It’s nice to meet people who enjoy the RV lifestyle as much as we do.

So it was a true pleasure to hang out with Nan and Dave Palmer of the Spokane Valley, who recently popped into the Admiralty Head Lighthouse at Fort Casey Historical State Park on Whidbey Island, where we are volunteering for the month of May.

The Palmers, regular readers of Going Mobile, were trailer camping with family members at Deception Pass State Park a few miles north and came by to say howdy.

The hellos turned into a long talk about their epic 4,000-plus mile adventure through the West last fall, which took them to three national parks. For an RVer, there’s nothing more interesting than hearing about how other people manage big road trips like this.

Here’s a closer look at that journey and how they put it together.

The Palmers started out in Montana, staying in Deer Lodge at a beautiful Harvest Host location, a working farm that offered fresh goods for sale.

“We had some of the best eggs we’ve ever had, and some really nice summer sausage,” Nan says, adding that their dog Tucker had a blast running around with the farm dogs.

From there, they headed to Grand Teton National Park, then made their way to Steamboat Springs, Colo., to see family, then over to Idaho Springs, Colo., to see friends. After that, they stopped at Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado, eventually getting to Tucson, Ariz., to visit more family.

“The whole purpose of the trip was to visit people,” says Dave, the couple’s trip planner. Speaking of trip planning, Dave has turned it into a science, Nan says.

“Dave actually had a spreadsheet so that every day we could look at where we’re staying, this is how many miles we’re driving …” Nan says, then Dave interjects with a laugh, “and do we have a trailer dump.”

Amen to that.

The final part of the trip took Palmers into California, stopping at Joshua Tree National Park and then north for more family visits in Half Moon Bay, Calif., and Redmond, Ore. before heading home.

Besides their dog Tucker, the Palmers also have a traveling cat named Lucy, who added a little trip drama during a stop in Colorado when she escaped, but after a couple of hours in the wilds decided she preferred the cushy RV life.

“She loves all the nooks and crannies of the trailer,” Nan says.

For the Palmers, epic trips like this are something they try to do yearly. And Dave says they also enjoy taking regular regional trips, such as the one they did to Deception Pass this month.

Camping is something they’ve always done as a couple.

“We’ve been married 52 years and we camped on our honeymoon,” Nan says. They dipped their toes into the RV world with a tent trailer after their family grew to include two children. Next they bought a cute little trailer they called “Trixie” and were hooked.

Years later, they arrived at their current model, a comfy 30-foot Rockwood pull-behind, which they bought last year.

Among the Palmers’ RVing pro tips: They’re big fans of Harvest Host locations -- a network of  wineries, breweries and farms that offer “free” stays as long as you buy something. They also often stay at KOA campgrounds, where their membership gives them a 10 percent discount.

How long will they continue the RV lifestyle? As long as they can, the Palmers say.

“People are in such different places in their life and health,” Dave says. “This is what we enjoy doing and we’re healthy enough to do it.”

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