New Year - New Place

In a few days we will say ‘til we meet again’ to new friends and head out to our new volunteer gig at Goliad State Park  It has been a fun filled, 8 weeks here at Wilderness Lakes RV Resort. For us, it has been the perfect balance of ruggedness with timbered trails and wildlife and the perks of a resort style park with it’s clubhouse, pool and organized social events.  I recall our volunteer village neighbor, Bob Flannagan,  saying ‘For every Hello, there is a Goodbye”. What I add to that is there is also the hope of a return 'Hello' down the road.

My mind works in visual analogies.  I relate the people we meet along the way in this life to a Shrub Rose I had at our old acreage. Every passing year it grew a little larger and produced more flowers. Out time is like the bush and our new friends are the flowers. It was beautiful to see it grow just as it is beautiful to see the network of friends grow each season that we put behind us.

 

 

Over the past weeks, we had the opportunity to visit the Harrington’s who are two hours south of us working at Laguna Atascosa NWR till spring. We left with plans for them to visit us at Goliad when they head back north. We played tourist in Corpus Christie and spent a great evening taking in the Christmas spirit along the San Antonio River Walk. The rest of our time has been filled with new friends at the RV Park, Bocce Ball, card games and potlucks.  I met Connie, who introduced me to a new form of exercise called Eccentircs that I am learning and will continue to work on through videos and online self-teaching programs. Champ has been having a good time playing horseshoes and we both have really enjoyed the walking trails around the park.

[caption id="attachment_460" align="alignleft" width="300"] Fran[/caption]

Fran is the local bird and butterfly guru who volunteered many years at various wildlife refuges and traveled in her RV. She resides here at Wilderness Lakes now. I had the privilege of going birding with her one morning where we logged 35 species, several that were firsts for me, still in my birding formative years. She also taught me a great deal about identifying butterflies.

 

[caption id="attachment_459" align="alignright" width="300"] Champ and I with the Berrys and the Waltons[/caption]

We made new friends here, many whom we will stay in contact with and hope will come visit us at our new destination. Some live in areas of the country we want to visit and will give us a familiar face when we make it there one day. Some spend their summers just three or so hours from Saylorville so seeing them in the summer is very likely. It is going to be hard to leave, but it is also exciting to think of the future and opportunities to reconnect with them.

Through the people we met here we have learned about Texas Independence Day in March and the big town festival that happens in Goliad. We also learned about Cuero and the Chisolm Trail museum where we will make it a point to visit on one of our days off.

I saw a note in my publishing calendar that reminded me to revisit a topic from this time last year called “5 things We’ll Miss”. After a year we still miss the whirlpool tub very much. We have adapted to using single ply toilet paper, not having a garbage disposal and the cats have adapted nicely to being tethered when outside. Buster has even learned to walk on a leash so is able to roam a bit with us in tow to keep him out of trouble. I have learned to seek out Wi-Fi Hotspots for things that don’t require secure connections and have adapted. What we miss the most is reliable water pressure, an item that didn’t make the list last year. It changes from place to place and is by far the toughest condition to put up with if we are somewhere with mediocre pressure. We can reduce high pressure, but there is no fancy adapter to increase crappy pressure. That would be a nice invention for RV’ers.

We’ll revel in the New Years Eve festivities here at the RV Park with our new friends and pull the jacks up to leave the middle of next week. We are feeling the familiar mix of excitement for a new place and sadness of parting with new friends.

Find out more about Goliad State Park at:  https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/goliad



Until next time…

Reflections

The universe relies on balance to exist. Our bodies require balance to stay upright. Doctors say eat a balanced diet. The book stores are full of self-help books about how to balance home and work. The laws of physics rely on a balance of a negative for every positive. Ying-Yang, light-dark, heat-cold, wet-dry. All things require balance. Good things happen along side the bad things,  year in and year out.



This is the time of year when most of us look back on the year that is coming to and end and are glad it is over. We post memes on our social media accounts with antidotal quotes about how the previous year can go specific places or kiss certain parts of our anatomy. It occurred to me, it is rare to see someone post on Facebook this time of year what a wonderful year they had and hope the coming year is just as good. Just to be sure I went through my account looking for a post over the past years that stated something to that effect. I found nothing of the sort. Quite the opposite. Why do people reflect so negatively on the year that is winding to and end and look to the new year with hope for better times only to end that year once again weary and glad that it is over?  Are our lives really that bad?

I offer this as an answer. Good things are generally well laid plans that work out. Joy is easy to feel, we kind of soar on it, like a bird riding high on the thermal currents. It is effortless to experience the euphoric joy of a child being born, or a wedding or a bucket list vacation. Pain takes us by surprise, as if a trap door opens under you while you stand in line at the grocery store. It requires a great deal of energy and demands all our attention to experience. It consumes us completely. Therefore, it is quite memorable. I spent some time recalling very painful memories in my life and realized that it is hard to remember that the day, weekend or even month leading up to that terrible event was relatively good and uneventful. The good memories are shrouded by the bad. Painful memories are the ultimate photo bomber of our memory bank.

2017 was a difficult year for many people close to us. It was marked with staggering losses for many of our loved ones; seven funerals in all this past year. Others close to us are facing serious health issues of their own or their loved ones.  To test the principal of balance I went back through the year in my mind one night during a bout with insomnia and searched for the good memories. Buried under the bad stuff I recalled there was also a baby born in our family and two couples we know got news that they were going to welcome their first grandchild early next year. Two of our kids earned job promotions. Two friends got clean bills of health after facing cancer the previous year.  As I consciously pushed back the heavy stage curtain of bad memories and searched in the wings, a photo reel of happy memories like returning to Iowa last spring, time with kids and grandkids, friends buying new campers, travel, (ours as well as others) our first full year as RV Volunteers and all of the special people we are meeting along the way, began to push the painful memories to the side.

Whatever your year was like, my wish for everyone is take a few minutes and work hard to remember everything good about 2017 and let it be the star of the year. Don’t let the painful memories  consume all you feel this time of year. Change, sometimes very painful, is inevitable.  Bad memories will be present at the end of every year. Let them exist in the balance, but work hard not to let them tip the scale.

Happy Old Year- Happy New Year!

Until next time…

"Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable"  ~Mary Oliver

Hiatus

[caption id="attachment_443" align="alignnone" width="300"] Annie getting sun drunk in the windshield[/caption]

I don't have any deep phylosophical thoughts this time other than to say that every now and then I'll be doing something mundane like putting away laundry or sitting outside working a crossword and this fleeting thought reminds me that this is our life. We will not return home to the grind of going to work or mowing the yard for a very long time if ever. I never know quite what to think when it happens and dismiss the feeling as quickly as it rises.

November and December are  our hiatus months for this winter season. We discovered a gem of an RV Park in Mathis Texas called Wilderness Lakes. if you ever make it to this part of Texas with your RV we highly recommend it.  http://wildernesslakesrv.com/ It is a beautiful park surrounded by timbered trails and small lakes that serve as wildlife preserve for waterfowl and mammals. The campground buzzes with activities morning, afternoon and evening. There are exercise classes for every fitness level, regular gatherings for various card games. craft groups, horseshoes,  Bocce Ball and a beautiful heated salt water pool. The park denizens are mostly snowbirds like us and display the Texas friendliness that made us fall in love with Texas last winter. We are making fast friends with many of our park companions and having a blast.  After 14 months full timing it we have learned a great deal talking to veteran full timers. It is fun to visit with people we have met here who are in their first year.  Our jumping off point is recent enough we can appreciate the emotions they are feeling as well as share tips we have learned along the way. I still marvel at those who have made the leap but never owned an RV till they hit the road. We were veteran campers and had taken several long trips in ours. I can't imagine doing this and not knowing anything about owning an RV. Those are the real adventurers!

A mere 150 miles south of our 2016 destination has made a marked  difference in climate. An average of 10 degrees warmer and noticeably more humidity. The best part for me is no Cedar pollen.

[caption id="attachment_423" align="alignright" width="300"] Whitecap Beach NPI[/caption]

During my first 51 years in northern climates I often dreamed of sitting on the beach at Christmas time.  The dream has come true and I must say it is all I imagined it could be. The water was still about 80 degrees the air was near 90 and the ocean breeze was warm and salty. Heaven for this water baby.

It is still hard to reconcile walking around looking at Christmas lights and hearing the sound of crickets and frogs. Two things that my northerners mind has trouble associating.

We still fall into temporary valleys of depression, like when we face timed two of the grandkids’ birthday parties. It about killed us but we are thankful for the technology that allows us to see and talk to them and sing along while they received their cake and blew out the candles. A look at the Iowa forecast is the first step toward climbing out the mire of holiday depression.

[caption id="attachment_442" align="alignleft" width="300"] Christmas lights and crickets[/caption]

Occupying an end spot at the park, gives us that much more excuse to ‘Griswold’ the campsite with outdoor Christmas decorations. The motorhome has also made it possible to have a bigger tree this year.  People drive around in their golf carts, also bedecked withlights and decorations.  Christmas Cheer is alive and well.

We drove up to Goliad, where we will camphost for 90 days beginning in January, and found it to be a beautiful park with friendly Rangers. We are excited to head there after the holidays and already have plans for new friends to come visit us there during our stint.

[caption id="attachment_426" align="alignright" width="300"] Shorebird lesson with John[/caption]

My birding training continued last weekend. We went to Laguna Atascosa to visit John and Cathy and were treated to a trip to the South Padre Island Bird Center. Over a mile of boardwalks out over Laguna Madre gave us up close encounters with many shore birds and ducks. I've  never had much appreciation for ducks till now. They are really quite beautiful and came in remarkable variety.

[caption id="attachment_435" align="alignnone" width="300"] Mottled Ducks[/caption]

I saw alligators in their natural habitat for the first time. (When the kids were little we went on a swamp tour in Louisiana and saw them but its hard to count since they were lured to the boat with raw chicken and marshmallows, much like gulls following a tour ferry.)  A guided three hour tram tour through the refuge treated us to more birds, 4 different eco- systems and an overview of this remarkable coastal refuge of over 100,000 acres that is successfully helping 8 species of animals including Ocelots, sea turtles and several bird species. One of my highlights was a Nilgai running in the field and eventually running across the road in front of the tram.

Our last four weeks of ‘vacation’ will fly by. We are in good company with other folks missing their kids and grandkids but not missing the snow and cold. Our joints thank us everyday that we bask in the warm sunshine of south Texas. Amazon boxes fill the clubhouse lobby mail center each day. You can almost smell the credit cards melting as snowbirds shop online and fuel the retail economy sending packages home. Potlucks abound and new friendships grow.

Being away from all the kids for the holidays is the small amount of bitter in the very sweet life of the full time RV’er.

Until next time...

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Redecorating the RV

Before we even made the offer to buy this motorhome, I was imagining all the updates I would make to it. High on my list was getting rid of the heavy dark valances and paint the walls. The curtains were easy. I bought new panel curtains for the living area and altered them to fit the RV windows. I made Roman draw style black out shades for the bedroom. The painting was another story.

I researched the blogs of those who had painted their RV’s and learned as much as I could before undertaking this project. The vinyl wall board used in RV’s is a challenge. I took my tips from the blogs of those brave souls who went before me.  I taped paint swatches from Lowes all over the camper. After a couple of weeks, I settled on a primary color and a darker contrast to add some dimension.

I hate doing core exercises. I do like the result, so I do them anyway and reap the reward of a strong core and less lower back pain.  Painting is much like Pilate’s for me. I hate doing it, but love the outcome. Painting is tedious, and tedium is the devil to me. Painting in an RV is a level of tedium that is nearly incomprehensible until you do it. A 3” roller is as big as is needed and it’s not needed that much. Small brushes and all the cute trimming gadgets are your tool kit. I even got into my craft stuff and used a couple of small detail brushes. The area is small, so one can easily be tricked into thinking that the job will go quickly. How long can it take to paint walls in a space less than 350 square feet, anyway?  Nine hours, that’s how long. Forget doing one room at a time, all the rooms meld together. Start early and strap in! The space is small, every full-timer knows that. It is impossibly small when you start painting. At one point I realized my love of yoga was helping me stand in some of the comical positions required to get to certain areas.

If you decide to paint your RV let me say, “Go for it, sister!”  My first piece of advice is get a good primer. Don’t let anyone convince you paint/primer hybrid paints are enough. They absolutely are not. I tested the theory by skipping the primer step on the surface under my headboard where it wouldn’t show. The difference was striking and would not have given me a good result had I skipped that step throughout the RV. I was satisfied that I spent the extra time and effort to prime first. I read a good deal about it before starting this project. I chose a Bullseye primer made specifically to bind to surfaces like wall paper.  It was the best time and money I spent for the project. I used my go-to Valspar paint/primer after the primer dried. It performed as well as it has in the multiple houses I have painted over the years. The second piece of advice is wipe down the walls with a good microfiber towel wrung out of warm soapy water. It was amazing how much dirt clung to the texture of the wall board. We had just scrubbed the unit floor to ceiling 10 weeks prior when we bought it. Still open windows let in a lot of dust and pollen.

The weather was cloudy and about 80 today. All the windows were open, and the central fan ran all day to exchange the air, help the primer dry quickly and keep the paint smell at bay. Buster and Annie spent the day outside. They knew something was going on inside and they wanted nothing more than to come inside and rub on the wet walls, drag their tail through the paint pan and track paw prints in the colors of Seashell Gray or Heather around the camper. We did not accommodate their request and listened to them protest most of the day when we went outside to fill paint pans or clean brushes

At noon, the RV looked like a warzone. The driving compartment (the only area with no wall space to paint) was piled with everything from the mattress to the curtains and anything else that was in the way. There was about 9 miles of Frog tape outlining the place. Cups of hardware from taking down towel racks and shades sat around. The litter box was on the porch, Adult Alternative on DirecTV was blaring from the sound bar the cats were mad and we were both working away at the transformation. At 3:00 the painting part was done. At 4:30 we had the bed back in place, the curtains back up, pictures back on the wall and were ready to get cleaned up and go out for dinner. It is 8:55 now and I am sitting on my couch writing this, pleased with the result of the task we set out to accomplish at 7:00 this morning. The vision I had the first time I stood in this space at the RV dealership has been realized.

In a nutshell, here are the key ingredients to getting through this project if you decide to undertake it. Put good music on and play it loud! Keep your work space organized by putting things away when you finish. Don’t have anything out that you are not using at that moment. There simply isn’t the space to let clutter accumulate. If you aren’t typically organized, this is a good time to work on that skill.  Get a good primer. If you think you bumped into something it was probably yourself, get used to it. The spaces are small and fragmented, don’t leave an area till you are completely done with it. Get a good primer.  Take your nose out of the paint pan every now and again, to stand back and take in the progress and delight in the transformation. Did I mention? Get a good primer!

Here are some before and after pictures. If you paint your own RV, keep your sights on the end result but don’t call me to help. I may come and watch from a lawn chair and offer moral support.  I think I’ve had enough painting for awhile 😊

 

Until next time…

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Reunions

After some tearful goodbyes, we left Iowa for the winter on a crisp October morning. We take comfort in knowing we will return to Saylorville’s Volunteer Village in April to join the Natural Resources team and work another season. We also left with pangs of guilt for leaving behind kids, grandkids and friends to endure the Iowa winter and another Christmas without Grandma and Grandpa Jones’ Christmas Chaos Event.

As we made our way south this fall it began to occur to us, our travels are becoming a succession of reunions. In 13 short months we have met a number of people whom we make it a point to see when our paths cross. Throughout our summer time in Iowa, we reunited with everyone we volunteered with in Texas, when they passed through. It helps that Saylorville is a major camping area centrally located in the United States.

[caption id="attachment_389" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lindsborg group[/caption]

The first stop on our southern reunion tour was Lindsborg, Kansas for their Bi-annual Swedish Festival. The main draw is my Aunt Pat, who has traveled from Denver for over 25 years to attend with friends she brings from Colorado and others, like us, who meet her here to take in the event. This year, our second time, we joined her, my cousins from Leavenworth, her friends Rick and Diane (veteran Hyllningsfest attendees) and new friends of hers Nataliya and Johnnie Johnson, attending for the first time. We spent 48 hours completely immersed in Swedish food, music and culture and interesting people. We’ll take away more good memories of time spent with my aunt.  We stayed on an extra day and visited a Motorcycle history museum in the area and experienced the town when not in festival mode.

We left early Monday morning with me in the driver’s seat. My first time driving the new motor home out on the road with the car in tow. Compared to pulling the 5^th wheel it is much nicer. After 200 miles a construction zone, accident scene and some heavy traffic around Wichita we were both satisfied that I had a comfort level in the pilot seat and I turned the driving back over to Champ so I could dive into the morning crossword in the newspaper.

We set up camp at Chickasaw National Park mid-afternoon. After 3 days in the area we highly recommend it as a stop for anyone traveling through. There is rich history to be experienced at the Chickasaw Nation Cultural Center. We spent half a day there and learned a great deal about the tribal nations’ history, migration story and culture, including watching a traditional Friendship Song and Stomp Dance.  One could easily spend a couple of days visiting all of the historic buildings and sites related to the Chickasaw in the surrounding area.

[caption id="attachment_392" align="alignright" width="300"] Little Niagara- Chickasaw NRA[/caption]

Travertine Learning Center at the park was also a gem. We went into the Visitors Center to talk with the ranger and get the trail maps and when Champ was out of ear shot I got the low down on the local reptiles, knowing this is an active time of year for his least favorite creatures. I took point and kept a close eye on the edge of the trails and the over-hanging tree limbs. Despite the ranger saying they had daily reports of sightings, we had a snake free walk the two hours we were there.  The natural springs, and waterfalled creeks make for a beautiful walk in the woods.

If you are like me, your vision of Oklahoma is wide open planes, oil fields and ranches. This area is very un-Oklahoma like in terms of terrain. The campground is beautiful and well maintained. It is also 15 miles from town making for the best night sky I’ve seen in years. Something about a clear night sky when I can see the Milky Way makes me feel closer to the people I love when I’m away.

After a stop at Waco Lake for a few days, we reunited with the staff at Balcones NWR where we spent most of last winter work camping. We stayed for a week in trade for 3 days work. Jennifer tasked us with checking the 12 hunting blinds, make repairs as necessary, sweep them out and weed eat around them and the gate entrances to the various areas.

[caption id="attachment_391" align="alignleft" width="300"] Champ doing the high work[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_390" align="alignleft" width="300"] Weed eating at a Hunt Blind[/caption]

We saw three tracts of the refuge that we did not see last winter and enjoyed revisiting familiar areas. The work was physical but welcome after a couple of weeks of R&R. The weather was gorgeous all three days we worked outside.

[caption id="attachment_154" align="alignleft" width="300"] Dub Lyon[/caption]

We were happy to see that Dub, a long time, dedicated local volunteer and fixture, at the refuge is still getting around and staying active. The other reason we added Lago Vista to the route was to see Peggy and Lloyd, who we became friends with last winter. We had the opportunity to spend three evenings at their home and they made it out to the refuge to check out the new living quarters.  We also got a bonus and got to see another couple, Joy and Paul who we saw a Taco Tuesday each week. We spent 7 great days before saying goodbye, once again to this special group of people.

 

 

 

 

Three and a half weeks on the road has ended in Mathis, Texas at a beautiful RV resort where we will spend the next two months playing and being retired. As is the case in these parks, we have already met several couples who Volunteer in the summer in northern locations. 24 hours in, I have been recruited to lead a beginner yoga class once a week. My solitary morning yoga routine is very satisfying, but it will be rewarding to have the opportunity to share it with others as a social event.

We are looking forward to a reunion with our friends John and Cathy soon. By the time April rolls around and we find ourselves packing up for the trip back to Iowa we will undoubtedly leave with more new friends and more people to add to the list of reunions to look forward to as we add months, years and miles to this wonderful lifestyle.

I'll sign off with a quote I saw the other day that resonated with me:

"Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable"   ~Mary Oliver

Until next time...

One Year Already

We are coming up on the 1^st year milestone of life as a full time RV dweller. I have been thinking about the content of this post for some time. My thoughts about our gypsy life intersect at the same common places.  Adaptability, community, people and of course CHANGE.

You must to be comfortable, I dare say even like, change in order to truly love this lifestyle. Our very first volunteer gig was fraught with change and compromise and turned out to be a wonderful experience. So much so that we are going to return this fall for a short stint on our way to Mathis. Travel plans coming home last spring evolved with the moving weather patterns, some of them severe. In case you have been living in a cave the past month you know that many snowbirds are changing their plans due to the angry oceans wrath on the southern coasts. We are lucky, our winter destinations will not change as a result, however, our job descriptions may contain some ‘other duties as assigned’; fine by us. The ever-present change of scenery and routine in the winter months is balanced by the certainty that we will return to Saylorville each year as established volunteers and get to live in the geographical nucleus of our family and friends.

One of the anxieties shared by both us and our kids is that something major will happen while we are away. That anxiety lives in the corner of the mind of every full-timer and their families. This past month, our tight-knit circle of friends, was rocked by the sudden death of Champ’s life-long friend Deb.

[caption id="attachment_374" align="alignright" width="300"] Deb Duncan[/caption]

It is a staggering loss for all of us and we are still reeling at the reality that our strong, fierce friend fell victim to what cardiologists call the widow maker. Deb and Chris met the same year Champ and I did and were married just a few weeks ahead of us. They were the kind of friends that we would visit in the winter for dinner and cards and stay the night. At Deb’s visitation, my daughter shared that her biggest fear of us being gone part of the year is that something like this will happen. I remember telling her that whether we were across town or across the country an event like this is going to be awful. We can’t live a static life simply because we fear the inevitable. In saying the words to her I think I finally sold myself on the idea that one must live their life and not worry about things we will never get to choose the timing of.

Our marriage has been tested in this first year. Good marriages come in different shades. Some people love to be together all the time and enjoy the same activities. Other’s like to have their own activities and meet in the middle at less frequent times. We fall in the first category and it is a good thing. I think this lifestyle would be difficult for couples who need their individual alone time and activities. Not only have we adapted to living in a very small space, we are also settling into being retired together. Some of the adaptation would have taken place when I stopped working full time anyway. After a year, I am happy to report that we are still very much in love with each other and the life.

I continue to marvel at the number of people we call friends after a mere 12 months. Last year, we headed south not knowing anyone. This year, we not only enjoyed the company of people we met over the winter coming to Saylorville, we are returning to another area of Texas and will visit new friends on the way to our new winter digs and will know people who are here in volunteer village with us this summer who will be migrating to points not far from our winter destination. We have met couples who have done this for over 15 years and listened to their tales and sage advice about how to get the most out of it.

It makes my head spin to recall how much has happened in the past year. Making the transition to becoming a full-time RV’er is life changing in every way. It is just as profound as getting married, becoming a parent or being widowed. Every relationship you have changes. Relationships with some fade while others germinate or come out of dormancy, often in surprising ways. We have experienced things we never even thought of doing. 12 months ago I would have never imagined holding a bird in my hand or seeing a mountain lion dart across the road in front of my refuge work truck. I certainly didn’t think we would trade the 5^th wheel for a motorhome and buy a 20 year old Mustang. We covered nearly 3,000 miles, called 5 different places home and met countless people.  We even snuck in a road trip to Atlanta. I know more about Saylorville than I ever thought I would and am hungry to learn more about this beautiful area next year when we shift our volunteer duties from the VC to Natural Resources. We have had a very busy summer meeting people in the Visitors Center and learning their stories and sharing our love of this area. I worked part-time for a good friend in his store and got to know his wife better. One unforeseen benefit of returning to the area (after a 15 year absence )where I raised my kids  is all of the people who have wandered into either the Visitors Center or Strawberry Patch that I had not seen in years. It was such fun to run into old co-workers, neighbors and even a former landlord. Woven into all of that have been lots of visits with the kids, grandkids spending the night, early birthday celebrations for the kids with winter birthdays that we will miss and a flurry of summer birthdays and unfortunately three funerals.  We will have our big family dinner in 3 weeks and the year will have come full circle.

For the first time in my life I feel completely content with my place in the world. As a couple, we feel like we are doing exactly what we were meant to do. Travel, contribute and experience different places. Buster and Annie have adapted very well.

[caption id="attachment_377" align="alignnone" width="300"] Deer? What deer?[/caption]

Neither one of us can even begin to conceive of a life in a house in a neighborhood any longer. The thought of coming off the road is unthinkable to both of us. After a year we know a few things for certain. It will be hard to tear ourselves away from the kids each fall when we leave. We will return in spring with wonderful knew experiences and people as part of the story of us. No matter where we are in the country life will happen and the wheels on the bus will go round and round.

Until next time…

Here are some memories from the past year

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"I'll never own a motor home" and other words I've eaten this year

After 15 years of being outspoken advocates of 5^th wheel ownership over all other types of RV, we started to recognize the benefits of owning a motor home for the full-time lifestyle. I have always hated the floor plans. They all remind me of sitting in a hallway or doctors waiting room. This was no easy sale for Champ to convince me of the benefits. Before we set out on this great adventure our former neighbor, George, predicted we would own a motor home sooner rather than later.  I said, ‘fat chance’ and chuckled.  The truth is, he should know. We spent many hours chatting in our adjoining back yards about his previous years as a full time RV person and our experiences up to then camping and traveling. He always said a motor home was the way to go if you were full timing it.

[caption id="attachment_360" align="alignright" width="300"] 2006 Itasca[/caption]

Six months into full time lifestyle, we quietly began actively looking at different units in. May After visiting 7 dealerships and scrutinizing over 30 units we settled on a 10-year-old unit with very few miles. It was obviously a unit used exclusively to snowbird. After some hard-nosed negotiating with the dealer over who was going to pay to fix the things that needed repaired, we picked it up 6 weeks after we first looked at it. By the way I got everything I asked from them. After bringing it home, cleaning it within an inch of its life and making some of our own changes to it, our 38’ Itasca is now home.

Many who know us were surprised by our decision, given the fact that we had a beautiful 2-year-old 5^th wheel that we acquired as a result of 5 trades and many years of making double payments. It was a hard mental bridge to cross trading something new for something old but several things played to the motor home hand. The decision to change boiled down to three basic things.

• When you pull a 40’ 5^th wheel you need a 1-ton truck, preferably a dually and most decidedly a diesel. These trucks are not only outrageously expensive to replace but can also be quite expensive to maintain. When the power house that pulls your home down the road is also your primary vehicle the miles add up quickly. Not only is it a beast to parallel park downtown when we want to go to a nice restaurant or the Des Moines Farmers Market, but the gas mileage for everyday driving leaves something to be desired. The powerhouse that moves a motor home down the road gets very little use except the 2 or 3 times a year we move from points north to points south, dodging extreme weather.


• The chassis under a motor home is a lot beefier than a 5th wheel. Cargo weight is still limited but it is more generous. It twists and binds less going down the road than a 5^th wheel or travel trailer. In theory, the years of travel will be kinder to it.


• The on-board generator makes it more comfortable to boondock at the truck stop or rest area overnight if we are on a mission to make time and miles, which we do frequently. The 300 miles or 3:00 rule observed by many travelers is still lost on us.


• We travel with 2 cats as you know if you have read previous posts. The idea of being in the unit with them while moving down the road lends to peace of mind for us and hopefully Annie and Buster. They aren’t alone in a bouncing house wondering what’s going on and when it may stop. We will be there with them and know how they are throughout the trip. The temperature will always be comfortable for them as the entire coach will cool or heat as we travel.

August was a busy month of trading. This trade made our sixth, and the first time we have purchased a used unit.  The logistical difference this time was that we didn’t unload everything into the garage and leisurely load it back in over the course of several days. We talked to several who had traded while living full time and listened to the stories of how long it took to move everything in the parking lot of the dealership. We decided to approach it much like a house move. We boxed up a good deal of stuff in the days before we traded. The stuff from the compartments went under the picnic table and was covered by a tarp. The fact that we are in Volunteer Village rather than out in the public campground gave us some flexibility in terms of how our site looked and the security of leaving our stuff out.

[caption id="attachment_361" align="alignleft" width="300"] Moving mess[/caption]

I must admit it looked like Jed Clampet’s homestead for a couple of days.  Lucky for us the weather was dry that week. On moving day at the dealership, we simply moved boxes from one unit to the other, except for the hanging clothes that we carried from one closet to the other. That proved to be a good plan. Our transfer time was about 2 hours. We spent the next several days unpacking and taking our time deciding how to use our new space. Our salesman was surprised when we came inside and said our goodbyes. He said some even spend the night it takes them so long.

[caption id="attachment_362" align="alignright" width="300"] Grandma's hotrod[/caption]

The next task was to sell the truck and find a car to drive and tow. Champ has always driven a truck and I have always driven something practical. This was our chance to do something fun!  We started shopping for something cooler than my Dodge Journey or any of the other mom cars I have driven over the years.  We sold the truck for a good price and stumbled onto a 1998 Mustang with very low miles, one owner, cream puff of a car. It’s fast, pretty, fun to drive and very impractical. We love it!

As we prepare to depart on our trip south we are excited to be doing it in our newly acquired motor home with a sexy black Mustang in tow.  The last year has been eventful to say the least.  I am trying to sum it up for my next post as we near the 1st anniversary of being gypsies.

Until next time…