Last Updated: July 17, 2026
Life on the road has been one of the most remarkable chapters of our lives. Over the past four years, we traveled across much of the United States and parts of Canada in our Newmar Dutch Star motorhome, immersing ourselves in each region in a way that no hotel stay or vacation schedule could replicate. We explored remote national parks, tiny historic towns, sweeping coastlines, and everything in between — unhurried, on our own terms, with Jake riding shotgun for every mile. Now, in the summer of 2020, we find ourselves at a turning point: transitioning from full-time life on the road to spending a few months each year back in San Diego, while keeping the adventures very much alive.
Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve, California
Visitor Information — Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve: 9310 Fanita Parkway, Santee, CA 92071. Open year-round with full hookup RV sites, tent camping, fishing lakes, and extensive walking paths. Phone: (619) 596-3141. Website: santeelakes.com. For a full guide to the park, see our dedicated Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve post.
We had stayed at Santee Lakes about a year and a half earlier and remembered it fondly. The sites are generously large, the amenities are solid, and the park sits amid a string of beautiful fishing lakes that give the whole setting a peaceful, almost rural feel — hard to believe it’s in the middle of San Diego’s East County. Our only recurring complaints were the intermittent Wi-Fi and dirt (rather than asphalt) pads at some sites, but neither was a dealbreaker.
What made this stay especially enjoyable was the walking. Twice a day we set out on foot, covering a good portion of the park for both exercise and fresh air. Unlike so many motorhome parks that offer little more than a loop road, Santee Lakes has genuine space to roam — lakeside paths, garden areas, and quiet corners where wildlife appears around every turn. Inevitably, the best sightings happened when we’d left the cameras behind: three young hawks on the ground waiting for their parents, a fleet of newly hatched ducklings trailing their mother across the water. You learn quickly to always bring the camera.
A newspaper stand and a phone booth — a couple of modes of communication that have nearly disappeared from daily life. Spotting them together felt like stumbling across a small time capsule. We lingered for a moment, half-expecting someone to drop in a quarter.
This kid had figured out an efficient solution to the classic dog-walking problem — and the dog didn’t seem to mind one bit.
Hawks were plentiful throughout our stay — Cooper’s Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks in particular seemed to claim every high perch in the park as their own. For birders, Santee Lakes is a wonderful spot; the combination of open water, mature trees, and surrounding grassland draws a remarkable variety of raptors and waterbirds.
Life in San Diego, CA
San Diego has always been our benchmark — the standard against which we measure everywhere else we’ve lived or lingered. And the honest conclusion after four years on the road? We could easily live in almost any state in this country. Each region has so much to offer: the mountains of Montana, the silence of the Dakotas, the dense green of the Pacific Northwest, the warmth of the Gulf Coast. But San Diego’s climate and lifestyle remain genuinely difficult to beat. We’re not fans of California’s politics, high cost of living, or the ever-present crowds — but the weather, the proximity to the ocean, and the quality of daily life here are things we kept coming back to as we drove through the rest of the country.
We still own a house in San Diego that we’ve maintained as a rental property. Even with the best tenants, normal wear and tear accumulates over time, and this stay gave us the opportunity to tackle a long list of repairs and updates. Fortunately, most businesses were open despite the pandemic. We browsed consignment and furniture stores, toured model homes for decorating ideas, and generally threw ourselves into the kind of domestic logistics that feel almost foreign after years of motorhome living. Michael is pictured above — attempting to tour model homes the day after cataract surgery, one eye still dilated. We manage.
COVID-19 case numbers, unfortunately, were not improving. The summer reopening of businesses had brought an expected surge, and with multiple medical procedures between us, we stayed socially isolated throughout most of our stay. It was frustrating — we genuinely wanted to see friends we hadn’t visited in months — but caution felt like the right call.
One of the most meaningful moments of the entire trip was celebrating Michael’s father Jim’s 95th birthday. Jim lives in Escondido, and his assisted living facility was under quarantine due to some asymptomatic COVID-19 cases among staff and residents. We weren’t able to go inside, but the staff graciously brought him to the door, and we stood outside and captured a few photographs. Ninety-five years old, sharp as ever, and completely unimpressed by the fuss. It was a moment we won’t forget.
We finally stole a glimpse of the beach at Cardiff by the Sea — a beautiful stretch of Southern California coast where train tracks run right along the bluff above the sand. It was crowded, as San Diego beaches always are in summer, but the view was stunning. We made a mental note to come back on a weekday for a proper walk along the shore.
A strawberry full moon over Santee — one of those unplanned moments that the road keeps delivering, no matter how many miles you’ve logged. We watched it rise from outside the motorhome and decided, somewhere in that quiet moment, that we weren’t done yet. The plan going forward: a few months each year in San Diego, and the rest of the time back on the road. There are still too many places on the list, too many back roads we haven’t driven, too many sunsets we haven’t seen. The RV lifestyle has been a remarkable means of exploration — and while the repairs, the crowded parks, and the spotty Wi-Fi wear on you after a while, the freedom and the discoveries more than make up for it. When COVID is finally behind us, international adventures will be waiting too.
Practical Tips for the RV Lifestyle Transition
Transitioning from full-time to part-time RV living is more of a mindset shift than a logistical one. The hardest part isn’t deciding to slow down — it’s resisting the urge to fill your stationary weeks with the same relentless activity that made the road so exhausting in the first place. Give yourself permission to simply be somewhere for a while.
Maintaining a home base while traveling full-time is a balancing act. If you own property, plan for deferred maintenance to accumulate. Whether you use it as a rental or leave it vacant, budget time and money each year for repairs and updates. Having a trusted property manager or handyman on speed dial is worth every penny.
RV repairs and parts availability can bring a trip to a standstill, especially for less common motorhome models. If you’re facing a significant repair, call ahead to confirm parts are in stock before committing to a service appointment. Holland RV near Escondido has been a reliable option for us in the San Diego area.
Staying at Santee Lakes is one of the better RV options in San Diego County. The sites are large enough for big rigs, the park is genuinely walkable, and the fishing lakes add a scenic quality that most urban RV parks can’t match. Request a site near the lakes for the best experience, and bring your binoculars — the birding here is excellent.
Medical care on the road is something every long-term RV traveler should plan for. Scheduling routine visits during home-base stays, maintaining relationships with your regular physicians, and knowing which urgent care networks accept your insurance in different regions can save significant stress when something unexpected comes up far from home.
