My fascination with RVs started on a bicycle trip when I was 16 years old...

[Billyidol]

Hey all!<br /><br />This is my first post.<br /><br />My whole family grew up in New Mexico.&nbsp; And my dad was definitely the adventurous sort.&nbsp; He took my mom and all the kids (4 kids including me) on a 3 week bicycle trip of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.&nbsp; Yes, we climbed Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado, and slept in tents while is was raining on the side of a hide full of cow patties.<br /><br />Well, one day while we were camped out near Durango, Colorado, I saw this guy who had this custom blue school bus that he was living in.&nbsp; He even had a woodstove to heat his bus.&nbsp; He did say, "Hey, do you need any help?"&nbsp; We said, "No, we are ok, thanks"&nbsp; Then he said, "Well....God bless you and remember that Jesus loves you."&nbsp; At the time, I thought that was totally stupid, but I really admired his self sufficient lifestyle.&nbsp; What is funny is that now I'm the guy telling people that Jesus loves them!&nbsp; <br /><br />ANYWAY, the thing the really clicked in my head was that you didn't really need a house and all of the junk that was inside of them.&nbsp; And that you could have a lot of freedom to roam the country without a care in the world.&nbsp; It seemed that, even in the 80s, we were way too consumeristic.&nbsp; I mean why go to school just so that you could earn enough money to buy a bunch of stuff to impress others, and then buy a house so you can "be happy"?&nbsp; What if you didn't need a house to be happy? Well, maybe then you wouldn't have to work so much!!! Duh!!!&nbsp; I figured all of this out at 16 years old (I'm 46 now).<br /><br />I moved to California in 1992 to go to school to become a special education teacher.&nbsp; I got married in 1997.&nbsp; Most women want a house to "feel secure".&nbsp; Well, I basically bought the house that I live in now to please her and to have harmony in the household.&nbsp; Well....even after I bought a house for her, there was NO harmony in our house.&nbsp; Also, did I tell you she was a magician.&nbsp; Yes, she could make all my money disappear.&nbsp; She kept insisting that a house "was a good investment".&nbsp; Really?&nbsp; We were living in an apartment that was awesome while paying $750 a month, when we moved into the house our payment tripled to $2200.&nbsp; Sounds like a good investment to me! Well, we divorced in 2007 and that was that.<br /><br />I'm still living in that house.&nbsp; But I have rented out 3 rooms which brings the monthly mortgage down to a reasonable level, but it still takes lots of work to maintain the property and evict tenants and take applications for new tenants (roommates).&nbsp; It seem a lot simpler just to live in class B RV like a Roadtrek 190 or Pleasureway Excel TD.&nbsp; I'm also looking at the Rialtas, but I'm sort of concerned about the small refrigerator size, and the shower.&nbsp; I already rented a Roadtrek, awesome, but sort of like living in a corridor, but hey, you can't have everything.&nbsp; The Rialta has less stealth, but it seems to be harder to park.&nbsp; I think I'm passing on the van thing because I need AC here in Monrovia, CA and I really like a hot shower and a decent size refrigerator.&nbsp; I maybe renting a Rialta from Rialta Heaven in awhile.&nbsp; It seems that even the vans can be quite sorta pricey $4k-8k and I'm just thinking that since the Class B Roadtreks and Pleasureways are basically Dodge or Chevy vans that have been professionally modified, it might be that right route for me because I can pick up a 1997-2000 Roadtrek 190 or Pleasureway for $12k max, why go through all the bother of the unairconditioned van?&nbsp; I guess with the van I can start adventuring on the weekends more right now, but I'm not the greatest with DIY mods, I usually hire out.&nbsp; But with the Roadtrek/Pleasureway route, I would have to shop hard for 4 months or more to get the right one.<br /><br />Rant over!!!<br /><br />Any thoughts?<br /><br />John<br /><br /><br />

 

[VanTrekker]

<p>Hi John,<br /><br />I really enjoyed reading your post.&nbsp; Unfortunately, I don't know much about the vehicles you referred to... I'm living 7 days a week in my Chevy Express van...&nbsp; You are right - without the need for all those things to impress people, you can roam around and have a lot of fun!<br /><br />Welcome to the group!</p><p>V.T.</p>

 

[SirJoey]

<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Hi John, welcome aboard!</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Incidentally, I too am a servant/follower of Christ!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" /><br /><br /></strong></span>

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

Welcome John, I enjoyed you humor from adversity post.<br />I think your family was very fortunate to have a dad that forced a different kind of thinking for the summer of the bicycle. Beats sitting out the sumer in front of the tv or gaming.<br /><strong><span style="color: #ff00ff;">Dragonfly</span></strong>

 

[mockturtle]

My daughter just sold a Rialta last year to Rialta Heaven.&nbsp; They are nice but the holding tanks are very small.&nbsp; If you like to boondock, it helps to have enough capacity to last a few days to a week.&nbsp; Our needs all differ.&nbsp; You are wise to try out several types of RVs and weigh their pros and cons.&nbsp; Oh, and welcome! <br /><br />BTW, IXOYE! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" />

 

[Grandma]

Hi.&nbsp; I joined to learn more about camping/living in a van.&nbsp; I learned a lot from buying the e-book.&nbsp; We just bought a 1990 Econoline that is real clean with low miles.&nbsp; The guy we bought it from only had it a few months and couldn't explain the electrical stuff.&nbsp; We had a time trying to figure out what all the switches were for.&nbsp; There are still a few we don't know.&nbsp; Oh, it's a conversion. My husband already ran the starter battery out by watching tv while it was parked.&nbsp; There are two batteries under the hood.&nbsp; I told him what the book said about a switch you can get so the starter battery won't run out.&nbsp; It's confusing to me, I have to read stuff over and over until I get it.&nbsp; But now it's my new hobby!&nbsp; I love the idea of trying to live off the Grid :0&nbsp;&nbsp; Ever since we had a forest fire here and had to get ready for evacuation, I&nbsp;have wanted to get a Bug Out Camper that is mostly packed and ready to go. We have a Home Base and we are just practicing right now.&nbsp;

 

[HoboBerg]

Welcome to the tribe! Are you working? Did you plan to park in a rv park?

 

[Pikachu711]

Welcome to the group Billyidol!

 

[Grandma]

I'm sorry HoboBerg, were you talking to me?&nbsp; No we are both retired with small SS checks.&nbsp; We have a small house,800 sq ft.&nbsp; Don't plan to park in an RV park yet, maybe next Spring.&nbsp; We have a big back yard, so it is parked there.&nbsp; We are going to take it to a lake by us soon to practice.&nbsp; For now we are just going around the city.<br /><br /><img rel="lightbox" class="bbc_img" />

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

Welcome Grandma. If you haven't done so yet, intoduce yourself on your own thread.&nbsp; If you have, I will look for it.<br /><a href="/?forum=183272">https://vanlivingforum.com/?forum=183272</a>&nbsp; Under"introduce yourself"

 

[Billyidol]

Hobo,<br /><br />I was planning on living in the van full time without going to RV parks.&nbsp; I was going to get the full time RV, and then start doing weekend trips and summer trips, and then transition to full time.&nbsp; I could rent out the house (I already am renting 3 rooms), or I could just sell it.&nbsp; I'm not sure if I agree with having so much of my assets tied up in one asset class (real estate).&nbsp; <br /><br />I don't believe in saving up all of the fun until retirement.&nbsp; I believe that you should have fun now, and also in the future.&nbsp; The problem with traditional retirement is that you have too much free time, and the problem with the working years is that you have too little free time.&nbsp; How about a 3-4 day work week with 1 week off every 2 months?<br /><br />John