RV Lifestyle and Story

[dmccarty]

I saw this article today about RVing. The writer used to be a very funny columnist for the N&O in Raleigh. He retired what seemed like only a few years ago, but it turns out it was back in 2007! What he had to say was really interesting and fits into TBN conversations about RVing and traveling. Hopefully, people can get to the link, since the N&O is trying to get people to register and/or pay for access. Sometimes you can see the articles and other times you can't.

They started out with a smaller RV but then moved up in size to truck and trailer.

Rogers: Six years living in an RV end at the North Carolina shore | Travel | NewsObserver.com

Later,
Dan

 

[Bird]

Dan, that sure sounds a lot like what we did. We just did it a little earlier than they did. I retired in January, 1989, closed on the sale of the house 3 days later and moved into a 32' fifth-wheel towed by a one ton Chevy. In 1991, we traded the truck and trailer for motorhome and towed a Ford Escort behind it. The only state we didn't get into at least some part of in the RV was California. And after six years of the RV lifestyle, we bought 10 acres and sold the motorhome.

 

[dmccarty]

I certainly see the appeal of just heading out. We don't ever intend to move again but development might force us to move. I could see selling everything, buying an RV and just leaving. Never thought I would say that but development is heading our way.

Later,
Dan

 

[Bird]

Dan, perhaps it depends on your ancestry and/or earlier life.:laughing: In some ways, I guess I've been a little envious at times of those who were born and raised, and lived their whole life in one place. My paternal grandparents did that. My wife's parents did that. On the other hand, I changed schools 11 times in 6 towns in 12 years when we moved. Of course I went to 3 of those schools twice, moved away and then back with Dad's job. I attended 5 colleges in 5 towns while obtaining my Bachelor's degree, and one other college after graduation. And when I retired, in Dallas, my parents who were full time RVers for 4 years had quit that lifestyle, but spent the summers in Oklahoma and the winters on the Texas coast. My two brothers were in Alaska, my wife's parents in West Virginia, so we had friends and relatives all over the country.:laughing:

The one problem that made for us was having to travel too much too fast at times. I had hoped to go north in the summer and south in the winter; stay where the weather was nice. It just didn't always work out that way. We had to be in West Virginia in October (mother-in-law's birthday), on the Texas coast for Thanksgiving with my parents, back in the Dallas area for Christmas with our daughters, nieces, and nephews. We were on the Canadian border in Minnesota once when we had to make a fast trip to Oklahoma for a family funeral, were on the Texas coast once when we had to make a fast trip to West Virginia when my father-in-law was in the hospital and not expected to live.

And I'd still like to go to a cool climate for the summer and the gulf coast for the winter.:laughing:

 

[Gunny]

I know that it's a lifestyle, which means some like it, some don't, but I've met a ton of people that have sold (or never bought) their home, then live in their RV year round. Like Bird, most like to go south in the winter, north in the summer.

There are quite a few that work as camp hosts at certain campgrounds, their RV site is free and they spend a few hours a day picking up trash, emptying trash cans, etc. One couple I know has their schedule worked out for camp hosting at 6 different campgrounds from March through October, then spend the winter months at a military campground in Florida.

They claim that fuel is one of their biggest expenses, so they try to minimize the driving and maximize the camping. (They tow a smaller Saturn SUV for local travel)

All these people absolutely love their life style and while I really enjoy camping, I wouldn't want to do it all year. I realize that with the big RVs these people have, it isn't really camping, just a house on wheels, but I'd never give up my brick and mortar home. As much fun as camping is, it's always a good feeling to me when we pull into the driveway.

 

[Bird]

There are quite a few that work as camp hosts at certain campgrounds, their RV site is free and they spend a few hours a day picking up trash, emptying trash cans, etc.

Duties vary widely, as do the financial arrangements. A lot of the "host" job are in Corp of Engineers parks around lakes. After we'd been on the road awhile, we subscribed to Workamper News and through that got a job for one summer in a private RV resort; 1,000 campsite (tent sites to full hookup including telephone and cable TV), two stores, a restaurant, two swimming pools, etc. Of course we had one of the full service (expensive at that time) sites, and a very small salary, punched a time clock and my wife worked as a clerk in one of the stores, and I did a little bit of everything.:laughing: I worked the front gate at times (more greeter than security), pumped propane, did plumbing, electrical, and carpentry work, mowed, ran the evening bingo games at times. And then, in the same publication, I found the job doing gas leakage surveys and did that for 2 years.

 

[mjarrels]

When I was on Navy active duty, got stationed on the USS Carl Vinson homeported at Alameda NAS. Didn't want to move my family from the small town of Coupeville Washington 926 miles away. I was going to be at sea most of the time any way. Bought a nice new cabover truck camper with queen bed, stove/oven, reefer, double ss sink, furnance, lots of storage, etc. When not at sea, could stay off the ship some times and it was a great deal when my wife and kids would fly into Oakland and have a place to stay. NAS Alameda even had a small RV camp ground just down the street. Used that truck camper for trips to San Diego and trips to Disneyland and all places between San Diego and home in Coupeville about 60 miles north of Seattle. Great memories.

mark

 

[dmccarty]

Dan, perhaps it depends on your ancestry and/or earlier life.:laughing: In some ways, I guess I've been a little envious at times of those who were born and raised, and lived their whole life in one place. My paternal grandparents did that. My wife's parents did that. On the other hand, I changed schools 11 times in 6 towns in 12 years when we moved. Of course I went to 3 of those schools twice, moved away and then back with Dad's job. I attended 5 colleges in 5 towns while obtaining my Bachelor's degree, and one other college after graduation. And when I retired, in Dallas, my parents who were full time RVers for 4 years had quit that lifestyle, but spent the summers in Oklahoma and the winters on the Texas coast. My two brothers were in Alaska, my wife's parents in West Virginia, so we had friends and relatives all over the country.:laughing:
...

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

I moved a lot as a kid, lived in a handful of different states, and went to three elementary, one middle and three high schools, and to a great extent, I don't have any wander lust left.

On the other hand, I do want to head west and see places but I don't want to spend a day here and a day there. We want to go and be able to sit in a place for awhile. But I don't know if I would want to be away from home that long either. :confused3::laughing::laughing::laughing: I sure am hard to please! At this point, it is a moot desire since I do not have the time or money to do go RV'ing.

What is funny is that like to read history and there are places in the US I would like to see based on the history I have read, but I have absolutely no interest to go to Europe or Asia. None. I would like to visit some of the Pacific island battle fields, like Midway, HI, Iwo, Saipan, etc., but other than that, I don't want to leave the US. I don't want to see NYC anymore than I want to see Tokyo, Paris, London, or Rome.

I see these big RV's on the road and I kinda wish it was us. I noticed a few this morning heading west... But we run the numbers, and for what we are doing and can do vacation wise, an RV/Trailer does not make money sense right now. Maybe one day we will have time and won't care so much about the money. :laughing::laughing::laughing: The couple in the article I linked, kinda did what we have thought about doing, except for selling everything we own. However, with development getting ready to explode in our county, we might end up selling to escape from the huge changes that are going to happen. If the development goes as planned our land will really shoot up in value. We really do not want to move and our whole point of moving to the country was to set down roots and never move again. But events may force the issue. I really do not want to have to find more land, find a builder, and build a new house. Designing the house would be easy, since we would take the current design and just tweek some things. But I really don't want to have to build again.

One of my big issues with taking off in a RV for weeks or months at a time is my books. I gots to have books to read. Now, with Kindle and eBooks, the book problem is solved! :laughing::laughing::laughing: I can carry literally a ton of books in a little, itty bitty, paper back book sized Kindle. :thumbsup: With a laptop, Kindle, and Internet access from time to time, I would be good to go. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Later,
Dan