Evans Escapades–Sticking Close to Home

 

Dave is scheduled to teach classes through April,

so although we would love to make it to the Rio Grand Valley, and especially to South Padre’. . .

it’s so much more convenient to stay centrally located in the Houston vicinity.

I guess we had forgotten how lovely the Colorado River Preserve in Columbus is. . .

This is the view out our back window most mornings and afternoons. . .

We assume this guy is in charge of the herd. . .

Dave’s using a long range lens, and then I cropped the pic,

so although it’s not as clear as I would like, you still get the idea!

 

There’s not much going on. . .I’ve been working on a few RV projects,

while Dave was gone teaching a class Laredo.

 

We have some sightseeing scheduled. . .

maybe this week we’ll go check out Old Town Columbus. . .

which is the county seat, and has a gorgeous Court House.

There is supposedly an audio driving tour,

which allows you to tune in to a certain frequency

on the AM radio, and hear about all the historical buildings.

We always love those, so we’ll keep you posted about that. . .

In the meantime, we sit out on the patio in the afternoons

and enjoy the ambience of the place.

This guy sat in a tree across the road for ages. . .before finally hustling off for his next meal.

and I wasn’t exactly sure what this little guy was. . .

after looking him up in my Peterson Field Guide. . .

I think I have it right. . .

if not, please feel free to correct me. . .

Until next time,

Safe Travels,

Janice

 

From Blogger Pictures

Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle. Connect with us on our FACEBOOK Ready To Go Full Time RVing Page. . .where you’ll meet lots of other RV’ers just like you. . .traveling and enjoying this great adventure. If you would like to receive our blog updates, just enter your email below. As a bonus, you will receive a link to our Seasonal Job Listings Page, and a follow up email linking to a sample copy of our personal Seasonal Jobs Resume. We respect your privacy, and never share your email address

 

Name:

 

Email:

 

 

We respect your email privacy

 

Powered by AWeber email marketing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full Time RV Travel - Thousand Trails Membership Parks - We Just Made the Plunge

I am not one to normally ever, ever do the membership thingy. . .we got burned once in one of those TimeShare dealies. . .and Thousand Trails always reminded me of that. . .sort of.  You had a home park. . .yada, yada. . . BUT. . .since ENCORE purchased Thousand Trails, and they are a publicly trade company, it's a whole different ballgame.

 

I researched forever, and asked a million questions. . .even read the Frequently Asked Questions listed on the TT website,  I finally decided that if I bought a Thousand Trails ZONE PASS for $499, I wouldn't have anything to lose.  It would be good for a year, we could stay in all the TT parks in the SouthEast ZONE, which was where we had decided to do our summer trip anyway, and we would get 30 days of camping free, which would be equal to paying for a month in an RV park.  

 

There didn't seem to be a downside, so we purchase the one zone, paid the $499, used it for all of 2011, stayed in KY, NC, VA, SC, FL and TX. . .and LOVED IT.  The only drawback was, if we wanted to go park to park, we could only stay four nights. . .OR. . .we could stay two weeks in one park. . .but then had to be OUT of the system for one week.  

 

So, knowing how much we were enjoying it. . .knowing that we planned to continue RV'ing (by God's grace) as least ten more years. . .we decided to upgrade to the ELITE program.  This will allow us to go park to park every three weeks. . .with sixty free nights of camping. . .and then $3 per night after the sixty. . .plus a host of other perks. . .cabin rental discounts, etc.

 

If ya plan to inquire, my only request is that you use my name PLEASE. . .so I can get a $25 Amex Gift Card. . .yaaaa!

 

David and Janice Evans

Referral #298661580

 

No seriously. . .I would never recommend something I didn't use and believe in myself. . .and we truly are in love with this program. . .if that changes, trust me. . .I will let everyone know!

 

I know everyone has different opinions on this subject. . .and I have seen some heated discussions on forums about it. . .so feel free to share your opinion in the comments. . .but please remember to respect the decisions of others. . .

 

Thanks,
Janice 

 

P.S.  A fellow RV'ing Blogger just wrote about the awesome deal they got on the ZONE program at an RV show. . .you should check that out on her Where's Eldo Blog.  She is a riot. . .and a great writer.  You will love reading her RV'ing tales!

Full Time RV Living–Updating VS Upgrading–We’ve finally come to a Decision!

Years ago, when Dave and I decided to live full time in our fifth wheel, we discussed that by the time we were in our sixties, we wanted to be in a motorhome.  That seemed a long ways away back then. . .but now, eight years later. . .those days are just around the corner.  . .and we’ve been having big discussions about it.

We agree on the premise that a motorhome will be much more comfortable to travel in, while the fifth wheel is great living quarters. . .and therein lies the rub. . .although we do travel some. . . we still also work some. . .so we often find ourselves staying in one place for several weeks at a time.

 

We’ve gone back and forth, back and forth in our discussions. . .let’s go ahead and get the motorhome. . .no, let’s just wait a couple more years. . .and FINALLY. . .this past weekend, I think we’ve come to a firm decision. . .to just do some updating in the fifth wheel.  . .and hold out on purchasing the motor home for a couple more years.

 

I’m plain old worn out from all the discussion. . .and I was just wondering. . .are we the only ones who have these conversations going on?

 

How do you guys come to a concensus on major decisions?

 

Being by nature, a planner, organizer, analyzer. . .I like things lined out in a neat little order, it’s taken a bit of work to learn to go with the flow. . .

 

Would love to hear your stories on the subject!

Workamper Flyer #1

 

Full Time RV Living– Where Did All The Space Go?

I just read the funniest blog post entitled My Stuff vs Her Stuff. . .it was an absolute riot. . .

and you gotta go read it for the rest of this story to make sense.

 

 

"Lynn Roger's Law of Inner RV Space" by Anne Harris,
which first appeared in the March/April 1987 Escapees RV Club Newsletter.
Lynn is a long-time Escapee (SKP #2) who gave seminars at Escapade Rallies.

 

We’ve been researching motor homes. . .and I’ve come to the conclusion that the layout is the most important thing. . .

it’s gotta feel like home. . .but hey, storage ranks right up there at the top of the list.

 

Now hubby and I each got stuff. . .and since we don't have an off site storage anywhere. . .it's all right here with us. . .although I admit. . .I probably got more stuff. . .but I’m generous. . .I share it all with him. . .so as we are surveying the different motorhomes that we’ve been looking at. . .I find myself sitting down. . .usually at the kitchen table. . .and saying. . .okay, where is this or that going to go? Hmmmm. . . and I’ve already decided. . .at least one entire storage compartment outside is going to be all mine! 

So here’s the question?

Who has more stuff at your place?

What kind of stuff?

Do you use all of it? 

I got so tickled at the blog story, when he said, she takes stuff to Goodwill. . .and then brings stuff back. . .that’s what I tell them when I go in. . .I’m making a donation at the back door. . .so I can take some stuff out the front door. . .right? 

Leave a comment, and share your stories about how you keep all the stuff organized. . .

From Blogger Pictures

Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle. Connect with us on our FACEBOOK Ready To Go Full Time RVing Page. . .where you’ll meet lots of other RV’ers just like you. . .traveling and enjoying this great adventure. If you would like to receive our blog updates, just enter your email below. As a bonus, you will receive a link to our Seasonal Job Listings Page, and a follow up email linking to a sample copy of our personal Seasonal Jobs Resume. We respect your privacy, and never share your email address

Orange TX–Norton RV Park

Disclaimer:
These are RV Parks and Resorts that we have stayed in across the country.
As you know, things change, management changes, etc. . . so verify any information, rates, and so on before you make a reservation.

These were the conditions at the time of our visit. . .

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We chose Norton RV Park in Orange TX due to it’s close proximity to my brother’s place where we would be celebrating New Year’s Day with the family. . .

 

This is a new park, all gravel roads and pads. . .all back ins with a huge laundry room, a game center with coin operated pool tables, foosball, etc. . .and a large private fishing pond. . .and behind the pond. . .a pasture full of beautiful horses.

 

This would be a great overnight stop for folks traveling from Louisiana to Houston.  It’s on State HWY 62, which is a main thoroughfare for the area. . .so very easy access in and out. . .about a mile south of Interstate 10.

 

The only drawback. . .and the ONLY reason we will NOT be returning is that, in an effort to make the installation of utilities easier, I guess. . .ALL the utilities are located at the very REAR of the pads.  We needed to pull out every inch of electrical cord and water hose. . .we did not have enough sewer hose to reach, HOWEVER. . .the owner was very accommodating in supplying us with a PVC hard pipe extension. . .which we very much appreciated!  Normally, under these circumstances, we would just go without hooking up the sewer. . .but, since we had two grand daughters with us for the trip. . .it was a necessity.

 

If you have a shorter rig, or if your connections are at the back of your rig. . .you will not have any issues whatsoever, and would probably enjoy a short term stay at this location.

 

Let me know what you think. . .

From Blogger Pictures

Dave and I have lived in our RV Full Time since 2003, when we sold the house and everything in it, and have traveled fulltime since 2009. Follow our tales by signing up to follow our blog, and check back often as we share the tips and tricks of living the lifestyle. Connect with us on our FACEBOOK Ready To Go Full Time RVing Page. . .where you’ll meet lots of other RV’ers just like you. . .traveling and enjoying this great adventure. If you would like to receive our blog updates, just enter your email below. As a bonus, you will receive a link to our Seasonal Job Listings Page, and a follow up email linking to a sample copy of our personal Seasonal Jobs Resume. We respect your privacy, and never share your email address