Motorhome!

[NW-Bound]

The sooner the better! The previous owner of that Falcon was in Seattle - he saved it for his retirement, kept it in inside storage. When he retired, he drove it to Cincinnati, then found he had an illness which prevented him from using it. It was thirteen years old when we bought it, and only had about 25K miles, in immaculate condition...

We never knew the previous owner as we bought our MH from a guy who flipped cars. However, the record showed two persons owning it before us. The first drove 15K miles, then the 2nd owner 10K miles. That last owner left some hospital info in the package of RV manuals, and appeared to be an elderly person.

I guess I will need to tell my wife that next year, I am goin' to Alaska for the summer, perhaps even to the Arctic Ocean, with or without her.

 

[jim747]

We never knew the previous owner as we bought our MH from a guy who flipped cars. However, the record showed two persons owning it before us. The first drove 15K miles, then the 2nd owner 10K miles. That last owner left some hospital info in the package of RV manuals, and appeared to be an elderly person.

I guess I will need to tell my wife that next year, I am goin' to Alaska for the summer, perhaps even to the Arctic Ocean, with or without her.

I hope we are chasing you around ALaska. We have the Badlands, Yellowstone and possibly theTetons on the 2012 schedule but want to make the Alaska trip in the next couple years. Hopefully in 2013.

I've read a number of "Alaska blogs" and there are mixed comments about heading north past the Arctic Circle. Mainly, poor roads that discourage many from driving their RV's. I plan to keep that part of the trip on the itinerary until I get there and learn the condition of the road. There is something appealing about going as far north as the road will take us.

 

[teekaymn]

I haven't done a lot of digging on the ER forums regarding RV budgeting. I would be grateful to find some links to information about budgeting RV living (1/2 time) into one's retirement planning. At this point, the RV idea is just that for now -- an idea -- so we haven't even discussed whether we'd be looking at a motorhome or trailer, and we're about 5 years from making a break -- plenty of time to crunch numbers and kick gray tanks.

 

[NW-Bound]

We have the Badlands, Yellowstone and possibly theTetons on the 2012 schedule but want to make the Alaska trip in the next couple years.

The major points of our 2011 trip were Mt.Rushmore, Wind Cave NP, Devils Tower, Yellowstone, Tetons, Crater of the Moon, Sun Valley, Sawtooth Mountains, and the wine country of Idaho. We camped in state and federal campgrounds as much as possible, and many required advanced reservations.


I am still debating about going to the Arctic Ocean. The road I was thinking about was the Dempster highway. The Web site of an RV rental place in Alaska has a map showing where RV renters can go. The Dempster is one of the roads that are labeled "Don't even think about it!".

Anyway, there was this Canadian who rode a moped on the Alcan highway in 1978. Moreover, he toured quite a bit of the Yukon, and rode the length of the Dempster too.

Yes, his French Mobylette was a true moped with a 49cc 2-stroke engine, had a centrifugal clutch with just one gear speed. He camped along the way, hanging up his food high every night to prevent bear attraction.

Read about the story of his 11,500-mi trip here: Moped Trip - 18660 km by moped

So, if this fellow did it with a moped, back in 1978, what do I have to fear with my MH? But I guess I will wait to decide when I get there.

Happy RV'in! Cheers!

 

[jim747]

I had a Sears Moped in my early teen years. I was lots of fun in our local community but taking a trip like that is a whole different level.

Here is a great blog by a husband/wife who went all the way north during their Alaska trip. They full-time in a TT and took their time but they covered most of the key areas and documented the trip quite well.

Personal Trip Journal - Ron & Elena's 2011 Travels

Here is a picture of our Roadtrek parked in front of the St. Louis Arch. We can park it almost anywhere.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t251/Dieps/Roadtrek/IMG_2082.jpg

 

[seraphim]

I would be grateful to find some links to information about budgeting RV living (1/2 time) into one's retirement planning.

I can't think of any links specific to that topic, but www.rv.net has a large number of retired RVers, quite a few fulltimers. www.cheaprvliving.com is a vandweller site, but they provide a lot of info on survivng in a low cost mobile lifestyle. A lot fo DIY information, even regarding solar panels theory and installation.

I've a detailed spreadsheet mostly geared to RV living, if I'm permitted to link to my own website (this one is NOT a blog lol). This link should start the download directly and open excel. Ignore the numbers already in place - they are just to demonstrate. I've a more polished one, if you're interested.

https://sites.google.com/site/recumbentfalcon/documents/onlineexample.xls?attredirects=0&d=1

There are lot of areas to consider: support groups such as Escapees, which provide mail forwarding services, 'home' addresses in states favorable to retirees; there are campground services such as Thousand Trails which provides campgrounds across the country: a membership fee (about $600 - $200 currently being waived) and a yearly fee (about $600) provides 'free' campgrounds - nonoghtly fee, but generally a 2 week limit before you have to move to another campsite. A lot of discussions online about the type of RV best for your situation.

Maybe this topic deserves its own thread.

*Escapees even has a medical center with an RV park surrounding it. Have surgery, recuperate in your RV, and the medical staff will make the rounds of the RVs lol. Kind fo neat.

 

[travelover]

On my way to Alaska in 1976, I took a detour to Yellowknife. I have a great picture of my 1972 Econoline being dragged through the mud by a bulldozer. Yea, the flag man directed me right into it.

The road was crushed gravel and my new tires soon looked like they had been worked over by a juvenile delinquent with a sharp knife and a lotta time.

 

[jim747]

I haven't done a lot of digging on the ER forums regarding RV budgeting. I would be grateful to find some links to information about budgeting RV living (1/2 time) into one's retirement planning.

Here is the full time budget for someone who has been on the road for a year. Full time should be cheaper than half time since only one perminant residance is required but it should give you an idea of what you might expect.
On the Road of Retirement: First Year Expenses for Fulltiming… How much is enough money to fulltime in an RV?

 

[seraphim]

We never knew the previous owner as we bought our MH from a guy who flipped cars. However, the record showed two persons owning it before us. The first drove 15K miles, then the 2nd owner 10K miles. That last owner left some hospital info in the package of RV manuals, and appeared to be an elderly person.

We'd never seen a Class B before, and I thought I was clever at the dealer getting them to drop the price to $12K. Then I went online to research our new acquisition, and found the 'previous' owner had been trying to sell it online just two weeks earlier for $9k. I should have been suspicious that the dealership agreed to my offer so quickly lol. They were selling it on commision.

That's how I found out about the previous owner.

 

[SarahW]

OK...who has a summer trip planned??

 

[REWahoo]

OK...who has a summer trip planned??

You!

Where are you going?

 

[winger]

We're hanging out in the Texas Hill Country, going to Fiesta in San Antonio next week.

Need to make a couple stops farther(further?) north in Texas to visit family. We hope to be in Colorado by the end of May, Then, on to Yellowstone and the Blacks Hills. Or, maybe the Black Hills and then Yellowstone.

We need to be back in Texas by early November to vote. Absentee voting just isn't the same.

 

[REWahoo]

We're hanging out in the Texas Hill Country, going to Fiesta in San Antonio next week.

We're also hanging out in the Texas Hill Country , but we won't be attending any Fiesta events - unless buying groceries at HEB next week qualifies.

We do have a big trip planned for late summer, five weeks in NM, CO and the National Parks of Southeastern Utah. If things go as planned - and DW really does spring free of the grandkids - it will be our longest RV trip since retiring six years ago.

 

[brewer12345]

A week in May in the Durango area of CO, and a week in the badlands of SD. Numerous long weekends in the Rockies.

 

[travelover]

OK...who has a summer trip planned??

We'll be taking our new to us little fiberglass trailer to Michigan's upper peninsula to feed the black flies.

 

[may pop]

Kite festival Grand Haven Michigan
Sand Dunes at silver lake For 10 day at the Fourth of July

 

[jim747]

I love Michigan's U.P. Enjoy your trip.

We have a few trips planned in our Class B. The first will be to Wash DC. We've been invited to a Marine Corp Ceremony in June - we'll do some other sight seeing too but will only be there a couple days. In July, we will head to the Niagra Falls area for wedding.

Late summer, we will do our large trip to visit friends in Wyoming. On the way, we will spend a couple days in the Black Hills area as we will head to Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks. I think this will be about a three week trip - our longest. I might be fully retired by then so this will be my first chance to see if I can adapt to getting away and not have a schedule or calendar to worry about.

 

[travelover]

I love Michigan's U.P. Enjoy your trip. ...............

Thanks, visiting the UP is the closest thing to time travel.

Can't go wrong with Yellowstone and the Tetons.

 

[REWahoo]

...this will be my first chance to see if I can adapt to getting away and not have a schedule or calendar to worry about.

If you can't, I pity you - and your poor DW.

 

[jim747]

If you can't, I pity you - and your poor DW.

40 years ago, the DW and I didn't have a lot of money to splurge on a honeymoon so we camped our way across the Michigan U.P. and down through wisconsin. We've talked about retracing our steps this summer. We've made a number of week long trips but have never been able to be away for three weeks. I have a feeling we'll adapt quite well.

 

[REWahoo]

40 years ago, the DW and I didn't have a lot of money to splurge on a honeymoon so we camped our way across the Michigan U.P. and down through wisconsin. We've talked about retracing our steps this summer. We've made a number of week long trips but have never been able to be away for three weeks. I have a feeling we'll adapt quite well.

+1

43 years ago, the DW and I didn't have a lot of money to splurge on a honeymoon but we (actually only DW) spent it in the hospital following an emergency appendectomy. Neither of us have any plans to retrace our steps...

 

[SarahW]

You!

Where are you going?

Weeeeeell, since my hubby is STILL WORKING , we are limited to short trips (1 week at a time). We are heading for Colorado in June.

 

[Major Tom]

Since this thread just got bumped back up into my consciousness (thanks SarahW and have a great time in Colorado), here's something that just came to my attention.

Andy Baird, the author of the site Travels with Andy, has been selling an e-document for a while now. Called "Eureka!", it's full of tips and information for RV'ers. Lots of good stuff in there. Some of it you'll already know, other times you'll think "Why didn't I think of that?" Anyway, he's just decided to publish it free on his site instead of selling it. You can find it here. It's good reading for RV'ers.

 

[brewer12345]

If you will be near a National Forest, I think this site/directory is the bees' knees (or the muts' nuts, your choice) for Forest campgrounds: Campground Directory and National Forest Campgrounds

 

[SarahW]

Hope everyone is having fun with your RV this summer! We have done a bit of traveling, including one "trip from Hell." We were in Brunswick/Jekyll Island GA when a tropical storm hit there and we were forced to leave. Got to my sister's farm in S. GA and parked in her driveway. Locked ourselves out of the moho with the motor running and the dog inside. Got ready to leave after a couple of days and the automatic levelers would not retract. A rock from a huge truck dinged the hell out of the windshield. Can I say, it felt good to get home?

Trip to Colorado was nice, but cut short by the wildfires. Such a tragedy.