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| I can't count the number of times someone has ask one of us why we choose to live in an 8' by 35' box. When ask, I always have to relate an experience that happened to us over 20 years ago. The family was vacationing in Yellowstone National Park that summer. I had my trusty ham radio transceiver mounted in the station wagon but amidst all the mountains there was almost no activity. I say, 'almost no activity', because I did make one contact. We talked for several miles and when our new radio friend learned where we were and our direction of travel he invited us to visit his camper. He had to give us instructions as it was off the beaten path and separated from the normal tourist camping facilities. He guided us up a narrow winding road through the forest and meadows. When we finally broke out into a small clearing there were eight or ten camping units in a beautiful wooded hill top setting. The man and his wife were retired and they told us how his retirement income required that they continue to work a little each year. Their story revealed how he would drive a tour bus and his she would work in the campground office for three months. Then they would take three months to make a leisurely (towing their trailer) drive to the Florida Everglades and work there for three months of the winter season. When the weather turned hot they would head north and start the cycle all over again. North in the summer and south in the winter. Both Carole and I were very intrigued by such a life style and the idea always remained in the back of our minds.
Flash forward 15 years. We bought a 35 feet long fifth wheel trailer with the idea of paying it off in two years and then take a two year tour of the United States and see all the things we hadn't been able to see while traveling with the Air Force. We started our trip nine years ago. My, my, where does the time go. After the two years were up there were still places we hadn't seen and neither one of us wanted to go back to work on a full time basis, so we pulled out again. We have two parcels of land in Florida and both our boys are there, so we manage to spend a good amount of time there. Our parents live in Iowa and are getting on in age, so we migrate through there once or twice a year. And all that time we never thought about moving into a house without wheels. We know we aren't going to do this forever, but there are still places we want to explore and experiences we want to enjoy. We've made a lot of friends along the road. We've worked at Yellowstone National Park for the past few years and have been there long enough that we know people in every store and campground. They are from all over the United States and often we will stop and see some of them on our way north or south. In 1992 we started spending a little time in Key West, Florida each winter. We know a lot of the snow birds that winter there and it's homecoming when we pull in, enjoyed multiple times as other perennials pull in. We have spent time in some very beautiful places from Alaska to Key West but have yet to see the New England states and that will have to be done before we quit. There is no easy answer to "what is full time RVing?" Some folks live in an RV because its all they can afford and they never travel. Others are moving on the road all the time traveling between the various camping club rallies held annually in good weather locations. And many, like us, who work along the way to supplement our retirement income. It usually means staying out of the cold weather in the winter. Many have a "Home Base" that they return periodically. Ours is Destin, Florida. Some people keep returning to the same places each season and others try never to spend a season where they have been before. Some folks full time RV for a year or two and others do it for the rest of their life; some by choice, others by necessity. The life style is definitely not for everyone. We have met a lot of people, both men and women, who say they would like to try it but they couldn't get their mate away from their roots. A couple has to be able to co-exist in a very small space, and that's not always easy. You have to limit yourself to how many of your possessions you can take with you and there are many other challenges along the way. But, to us, it's been worth it all. If any of this sparks an interest, visit the home page of the Escapees RV Club for a view of others that have 'escaped' to the open road. There you will find links to every aspect of RV'ing. |
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