Saylorville Lake Cloudy 60 degrees
I’m watching the weather an anxiously hoping the AC is running again by mid-week when the temps are predicted to be upper 80’s and very humid.
How much time do you spend outside now? You can safely double that time when you go full time. I’ve written in the past about the patio becoming a multi-purpose living area. That is only part of the equation.
Think about the less pleasant aspects of being outdoors, like insects and rodents. Mice in compartments is an unavoidable reality. Sometimes they even find their way into the RV. Even with two cats living with us there is no guarantee. Same for insects. RV’s simply aren’t build like a house. No basements or thick stud walls behind the siding and insulation for them to live. They get in and are right there in the open. We spray frequently to keep them at bay. If you are squeamish about critters, think it through carefully. There's nothing like sitting inside watching TV with the breeze blowing in the screen door and seeing a raccoon looking in at you as if you may open the door and hand them your leftovers so they don't have to raid the dumpster! The battle will be ongoing. It’s part of the charm, as I say.
Another very important thing to ponder is the weather. Does a good thunderstorm lull you to sleep? Or, does it trigger anxiety? If you have never spent the night in an RV during a storm, the first time will rattle even those who aren’t normally bothered by it. A heavy shower will sound like a downpour, with no attic space to dull the sound. Hail is a whole other world. While a hail storm may dent the siding or mess up some shingles on a home. It can total an RV. Plus, houses don’t rock back and forth in the wind like even the large RV’s do. I remember a 36’ 5th Wheel we owned several years ago jar me awake in the middle of the night, because it slammed back down on the jacks, after the wind lifted it up on one side. Once you go full time, there is no sleeping in the nice finished basement if you aren’t sure what the weather will do. Shelter will be in the form of a pipe chase in a bathhouse, or maybe even the shower stall. Underground probably won’t be an option. If a storm alert on TV makes you reach for the Xanax now, think hard on this. Even for this Iowa girl, who used to sit outside and watch the storms come I’ve had some unsettled nights since going full time. It’s part of the package.
Even if you love the outdoors, consider the worst weather you have endured camping and plan on that happening regularly.
Tomorrow, I’ll talk about the Internet
Until then…
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