Why I think RVing Sucks.

[NW-Bound]

Please have RV curtains drawn!

PS. The above applies to cowboys, not to cowgirls in said outfit.

 

[brewer12345]

Please have RV curtains drawn!

If this bus is rockin'...

 

[NW-Bound]

Well, Brewer, they have stabilizin' jacks!

 

[audreyh1]

Among the list of hazards that REW propagated, what impressed me the most was chiggers. Chiggers?? What the h*ll is that? Are they in Arizona too? If so, why have I not heard of them? And oh my, you can't see them!

NW-Bound!

If you live in AZ, and you have not suffered chiggers - then you must be immune! Not everyone is sensitive.

The worst chiggers I ever EVER suffered was on a birding trip in Southeast AZ in the summer. I thought I was going to die! From that trip I learned how to take appropriate measures - long pants, hiking boots with gators, then spray lower half of clothing very well with DEET spray.

I remember one young NJ doctor on the trip who was wondering what the fuss was all about. I had a bite near my underarm that I could show him without taking off my T-shirt (most chigger bites end up in locations way too personal to "share" with the curious). He was impressed! But, obviously, he was also immune, or he would not have wondered.

Audrey

 

[brewer12345]

On that subject, one of my buddies grew up in a small town in upstate NY. His parents had a small class C that was parked in the driveway. When he was in highschool, he had constant requests to borrow the keys for an evening (wink, wink, say no more). When he did loan them out, he and his friends would generally wait until the happy couple had been inside for a good 10 minutes and then climb on the back bumper and start using their weight to make the whole thing bounce. To complete the picture, the light over the entrance door on the camper was a red light.

 

[audreyh1]

Thanks. Walmart it is , though I've read that some towns pass ordinances to prohibit Walmart from extending this courtesy. How does an RV'er know beforehand for planning?

You look up the store phone number on-line and call ahead to request permission to park overnight. We always do this and they usually give instructions of where to park.

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

NW, as I understand it WalMart's official policy is that they are happy to have RVers crash in a disused corner of the parking lot. However, no doubt managers have some discretion. More importantly, local ordinances sometimes prohibit this, so you would need to know the local ordinance (frequently a sign is prominently posted).

One Walmart we pulled into (we had called ahead to verify overnight OK) and the little Walmart parking lot security car pulled up along side. DH opens the door and calls out - "Is this a good place for overnight". Walmart security guy calls back - "You can stay a week if you like!" .

Yes, in general, they are very happy to have overnight RVers.

NW-Bound - RVers generally avoid truck stops overnight not just because they are very loud, but they also tend to be really full and the truckers really, really need the spots.

Walmarts tend to be overwhelmingly favored by RVers because they are well lit and usually have night-time security. And then there is that convenience shopping aspect!

Audrey

 

[Tesaje]

Y
Audrey

P.S. Yeah, that's it! I married Indiana Jones!

Or Entomologist Jones?

 

[NW-Bound]

I have been thinking about the seemingly sad-looking people sitting by their RVs as reported by the OP.

Are they really sad, or just appear so? And if that sadness is real, does it have anything to do with RV? I mean, perhaps these people's flaw is that they expose themselves to passersby, rather than sitting sad inside their stick-built homes. What if they are old and sick? Again, the RV part may be simply incidental, and not really having anything to do with anything.

I have not been around an RV park (though I can't help being soon to have seen these sad people. But we have often been to hospitals and nursing homes, to see and to take care of our ailing parents. There, I have seen a lot of sad people. Isn't that the fate of all of us?

Is there a way out? Shall I resume smoking, eating whatever I want, in hope of dying of a heart attack, to "die like a man" as it has been said here in this forum? Sounds like a good deal to me, but is it really guaranteed? Or does it simply increase our chance of a debilitating stroke, followed by lingering with a much reduced quality of life?

As one of my friends liked to say, we'll never make it out of this world alive. Perhaps we should not be so harsh...

 

[audreyh1]

I don't see sad people around my RV parks. Too many seniors playing and having fun around here. The sad ones must be staying at those other RV parks we never visit.....

Audrey

 

[NW-Bound]

I don't see sad people around my RV parks. Too many seniors playing and having fun around here. The sad ones must be staying at those other RV parks we never visit.....

Audrey

As they inevitably get older and become infirm, where do they go? Perhaps they get expelled to the RV park where the OP lives?

 

[audreyh1]

As they inevitably get older and become infirm, where do they go? Perhaps they get expelled to the RV park where the OP lives?

I've noticed that by the time folks get into their early 80s, they've pretty much sold the RV and are living in a house. They might have more than one house and commute seasonally by car.

A few exceptions might leave a rig south for the winter and then commute by car. In fact, many "younger" snowbirds use this option as well when they get tired of moving their rig back and forth.

Folks who get sick/infirm tend to sell their RVs and live in a house or facility somewhere.

The Escapees organization does have an RV park "nursing home" north of Houston that lets fulltime RVers stay in their RVs as long as possible and receive care.

Audrey

 

[haha]

NW-Bound!

From that trip I learned how to take appropriate measures - long pants, hiking boots with gators...
Audrey

Those gators are hell on chiggers.

Ha

 

[Ronstar]

I'm in the research phase - trying to convince DW of this:

I have the right half - I just need the left.

 

[RonBoyd]

I don't see sad people around my RV parks. Too many seniors playing and having fun around here. The sad ones must be staying at those other RV parks we never visit...

Nor have I seen any.

I have, however, noticed an increased number of younger, still working families staying at parks as a (semi?) permanent place of residence. This is evidenced by the before-dawn-leaving of one member (generally the male) of the family and children getting on school buses. These people have the look of all those who have to struggle to make a living -- could be described as "sad" I suppose.

Nevertheless, all of the true "RV" people I meet are most happy with their circumstances.

 

[REWahoo]

As they inevitably get older and become infirm, where do they go? Perhaps they get expelled to the RV park where the OP lives?

If you belong to Escapees RV Club, you can go here: Escapees CARE Center[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]CARE answers the question, "What happens to full-time RVers when they cannot take care of their own or their spouse's needs following an illness, injury, surgery, or the progression of a long-term health situation?"[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Nor have I seen any.

Me neither, but maybe the poster was thinking of a mobile home part? Never been in one, but from the roadside some of them are pretty run down, and have bullet holes.

Motor Home (which we are discussing as a type of RV) is not the same as Mobile Home - the latter tends to mean manufactured home of the type that blow away in storms, become housing for marginalilzed people, and often appear on Cops. There are some luxury mobile home communities too, but it's not common.

And for completeness, motor home and trailer parks run the gamut from very nice to very scary. But then again, so do cities.

 

[REWahoo]

... motor home and trailer parks run the gamut from very nice to very scary. But then again, so do cities.

...and doctors.

 

[RonBoyd]

Me neither, but maybe the poster was thinking of a mobile home par[k]?

Very good point. One of the first things we learned was to avoid those mobile home/RV combination parks. (The pricing is very attractive, however.) We tried it a couple times but found the experience very disappointing. In an earlier post I mentioned one of them as being in mid-town Laredo. I would not want to go through that again... even though there were no other choices.

In my earler post (#115 ) I was referring to true RVs -- mostly TTs but many "C"s and some "A"s once in awhile. I have a feeling that these people are only one step above "homeless" and couldn't even afford a Mobile Home.

 

[audreyh1]

Those gators are hell on chiggers.

Ha

They aren't enough to keep the chiggers out. They are very effective for ticks though. But for chiggers, you really have to spray them with deet.

Audrey

 

[ls99]

So after all the posts, I guess OPs opinion has not changed.

 

[audreyh1]

I'm in the research phase - trying to convince DW of this:

I have the right half - I just need the left.

Those stream type trailers can be VERY heavy. Not sure if the right has has enough hitch/GWVR rating and stopping power. You have to be very careful about what you tow.

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

I have, however, noticed an increased number of younger, still working families staying at parks as a (semi?) permanent place of residence. This is evidenced by the before-dawn-leaving of one member (generally the male) of the family and children getting on school buses. These people have the look of all those who have to struggle to make a living -- could be described as "sad" I suppose.

There are definitely RV Parks which cater to "permanent residents" - or working folks. This is common in parks close to urban areas. Interestingly - it is these parks which tend to be most visible to the road. They also tend to maximize # sites - i.e. pack them in like sardines.

In the RV park reviews there is usually mention if a park accommodates some of these "long-term" residents and whether the park is run-down as a result or remains well-maintained in spite of it.

Most RVers RVing for fun avoid these parks unless the park owners keep their parks very well maintained. Otherwise they turn into unpleasant eyesores. Certainly there is always the early morning traffic.

Over the long run, RV parks tend to devolve into one or the other - a park for working long-term residents, or a park for vacationers/retired folks.

Note that the less expensive parks tend to collect the permanent working folks (but location is a major factor). So if you are looking for a less expensive park to camp - don't be surprised. State and National parks and some others don't allow long-term residents, so this never becomes and issue.

Audrey

 

[Animorph]

We rented an RV for a couple of weeks one summer. We visited Yellowstone, Zion, and Bryce Canyon national parks and a few other great places in Arizona. KOA's were just a place to stop, not a destination. When we had a heavy rain while visiting Old Faithful, we just went back to the RV in the parking lot, changed into dry clothes, had lunch, and ventured back out when the rain stopped.

 

[RonBoyd]

KOA's were just a place to stop, not a destination.

True for the most part but there can be exceptions.

For example: Lion Country Safari - KOA Camp Ground