A year of travel

This note is not music or education! It has been a year since we left Highlands, Texas and tracked the height of the US to Helena, Montana.

Montana was a dream come true for my husband and I. The lakes, rivers, and mountains were so life giving. Our camp ground was only 3 hours from Glacier National Park, and 3 hours from Yellowstone National Park... and just a little bit further was The Grand Teton National Park. We stayed there in Helena for 5 months. We almost took a permanent position there, but about a month into the full time gig we realized we made a mistake. Our Paw Paw Marvin got sick with cancer and we realized that we were just too far away.

We pulled out of East Helena, Montana the day before the city froze over. It was a close call. Jerred pulled the trailer, and I drove behind. It took us 3 full days of driving to get to Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

We took a month off and hooked up at my en-laws. (If you are reading this, thank you so much)

Paw Paw Marvin is doing well thus far... he is such a fighter!

We cut it super close getting to our next assignment. Anderson, Indiana.

Jerred made life long friends at his job there at the hospital, and I too made some amazing friends as well at the Anderson Pentecostal Church. We stayed in Anderson for 6 months!

Now... we are foodies. I have not found a pizza place that beats Bullmans Pizza in Helena, MT. However, Pies and Pints in Fischers, Indiana came really close! I never thought Jerred and I would become pizza connoisseurs! But, we are pizza snobs. There I said it! A close third was the siracha chicken bacon ranch pizza at the Pizza King in Chesterfield, Indiana! We are in Ruidoso, New Mexico right now, and the Cloudcroft Brewery was recommended for pizza... and y'all, it just ain't it!

Camper life is a tough life. When we first got to Indiana we had to rent an Airbnb for a month due to the freezing temperatures. It was lovely getting to stretch our legs and have a real kitchen for a while. I loved every minute of it! Macy and Oliver, our golden retrievers, also enjoyed the heck out of it! Oliver enjoyed it too much... he cost us our deposit.

We got really nervous because it seemed all the campgrounds were full! Finally, we found a spot. I am appalled at the cost of RV parks... the park we went to first was a field with nothing. No amenities... no nothing. We paid 750$ a month for a muddy, unlevel pad of rocks, water and electricity. But alas, we did not have water for the first two weeks we were there. The weather decided to drop to single digits again. So... we improvised.

note: The RV park in Helena, MT was just as expensive and maybe worse.

When it is freezing, normally you would skirt your RV and put heat tape on everything. But we knew it was gonna warm up soon and why spend hundreds of dollars. So we decided to keep bags in the restroom, and shower at the gym every morning. Finally after a couple of weeks we were able to turn on the water. And guess what... a leak in the toilet. Our camper has pex plumbing, so it is just the connecting lines that you have trouble with. That was quite the experience! Jerred and I really could probably handle just about anything with what we've been through!

We found a new campground that was closer to Jerred's job. It had laundry, and pond and a nice trail and that was worth the extra hundred dollars a month to stay there.

Time seemed to fly by! Before we knew it, it was July 26th and a year of travel closed in on us. We pulled out of Indiana and travelled all the way to Highlands, Texas. I don't know exactly how many miles we traveled this year, but it was a lot. We have learned and grown in countless ways.

We started year 2 in Ruidoso, New Mexico and we will be here for 6 months (until February 2026).

I am ever grateful for each of you and your continued support for Donohoo Music School!

Shameless plug: I have 4 book available for purchase on amazon! The links are in my last blog post!

Musically,

Destenee Donohoo