Greetings to all. I feel a sense of relief to find this website as I am considering living part time in a van when I retire next year. I am working overseas and thanks to Cheap RV Living, I am on the path to finding where I will relocate. I have a lot of questions and research to do. I had already decided to check out Quartzsite after driving through there a few months ago. I got the feeling that it would be a cheap alternative to living in the north bay area in CA and it sure does seem to be so. Plus I am sure I will encounter other like minded nomadic individuals. After working in Tokyo for 20 years, I am soooooooooooo ready for the wide open spaces and I hope to be a part of the vagabond community.
NEWBIE
- Thread starter JeriLynn
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DannyB1954
Well-known member
Welcome to the tribe. There is lots of helpful information here.
I spent some time in both Sasebo and Yokosuka in my younger days. I was in the Navy, (back closer to the days of wooden ships and iron men) LOL. Thinking about it makes me crave fried dried squid with mayonnaise. I was drinking back then, so I wished that I could remember more of it.
I worked out of the San Francisco Bay area for over 30 years, (Alameda, Oakland). If you have the money to pay all the taxes and housing costs it is a great place to live. For most of my time in the Bay Area I lived on boats in the Alameda Estuary. The last three years in an RV Mon-Fri. On the weekends I had a cabin in the mountains East of Sonora. I now live in Pahrump Nv. It is a nice quiet corrupt little town. The cost of living here is fairly low. I am also on the path to being a part timer as well. It gets pretty hot here in the summer, (Quartzsite would be the same).
I spent some time in both Sasebo and Yokosuka in my younger days. I was in the Navy, (back closer to the days of wooden ships and iron men) LOL. Thinking about it makes me crave fried dried squid with mayonnaise. I was drinking back then, so I wished that I could remember more of it.
I worked out of the San Francisco Bay area for over 30 years, (Alameda, Oakland). If you have the money to pay all the taxes and housing costs it is a great place to live. For most of my time in the Bay Area I lived on boats in the Alameda Estuary. The last three years in an RV Mon-Fri. On the weekends I had a cabin in the mountains East of Sonora. I now live in Pahrump Nv. It is a nice quiet corrupt little town. The cost of living here is fairly low. I am also on the path to being a part timer as well. It gets pretty hot here in the summer, (Quartzsite would be the same).
cyndi
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Welcome to the CRVL forums, JeriLynn! I am so excited for you! See you in Q!
To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.
To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.
rvpopeye
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Welcome aboard the good ship CRVL JeriLynn !
Q will be a huge change from Tokyo !
You'll get plenty of info on best places to suit you here (Like from Danny in Pahrump)
Feel free to ask anything you need to know about .
There is a huge amount of experience here in the group!
Q will be a huge change from Tokyo !
You'll get plenty of info on best places to suit you here (Like from Danny in Pahrump)
Feel free to ask anything you need to know about .
There is a huge amount of experience here in the group!
DannyB1954 said:
Thanks for the welcome Danny. I am curious as to how you ended up in Pahrump? When Bob said it is his home base, I checked it out and decided to stop by the town on my coming up christmas desert exploration trip. I am wondering if there is work to be had in the winter in Quartzsite events. It seems there are some rv parks around there with rates as low as a couple of thousand a year. I have more questions if you are open to dialogue. Jeri Lynn
eDJ_
Well-known member
Welcome home. 
I can imagine it being like Japan as you live inside your Van, until you open the doors to the wide open spaces.
I'm sure that may take some getting used to.
All the best with your transition.
I can imagine it being like Japan as you live inside your Van, until you open the doors to the wide open spaces.
I'm sure that may take some getting used to.
All the best with your transition.
eDJ_ said:Welcome home.
I can imagine it being like Japan as you live inside your Van, until you open the doors to the wide open spaces.
I'm sure that may take some getting used to.
All the best with your transition.
True, as my room in Japan is just about twice the size of a van. Thanks for the reply.
Jeri Lynn
DannyB1954
Well-known member
JeriLynn said:
I will PM you, as the moderator might consider my history off topic. If others are curious, let me know and I will shoot you a copy as well. I have no secrets.
highdesertranger
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Danny the original poster asked. so it wouldn't be off topic. I think it would be fine if you answered. highdesertranger
DannyB1954
Well-known member
I have lived on boats most of my life. About 8 years before I retired I started to buy a retirement house. The last 3 years that I worked I lived in a RV in Oakland Ca, (where I worked), and on the weekends I went to the house. I retired from a job in the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to the house, East of Sonora Ca, (close to Twain Harte). I lived there for a year after retiring. I kept looking at my pension check and the State of California was taking out quite a chunk for income tax. I thought you could buy a house in some places what they were taking from me. I could afford it, but I could also see where in the future I could be in a bind with taxes and utilities always going up. I thought it might be best to leave before I had to. I kept the California house vacant for about 5 years just in case I didn't like the desert. I never went there, so I sold it a couple of years back.
I started looking in Northern Nevada for a new home, (no State income tax). Prices were too high, ( I still had a $1,500 a month mortgage that I was paying). Las Vegas had a severe housing crash, so I thought good food, entertainment, cheap housing. Good deal. I wanted a small house on a larger lot, and Las Vegas is all about large houses on small lots. So I expanded my search. Pahrump is about 60 miles from Las Vegas and the housing was even cheaper. I found a place that I liked and bought it. 1,200 Sq' stick built house on 2.5 acres with a separate garage. $52,000. Today you can not buy a nice 3/4 ton pickup truck for that. In the 6 years I have been here the housing market has come back up, so deals like that don't exist any longer.
I bought some lumber today to start construction of a camper for my truck. I still have the 30' RV that I lived in for three years, but think it too big for comfortable boondocking. I would like to be in a cooler climate for about 2 or three months a year. Pretty soon I will be getting Social Security So the money to travel and still maintain the house should be there. I have hobbies that are not easily taken on the road, so the house is a keeper. I will still want to be here at least 8 months out of the year. Having property and a house gives me the opportunity to aid others that have a mobile life. I host on Boondockers welcome and couch surfers. Like I said earlier, I lived most of my life in vehicles, (boats, Rv), so I am happy to assist those who still do. In the near future I may be mobile myself for at least part of the year.
I started looking in Northern Nevada for a new home, (no State income tax). Prices were too high, ( I still had a $1,500 a month mortgage that I was paying). Las Vegas had a severe housing crash, so I thought good food, entertainment, cheap housing. Good deal. I wanted a small house on a larger lot, and Las Vegas is all about large houses on small lots. So I expanded my search. Pahrump is about 60 miles from Las Vegas and the housing was even cheaper. I found a place that I liked and bought it. 1,200 Sq' stick built house on 2.5 acres with a separate garage. $52,000. Today you can not buy a nice 3/4 ton pickup truck for that. In the 6 years I have been here the housing market has come back up, so deals like that don't exist any longer.
I bought some lumber today to start construction of a camper for my truck. I still have the 30' RV that I lived in for three years, but think it too big for comfortable boondocking. I would like to be in a cooler climate for about 2 or three months a year. Pretty soon I will be getting Social Security So the money to travel and still maintain the house should be there. I have hobbies that are not easily taken on the road, so the house is a keeper. I will still want to be here at least 8 months out of the year. Having property and a house gives me the opportunity to aid others that have a mobile life. I host on Boondockers welcome and couch surfers. Like I said earlier, I lived most of my life in vehicles, (boats, Rv), so I am happy to assist those who still do. In the near future I may be mobile myself for at least part of the year.
highdesertranger
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great story, thanks for sharing. highdesertranger
