Newbie here

[omatrisha]

Hi! I'm Trisha. I'm 58. I was widowed 2 years ago and finally got up the courage to sell our mobile home on the Gulf Coast of Florida after a horrific summer. I'm paying off my car with what I get from the sale, trading it for a van, and hitting the road. I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants person but I've been researching this for a couple of years. I'm scared and excited at the same time. I can't wait to get out and see parts of the country I've never been to, meet others who are like-minded and make some new friends, and get back in touch with nature away from all the consumerism and commercialism of city life. 

I have to be out of here by the end of the year so I have 6 weeks to finish sorting through stuff, decide what to take to my daughter's house to store (not much!) and donate the rest to a local thrift store. I'm a military brat so I'm no stranger to moving, and getting rid of stuff is easy for me once I get started. Now that I'm coming out of the fog of grief, it's time to move on and see what else life has in store. 

I'll be bringing 1 of my 3 sewing machines with me along with my cat Lenny and my guitar. I'm starting bare bones -- bed, propane stove, some water jugs, and some Sterlite drawers for my essentials. I figure I can take a bit of time to figure out what I need and go from there....that will be easier than having to rip stuff out I discover I didn't need in the first place.

Nice to be here! I look forward to meeting some of you. I may even make it to WRTR in January.

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Trisha to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you. you should really try to make the WRTR and the RTR it's a great experience for beginners and veterans alike. highdesertranger

 

[omatrisha]

Read the tips last night! I'm packing up everything and tossing stuff I thought I couldn't do without....getting ready to put everything in a van and head off. I do need to stop by my daughter's house with my extra sewing machine (hers burned up in a house fire and they haven't been able to replace it) and a few other things, and then I'll be on my way. I'm planning to make the WRTR and RTR but you know how life is....I never make concrete plans to do anything till I actually get there!

 

[GypsyJan]

I agree with your barebones start. You may find you don't need to add much. Happy travels.

 

[travelaround]

Hello Omatrisha - welcome to the forum. Maybe we'll meet at WRTR.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

Hi.

I'm brand new to this forum myself. And I've never owned an RV or anything like that. I'm merely thinking about it.

But you've reminded me of something that I once enjoyed. I used to make my living out on the road. Spent years staying in hotels. One night I watched a semi-truck pull into a parking spot and stop. I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be nice to pull in, shut down and hop in bed?". I was driving a pickup truck with a king cab. I looked at that rather small space behind the seat and the gears in my head started whirring. When I got home from that trip I built a bunk back there. I had to do some trial and error to get it as close to 'right' as possible. And since I'm 6 feet tall, it was never roomy even at it's very best. But I eventually had a good reading light and I figured out how to change clothes and such without suffering too much. And it was my very own space.

And I found that I really did enjoy living (part-time) in that truck. I'd often sleep at larger truck stops. In the morning I'd go in and get a shower. Then there'd be a cup of coffee available immediately and breakfast when I wanted it. It was a lot like camping, but even more convenient in some ways.

A van would be downright luxurious.

And it felt very good to know that if, say, some awful blizzard caught me I could wait it out in something that was very like my own home. Being on the road felt much more secure.

Enjoy it!