Random Thoughts
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
I have always hated to pay someone else to do a job I can do
myself. But when I do and they do a
worst job than what I would have done, I REALLY hate that.
Friday, January 15, 2010
I was just thinking the other day when I suggested we head over to Quartzsite for the weekend. Weekend trips were easier when we lived in a stick house. The reasons why, living in the RV, we have to pack away all the knick-knacks, put things away, unhook the RV, and pull in the slides. When in a house, the RV is usually sitting in the driveway ready to go other than food.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Sometimes I think I should just pull all my money out of my investments and go on a big spending spree. At least that way I can enjoy all this money I am loosing.
Monday, August 25, 2008
If the folks that live in the north and travel to the south for the winter are called SnowBirds. What are the people that live in the south and travel to the north for the summer called?
Friday, August 15, 2008
I get a number of e-mails telling me they have an enormous amount of money, usually in the millions that they want to deposit into my bank account for various reasons. I really wonder if anyone falls for such nonsense.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Have you ever wondered who that guy really is in the Santa Clause suit at the end of the Christmas Parade? Of course not. You just go along with the program and believe he is the magical guy they call Santa Clause. Well I thought the same until I found out that a good friend of mine plays Santa Clause in the local Christmas Parade. Kind of ruined the whole Parade for me.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
One fun thing about being a Fulltimer, it’s fun to get lost. When we get into a new town, we set out in the car and try to get lost, and then find our way back to the motorhome. It’s a fun game. You really should try it some time. Of course we carry our GPS just in case we manage to really get lost.
Monday, November 19, 2007
RVs should not contain surround sound. Most campsites are very close and the walls are very thin in the RVs. To get the real effect of surround sound people usually crank it up. I don’t need to hear the guys TV next door. Same goes for outside basement TVs.
Monday, July 16, 2007
We went through an agriculture checkpoint today. The gentleman at the checkpoint asked me, “Where have you been?” Ha, I felt like saying, “all over the country, got time to hear about it?”
Friday, June 15, 2007
How does a fulltimer take a vacation?
I remember that when we owned a house and worked all week that a week’s vacation was really welcome. We would pick a location and pack up the motorhome and hear out for a week. I remember the excitement all week, anticipating the trip. Somehow I miss all that. The part I do not miss however is the last day of vacation. We would get depressed thinking it’s almost over and we have to go back to our house and jobs. That was one of the biggest factors in our decision to go Fulltime.
I remember that when we owned a house and worked all week that a week’s vacation was really welcome. We would pick a location and pack up the motorhome and hear out for a week. I remember the excitement all week, anticipating the trip. Somehow I miss all that. The part I do not miss however is the last day of vacation. We would get depressed thinking it’s almost over and we have to go back to our house and jobs. That was one of the biggest factors in our decision to go Fulltime.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Call me old fashion but I just don’t understand this whole cell phone texting thing. I mean, you have a phone! Just make the call! Now I can understand there might be a case where you can not talk so typing a short message might be appropriate, but just the other day I overheard a young girl call her friend and say “I just left you a text message”. HUH?
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Why is it that the people that have the most to hide always draw attention to them selves? Working as Campground Hosts we have seen our share of these idiots. We have seen several incidents where people have come to the campground, raised attention to them selves and left in the back of a squad car for outstanding warrants.
What were they thinking?
What were they thinking?
Saturday, October 21, 2006
One good thing about being retired is, if I am awaken in the middle of the night it is much easier to fall back to sleep. The reason is because I don’t lay there stressing about how many more hours I have left before I need to get up for work. The later it gets, the more you stress, and the harder it is to sleep. Sometimes I never got back to sleep.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
It’s a bit frightening when you take a look in the side mirror and see a car that looks like your toad a few car lengths behind you. A pang of fear goes through your body as you glance in your backup camera to see if your toad is still hooked up.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Just give a simple North or South.
Lately I have been seeing freeway entrance signs that state town names instead of directions. When I am approaching a freeway entrance, I want to know which entrance is for north and which one is for south. Not Town A or Town B. I am not familiar enough with the area to know which way Town A or Town B is. What were they thinking?
Lately I have been seeing freeway entrance signs that state town names instead of directions. When I am approaching a freeway entrance, I want to know which entrance is for north and which one is for south. Not Town A or Town B. I am not familiar enough with the area to know which way Town A or Town B is. What were they thinking?
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Today, a couple pulled up in their truck and fifth-wheel trailer. After parking the trailer he noticed a liquid substance dripping on the ground from under his truck. Upon raising the hood of the truck, immediately there were at least 6 guys hovered around the front of the truck, me being one of them. After a short under-hood meeting, it took six of us to determine it must be condensation from the air conditioner.
What a funny sight that must have been.
What a funny sight that must have been.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
I hate incompetence. Today I had the car worked on. They removed the Throttle Body and cleaned it and ran some strong cleaner through the Fuel Injectors. After getting the car back I found myself looking and feeling for problems caused by the maintenance instead of seeing if the original problem is gone. All is well so far. I am not saying that the Saturn dealer is incompetence. I am just saying I have been burned too many times by someone messing up something else trying to fix the original problem.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
How do flies fly in your car window while driving down the road at 55 mph? Today we were traveling in the car and in came a fly. Of course it wouldn’t fly back out.
Friday, July 14, 2006
The last couple of campgrounds we stayed at were priced $39 and $41 a night. I just checked ahead and found the next campground will cost us $50 a night. Now the Resort where we purchased a lot charges $35 a night and is Much Nicer than the last couple of campgrounds. It just don’t make sense.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Last year we traveled all around the country. You may wonder how we can travel to such far away places without giving a second though as to how far it is. Well the answer is simple and two fold. First far away is relative. If your home is a motorhome than what is the definition of “far away”. Second, while sitting in California and look at a destination in Massachusetts it does appear to be far away, however we don’t drive from California to Massachusetts. We travel two to three hours, stay for a day or more and travel the next two to three hours. It’s like eating an elephant, “One bite at a time”. Not only should you enjoy your destination but everything in between.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
I always get a little apprehensive before we travel. There is a lot that can go wrong out there on the road. The longer the trip the more chance that something can go wrong. Mechanical breakdowns, road idiots, traffic, weather, and hazards are just a few. Fortunately with all the travel we have done we have only experienced 2 breakdowns. One was a roadside repair and the other was a shop repair. We have never been on the back of a tow truck so far though. A little maintenance goes a long way.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Fulltimer can sometimes have answers to common questions that you don’t expect. For instance, today we were in a store and the girl behind the counter said to Susan, “I like your necklace. Where did you get it”? Susan thought for a second and said, “Oatman (Arizona)”. The look on the girls face was priceless. I think she was expecting the name of a store.
Monday, May 08, 2006
My magic Coffee maker has failed me. Whenever I am ready for coffee, all I do is turn on the coffee maker and it makes coffee (Magic!). Today this wasn’t so. See, Susan usually gets the coffee maker ready for the next brew after cleaning out the last brew, ESCEPT when we travel. Today we traveled.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
As we drive down the roads, sometimes we see signs that say things like “Elk next 5 miles”. I always wonder how the Elk know to just hang out in that 5 mile stretch.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
The speed limit in Arizona is 75 mph. This also applies to trucks. Not like California where the truck speed limit is 55. Driving between 60 and 65, I am used to cars whizzing past me at 75 to 80 mph but when a truck pulling doubles comes past you at 75 to 80, THAT’S KIND OF SCARRY.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
I really don’t care for campgrounds that let people live there permanently. Also I have found that a lot of campgrounds are calling themselves Resorts when they are nowhere near what I would call a Resort. A resort should not include tent sites. A resort should not allow permanent live ins. A resort should be neat and clean.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Is there a good time to travel to Kentucky? We wanted to wait until the weather warmed up a bit before heading for Kentucky. Now that the weather is warming up, the tornados have started. If we wait for the tornados to end it will be hurricane season. If we wait for hurricane season to end it will be too late since we need to be back in Southern California for our Camp Host jobs. I am not sure what to do.
Monday, March 20, 2006
I found a disadvantage to GPS. I bought a GPS unit for the car so we can find our way around unfamiliar places. It really works well. I can either enter the address of the place I want to go to, or select it from a list of “Points of Interest” that are programmed into the GPS unit its self. When we get to our camping location I simply press the Locate button and it will remember where our camp is so we can find our way back. Then I simple enter a location where we want to venture out to and the pleasant female voice guides me there. I don’t even look at the screen much except to see what the name of the next street is to turn onto. This way when it tells me to turn, I know I am turning on the right street. OK, Here is the problem. Since I let her guide me to the location, I don’t pay much attention to the route. If we ever get somewhere and the GPS brakes, since I didn’t pay attention, I can’t find my way back.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
The one thing I fear the most is running over something on the road and damaging the motorhome or toad. The other day while going through LA I saw the truck in front of me run over something that got stuck under it. I quickly checked my mirror and changed lanes. After a few seconds it spit it out the rear. It was a 6 gallon Shop Vac. To my surprise and humor, after slipping out from under the truck, this Shop Vac stayed upright and was doing about 50 miles per hour down the freeway.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
I find it interesting watching people back their 5th wheel into a campsite. Some look like they have never backed up a 5th wheel in their life. Some look like they used to back up semi trucks all day long. I just watched a guy the other day back a 5th wheel right into the site perfect on the first try. An hour later I saw another guy spend about an hour backing his 5th wheel into a site. All that shifting back and forth can’t be good for the truck.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
After spending 5 days at the FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) Rally I realized that growing old doesn’t mean you can’t have fun anymore. I saw people that could hardly walk, could not stand up straight, and had trouble talking, however they were having the time of their lives volunteering to help or just enjoying the rally. Yes they drove their 40+ foot motorhomes with car in tow to the show. I admire the fact that they do not let their age, disabilities or handicaps stop them. Some folks sit around all day complaining about their aches and pains but I didn’t hear any of these folks complaining. I sure admire them all.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Six month report, second half.
The second half of the year has been really great. But how bad can it get traveling around the USA in a motorhome? My last 6 month report left us in Iowa, I believe, heading toward South Dakota. We had a little motorhome starting problem that developed on the way to Sioux Falls South Dakota. Fortunately we found a very good truck shop in Sioux Falls that not only diagnosed the problem correctly but also had us back on the road in a half a day. Rapid City is where we had the most fun while in South Dakota. We did most of the touristy thing while there but the best thing was, we had a chance to hook up with some friends we met at the Rexhall Rally in California last year. Since they grew up in the area, they gave us a personal tour of the area. We left South Dakota heading for Yellowstone National Park. Since the east entrance was under construction we made the decision to go around to the west entrance. We stayed in a nice resort in West Yellowstone and just drove into the park a few days. I wanted to head on down to the Grand Titons but Susan wanted to visit her sister in Idaho, so off to West Idaho we headed. We followed the Clearwater River al the way through Idaho. What a nice drive following a crystal clear river the whole way. We decided to follow the Columbia River from Idaho to the coast of Oregon. This was a pleasant surprise since we found the Old Highway 80 scenic drive with its seven waterfalls. The Oregon coast was magnificent. We traveled down the coast route with its beautiful vistas. Along the way we stayed at the many very nice Oregon State Parks. Once we crossed the border into California we changed directions east and just brushed along the top of the Redwoods. We were heading to Medford Oregon to visit more good friends. I wanted to head back to the coast and spend a few weeks traveling down the California coast but some personal problems came up where we had to hightail it down to Southern California. We made it to Southern California in 4 days. At years end in November and December we served a Camp Hosts at San Elijo State Beach right on the coast in Southern California. This was an absolute blast. We had so much fun we signed up for next year and they accepted us right on the spot.
Over all the year has been a real winner. We have had very little troubles and problems along the way and visited a lot of nice placed and friends and made a lot of new friends along the way. My research paid off because everything went off as planed. We stayed along the south in the winter and the north during the summer. The Motorhome ran absolutely great and has held up extremely well during fulltime use. We did a good job sticking to our budget. I did have to make a few minor adjustments along the way and actually came in under budget for the year. After subtracting our yearly expenses from our investments though, we did extremely well money wise. I really don’t think I could have done any better working.
The second half of the year has been really great. But how bad can it get traveling around the USA in a motorhome? My last 6 month report left us in Iowa, I believe, heading toward South Dakota. We had a little motorhome starting problem that developed on the way to Sioux Falls South Dakota. Fortunately we found a very good truck shop in Sioux Falls that not only diagnosed the problem correctly but also had us back on the road in a half a day. Rapid City is where we had the most fun while in South Dakota. We did most of the touristy thing while there but the best thing was, we had a chance to hook up with some friends we met at the Rexhall Rally in California last year. Since they grew up in the area, they gave us a personal tour of the area. We left South Dakota heading for Yellowstone National Park. Since the east entrance was under construction we made the decision to go around to the west entrance. We stayed in a nice resort in West Yellowstone and just drove into the park a few days. I wanted to head on down to the Grand Titons but Susan wanted to visit her sister in Idaho, so off to West Idaho we headed. We followed the Clearwater River al the way through Idaho. What a nice drive following a crystal clear river the whole way. We decided to follow the Columbia River from Idaho to the coast of Oregon. This was a pleasant surprise since we found the Old Highway 80 scenic drive with its seven waterfalls. The Oregon coast was magnificent. We traveled down the coast route with its beautiful vistas. Along the way we stayed at the many very nice Oregon State Parks. Once we crossed the border into California we changed directions east and just brushed along the top of the Redwoods. We were heading to Medford Oregon to visit more good friends. I wanted to head back to the coast and spend a few weeks traveling down the California coast but some personal problems came up where we had to hightail it down to Southern California. We made it to Southern California in 4 days. At years end in November and December we served a Camp Hosts at San Elijo State Beach right on the coast in Southern California. This was an absolute blast. We had so much fun we signed up for next year and they accepted us right on the spot.
Over all the year has been a real winner. We have had very little troubles and problems along the way and visited a lot of nice placed and friends and made a lot of new friends along the way. My research paid off because everything went off as planed. We stayed along the south in the winter and the north during the summer. The Motorhome ran absolutely great and has held up extremely well during fulltime use. We did a good job sticking to our budget. I did have to make a few minor adjustments along the way and actually came in under budget for the year. After subtracting our yearly expenses from our investments though, we did extremely well money wise. I really don’t think I could have done any better working.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Maybe it is because I was born and raised on the coast in Southern California, but I sure do like the beach here. It is just the best to be lulled to sleep by the sound of the ocean at night. The down side is things get damp and sticky from the salt air, but I got nothing better to do but keep everything clean and shiny.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Have you ever looked for something but just don’t remember where you put it. Well, now when I look for something, I don’t know if I can’t remember where I put it or didn’t pack it.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
It really upsets me that in this time of crises, Hurricane Katrina, that they are asking everyone to dig deep and come up with any donation they can afford, yet the oil companies find it a good opportunity to gouge us again. I don’t see them pitching in.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Thinking about the people that had to evacuate because of the hurricanes, I thought, What would I take with me. Then I realized, all we have to is drive our motorhome away and we are taking everything we own with us. Another advantage to living in a motorhome fulltime.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
I wish all RV parks offered Free WiFi. I know some people that only seek out RV Parks that offer Free WiFi. After the initial setup fees, it really doesn’t cost the park much. There are a lot of Rvers that use the internet for business or just to keep in touch via Email and free WiFi would really help. Sometimes I find other Rvers with Satellite Internet that broadcast wireless for other fellow Rvers around them.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Six month report.
Well here we are entering our seventh month on the road as Fulltimers. There has been no big surprises so far. Everything is going pretty much as expected. Susan and I are still getting along very well even though we are confined to a 300 Sq Ft home. The vehicles are holding up great. I did have to change a burnt sparkplug wire but I knew this motorhome had the potential to burn plug wires before starting out. Workhorse (the chassis manufacturer) has been great. After explaining to them that I an a wanderer and can not sit in a service center for months to wait for an appointment, they sent me a new design plug wire right away and directed me to redirect the cool air vent kit (installed before I left) to the troubled area. I guess I have become a test vehicle. At any rate, It is an easy fix and I carry a few extra plug wires to get me going if it happens again. The stress level is, on a scale of 1 to 10, about a 2. I think the biggest stress is scouting out a suitable place to stay. We usually don’t make reservations and get off the road usually around 1:00p so if the park is scary we have plenty of time to look elsewhere. We have only had to do this very few times. I have found that Woodall’s RV Guide is good for finding campgrounds but their rating system is the worst. They only rate on amenities and recreation but say nothing about the esthetics of the park. We have found high rated parks that are a real dump. I have found a web site where real campers write in there personal reviews and this has proven to be the best for finding suitable campgrounds. Driving has not been a problem at all. We found that it is more comfortable to stay off the interstates and take some of the lesser roads. I have heard of it being called staying off the red roads and taking the blue roads. We have even traveled quite a few black roads. I thought I would have a problem with roads not suited for a 36 foot motorhome towing a car but have run into very few situations that were a problem. Some of the roads have been very rough and some have been very narrow. I have only had to unhook the car twice and that’s only because I didn’t judge the turn right. You just can’t backup with a car in tow. We decided we would stick to the southern states during the first part of the year and the northern states for the later part of the year for weather reasons. For the most part, this has worked out well but I think we have been rained on at every stop so far. We just laugh every time is starts to rain. As far as our budget goes, I am pleased to say that we are about $700 under budget after the first six months. We were $1100 under but last month was a heavy touring month. By the way, our budget is a little under $2400 a month and we are living very well. We do not have to scrimp or do without to meet budget. If one was to be conservative you could get by with a good bit less. All in all, I have found that living in a motorhome on the road is not much different than living in our house. We don’t eat any different. We have our phone, Satellite TV, internet, and the comfort of our home on wheels. I find plenty to do by puttering around the motorhome fixing this and cleaning that. I have exchanged mowing lawns with washing bugs off the front of the motorhome.
Well here we are entering our seventh month on the road as Fulltimers. There has been no big surprises so far. Everything is going pretty much as expected. Susan and I are still getting along very well even though we are confined to a 300 Sq Ft home. The vehicles are holding up great. I did have to change a burnt sparkplug wire but I knew this motorhome had the potential to burn plug wires before starting out. Workhorse (the chassis manufacturer) has been great. After explaining to them that I an a wanderer and can not sit in a service center for months to wait for an appointment, they sent me a new design plug wire right away and directed me to redirect the cool air vent kit (installed before I left) to the troubled area. I guess I have become a test vehicle. At any rate, It is an easy fix and I carry a few extra plug wires to get me going if it happens again. The stress level is, on a scale of 1 to 10, about a 2. I think the biggest stress is scouting out a suitable place to stay. We usually don’t make reservations and get off the road usually around 1:00p so if the park is scary we have plenty of time to look elsewhere. We have only had to do this very few times. I have found that Woodall’s RV Guide is good for finding campgrounds but their rating system is the worst. They only rate on amenities and recreation but say nothing about the esthetics of the park. We have found high rated parks that are a real dump. I have found a web site where real campers write in there personal reviews and this has proven to be the best for finding suitable campgrounds. Driving has not been a problem at all. We found that it is more comfortable to stay off the interstates and take some of the lesser roads. I have heard of it being called staying off the red roads and taking the blue roads. We have even traveled quite a few black roads. I thought I would have a problem with roads not suited for a 36 foot motorhome towing a car but have run into very few situations that were a problem. Some of the roads have been very rough and some have been very narrow. I have only had to unhook the car twice and that’s only because I didn’t judge the turn right. You just can’t backup with a car in tow. We decided we would stick to the southern states during the first part of the year and the northern states for the later part of the year for weather reasons. For the most part, this has worked out well but I think we have been rained on at every stop so far. We just laugh every time is starts to rain. As far as our budget goes, I am pleased to say that we are about $700 under budget after the first six months. We were $1100 under but last month was a heavy touring month. By the way, our budget is a little under $2400 a month and we are living very well. We do not have to scrimp or do without to meet budget. If one was to be conservative you could get by with a good bit less. All in all, I have found that living in a motorhome on the road is not much different than living in our house. We don’t eat any different. We have our phone, Satellite TV, internet, and the comfort of our home on wheels. I find plenty to do by puttering around the motorhome fixing this and cleaning that. I have exchanged mowing lawns with washing bugs off the front of the motorhome.
Monday, June 27, 2005
If you don’t need it, don’t pay for it. Sometimes we are in route from one place to another and only need to stop for one night. Sometimes we will just stop at a Wal-Mart for the one night but sometimes we want a little more than just a parking lot so we will find a campground nearby. When we do these one night stops in a campground we will ask for sites with little to no hookups. I have found we can save a bit of money that way.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
We used to depend on Woodall’s to find our next nights stay but I realized that their rating system isn’t what I thought it was. They rate the campgrounds by how many amenities they have and not by how nice they are. We found this out by staying at some 3 star campgrounds that were really scary.
I found a really good web site called rvparkreviews.com but I am beginning to wish I hadn’t. This site allows Rvers to send in their own reviews. These are more on target than most I have found. The problem is we used to check into a RV park not knowing there was something better down the road and were perfectly happy. Now I tend to pick the ones with the best reviews which are most times a little pricier and sometimes a little more out of the way from where we want to be.
I found a really good web site called rvparkreviews.com but I am beginning to wish I hadn’t. This site allows Rvers to send in their own reviews. These are more on target than most I have found. The problem is we used to check into a RV park not knowing there was something better down the road and were perfectly happy. Now I tend to pick the ones with the best reviews which are most times a little pricier and sometimes a little more out of the way from where we want to be.
Sunday, May 29, 2005
I don’t understand their thinking. I have found a lot of RV parks will charge a few bucks extra for 50 amp service over 30 amp service. But when I get to the site I find the power poll has both. Now I can see charging extra if the 50 amp sites are in an upgraded or better area than the 30 amp but they are the same site. This does not make any sense at all to me. Why should I be charged for how much amperage I can draw when the real cost is how much I use. I would be willing to bet that my usage would be the same if I plug into the 30 or the 50. With that type of mentality, I am surprised they don’t install a ½ inch water pipe and a 1 inch pipe and charge you more if you screw your hose into the 1 inch pipe.
Friday, May 13, 2005
I realized today while driving through Savannah that for one to be a good fulltimer you have to have a good sense of direction. I fortunately do and even so, I still get turned around sometimes. Some day I will have to GPS for the car just to make life easier.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
One thing I find interesting is leaving to do some sight seeing and coming back to new neighbors. It is like stepping into a time warp machine and when you come out everything is different. That’s one of the cool things about this lifestyle is if you don’t like your neighbors, just wait, they will change.
There should be 2 rates. When we look for rv parks we like to pick ones that have a lot of amenities. Amenities such as pools, spas, rec rooms, meeting rooms, and more. These parks are usually nicer than most. However we never use all the amenities. The most we ever use is the laundry. I feel since we do not use the park to it’s fullest we should be entitled to pay a lower rate. Just my opinion.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
We just spent a month in one place. I found that a month is too long to sit still. Even though we had plenty to keep us occupied, after about 2 weeks I was itching to move on.
Monday, April 04, 2005
I miss the beach. I am talking about the sand, sun and surf. We were in Galveston and Biloxi but the gulf beach is missing the waves I am used to on the west coast. I love laying at night and listening to the surf at night. We are in Orlando Florida for a month and then we will be heading up the coast. I plan to stick to the beaches as much a possible. At least we have our Camp Host jobs for November and December on the beach in California. That will be nice.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Being the nature people we are, we have a bird feeder we put out when we setup for a while. The last couple of stops however, the birds were edged out by the raccoons and squirrels. We enjoy watching out the dinning room window during dinner and watching the critters come around for their dinner. Usually the night before we move on I will put things away including our bird (critter) feeder. It saddens us to sit down that evening and watch the critters come around looking for their dinner only to find nothing. They always seem to rummage around and find some scraps.
I have found that some of the best advice from my fellow RVers is not where to go but rather where NOT to go. They have kept us out of some dangerous situations.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Modern Technology is great when it works. We have all the comforts of home in our motorhome. We have a generator that produces more power than most campgrounds can provide us. We have propane on board to run the water heater, furnace and stove. We have satellite TV that provides us with more than 200 channels. We have water tanks with a demand pump that offers enough running water for a week or so. We have cell phones to keep in touch with friends and family. We have internet connectivity through a wireless broadcast or through our cell phone. However things can go wrong. If the gas tank is lower than ¼ full the generator will not run. This is to prevent someone from running there gas tank empty using there generator. I have pulled into a spot, put the jacks down, the slides out only to find the generator would not run and we had to uproot to go get gas. We have setup in a park with a low propane tank and run our while there. We have lost our satellite reception due to snow and rain and if you get setup under a bunch of trees you can be out of luck. We have setup without topping off the water tank and had to uproot to go for water. We have been in areas where we have no cell reception. We have been in areas with no wireless internet connectivity and the cell phone is on a shared network which means I can not connect using my cell phone. But you know what? It’s better than going to work everyday.
I was asked the other day if I would consider Work Camping. Work Camping is where people work while on the road. Perhaps some time down the road I will consider it, however, I have not felt a need for it at this time. There are several reasons why one would Work Camp. It may be financial. It may be just to keep business. So far we do not stay put long enough to make it beneficial for me or an employer. We do have Camp Host jobs lined up for November and December back in California so that we can spend the holidays with family. As camp host we are provided our camp site free of charge. This will help offset Christmas.
Monday, February 21, 2005
We are at an elevation of about 4700 ft. but you wouldn’t know it. 4700 ft. used to mean to me mountains and trees, however we are in the middle of the desert flat lands with an abundance of cactus and desert wildlife.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Arizona has what they call a “Stupid Motorist Law”. Yes that’s what they call it. The law says they can fine “Stupid Motorists” for doing things like driving across posted flooded area. Along with the fine they get to pay all the emergency personnel’s fees that came to help. They could have a similar law in California but they would have to call it some else because someone would whine about being called Stupid.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Fulltime life on the road creates many contrasts. One is the contrast from one stop to the next. Last night we were at Lake Pleasant in Peoria, AZ. Tonight we are in the middle of the city in Tucson, AZ. Last night we listened to the donkeys and coyotes. Tonight we listen to the jets from the nearby international and military airports, the trains from the nearby train tracks, the kids from the school next door, and the sirens from the city. Last night we had a beautifully view of the fishermen and sail boats on the lake with the rugged mountains in the background. Tonight’s view is motorhomes and trailers.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
I have seen Million dollar homes with $200,000 motorhomes parked next to them and I have seen $200,000 homes with Million dollar motorhomes parked next to them. It’s all a mater of Priorities
Monday, February 07, 2005
It’s taking longer than I thought. I thought we would be ½ way across the country by now. There is just so much to see between here and there. It’s hard to remember that we don’t have to do it all in 1 year. Everyone we have met wants us to meet up with them again at the rallies next year. I think we will have to skip out on some of them so we can get on with our adventure.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Believe it or not, sometimes I envy the weekend warriors that blast out Friday nights, cram a weeks fun into 2 days and slip back out on Sunday afternoons. I miss the anticipation all week and the excitement of cramming as much fun as possible into 2 days.On the other hand, It has been raining most of this weekend and I have not felt guilty at all about hanging inside the motorhome with the fireplace going watching DVDs and surfing the net while the weekend warriors are out in the rain setting up, trying to stay dry while having fun and packing to go home. Ah, that’s the key word that makes it all worth it…Going Home. I am home!
Sunday, October 31, 2004
One of the strangest things I have noticed about Fulltiming is when I wake in the morning I have to think for a moment where I am. Especially if we are traveling often.
Monday, October 11, 2004
It sure gives me a ‘Warm Fuzzy’ to look in my mirror and see the truckers and other motorhome fall behind on the hills. This Workhorse moves.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Another good reason not to plan our trip.
We are heading for a planed rally and are at Pismo Coast Village RV Resort for a 2 nighter. This place is nice and there is a lot to do and see around here. We would like to spend a week or more but have to get going in the morning to make it to the rally.
We are heading for a planed rally and are at Pismo Coast Village RV Resort for a 2 nighter. This place is nice and there is a lot to do and see around here. We would like to spend a week or more but have to get going in the morning to make it to the rally.
Monday, October 04, 2004
I thought it was a good idea to get a tripod for my satellite dish. I thought that if it was mounted on the roof of the Aerbus that I might be in a situation where I might be parked under some trees and not get a view of the satellite. With a tripod I could place the dish out away from the trees. I found a disadvantage to the tripod however. If we are just doing an overnighter, I don’t want to get out the works and set it up just for the one night. This is where a dish on the roof would come in handy.
Sunday, September 19, 2004
It’s hard to grasp the concept that I don’t have to be doing something all the time. I remember having to start bright and early Saturday morning, working on the yard, house or cars and not quitting until the weekend was over.
Friday, September 03, 2004
At first I though it would be strange not having property I can call my own. I have found that I now conceder the whole country as my yard. It may sound crazy but the thought of roaming where ever I want and staying as long as I want gives me the feeling that it really does belong to me.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Funny how I don’t even miss the stick house in the slightest. Life is just so much simpler in the motorhome.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
It is under good intention to take a walk every night after dinner. The problem is we meet so many good people that we end up walking a few yards and sitting for hours talking with neighbors. Not much exercise there.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Florida thinks they have something unusual, back to back sever storms. Well here in southern California we do to. A thunder storms in Southern California, in the middle of the summer yet. This is unusual for Southern California.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
It’s funny how my whole mindset is different now that we are living in the Aerbus. It just feels different than when we were camping. I guess knowing that this is now our home make all the difference. I am not saying it is bad, I am just thinking I am going to miss camping. We will see how it feels once we start to travel.
Saturday, July 17, 2004
I will never figure out garage sales. The things that you think will sell fast never do, but the things that you think are junk go fast. You meet some nice people that you just feel like giving everything to the, and you meet some that aggravate you so much you wouldn’t sell them anything for any price.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
The buyers of our home have scheduled a Home Inspection. This raised the thought in my mine that there might be a market for a RV Inspection service very similar to a Home Inspection service. I have seen many Motorhomes that cost more than many homes and are very much more complex. You would think a buyer would want these check out also.
Hummm…Maybe a good business to start if I ever get tired of playing.
Hummm…Maybe a good business to start if I ever get tired of playing.
Friday, July 09, 2004
I think I will become a financial advisor.
I have more people wanting to know what I did financially to get to this point. Unfortunately there is no simple answer except to keep out of debt and SAVE.
I have more people wanting to know what I did financially to get to this point. Unfortunately there is no simple answer except to keep out of debt and SAVE.
Saturday, July 03, 2004
I thought warranty work was supposed to be free? The latest warranty work cost us $100 in gas and about $70 in meals.
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
I have had SO many people tell me that they are envious of me. It really makes me realize just how lucky I am. I am at the point in my life that I can just quit my job and sell everything and uproot and move on. I have a wife that is just as excited about our new lifestyle as I am. We are both healthy and we are financially able. This is a dream come true.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Thursday, June 17, 2004
I think the one thing that worries me the most about driving the Aerbus down the road is road debris. I can’t just swerve around it like most people in cars can and if I straddle it with the motorhome it is going to nail the Toad.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
It always amuses me that people buy these Big RVs then worry about gas mileage. Come on, these aren’t economy cars. Enjoy your RV!
Friday, June 04, 2004
I really want to keep up with all the maintenance on my new Aerbus. There is so much to do. It’s not that I will not have time to do it. If it was to be done at time intervals, that would be simple to keep track of. I could just add it to my outlook calendar. But much of it is mileage dependant and that is more difficult to keep tabs on since there is no fancy pop up reminder like outlook has. I am sure I will think of some way to keep tabs on it.
Sunday, May 30, 2004
When selling a house, it’s a shame that you have to work your tail off and spend a bunch of money to fix things you have lived with for many years, Just for the next guy. It is also a shame that they don’t know, or appreciate, the fact that you have suffered with it not being right only to fix it just for them.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
When something is just not right in your life, it can really bring you down. The Aerbus is having a problem right now with the engine misfiring. I am 90% sure it is just a minor problem, most likely a spark plug wire, but it really brings me down. It reflects on my whole attitude. I am usually a very up person but I have been kind of quiet lately.
Well the good news is, the Aerbus is going into the shop today and it will soon be over and I will be back to my old self.
We are heading for Doheny State Beach in a week so that will cheer me up.
Well the good news is, the Aerbus is going into the shop today and it will soon be over and I will be back to my old self.
We are heading for Doheny State Beach in a week so that will cheer me up.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Funny how much my wife ran the household. In getting rid of the stuff to go fulltime, I found that I really did not have that much stuff. I have my computer room which is mostly junk and the garage which is definitely mostly junk. There is very little I am keeping. Susan however has all her pictures on the walls, knick-knacks on the shelves and tables, and the kitchen. It all looked rather overwhelming but she has done a fine job!
Sunday, May 09, 2004
So much to do. I still have a list of about 12 things to do such as Health Insurance, Cell Phone, Mail Forwarding...and the list goes on.
Saw a cool decal on the back of a car window today. It read “No Bad Days” with a silhouette of a couple of palm trees. Wish I knew where to get one for the motorhome.
Saw a cool decal on the back of a car window today. It read “No Bad Days” with a silhouette of a couple of palm trees. Wish I knew where to get one for the motorhome.
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
I have read where RV dealers want repeat customers. I have not found that to be true. I went back to the dealer and salesperson I bought my last coach from because he treated me so well. This time he seemed to do everything in his power to piss me off. Needless to say, I didn't buy our Aerbus from him.
