Hello everybody, I have been lurking here on Bob's site for quite a while, in fact I believe I have read every article here. I just wanted to register to say how much I enjoy and appreciate his articles documenting the places he visits, especially the beautiful photos he takes.
As for me, I have been a fulltimer for 20 years. I currently reside in a '99 National, a 38-foot behemoth that costs $250 a day to operate on the road, so it's mostly parked. Thanks to my RV, I have been able to take a lot of contract jobs, I found that with the RV I can always find a job. However its vast size has kept me out of the nicest campgrounds. Also, when I retire in a few years, I will not be able to afford to operate it, hence I am planning on downsizing considerably.
I plan on going full boondocker just like Bob and many others. I am getting some fantastic ideas from this site on how to set up my next (much smaller) rig. I have replaced most of my appliances so I already know how to do that stuff. Also, I redesigned and installed a new DC power system because the old controller broke, and it was no longer built. The new system uses all discrete components, so if anything breaks, I can replace individual parts as needed.
I plan on moving into a van but I notice that a lot of the vandwellers still haul around trailers, so I'm getting a longer van with extra storage so I don't have to do that. One thing I plan on incorporating is a maintenance bay like I see on aircraft (I write aircraft maintenance manuals for a living). This I believe is critical to allow me to easily identify, access, and replace the things that break. The bay will contain electrical and environmental systems components that get heavy usage.
I have a lot of hobbies including hiking, reading, and music. I listen to headphones and have found them to be particularly functional in a mobile environment. I hesitated to register on this site because some folks here seem to be a little hostile towards RVers and I don't blame you at all, but please realize I started going broke in 2001 when all the tech jobs were shipped overseas, I am basically living payckeck to paycheck. I guess the only people getting well paid nowadays are the CEOs and they are making millions while the rest of us are just getting by.
So now I think you understand why I love this site and all the great folks on it especially Bob. Some day I hope to camp near Bob and have a beer with him even though I don't drink. In the meantime I will continue to read his amazing stories and see the stunning photos of places he has been, and live vicariously through him until I get up the nerve to do it myself.
As for me, I have been a fulltimer for 20 years. I currently reside in a '99 National, a 38-foot behemoth that costs $250 a day to operate on the road, so it's mostly parked. Thanks to my RV, I have been able to take a lot of contract jobs, I found that with the RV I can always find a job. However its vast size has kept me out of the nicest campgrounds. Also, when I retire in a few years, I will not be able to afford to operate it, hence I am planning on downsizing considerably.
I plan on going full boondocker just like Bob and many others. I am getting some fantastic ideas from this site on how to set up my next (much smaller) rig. I have replaced most of my appliances so I already know how to do that stuff. Also, I redesigned and installed a new DC power system because the old controller broke, and it was no longer built. The new system uses all discrete components, so if anything breaks, I can replace individual parts as needed.
I plan on moving into a van but I notice that a lot of the vandwellers still haul around trailers, so I'm getting a longer van with extra storage so I don't have to do that. One thing I plan on incorporating is a maintenance bay like I see on aircraft (I write aircraft maintenance manuals for a living). This I believe is critical to allow me to easily identify, access, and replace the things that break. The bay will contain electrical and environmental systems components that get heavy usage.
I have a lot of hobbies including hiking, reading, and music. I listen to headphones and have found them to be particularly functional in a mobile environment. I hesitated to register on this site because some folks here seem to be a little hostile towards RVers and I don't blame you at all, but please realize I started going broke in 2001 when all the tech jobs were shipped overseas, I am basically living payckeck to paycheck. I guess the only people getting well paid nowadays are the CEOs and they are making millions while the rest of us are just getting by.
So now I think you understand why I love this site and all the great folks on it especially Bob. Some day I hope to camp near Bob and have a beer with him even though I don't drink. In the meantime I will continue to read his amazing stories and see the stunning photos of places he has been, and live vicariously through him until I get up the nerve to do it myself.
