddaughter. I'm going to message by phone to my son every night to let him know where we are, so our granddaughter, who's 6 and 1/2 years old, can keep track where we are by putting stick pins, or little stickers on the map.

Might even be a little learning experience for her.

[ncrowley]

Yes, we have a journal with all of our trips. It is useful if we cannot remember where we stayed on a trip and what we liked or did not like. We also like to keep track of how many nights we spend in the RV.

[beemerphile1]

I write a blog as a diary/journal. The advantage of the blog is that friends and family can see where we are and what we are doing right now, today.

[SoundGuy]

troubledwaters wrote:
So many times one of us has said "Where was it we _________"? The journal answers those types of questions.

So do digital cameras, pretty well all of which also shoot outstanding quality video. K.I.S.S. :W

[fj12ryder]

Nope.

[LuvRvn]

Yes! Started back in 2001 when we went out west with our kids and my dad, just after my mom passed...I recorded mileage, gas prices, where we stopped, and my dad’s comments....priceless! Have continued over the years since then.

[RognBon]

No.

[stickdog]

MDKMDK wrote:
Not really, sort of. I document anything worth remembering by taking pictures, and then dump them off the phone/camera into folders appropriately named on my laptop, and migrate them to the backup laptop. My wife calls that "hers".
"A picture is worth a thousand diaries" :C

I have a good memory, of course that may change as the years go by. I started to keep a log/diary of our travels but gave up as too time consuming. I do take many pictures and just looking at them brings back the day, thw weather, the smells, but that's me. The memories are mine and not for posterity, let them make their own.

[MDKMDK]

Not really, sort of. I document anything worth remembering by taking pictures, and then dump them off the phone/camera into folders appropriately named on my laptop, and migrate them to the backup laptop. My wife calls that "hers".
"A picture is worth a thousand diaries" :C

[bguy]

The only thing I record is the name of the park, site number and the night of the season ( ie the 5th or 10th or 30th night in the camper for the season ) on a calendar in the trailer.

[wildtoad]

Nope. When I had to clear out my dad’s things after he and mom had RV’d for 30+ years I ran across both written diaries and audio tapes. (He was a big ham radio guy). None of the stuff he recorded in the books such as monies spent, exits taken, etc meant a thing to me, but neither did the thousands and thousands of pictures he had taken over the years with nothing to identify what where when. All got dumped. I did find on a couple of audio tapes where he recorded the hiway, exit that had Dairy Queen’s. He was a big fan of their sundaes.

[obgraham]

I log all that same data, but just into an Excel spreadsheet.

I can't tell you how many times it has come in handy -- just last week when looking for a place to stop over in West Texas. "Where did I stop in '08, what was the campground?"

Very handy to have, especially if you have a degree of OCD like I do.

[docsouce]

We keep a log too. Date, odometer reading at the start and finish of each day. How much gas we use with the price per gallon. Where we stay for one night or longer, and a quick comment on the campground. Have done this since day one with our RV, and any motorcycles and boats we have owned. We use a little spiral notebook.

[2oldman]

I use Google Calendar. Much easier to search.