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Old 03-11-2012, 10:32 AM   #121
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LOL

Trailer shouldn't take any configuring. There are some nice spots along navigatable roads. Do without AC and microwave, and you shouldn't need genny or solar for a night or two. Lights don't draw many amps.

As for DW - can't help there. There's a romantic spot in Colorado where a fifth wheel could access, along a mountain stream...

Just don't let her see the warning sign about the bears.
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Old 03-11-2012, 10:38 AM   #122
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If you haven't done so, research the (free) dispersed camping options in the National Forests and BLM land. Can really save money if you can do without 'hookups'. We like to boondock 2 days, then hit a campground for one night to dump the tanks and recharge the house battery. Planning on adding a few more batteries to extend our boondocking capacity.
Is it hard to find a good spot? How much offroading do you have to do?
Out west it's a lot easier to find good spots. National forest websites talk about dispersed camping, and they have their own forum. Other forums for rvers talk about sites. Some require 4x4, others don't

A lot of desert BLM land around NM, Colorado, Utah: just drive, find a spot and park. We prefer mountains. Hit a lot of forums for boon dockers, and they'll often share their favorite spots.

We don't have four wheel drive. Some spots we've been to you could pull a trailer, others you couldn't. When we get a slightly bigger unit, we're discussing pulling a Jeep for remote places.



This spot was just about 30 feet back from a nice gravel road in a quiet spot. We were just pulling out of the spot. Just down the road a couple of miles was a primitive campground any trailer could use. About 5 bucks a night. One occupant when we were there. We like privacy.
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Old 03-11-2012, 11:23 AM   #123
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Is it hard to find a good spot? How much offroading do you have to do?
Tioga George boondocks most of the time. I'm still combing through his extensive online record of his RV life but from what I've read so far, most of it has been in the west and Mexico. As well as sharing his boondock sites with a link to Google Maps and Google Earth at the bottom of each blog entry for each site that he finds and uses, he also gives advice for finding sites as well as explaining how to boondock in cities by using the concept of "day camp" and "night camp".

To access this information, you have to do an awful lot of reading, as he blogs every day, and covers each day's activities in some detail. There's a lot of stuff to wade through to get to the info you want, but his enthusiasm and idiosyncratic style of writing make it worthwhile.

I have no RV experience, but am reading a lot and looking forward to the day when I can join your club

Nice looking Class B there seraphim.
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Old 03-11-2012, 11:33 AM   #124
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I have no RV experience, but am reading a lot and looking forward to the day when I can join your club
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.

It now has dents, dings, scratches, cracks and is missing a wheel cover. It is still very muched loved and kept in excellent mechanical shape. The inside shows we've used it.

Don't wait. Tomorrow might be too late.
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Old 03-11-2012, 01:08 PM   #125
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Talk about "urban dry camping" like Tioga George has been doing, Glenn Morrissette also has been boondocking nearly exclusively. I am impressed that he managed to do that since day 1, when he was still inexperienced. In fact, it is only recently that he knew how to get the proper solar equipment and to wire it up correctly.
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Old 03-11-2012, 03:28 PM   #126
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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.
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Old 03-11-2012, 05:09 PM   #127
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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.
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Old 03-11-2012, 05:34 PM   #128
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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.
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Old 03-11-2012, 05:39 PM   #129
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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!
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Old 03-11-2012, 06:36 PM   #130
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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/t...k/IMG_2082.jpg
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Old 03-12-2012, 03:47 AM   #131
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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/recumb...edirects=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.
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Old 03-12-2012, 06:54 AM   #132
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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.
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Old 03-12-2012, 12:37 PM   #133
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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?
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Old 03-13-2012, 03:40 AM   #134
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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.
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Old 04-19-2012, 08:19 PM   #135
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OK...who has a summer trip planned??
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Old 04-19-2012, 08:21 PM   #136
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OK...who has a summer trip planned??
You!

Where are you going?
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Old 04-19-2012, 09:03 PM   #137
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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.
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Old 04-19-2012, 09:17 PM   #138
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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.
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Old 04-19-2012, 10:07 PM   #139
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A week in May in the Durango area of CO, and a week in the badlands of SD. Numerous long weekends in the Rockies.
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Old 04-20-2012, 06:38 AM   #140
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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.
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