Thinking Of Past RV Decisions

First of all you will notice the new blog theme. I was looking around this morning at different themes I had found through my Google search and this one, called “Flat” jumped out at me. I’ve looked at hundreds of themes this past week and nothing ‘hit’ me like this one. So along with the permanent move to a hosted site and a domain ending in .net, I also have a theme that I feel will last a long time. Let me know if you have any problems with it loading, reading it on your smart phones and those that have tablets.

~~~ Found the sidebar on the new theme was too hard to read. Some where having problems loading the page. Voted to “go back to the white with red banner” ~~~

I don’t know why or where the thoughts of different RVs struck me but I did a quick journey back through RV Memory Lane. Not all the way but back to the 2013 summer. Long time readers remember that I have changed my mind a million times on motorhomes, trailers, trucks, tow vehicles … the list is long.

I will say that after I did all of this analysis again, I still feel I made the best decision of not selling the house and even not buying a motorhome nor a trailer. I’ll not go into details again about the pros and cons, but my ‘home base’ is paid for, low property taxes, great location and not much more than routine maintenance. As far as trailers or motorhomes go … how would I have been able to handle those last few weeks with Winston? Or fitting a 2nd large tall bloodhound into a small trailer?

So here is a short recap and photos of things I either passed on, bought and sold. In all cases, money had been put down for a purchase and not completed most of the time.

The Summer of 2013 I put a down payment on a refurbished Casita trailer, local seller and a tremendous refurbish job. I backed out of the deal because of the lack of space for a bloodhound and two basset hounds. Now in January 2016, that would be two bloodhounds that would have had to fit inside withe me and Heidi … I would had to sell it. It was a great trailer though, someone got a great deal.

It was sometime in August 2013 I had put a deposit on the 2013 Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD trailer. The only delay was their prepping the trailer for delivery. Those couple of days gave me time to 2nd guess my decision and change my mind. I really liked that trailer, although I am not sure how it would have done as a full-time trailer.

September 2013, Winston, Sadie and Heidi head to Arkansas to pick up the Lil Snoozy Trailer I had decided to buy. Hours before closing the deal I changed my mind and didn’t buy it. You can read about that 586 mile trip here.

It wasn’t 2 weeks later after backing out of the deal on the Lil Snoozy trailer and blogging that I would not travel with 3 hounds … blah blah blah, I turned right around and bought a 2003 Coachman 258db from a local seller. A week after I purchased it, due to a large oil leak, I had to replace the oil lines from the oil filter halfway back to the oil cooler in the radiator. (Thank you YouTube). I let it sit through the winter and sold it the 2nd day of great spring weather.

The day I bought it Sadie, Winston and Heidi gave it a close inspection … decided it was the way to go … it wasn’t long before Sadie used her Bloodhound Property Laws and claimed the couch as hers. That’s Winston in the driver’s seat.

 

 It snowed a lot that winter in the ‘tropics’ of Southern Indiana … It was a good ‘leak test’ for the Class C.

In May 2014, on a whim, I bought a 2006 Chevy 2500 HD 4×4 short bed pickup truck. My friend had just pulled it onto his used car lot for sale, minutes before I stopped by to just visit. With a bigger tow vehicle than the 2006 H3 Hummer I had at the time, I investigated truck campers and larger trailers. I kept this truck for only a month. It was a great truck but when I saw my current 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser for sale online, I traded the truck for the FJ and that put me back int the area of small trailers.

It was toward the end of May in 2014, about a week after getting the Toyota FJ, that I drove up to Northern Indiana to take a look at someone’s Escape 19′ trailer. It wasn’t for sale but that is the way Escape Trailers in Canada work. They will hook you up with someone as close to you as possible, so you can take a look, if you express interest in their trailers. I lost a large deposit on that decision when I backed out of it. Fantastic trailer though. IF I were to buy a trailer in the future, the Escape 19′ or 17′ would be the one.

It was sometime in June 2014 that I came to the conclusion I wasn’t traveling full-time with two basset hounds and a bloodhound. I would continue to downsize here at home, enjoy what I had and the area I lived. I had the feeling of contentment from that point forward. Yes, there have been times those thoughts of traveling come back to the forefront … but never as intense as they were from October 2011 – June/July 2014. We did travel for a week or so last June 2015. It was a great trip and I found out that it is possible with 3 hounds. Although the number of bloodhounds and basset hounds changed since that time.

I guess all of this is like me changing themes (templates) on my blog frequently, only this is not as drastic financially.

Sadie and Stella had a great walk through the field today here in the ‘tropics’ of Southern Indiana.

A Trip to Camping World to Look Around

Early morning thunderstorms woke me about 4am. I have all my windows open, so it was windy and things got a little wet. The rain and overcast clouds almost talked me out of my trip to look at rvs, trailers, 5th wheels and truck campers. By 11am the sky had cleared, it was sunny and even though later than I wanted to start ... I decided I needed a road trip. I knew Friday would have heavy traffic. From where I live there is not a direct route to the nearest large rv dealership.

The largest dealership closest to me is Camping World in Indianapolis. They have a large selection of all different kinds of rigs to look at and it's pretty nice when you do not have a sales rep following you and you have no intentions of buying anything. I wanted to go see a few used and new 5th wheels, also some used and new trailers in the 24' range. I really don't have any desire for anything longer than that, so my truck may be a little overkill. I bought the truck basically for 4x4, crew cab for the hounds to travel comfortable and the price it was offered at. 

It took about an hour and fifteen minutes to arrive. I said it last time I went but this time the parking spots to camp overnight were packed, the spaces on the lot waiting for service of some kind was completely full, as well as the service bays. Maybe it's normal to start the camping season, with most schools not out yet for summer vacation.

I'll not go into detail on what I saw or didn't see, except to say NOTHING I looked out, sat in or thought about excited me. The used ones were either priced too high or were in bad shape. I was surprised in some cases that some rigs were actually for sale due to their condition. Mostly trade in's I guess. Of all the trailers and 5th wheels I sat in I can say the truck campers felt the best. Small yes, livable yes, room for the hounds yes and hard to believe yes.

So I decided to take the long way back to drive around any possible city rush hour traffic. I stopped to eat inside a restaurant instead of drive-thru. Combine with my time for my meal and the time it took to drive home I had a lot of time to think. Based on what I have looked at today and last Monday and in previous months, I have a few that stand out that I like more than others. That includes all types of vehicles to live in.

By the time I got home, fed the hounds and did the daily walk ... the yard has grown enough to be mowed tomorrow for the second time this week. 

Have a good weekend everyone, wherever you are located and be safe traveling. 

First Week Off Is a Success

It was week ago today when I sent in my letter to the company to let them know I was retiring. It's been a fast week, with NO stress of any kind, and a lot of things got accomplished. In fact I have not thought about work or my past job for one second. If I didn't have my exit interview appointment on my iPhone calendar, there would be a chance that I would forget all about it. I did get a lot of emails from co-workers that either worked at home on Monday when I was there or didn't realize that I was sneaking out without the goodbyes. They didn't realize I finally did what I warned them about ... retirement. All of them understand and are excited about my future plans. A majority of them wished they could do the same thing.

This week I started looking at trailers and trucks to replace the Class C I sold last week. I ended up with a good truck as a tow vehicle. I have my 1994 Chevy Truck cleaned and sitting down the hill by the highway with For Sale signs, a new bench seat cover, two new floor mats, plus the oil filter and oil was changed just last Saturday. I would say the future new owner will be happy with their purchase. It is also listed on Craig's List. My Mini Cooper was also washed today, will vacuum the inside Saturday morning. I've had one caller from Indianapolis, 70 miles away, wanting to drive down and see it Saturday. In these kind of sales you never know who will show up and who will not.

That is one thing I like so far about being away from work, there is no pressure to get something done that day. Normally I would have spent more time to finish the vacuuming and spraying the stuff on the tires to make them look great ... but today after washing a truck and a car, I didn't feel like finishing it today. A dog walk was a better option on a beautiful day. As far as the potential buyers, if they show up fine, if not, doesn't matter. The Mini Cooper is also listed on Craig's List, a few dollars below the NADA value because of a few cosmetic blemishes I would fix if I were to keep it.

I've looked at trailers most of the week online. Talked to some people on the phone and via email for trailer ideas and opinions. I have narrowed the search .. I think?? I have had some people send me some pretty good ideas, all of them considering the fact that I will be traveling with dogs which one of them is pretty good size. Of course the majority of trailers that I like are 1500-2000 miles west of me. I like that idea of sitting inside a trailer before I buy it, kind of visualizing what it would look and feel like living in it with my hounds. I would like to kind of get a feel for it, what kind of vibe I get when I am sitting in the trailer day-dreaming. So, will that distance play a factor in my purchase? A lot of people buy trailers, rvs from a distance. I have bought old VW buses from a distance and paid for them just by what the pictures showed and what the owners told me. It seems different doing that with something you are going to be living in.

At least if I have to travel to check them out, I don't have to ask for a day off from work to travel...LOL

So to end the week, I have great weather, happy dogs because they can go out anytime they want now, a couple of vehicles for sale, a great new to me truck, and a plan that is in action while not even being May 1 yet.

Thanks to those for the helpful emails, blog comments, phone calls, .. all very helpful information.

One thing I forgot to mention. This past week is the first time in years I haven't gotten up multiple times during the night. I have slept through the night from the time I got to bed until the time the hounds wake me up. Currently normal time because they think I am going to work. Instead of staying up until 1-2am and getting 4-5 hours of interrupted sleep, like I have for years, I've been getting close to 8 hours of un-interrupted sleep. I am also noticing some diet changes taking place showing the proof that stress did play a part in the junk food I ate on a daily basis.

Bought a Tow Vehicle

As much as I like my 1994 Chevy 2500 Cheyenne truck and it's temptation to use to save some money, I thought it might be uncomfortable for not only the hounds but also myself. Traveling on a single cab bench seat might not prove to be the right decision a 1,000 miles down the highway. The hounds love the ride in the truck to the vet but that is only 24 miles round trip. A lot different than traveling 1500 miles to get there and then through the western states. The more I thought about it, the more I knew three things.

I needed:
   -  4x4
   -  Crew Cab
   -  1500 or 2500HD or F150

The crew cab for the hounds and the HD and 4x4 to keep me out of trouble.Now I can tow anything I want. I have no desire to tow a 'house' but at least this gets me out of the range of 18' trailers.

It's strange how putting pictures of things you want work, but a few weeks ago when I decided to sell the Class C and go the truck/trailer combo, I changed my desktop picture on my iMac to my friends picture of his 2003 Chevy Silverado towing a trailer in Utah. Well today I bought a 2006 Chevy Silverado about the same color as my friends.

The day started with me heading to Bloomington to check out a truck I had seen on a local website. A Chevy 2500 4x4 that was priced fair but since those lower priced (less than $25K) don't seem to hang around long in this area, I realized there was a chance it might be sold. I was right. I got to the car lot early Wednesday morning to find out it sold the night before and had not been updated on the dealer's website yet. So I drove down the street to a friend of mine's car lot, one where I have bought a few (my addiction) cars from him. He usually has a good choice of used trucks to choose from.

So really for the first time in my life, I pretty well knew what I was looking for and what price range I would settle for. He will budge some on his prices but not much. As I pulled in he was taking pictures of a truck that had just been detailed that morning and had been parked not 5 minutes before I got there. He had the trucks I had seen on his website but they were more than I wanted to pay. I didn't drive over to look at those. I was wanting to see if something might have just come into his lot or at least let him know what I was looking for.

He was taking pictures of a 2006 Chevy Silverado 2500HD, 4x4, Crew Cab (4 doors), short bed. It was one of my favorite colors, light between a silver and gold. I checked it out from bumper to bumper, including scooting on my back to check out the underside of the truck. It had only a couple of small dings in the body, nothing major and to be honest I always like a truck that has kinda a used look to it. Not trashed out but not showroom quality either, because it is going to get used off-road and about once per year I make a mistake (joke) that causes slight damage.

By the time I crawled out from under the truck, with a satisfactory inspection, he was back from his office tossing me the keys and told me to call him if I got it hung up someplace. Good salesman eh?? He already knows I have the bait in my mouth and very close of being hooked. Well to say the least, it drove like a dream. Smooth quiet and had power when I needed it. A lot of room inside front and back. Great condition. No rust, which is rare for a Midwestern truck.

So here is the new tow vehicle with the hounds starting their inspection:

Now that has been taken care of, it is time to find something to live in. My plans seem to be moving on right on schedule. This retirement life isn't a bad deal, I like it.