Living full time in our motor home allows us to be Ready To Go. . .on to the next adventure!

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Skyline as seen from the Marin Headlands - California

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Full Time RV Living–We’ve Made the Decision to Leave Estes Park

For those of you who follow us on FaceBook, you already know the story. . .this is for the rest of you.

 

We have decided to leave our volunteer position in Estes Park.  Having never left a workamping job early. . .this makes us very, very sad. . .but we were promised 30 amp service for our RV. . .and only had 20 amp. . .

 

Now for those of you who RV that means something. . .for everyone else. . .imagine every time you turned on the microwave, you tripped the breaker for the entire house. . .that’s about what it equates to.  Because we monitor our electrical usage with a voltage meter. . .we knew right away, ten weeks ago, that there was a problem. . .but we were assured repeatedly that it was going to be solved. . .and that they were working on it.

 

2012-07-17 2012-07 Colorado - Loveland 003

Here was the final resolution. . .and the final straw that broke the camel’s back. . .so to speak. . .a 10 gauge wire strung 200 feet across the ground. . .after this “fix” we determined that we could not continue to put our home, our electrical system in our rig, and our safety in jeopardy. . .without going into a lot of electrical gobbledy gook. . .let me just say. . .this is NOT up to any kind of code. . .

2012-07-17 2012-07 Colorado - Loveland 007

So. . .here’s our home base in lovely Loveland, Colorado for the next month. . .and while it’s not the fabulous location and view we had in Estes Park, we do have great service. . .and is a great central location to enjoy the area. . .especially when Curtis and Brenda come to spend some time with us in a couple of weeks.

 

Not sure where we will head to next. . .we know it will be south. . .maybe Santa FE NM. . .we’ll see. . .

 

Leave us a comment, or send us a note. . .we miss you guys, and love to hear from you. . .

 

Hugs,

Janice & David

14 comments:

  1. Wow, Just wow...I really cannot blame you for leaving Estes Park. There is absolutely no reason to put your home and safety in jeopardy. We are discussing leaving Colorado early this year, to go south also, we want to see so many things in New Mexico and Arizona.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment Lynn. . .it was a tough decision. . .but in the end, it was the one that had to be made!

      Enjoy your travels,

      Delete
  2. When I volunteered at Dinosaur Nat'l Monument a few years back, I had electrical problems also. The surge protector kept shutting the rig down. Temps there averaged 115* each day. I needed the AC! The staff insisted I had a faulty surge guard. I ended up sitting in the coordinators office with Emma, and threatening to pack up and leave if something wasn't done. They called in the electric company, and sure enough, it was a bad pole. The electric company fixed it, and I stayed for the rest of my commitment. However, due to that problem and their general attitude towards volunteers, I have never returned there. Good for you for sticking to your guns. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know Judy. . .no matter the situation we find ourselves in life. . .it always makes us feel better when there is someone who truly "understands." Thanks for being that someone today. . .although I guess YOU were more valuable than we were. . .LOL!

      I don't honestly think they believed we would really leave. . .and trust me. . .we didn't want to. . .but. . .oh well. . .life goes on!

      Isn't it amazing how it's always the RV owner's fault. . .continue to travel safely. . .and don't let Emma sneak out that door again. . .I bet she was off like a shot!

      Delete
  3. Don't blame you at all for leaving. How can people be so rude and dishonest. You have to look out for your home...that is the bottom line. Your new place looks lovely! Hope you enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the vote of confidence. . .the park we are in at Loveland reminds us very much of the park we stay in when we are at "home in Houston" to see the grands. . .busy, but convenient to everything at the same time. . .we're gonna make the best of it for the next month, until Dave's brother gets here. . .and then we'll decide where to go from here!

      Delete
  4. Hay, if you are going to travel south towards Santa Fe (where both our daughters live) you might think about stopping off in South Fork and visiting us. We don't have any hook-ups but the creek view is fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks guys for the very generous offer.. .as you know with most full timers our plans are still set in jello. . .I'm not real sure we even got the jello made yet. . .LOL! Lots of variables. . .grandkids are supposed to be flying in. . .yada, yada, yada. . .but would definitely love to meet up with you guys one day. . .if not soon. . .then in the future!

      Delete
  5. Really bad, I guess they were counting on you being someone who is not knowledgeable about these issues. Glad you didn't find out through damage to your RV.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah. . .it was pretty obvious they had never been questioned about it before. . .the folks who were in that spot last year, were in a truck camper. . .so I'm sure it truly wasn't an issue for them. . .hopefully, they'll realize that if they want quality help, they need to provide quality acommodations. . .sad really. . .it's such a great gig. . .

      Delete
  6. Hi Janice,
    Wow, what a time but in all reality, the kind of management attitude toward you and the problem is no unusual, in World industry.
    I recall a statement, "The only person that cares about you is you". How nice it is when others have a true concern about the people they are involved with but we should not be surprised when they are not.

    Guess what folks, the tighter the economy gets and the more restrictive the governments get, the more of these type of situations we all encounter. The tighter the budget, the more excuses and stalls and blame are provided to keep from spending to fix any problem.

    The fault is not yours, yet the inconvenience is. You did right making the move you did, just next time, do it sooner. Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm afraid what you say is true. . .but I still like to believe the best of everyone. . .and when they let me down. . .I'm still so disappointed.

      It has been inconvenient. . .we thought we had our summer all planned. . .but it seems God had a different plan. We were in service with the Pentecostal's of Loveland this weekend. . .had some great discussions about their Children's Ministry. . .with more scheduled.

      Keep us in your prayers. . .

      Delete
  7. Kudos to you for sticking to your guns and moving. There is no reason to put yourselves and home at risk because of their reluctance to update and upgrade their electrical.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a difficult decision Bryan. . .and it still makes me sad to think about it. . .but ultimately, we made the right decision for us. . .thanks for your vote of confidence!

      Delete