Full Time RV Living - Our Big Learning Experience

 

Whoa. . . hoa. . .well. . .we had our first big learning curve,

with many more to come I am sure. . .

 

The motorhome had about half a tank of fuel when we parked it. . .

we wanted to use up all the old stuff before we added. . .

‘cause we didn’t know how long it had been sitting. . .

we figured since we would only be here a couple more weeks,

a half tank would be more than sufficient, even if we needed to run the generator.

 

what we DIDN’T realize is. . .the Aqua HOT water heating system ALSO

runs on diesel. . .a lot of diesel if you want really, really hot water. . .

a half gallon an hour. . .hmmm. . .when you get to 1/4 tank of diesel. . .

no more hot water. . .NOW WE KNOW! 

 

Soooo. . .we got to unhook everything. . .and make a trip for fuel. . .FUN!

Bet we fill up completely before we get to the next spot. . .and you can also

rest assured we’ll only click on those diesel jets when the need arises. . .

otherwise we’ll just run the Aqua Hot on electric. . .which is sufficient

as long as you don’t need too much hot water. . .

but is NOT sufficent for showers. . .AT ALL!

 

Nothing else exciting happening. . .as you can imagine,

with the high winds. . .limbs, branches and a few trees

down on the hiking paths. . .got those cleared. . .

That’s about it. . .saw the family for Christmas Eve. . .

I’m always thrilled if we can get them all at the same place, same time. . .

very difficult to accomplish with kid’s schedules. . .

 

Next week we move to Stephen F Austin State Park

where we will volunteer until May. . .

 

See you there!

Janice

Full Time RV Living–It’s all Coming Together. . .SLOWLY!

As anyone who’s ever moved knows. . .

it’s a slow excruciating process. . .especially in an RV.

There’s no. . .let’s just put these boxes in the garage,

and we’ll get to them later. . .nope. . .it’s all gotta be put away!

Slowly, but surely. . .it’s beginning to come together. . .

As with all things used. . .there are probably going to be little issues. . .

so our issue seems to be something with the converter. . .

it works. . .then it doesn’t work. . .hmmmm. . .

one of those tricky troubleshooting things. . .

tech at the RV shop says it may be the battery disconnect switch. . .

hopefully, it will be that simple. . .just gotta find it. . .

In the meantime. . .what to do. . .what to do. . .

ahhhh. . .my Bub to the rescue. . .I swear. . .

EVERY SINGLE TIME he shows up for a visit. . .

WE have an issue for him to solve. . .

he probably thinks we plan these things. . .LOL!

Well. . .anyway, he bought us some time

‘til we get back to civilization by connecting us

directly to battery power. . .research says it’s

an okay temporary fix as long as the batteries

are staying charged. . .which they are!

Thanks again Bub. . .you’re the best!

Next post. . .before, during, and after pics. . .I hope!

Stay tuned! ! !

Janice

Full Time RV Living - Moving Day Has Turned Into Moving Week PLUS!

ugghhh. . .although the kitchen, bedroom, and personal items

are pretty well organized. . .and can be found. . .

the rest of the motor home is a disaster. . .

typical moving scenario. . .started out so well. . .

organized. . .take things from one home, put it away in the other. . .until. . .

You know that UNTIL moment. . .

it’s happened with every move we’ve ever made. . .

things are going along smoothly. . .

and then, BAM. . .time’s up. . .

gotta get’r finished!  Yep. . .happened again!

Anyway. . .everything is “transferred” over. . .

Thursday morning, we pulled the fifth wheel out,

and the motorhome in. . .and officially started

“living” in it. . .if that’s what you want to call

survival mode. . .but. . .the end is in sight!

I hafta admit. . .I’ve teared up a couple of times

over letting the Alfa go. . .we’ve lived in it since 2003. . .

longer than we lived in some of our houses. . .ha ha. . .

and have loved most every minute of it!

Yesterday, and today, we are cleaning

and making minor repairs to the Alfa. . .

tomorrow we have an appointment to take it to  the

PPL Consignment Lot in Houston, and drop it off.

They move a  lot of rigs. . .so I’m hoping it will sell quickly!

If you know of anyone looking for a great rig

at a fabulous price. . .have them check it out online!

I’ll post pics and updates on the new rig as soon as

we get a few more things stored away. . .stay tuned!

Full Time RV Living–Huge, Huge Changes Going On

Last week was our grandson’s 18th birthday,

so we were supposed to drive to Houston and take him to dinner. . .

but due to his new retail job (whoo who). . .

and the Christmas season starting. . .

we just could not make the schedules mesh. . .

soooo. . .instead, we went to check out the motorhomes

at our favorite consignment lot. . .

and wouldn’t ‘cha know it. . .

this Monaco Dynasty had our name on it. . .

so we bought it!

It sure would’a been cheaper to do the lunch date. . .LOL!

Picked it up Monday. . .

tough wind. . .but Dave handled it beautifully!

this morning. . .Tuesday. . .all the Park Host ladies got together

and decorated for our Staff Christmas party. . .

after that. . .moving day. . .

this is the fifth wheel with all the upper cabinets emptied. . .

We’re trying to move everything systematically

and put everything away as we go. . .

it’s working out pretty well. . .

so far we’ve found a place for everything. . .

Tomorrow . . .the kitchen. . .we’ll see how that goes!

Til next time,

Janice

Full Time RV Living–Our Rig is FOR SALE

You read it right. . .today we are officially putting our truck and fifth wheel up FOR SALE!

If you know anyone who is looking for a great deal. . .all the pics and information on the Truck and Fifth Wheel

can be found here:  EBay Motors

WHY?  you ask. . .

well. . .here’s the reason. . .and of course you know they

never want to give you diddly on a trade in. . .

so we’re gonna try our hand at selling our rig ourselves. . .uggghhhh!

To answer the age old RV question. . .why a motor home instead of the fifth wheel

From the beginning, we always said we wanted to be in a motor home by the time we were sixty. . .not sure why we decided on that time frame. . .I guess we thought we would be old by then. . .ya know good and well when your're 47 that sixty looks really, really old. . .now that we are almost there it's looking better and better. . .ha. . .but I digress!

Anyway. . .since we can't afford the rig we want. . .this is going to be a transition rig for the next few years. . .which should tell the tale for us. . .which is better. . .fifth wheel?. . .or motor home? Ha Ha. . .time will tell!

Wish us luck. . .oh, and a few prayers would not go amiss. . .

Til next time,

Janice

Full Time RV Living–Leaves, Leaves and More Leaves

Dave raked leaves for the last two days. . .

never fear, I was busy doing other stuff. . .like cooking his dinner. . .ha ha

scooping up the piles with the front end loader

a little assistance

completely filled the trailer and tied a tarp over it. . .

Ranger Dan will come and carry it away tomorrow. . .

All that exercise and fresh air. . .and a fabulous view. . .awesome!

Since there’s nothing exciting to tell you, I’ll share a few pics. . .

an unusual spider web or something. . .

(have no idea what creature created this) that we saw

while picking up trash one day this week. . .

a pod of white pelicans. . .we are on their migratory route from Canada. . .

a great blue heron. . .

this little devil of a kingfisher. . .he is so fast,

I still haven’t gotten a good shot of him. . .

but I shall prevail. . .eventually!

Mr Mischevious. . .I’m sure he can’t wait for me to put out my birdfeeders

our view from the rig early Saturday morning. . .

and of course. . .my current favorite. . .

Until next time,

Janice

Full Time RV Living–Hmmmm. . .Campground Etiquette?

Well. . .as RV’ers I’m sure we’re all aware of the

common courtesies of Campground Etiquette. . .right?

Respect other people’s space. . .don’t walk through another camper’s area. . .

Full Time RV Living–Busy Busy Holiday Weekend in the Volunteer World

Wow. . .it’s been busy around here. . .

The Thanksgiving Day group totaled about 75. . .as did the group on Saturday. . .

waiting for today’s crew to show.

They’ve all done a marvelous job of cleaning up. . .

so all we need to do afterwards is swab out the bathrooms. . .

clean little hand prints, and nose prints off the glass. . .

Full Time RV Living–Holiday Time

We are well into our second week in our volunteer position. . .

and all is well. . .we take care of the activities center.

Three big groups coming in for the holiday weekend. 

We’re all set for the group that will arrive Thanksgiving Day. . .

when they get done, 

we’ll set up for the next group coming in on Saturday. . .

and then a different group on Sunday. . .

All the folks have just been great. . .clean up, and pick up after themselves. . .absolutely wonderful. . .let’s hope that trend holds!

We wish you all a wonderful, thanks filled holiday with family and friends. . .

 

Full Time RV Living–Do Your Own Thang!

If there were a definition in the dictionary for a Fulltime RV’er. . .

this would be it. . .

Full Time RV Living–Making Your Blog Link Clickable

In all of my studies about blogging, I’ve learned. . .

Simple is better. . .make your blog as simple as possible to find. . .

and always include your name and blog link in your correspondence.

I was advised of all of this by a very successful RV Blogger with ten years of experience. . .

I think they probably know what they are talking about. . .

Full Time RV Living–What’s On Your Bucket List?

One of the guys on an RV’ers FaceBook Page – RV’ing on a Budget. . .

asked folks to list a couple of things on their bucket list. . .

and got some very interesting responses. . .

Full Time RV Living–This Is What My Life Has Come To

This is not a complaint at all. . .it’s just that it’s sort of fall/winter in Texas. . .you know ~ the leaves are kinda falling. . .but we don’t have the overwhelming, magnificent fall colors of other places.  It’s still pretty. . .but everything has slowed down. . .

Full Time RV Maintenance and Dreary, Drippy Weather

Ughhh. . .I’m pretty sure the weather system we were expecting on Sunday pretty much caught up with us last night and today. . .a wee bit cool. . .but mostly just gray and dreary. . .a very good day to stay inside and do nothing. . .

Full Time RV Travel–Fort Parker State Park is ALL THAT. . .and more!

awwww. . .Debi and Ed had to pack up and go home yesterday. . .too bad! 

We sure did enjoy their visit. . .and all the great eats. . .Debi cooked us breakfast and dinner. . .

now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. . .

We packed up bright and early this morning. . .(read 8:30. . .hello!)

to try and beat a severe storm system predicted for Central Texas. . .

I guess our plan worked. . .we arrived and got all set up in this

beautiful volunteer spot at Fort Parker State Park – Mexia TX. . .

seriously. . .this is why we do it. . .

we could never afford this view for two months. . .

We will have lots, and lots more to show you. . .

Janice

Full Time RV Travel–Texas Does So Have Fall Colors. . .

even if it is just silly old chinaberry trees. . .it still counts. . .right?  LOL. . .I rode my bike about a mile down the road from the park, just to photograph this patch. . .gotta have proof!

Our RV friends Ed and Debi brought their beautiful, new to them coach over to the Thousand Trails Park to spend a few days. . .everyone is sitting around having homemade pumpkin pie with praline topping, created by Judy  and Jerry. . .delicious. . .and coconut cream pie. . .created by Marie Callendar.  . . .the pie stuffing is going on after we’d already all had grilled burgers and fries. . .uggghhhhh. . .I need to go on another bike ride!

Dave and I have accepted a volunteer assignment at Fort Parker State Park. . .so we will be headed that direction soon. . .probably Sunday.  Looking forward to volunteering with fellow Workampers, Judy and Dick whom we met in Colorado. . .more about that later. . .see you down the road.

Janice

Full Time RV Living–Life Goes On

Moving right along. . .this week has already flown by.

Dave taught at A&M Fire School for two days. . .arrived home Thursday evening.

I worked on projects. . .I always have a project. . .always!

Full Time RV Living–Planning for the Adventure–What Advice Can You Add?

We are just beginning to plan for the FT RV adventure. My husband is retired, I have my own biz at home, so its the perfect scenario to take on the road and see the country. We are both in good health and have some debt but nothing we couldn't pay off before we hit the road. We live in Delaware and own our home, so our main concern is how quickly we could sell our home in this market. We plan to purchase a Class A & tow vehicle, but only after we sell the house & both vehicles. In your opinion is 12-18 months enough time to accomplish this? We'd prefer 12 months but we know its in God's timing. Do you have suggestions for a home base state, and how you plan your route to see the country in seasons? Any other advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We are excited about this but at the same time, its a totally different life and a bit scary too.

I always appreciate and love receiving notes from those just starting out. . .

or just beginning to research the lifestyle. . .there are so many variables. . .

and I still remember that feeling of the unknown. . .

Being a planner, and somewhat OCD (what? you admit it. . .my hubby says)

not knowing how to plan or what to expect was a little on the edge for me. . .

so I know exactly what this writer is asking. . .I will address each issue as stated:

DEBT – I am happy to see that you plan to start the RV life debt free. . .that is very wise!

I know folks say how much cheaper RV’ing is. . .and how you can save so much money!

HA. . .it’s still life. . .so while you don’t have all the normal expenses of maintaining a household. . .

there are still numerous expenses. . .you still gotta eat. . .pay insurance. . .cell phone bills. . .

then there’s the fuel costs that continue to go up. . .in fact, I write about all of this and outline

these various budget items in this article about fuel costs.

We recently met a couple who were just sitting in the RV parks, not doing any day trips,

or seeing any of the local scenes. . .they said they couldn’t afford the fuel. . .but,

they had a new, high dollar fifth wheel. . .and a new customized truck. . .

I am sure they are making hefty payments on both. . .which is their choice and is great

if that is what makes them happy and floats their boat. . .however, I was just thinking to myself

that I would rather have our 10 year old rig, and our 11 year old truck, and keep that $1000

per month in my pocket to pay for enjoying the lifestyle. . .so point being. . .

starting out debt free puts you way ahead of the game. . .

Also, calculating projected expenses ahead of time, to the best of your ability,

will allow you to make sure you will have enough money coming in. . .

and make the needed adjustments.  We determined we would like a $500 per month

cushion, so had our financial advisor make those adjustments to our monthly income.

TIME FRAME – as stated, your projected 12 – 18 month window is just that. . .projected.

I know we all want to get in a hurry, and make things happen. . .

but we usually make a mess of things. . .or at least that’s what we usually experience. . .

so while it’s good to have a projected time frame. . .just go with the flow,

and allow the magic to happen. . .and happen it will!

HOME BASE STATE – The Escapees RV Club addresses this issue better than I ever could. . .

so I will defer you to them. . . they offer an information packet on their website,

which will answer many of your questions.  We were fortunate to already be Texans,

which is where the Escapees Club is based, so we just stayed with Texas and Livingston as

our domicile. . .but I know lots of folks prefer South Dakota. . .

PLANNING YOUR ROUTE – to me, the most important aspect of planning your route,

and the thing you will hear over and over from those who’ve been doing this a lot longer

than we have is. . TAKE YOUR TIME. . .SLOW DOWN. . .you’re not on vacation. . .

you can’t play tourist every day. . .believe me. . .as we quickly learned. . .this is all true!

Our first trip out was supposed to last three months. . .we would do a loop out to the

Grand Canyon, circle up to Four Corners and Western Colorado, then back down through

Santa Fe NM, and back to Texas in time for the holidays. . .ha! 

In half that time. . .six short weeks later. . .we were done. . .we had seen and done everything

on our list. . . and we were exhausted. . .worn out.  That was the end of traveling like that. . .

we learned our lesson right away. . .now, we figure out where we want to be, and what we want to see. . .

and we stay awhile. . .and spread out the pleasure over a couple of weeks.  If it’s a really pricey,

high dollar, high cost tourist area, we even make plans to volunteer for the time we want to be there.

This usually allows us to get our RV space for free, or at a greatly reduced rate.

Case in point. . .we wanted to spend last summer in the high dollar Estes Park Colorado area. . .

$1200 per month for an RV site. . .which does NOT fit into the budget.  We wanted to stay several,

at least three months and see absolutely everything there was to see in the area. . .

we wanted to explore every inch of Rocky Mountain National Park while we were there. . .

because once we’ve been there, the plan is to not return anytime soon. . .

there’s a whole, huge country to see out there. . .so we volunteered 24 hours per week with the County,

and got our RV space for free. . .a beautiful RV space overlooking the snow covered Rocky Mountains!

MOST OF ALL -  enjoy the ride. . .it’s a great life!

We hope you’ll sign up to follow our blog, either by becoming a Google Member,

or by entering your email address in the right hand side of the blog. . .and please. . .

keep the questions coming. . .love it!

Janice

Full Time RV Travel - One Last Day of Living On the Water

We spent almost all of Monday on errands, leaving the rig before lunch, 

and not returning until almost dark. . .

I felt like I had been around the world. . .and not in a good way! 

Picked up our favorite boudain at a meat market in Jasper that specializes in DJ’s Boudain. . .

it is the best I have ever tasted. . .

so if you ever see it available anywhere. . .be sure to try it. . .delicious!

Went for our annual physicals. . .which always seem to take FOREVER. . .what is up with that?  

Spending three hours in the doctor’s office is not my idea of fun. . .at all! ! !

Needless to say, I didn’t get a bike ride in. . .or get to take any new pics. . .

so I will leave you with a few of my very favorite views of the Cypress Swamp. . .

taken from inside the RV looking out the back window

Love that you hardly tell where the tree ends and the water begins. . .

and the fog just adds to the overall ambience. . .

Later in the day. . .from our campsite

and it wouldn't be a swamp without spanish moss. . .now would it?

these guys put in at the boat dock bright and early. . .Dave was doing the deliverance theme. . .

although I’m almost certain the guys in Deliverance were in canoes. . .weren’t they?

I hope you’ve enjoyed our pictures of the swamp as much as we’ve enjoyed being there. . .

bright and early this morning, we set off for the Thousand Trails Park in Conroe. . .

Dave is teaching a class in College Station, so will be gone most of the week. . .

it’s going to be very quiet around here. . .probably not much to report on!

We may volunteer at one of the State Parks in the area. . .waiting to hear back from them. . .

other than that. . .just regular life in the RV. . .

Til next time,

Janice

For more great swamp stories, check out Travels With Emma

Full Time RV Travel–Brackenridge on Lake Texana was a Wonderful Experience

I love the water in any form. . .even sitting by a swimming pool or fountain makes me happy. . .

so sitting at the water’s edge at Lake Texana was just perfect. . .how much more relaxing can you get?

The wind would blow so hard that the lake would

have whitecaps, and waves. . .so I would sit out there,

pretend I was at the beach. . .no salt, no sand. . .

heavenly!

and of course you know I’m going to chase down and photograph any butterfly that I see. . .

but, alas, all good things must end. . .

so Friday morning, we loaded up, and headed out through Houston, which would supposedly cut an hour off of our travel time. . .what were we thinking?  Traffic. . . cars cutting in front of ya at 65 mph. . .changing lanes to make sure you stay on the right freeway. . .grrrrrr. 

We lived, and drove in Houston traffic for 30 years.  I didn’t think a thing about driving across town to take a class. . .but pulling  a rig is a whole different ballgame. . .but survive we did . . .

and arrived at beautiful Magnolia Ridge,

a COE park on B.A. Steinhagen Lake. . .

Dad & Mom are coming for lunch. . .
so Dave's getting the grill ready for ribs!

what a beautiful, beautiful place. . .

 

after a great lunch of ribs, potatoes, and baked beans. . .

Dad and Dave are standing outside discussing fishing. . .

more gorgeous fall color in the Cypress Swamp. . .

went alligator hunting again. . .still no luck!

but this red headed woodpecker was putting on quite a show. . .

and after a four mile bike ride. . .

 the perfect end to the day. . .fishing!

Until next time,

Janice

Full Time RV Travel–Lake Steinhagen

We have arrived at our new digs. . .

the rig is backed in to. . .and we are overlooking a cypress swamp

off of Lake Steinhagen, which is close to Jasper TX. . .

Because today was a LONG, stress filled (read pulling the rig through Houston traffic) day. . .this is going to be a short post. . .

but you can rest assured. . .I am still on my quest to see an alligator. . .

so I will keep you posted!

Full Time RV Living: Sam’s Club and Costco Memberships–Are they Worth It?

I was laughing with and telling RV friends the other day, that when we sold the house with the freezer,
and the big pantry, and moved into the RV. . .I wasn’t sure how I was going to stock up on groceries. . .
in fact, as Karen, who writes the FabGrandma blog might tell you, I had a little bit of a melt down about it.

I knew we were headed to Yellowstone, and I was just sure there wasn’t going to be ANYWHERE to get groceries,
and we didn’t have room in the rig for huge supplies.  Knowing Karen and her hubby were working at the
North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is very remote. . .I sent her a note as to how she handled this issue.

Karen was kind enough to send me a list of essentials that she kept on hand at all times to prevent starvation. . .LOL!
Dried milk
Dried Beans
etc., etc. . .

Now that we’ve been traveling a few years, I know I will definitely be able to find groceries somewhere, and it is no longer an issue. . .which is why I am asking if you think a Sam’s Club or Costco Membership is worth it. . .

My mother, who taught me to cook everything from scratch, (bless her heart,) always had a pantry filled with essentials. . .in other words, if she decided to make most anything, she probably had the supplies on hand.

My mother in law, who was an awesome cook, and taught me many, many tricks to good food, also had a well stocked pantry and freezer. . .

Having a Sam’s Club accessible,  especially when my boys were teenagers, and I was working a full time job, allowed me to keep the pantry and freezer well stocked with convenience items, which allowed the boys to be self sufficient, and made life simple for us all. . .

Soooo. . .when we moved into the RV, I questioned whether to keep the Sam’s Club Membership or not. . .was it really worth the annual fee when I could no longer purchase items in bulk?  Calculating just the savings on coffee supplies. . .coffee beans, splenda, creamer. . .quickly convinced me that it was.

But. . .there’s not always a Sam’s Club convenient to our location. . .so, we have to think ahead. . .ha ha!  Here we are at Sam’s Club. . .how long will it be before we are near a Sam’s Club again?  How much of each thing do we need to purchase to hold us over until we find the next Sam’s Club? 

This trip. . .I guess I miscalculated. . .because a couple of pricey things, like vitamins, are going to run completely out.  So now I must decide on how to resolve the problem. . .do I just pay an arm and a leg at the local mega mart, and purchase enough to tide me over, or do we make the supreme sacrifice and stop at a Sam’s Club this week as we pull the rig through Houston. . .hmmmmm. . .guess I’ll see what Dave has to say.
  
When he is pulling the rig. . .he just hates having to maneuver the mazes that are designed as parking lots these days. . .I’m gonna go do some research with Google Satellite. . .see if there are any easily accessible parking lots on the way. . .

So. . .what do you think?  Do you still use Warehouse Club Memberships. . .or have you decided it’s just not worth the bother?

Full Time RV Living–More Tips for RV Wannabees

I probably receive a handful of requests each week for info from folks

who are interested in the lifestyle. . .and while we love it. . .

and have no plans in the near future to go back to sticks and bricks. . .

I am very truthful when I say. . .this lifestyle is not for everyone. . .

it’s really, really not. . .

That’s why I love to share great articles with great view points when I find them. . .

and this is one of those articles. . .I hope you’ll take the time to check it out:

Is Full Time RV Living Really For You?

and please share in the comments section

any tips that helped you when you were

just getting started. . .

it's time to pass it forward!

Full Time RV Travel–Lake Texana Has Water–I’m so Happy!

We arrived at Brackenridge Recreation Complex and RV Park yesterday. . .mid day. . .

and was thrilled to find that Lake Texana actually has water in it. . .so happy!

This is the best view we’ve had since we left Estes Park in June. . .love looking out over the water!

The water hyacinth, seen here, and the hydrilla. . .

both highly invasive plants in Texas Lakes are everywhere,

so it will be tough fishing from the bank. . .

but we are certainly going to give it a try.

however. . .swimming is NOT on the agenda,

but I will be on the lookout for an alligator to get a shot at. . . with the Nikon, of course.

After my tribulations of not being able to peddle back up the hills

in Columbus, I was thrilled to find a nice, flat bike path here

that meanders it’s way for five miles alongside the lake,

and through the beautiful oak and pecan trees. . .

My plan is to be out there on it everyday. . .

and would love to do the entire five miles before we leave here. . .

More on that later. . .as the week progresses!

Janice