Ahhhh. The cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean are a welcome change from the 104° temps we had just yesterday in Indio, CA. We're here in the area visiting my Dad & sister for about 10 days and then we start our trip north via Hwy 101. We're so GLAD to get out of the heat!
I did make a serious driving error on my way here from Indio yesterday: I followed my GPS directions and drove Hwy 74 from Lake Elsinore to the coast. Huge mistake. Narrow road, nice twisties with no guard rails. had to peel my hands off the steering wheel when I finally got over the dam# mountain! Here's a view from a turnout:http://www.efgh.com/trans/c74a.jpg Whew. Here's another picture: http://www.efgh.com/trans/c74f.jpg. Here's a great picture of what we drove over: http://www.pashnit.com/maps/Highway74map.htm ( scroll down to the middle picture!)
This is the first state park we've stayed in because it's so hard to find a state park that can hold a 40' RV , have 50 amps AND water and sewer. This place has it all. It even had a pull-through for us! It's very nice.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Surviving Our First Year On The Road
This May 9th will be the day that we have been full timing for a year and it's been a great experience for us. We've learned a lot, seen a lot of places that we never would have seen and still have a lot of places to visit. Personally, I could live this way for years, but sometimes my darling wife (DW), Kathy seems to yearn for a "home base" place to return to, so when she gets tired of this lifestyle, we'll sell the RV and move back into a "sticks & brick" APARTMENT somewhere in Jax. We are done buying and selling property (good move we hope!)
In looking back on our travels we both now know that we definitely are NOT desert people! We have spent 4 months in the south west part of the country and between the weather ( it's going to be 104°F here in Indio, CA today and that's HOT!), sand burrs in the feet and the dust, we prefer to be in a more woody or tropical type of climate. But that's just us, even though we have seen some great places along the way.
What We've Learned:
In looking back on our travels we both now know that we definitely are NOT desert people! We have spent 4 months in the south west part of the country and between the weather ( it's going to be 104°F here in Indio, CA today and that's HOT!), sand burrs in the feet and the dust, we prefer to be in a more woody or tropical type of climate. But that's just us, even though we have seen some great places along the way.
What We've Learned:
- This lifestyle is more work than one might think. You're constantly cleaning, walking, going up & down steps, crawling into the basement area to get stuff, driving, etc. I'm glad we did this now instead of waiting until I was 65 or so. I really respect RV'ers who are in their 70's or older and are still going strong! We figure out we spend more time going up and down the steps when we grill out and are worn out by dinnertime!
- You and your traveling companion better be best friends. There's not much privacy living in 500 Square Feet.... or less. That's all I'm going to say about this subject!
- This is not for everybody. When we tell people that we "live in a RV" they all ( well, mostly all) say that this would be something that they'd like to do too. I mean, come on - when I saw a big RV going down the highway, I thought to myself, "Boy, I wish I could do THAT!" But to be honest - it's glorified camping. Most of the time our parking spot is just a rock filled (gravel) area and we have to put out the "outdoor carpet" so we don't drag dirt/sand into the RV. You have to "set up" and "tear down" every time you move. Going to the local grocery store can be a 20 mile drive. If you're used to big houses with big bathrooms, you'd better be ready for a change!
- There's are TENS of 1000's of people who do this. I was surprised of the number of people who live in 5th wheels or a motor home while working. The biggest number whould have to be construction workers who travel from place to place building roads, erecting bridges, wind turbines, etc.
Everyone is friendly. Oh sure, you might occasionally meet someone a little grouchy ( who doesn't get grouchy once in awhile?), but I have yet to meet someone I didn't like while staying in a campground. There's a comardery that's shared among us and we all watch out for each other. Heck, I could live next door to someone in a house for year and never talk to them. Living like this, we're all friends! - We needed a budget. Oh sure, there are lot's of people out there who have million dollar plus RV's, but not us. When we started, the cost of fuel ( $5.00 a gallon for diesel) and the cost of camp sites ( average of around $30-$35 a night I would guess) caught us by surprise. We quickly learned to slow down our traveling and stay longer at RV parks (a week at a time) because the rates are cheaper by the week compared to the daily rate. Kathy has turned into a "coupon queen." She LOVES to go to different web sites, download coupons for groceries and restaurants so we can save some money. I LOVE that!
- There's SO much to see and do in this country. There's a seemingly endless number of places to go and things to do in this country. There's something for everyone no matter what you like to do!
