going full time in 1 year

[vthorseshoe]

Hello to all.

I will be 59 in August 08 and I have thought of this move for years.

My wife and I were married for 21 years and we traveled for two years full time in our 35' Jayco 5th wheel.
Florida and North Carolina held our interest.

Oct. 06 I lost my wife to smoking and emphacema.

I am selling my home and moving into my 32' 5th wheel and heading below the snow line, to be away from the cold and snow of northern Vermont.
Will be debt free, and have some moneyset aside. Plan to work and then will draw SS at 62 to supliment my retirement/travels.

I have been in business for myself for over 11 years shoeing horses.

I also have a touring motorcycle (Honda VTX 1800 cc) and that is my one major enjoyment besides fishing.

I will have my two dogs, a female Austrailian Shepard and a male Jack Russel Terrier traveling with me.
That brings me to asking about campgrounds that take seasonal campers with dogs.
How do I find them ?

I am also open to any and all advice for a single male traveling with two dogs.

[jambo101]

Sorry to hear of your loss.Best place for camping questions would be over at RV.net,I think you have the right idea about moving south.
Welcome to the forum vthorseshoe

[REWahoo]

VT, welcome to the forum.

In addition to RV.net, I'd also recommend you check out Escapees. That link will take you to their discussion forum where you can find good information on full-timing, working on the road, RV parks that cater to-long term/seasonal guests, etc. Seems to be a very nice and very helpful group who post there.

Best of luck to you in your new adventure.

[frayne]

Welcome Horse, no advice about traveling with dogs but if you get down Chattanooga way and want to enjoy that VTX on some nice roads, let me know. FJR rider here and you can't beat this area of the country for riding.

[vthorseshoe]

Thankyou both for your advice on checking out the other sites.
I have followed through and pulled them both up and they definitely seem to be something that will offer additional inforation.

I have been setting up for this for the whole last year. Bc/Bs hospitalization insur., a tow vehicle that is efficent, and I bought a 32 ft Gulfstream 5th wheel with slide out.
I own out right both vehicles and have good insurance on them.
As a youth, in my 20's I traveled the country and Canada and for 20 yrs. drove tractor trailer nation wide and the last 11 years have traveled the northeast shoeing drafthorses. Traveling and living in motels has been part of my makeup.
In my youth I worked all over the country and am comfortable finding work of any sort.
My only wish is that my wife could be doing this with me. It was one of our dreams.
After years of having trouble with bronchitus and pnuemonia and add in smoking all her life, her lungs started showing the effects of no more elasticity and lack of air space.
Cindy's last 4 years were in and out of the hospital an eventually full time on oxygen.
One Sat. early morning she pressed her life line button and when she arrived at the hospital Cindy was gone.
This was the biggest loss of my life.
Keeping everything going and continueing my business was a struggle.
I eventually made what I call my business plan and it gave medirection and purpose.

Coming on line and discussing thngs with you folks is the next step on the ladder of my plan.

Thankyou all for you kindness and interest and help.

Just read your note FJR. Riding is definitely on my plan and I would love to ride the mtns of Chattanooga.

Bruce

[travelover]

Bruce, I'm really sorry for your loss. Welcome to the forum. You'll find like minded people here and a good sounding board for your plans.

Time is your ally and it sounds like you have laid out your dream. The rest will come.

[brewer12345]

Bruce, sorry to hear of your loss. If I am ever in a similar situation, I hope I have the same courage to reshape my life in a meaningful way.

[Moemg]

Bruce , sorry for your loss I lost my husband nine years ago to complications of open heart surgery and it's hard to restart your life but you can do it . Lots of campgrounds in Florida for the kind of set up you are looking for .Good Luck !

[vthorseshoe]

Moemg;
I have a sister who retired to Parsh, Florida and a brother who retired to Melborne, Fla.
I have another brother who is looking to retire around Lake City Fla.
They all started out traveling in RV's.
I actually have more expereince traveling than any of them but they all took to it like ducks to water.
Cindy and I spent over a year living in the Homestead area. We were at a campground on the Peace River. Beautiful spot

[jambo101]

Motorcycle Roads & Trips - The Best US Motorcycle Rides & Routes

MotorcycleRoads.US

Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap and Cherohala Skyway, Graham Co, NC

Couple of web sites to help you find some good rides..

[vthorseshoe]

Jambo101;


Thankyou. I buy Road trp magazine and I and some friends are planning a trip to Nova Scotia this summer.

I will look at the other sites you posted. They don't look familiar to me so will be something new to look at.
Thankyou.
If your in Montreal, then you are jusat a hr. and a half north of me. I am in Hyde Park, Vermont. Just 20 minutes north of Stowe.

Bruce

[jambo101]

I usually go camping every summer in Lake Elmore,nice area.
If you are going South with a bike you definitely should do a run on the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap and Cherohala Skyway, Graham Co, NC at Deals Gap NC,followed by the Cherohala Skyway and of coarse if you are in that area the Blue Ridge Parkway from Cherokee is a must.

[Freedombound]

If you work with horses, you might think about Lexington, KY. It's like a national holiday when a horse dies and it's all about the horses here.

[kat]

VT,

I want to add my welcome, and also say how sorry I am about losing your wife.

I hope your adventures are satisfying and enjoyable.

The work you do caught my eye. I just bought a camp in the "Lakes Region" of Vermont, down the dirt road from a place calling itself the largest horse leasing business in the East.

I love winter!

kate

[Sarah in SC]

Most campgrounds we go to in our old 1976 Airstream motorhome are state parks, and they welcome dogs on leashes. You shouldn't have much trouble with an Aussie and Jack. Now our Border Collies are a whole different story! Kids on bikes drive them crazy!

You touched on one of my greatest worries: what if we do all this planning and our partner isn't there to do it with us when the time comes? Thank you for helping me name this fear and showing us that you can continue the dream.

We just lost a dear friend on Friday, at 51, who was a long distance trucker. It gives me new inspiration to do more, now, and try to balance that with "later".
Welcome, Bruce and thanks for sharing with us.
Sarah

[Kitty]

There are other clubs to belong to that cut the price of camping just do a google
search. Also there is a Work Camping group and magazine. Usually the amount of work is little and with your skill of shoeing horses should find some very interesting positions that will help you meet a lot of nice people and make for some interesting experiences.

Good luck in your travels. I am just starting mine hopefully I too will find some nice people and interesting places.

Kitty