My Path to (No)Madness!

The out of doors has been a draw for me for as long as I can remember.  I was part of a group in my adolescent days that camped regularly and, as I grew to adulthood, I began back packing in the Sierra's from Lake Tahoe to Mount Whitney, as well as the San Bernardino's and Mojave.  

Settling down to raise a family curbed most of my back packing.  It just didn't fit into the new paradigm for some reason.  But the pull for wilderness living simmered in the patient, back consciousness of my mind ... coiled and waiting.

Today my family is grown, my wife has opted to go another direction ... away from me ... and I am facing the now roaring giant that has waited for decades for the moment to light itself.

I see you!

But, I still have debt.  I have 2.7 more years to reach full retirement.  And, one more daughter still at home.

I can make it work now, but at a cost.

Waiting is costing me too.

Today I told my boss that I will need Jan 11 - 21, 2018 off.

If there's any viable combustibles, the RTR could just be the spark to start a blaze.

We shall see!

Any chance you could have the debt paid off in the 2.7yrs it takes to hit full retirement? That'd be a happy coincidence.

Awesome sentiments that I can relate to! Thanks for posting!

Sounds like you have a great spirit about it all! Keep on keepin on!

Keep working on that debt! We retired with damned little and once we get rid of the rest of our debt, things will be much easier!


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We used to go out into the Mojave every winter when I was growing up in SoCal, it is definitely a 'coming home' to be coming back.

frater secessus said:

Any chance you could have the debt paid off in the 2.7yrs it takes to hit full retirement?  That'd be a happy coincidence.

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Yep.  Maybe sooner.  I like happy coincidences! 

db
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Stephen said:

Keep working on that debt! We retired with damned little and once we get rid of the rest of our debt, things will be much easier!


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Aye, that's the goal.  Debt free and off the grid! 

db
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DLTooley said:

We used to go out into the Mojave every winter when I was growing up in SoCal, it is definitely a 'coming home' to be coming back.

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I camped in the Mojave about once a month ... up near Adalanto and El Mirage dry lake.  Talk about stars!  Holy schmokes, batman!

Stephen said:

Keep working on that debt! We retired with damned little and once we get rid of the rest of our debt, things will be much easier!


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I can't emphasize how important and freeing it is to be debt free.  The debtor is slave to the lender.  That's a truth that has been around for thousands of years.

mpruet said:

I can't emphasize how important and freeing it is to be debt free.  The debtor is slave to the lender.  That's a truth that has been around for thousands of years.

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Yep.  aGREED!  If I sold the house today, which is a very likely option, I could pay off all my debt now.  The math says keeping it would't net me any more equity over what I would have to pay in mortgage ... probably a loss.  But, my daughter, while an adult, is not yet self sufficient and needs a place to live.  We've talked about her coming with me, but I'd need (want) more space on the road.  Having a few years for her to work out her own way in the world is about her needs.  Having the couple of years 'til full retirement also gives me about $400 a month more and Medicare.

It's a tough decision and I want to be wise about it.

ALL of the comments here and above are hugely appreciated!

db
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It's never too soon to start planning. Take your time and get yourself ready. Then when the time comes you will be in a much better position to make the jump.

deadwood said:

It's never too soon to start planning. Take your time and get yourself ready. Then when the time comes you will be in a much better position to make the jump.

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Thanks, Deadwood.
Patience has never been one of my strong suits! 

This is probably redundant information, but, hey ... I'm an old codger, I am allowed to repeat myself, even if it's just so I can remember!

The house went up for sale late last week. Lots of lookers, so far no buyers. Realtor feedback points to a need for me to "organize" the place. Translated into more blunt terms, I need to clean the place up. I've just accumulated a lot of junk over the decades, and not all of it has a nice little cubby to get stowed into. So, The Arc, Goodwill, friends , family and the trash can are being fed my wretched refuse. Estate sale up next.

Latest Vlogs of my thoughts on the process...



As always, your comments are very much appreciated! It helps me think and assures me that I haven't missed some option or another in my thinking.

Good time to start planning.
I'm somewhere between 8 months to a year and 8 months away from retiring. I just bought the van I plan to use and have started the conversion. Hopefully in the spring I'll begin on a trailer. I figured now was the time to get things rolling.

Sometimes life just takes time. You’ll get there, along with all of us nomads in waiting.

...spent 4 days cleaning up for the open house last weekend, had about 40 folks pass through, still no offers.

Here's a tour:


I remain hopeful!

I wonder how they will prove someone is homeless.  If you have a drivers license it should have a "home" address on it. So hopefully all those "homeless" folk driving their vans and RVs are licensed.

I wonder when some town will get that law passed about what color underwear we need to wear on the different days of the week?   Watching that one being enforced should be entertaining at least.

Jewellann

Iggy said:

This story affects me. My home base is in Salem and I'm often in Woodburn. There goes a couple of my occasional spots. I've noticed a general tightening up in this area. I was asked to leave the Planet Fitness parking lot at 3 in the morning a couple nights ago. A parking lot by WinCo is now being monitored. The police seem to be driving thru parks more often.
There's not a huge amount of places to park safely overnight around here and each spot lost makes it a little tougher. But two friends offered me space at their houses if I get in a temporary bind, so that helps.

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So sorry Iggy, That you have to go through all this uncertainty at the moment but i honestly don't believe that the situation will get any better.

I know that the American economy is supposed to be picking up as far as job creation and lower taxes which is supposed to mean more money in ones pockets but sadly when this happens then rents go up, utilities go up and so does petrol and food prices which in turn will create more homelessness and more influx of people living on the road to try and cope. I just feel sorry for the pensioners and the disabled as they don't even factor into the tax cuts and therefore they will not benefit from it.

There already are Walmarts that don't allow overnight parking for this reason and, as someone said, it's usually in urban areas. 

Many cities and towns have ordinances that ban you from sleeping in your car. Well, wtf are you supposed to do if you're homeless, park and drag a sleeping bag under a street light? Oh, wait. You can't do that either. Rules and laws aren't going to fix the homelessness problem in this country. Rent and housing prices are outrageous. You spend most of your life paying for a mortgage for a house that you are almost never in because you're working to also pay off the college loans that didn't help you get the job anyway. Shitty setup.