Getting ready!

[Simran]

How did they take that???

 

[Roger450]

Sorry I hit a wrong button, Im not a very good typer.

We told the family and they are all for it! Not one negative response. I sorta detect some jealousy actually

Oh yeah, my step-daughter, her 3 youngsters and a cat have moved in here temp till her apt is ready. They have been here for two weeks. Supposed to move in this weekend, so I will be reloading and moving them there.

I got a lot of the yard cleanup done, all but one broken tree limb left to deal with from this past ice storm. Its a large one and very high up, I dont like heights or climbing trees, but I will do it!

The truck has been performing well since all of the repairs I did to it, YEA !
I got a couple of loads of scrap taken to the yard that put a little jingle in the pocket.

Dam, time to mow the yard again. We cant get outta here fast enough!

 

[akrvbob]

Mowing lawns and shoveling snow are two BIG reasons to live in a van!!
Bob

 

[Roger450]

You got that right Bob! This is a perfect example of less is more. Less yard, more time doing something important. I have been keeping up with your blog and have been enjoying it very much. I cant wait to get my life back and the freedoms that come with it.

 

[Roger450]

We have been busy beavers these past few months and havent been on the forum to check up on you guys lately. I hope all are doing well. I was really sadden to hear the news about Homer, my heart goes out to you Bob as I do know how that pain feels. I got past the pain of losing Lobo, my best friend for 11 years but it took alot of time for me and I thought I would never have another. I learned a lesson that I need to cherish whats close to me and not take it for granted because we never know when it can be gone forever. It also helped me realize about having regret, keeps me from making my same mistakes twice. I learn alot from Lobo, I keep his memory alive by speaking of him often and now Bear has a better life. Because of him he has made a better person.

Well after a couple of garage sales, craigslist and giving a lot of stuff away to family and friends we now have some breathing room. Most of the repairs are done to the house so we are ready to put it on the market. I hope it sells as fast as we hear they are, most in a week or less. That would be awesome! I still cant get over the feeling I have, letting go of stuff that has been holding me down. It just seems so clear now. I have been my own worst enemy.

 

[akrvbob]

Thanks for remembering Homer, loosing him had a very deep impact on my life. I'm very sympathetic to your loosing Lobo, it's astonishing how important our furry kids become in our lives. I fully understand how they improve your life and make you a better person!

By getting rid of so much of your "stuff" you're through the hardest part of the transition to a mobile life. The best is yet to come!!

Good luck on selling your house!
Bob

 

[Roger450]

Its been almost a month since my last post. Cindy and I have been working very hard, her more than me, on the house. We have finally got it to the point that its ready. Thanks for the suggestions to sell it ourselves but we decided to go with a realtor. Listed the house Monday, had a group of people come look on Wed evening, one made an offer right then. Get the scoop on that from our agent this morning. Im very excited and hope the offer is solid. Once the house is sold, we pack up what we need and give away whats left and head to Iowa. Help Cindy's dad out at home until the snow falls, come up with a solid plan to be fulltiming that works for us. Keeping fingers crossed ! Sorry I havent had alot of time to read everyones post lately but I will catch up soon. Until then I hope that everyone is doing well and living the dream. Yall take care and I will update you soon.

 

[anm]

I've been reading this topic (and other, similar ones). Man am I glad I don't have that to do all that (get rid of the stuff, sell the house, etc, etc)! I made a couple of major moves over the last 30 years or so, one from D.C. to Scotland, and then Scotland to Tacoma, WA. Those moves left me with very little in the way of tangible possessions. Since being back in the US I haven't bought a house, just mooched off Peter my son, well nor really mooched, at my insistence I pay for the privilege. All of my possessions, everything I own, I could probably squeeze into my Astro, though I won't, I'm still going to downsize some...

---

But it's not like I avoided anything, I just did it a lot earlier...

 

[akrvbob]

ANM, you are very wise, much wiser than I am! I still struggle with keeping the crap out of my life.
Bob

 

[Belinda2]

Roger,
I think of you everyday and how I am a little behind you in the curve as I am still trying to get rid of my stuff. I'm a good packer.....so there sure was a lot of stuff!
Bob,
I'm so sorry to here about Homer. He looked so sweet standing in the riverbed picture, on the early, on the way to Alaska photo. My dog too is getting older, blinder and more deaf by the day. She can only see things that are really white now, and regularally bumps into everything. I had to unload my minivan the other day and put my daily stuff on the garage floor so I could load the minivan with stuff for the flea market to sell. She can smell my stuff and sits by the white garage door with her nose under it "looking" for me. It's so sad because by the time the house is sold she will probably not be with me anymore. It's a pain that no one can wrap their mind around. It's the only relative we get to choose. I'm sorry you don't have that fur by your feet anymore.

 

[akrvbob]

Thank you for your kind words Belinda. I also wish you all the best in the coming days as you watch your older dog decline. The pain at their lose is very hard for me to understand both in it's depth but also for it's cause. I mean, they are just dogs!! But somehow, they are so much more!!

I will forever be grateful for every moment I spent with Homer.
Bob

 

[Roger450]

Hi guys and gals! I have been away for awhile now and alot has changed for me, in short we sold the house, sold off what stuff we could, gave away or donated what was left and the stuff we could not part with or thought we just had to have came with us to Iowa. Moved in at my father-in-laws house and have set up here for the winter. Cindy and I will be doing alot of research and making plans for when we hit the road in the spring. I am so stoked! It is very exciting and scary all at the same time making this change but it still feels good and right so I will not argue. Everything that we brought with us will be going thru again and downsizing from that before we hit the road. It might be alot harder this time because now we will be going thru stuff that we think we cant live without, its still an adjustment for us. I keep asking myself, do I really need it and if so, does it add value to my life. I can sure tell you one thing, I have never felt such a relief to be shed of the junk that has been tossed or sold off, there really is a freedom in letting stuff go. less is really more!

---

ANM you are lucky and smart for keeping to a min. I hope I can keep on the same path.
Belinda2 thanks for thinking of us and I hope I can continue to be a source of encouragement. Sorry to hear of your pups decline. A loss of a pet is so much more than just that, its like losing a child and its sad that a lot of other people in the world dont look at it that way or understand.
Now that I have internet again, I should be able to check in more often. I have alot of catching up to do here.

 

[akrvbob]

Good news! That's one giant hurdle out of the way!

I'm looking forward to seeing what direction you head! It's an exciting time--enjoy it!
Bob

 

[Roger450]

It was a huge hurdle to overcome, but looking back it makes perfect sense. I am looking forward to the RTR next year and maybe getting to meet some of you there! We are definitely taking our time and checking into all the options for mobile living. I can tell you for sure I wont be able to talk Cindy into staying in a van. She wouldnt be happy and you know what they say, "If momma aint happy..." So what ever we decide on she will have to be 100% for it. We are leaning towards a 5th wheel and have checked alot of dealers in Texas, just to see what was out there. Now that we are in Iowa we will see what they have. I love me some Craigslist ! I heard that northern built trailers are better insulated as compared to southern built due to the harsher climates, I always believed the insulation worked well both ways. I still have alot of decisions to make, just taking it one step at a time!

 

[stude53]

Hi Roger! Happy for you and Cindy

Just thinking:huh: ... Do you have a powerful rig that can pull a 5th wheel trailer with no strain? Are you planning on having a home base for the fifth wheel as well as traveling without it at times?

Maybe a good-sized motorhome with a toad for local use would be okay with your wife. I know if we ever get to do it, my wife would also not be happy in anything smaller than a motorhome or a fifth wheeler.

Good luck ... hope you find just the right "wheel estate" for both of you.

Bob

 

[akrvbob]

5th wheels have an awful lot of advantages! It's no wonder so many people choose them for full-timing.

But they have two big disadvantages to me:

1) You lose most of the bed of the pickup. If you are going to be boondocking, nothing beats having a 55 gallon drum in the bed and a couple of Blue Boys to dump your tanks and fill with water without moving the rig. To me that is a big advantage of the tow-behind trailer. Plus you can throw a bunch of other stuff in the bed of the pickup. Including scooters or bicycles.

2) You can't tow an economy car. That's a big advantage of Class A or C. Pull a Toyota Tacoma and it has your 55 gallon drum and Blue boys and a crew cab is very comfortable. Or pull a Prius and gt 45 MPG or a 90s Geo Metro or Honda Civic and literally get 50 MPG. Or tow a Jeep and get decent MPG and go off-roading.

There no right or wrong answers, just what's best for you! You are very lucky to be in a position to reinvent your life into just what you want it to be!!!
Bob

 

[Roger450]

Well its the first of the year and I havent posted in awhile. We have the holidays behind us (BTW Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all ) now all focus is on getting to the RTR. I have one more engagement to attend on the 7th in Iowa and then after that the plan is to start heading to the Q. Weather could be an issue so we will be taking the southern route straight to Dallas, visit the folks overnight then we are westbound. Some of my plans have changed due to unforeseen circumstances so we wont be there at the start like I wanted to.This will be an interesting trip for sure, one of the longest I've done. Cant wait to meet you all. Everyone travel safe!

 

[akrvbob]

See you then!!
Bob

 

[Roger450]

Hello to all.  Cindy and I made it to the Q, late but made it. We left snow in Iowa and headed for Dallas. Had a change of plans in Joplin and went to Ok. City. Spent the night and heard the next morning that Amarillo was getting snow and ice so we turned further south to Abilene then hook it west to las cruses. The next morning was a straight shot to Q, but we stoppedin Buckshot at the Wal-Mart for supplies . It was getting late so we decided to stay over night since it was about minty miles to the Q and I did want to set up camp in the dark.  The next morning we arrived at the RTR and met Iggy and Kevin. Super nice guys and very helpful.  We found a nice spot to pitch the tent and set up camp.  Everything was fine I realized I didn't have the right poles for the tent. After a run into town I got some parts to make the tent work. Success!
Unfortunately we just missed a potato bake put on by , excuse me I am terrible with names but I am working on it, I think it was Molly and her husband. Later that night I sat out in my chair and just gazed up at the night sky . It was the best feeling in the world.

 

[Roger450]

We met our neighbors the next morning, Lee, Jayne, Sherry, Ted, Shane and his daughter Lilly. A great Buchanan of people and I feel blessed to have met them. This was my first RTR to attend and I was excited to take it all in. We attended the seminars, that were great. Hung out by the group campfire in the evening. We made a few trips to town and went to RV show. It was a good time but was disappointed that they didn't have more bumper pull type trailers to show. It was a world of 5ers and motor coaches.