The Sunny Brook "Harmony" 21FBS Trailer

Since having time off, I no longer multi-task. It's one project per day. Today was borderline because I did two or three things to get them out of the way. I started the morning off by taking the newly purchased truck back over to the dealership twenty-five miles away to pick up the title. The plan was to transfer my plates from my 1994 Chevy truck to the 2006 Chevy truck since I had just paid for new truck plates for 2015. That did happen without a problem later in the afternoon which is a surprise because nothing is easy at the BMV. While at the dealership I was talking to the owner about his experiences in towing trailers and truck camping trailers. He normally will use them on hunting or fishing trips for a couple of weeks in the year.

He said an interesting thing about trailers, campers, Class C and even the huge Class A. It was something I noticed while I sat in the Class C while it was covered in snow this winter. He said "the longer you stay in them the smaller they FEEL" ... no matter what the RV is. I made note of that. The 2500 HD 4x4 truck rides nice, is quiet and very comfortably cruising down the highway, so I decided to multi-task, go on a mini-road trip.

I decided to go about 50 miles further south of my house to check out a trailer I had seen on the internet. This place was out in the country, small town and I can't say if the highway it was on was a major one? It was out in the middle of nowhere, very little traffic but this place was servicing Class A's that cost $250K to $500K. They had a good selection of trailers. The person showing me the trailer was not only honest but possibly a little too honest to be in sales ... if you know what I mean.

2012 Sunny Brook Harmony 21FBS

One of the admins on the rvforum dot net, mentioned that Sunny Brook made good quality trailers and might be something to check out. As far as the quality of components, flooring, couch material and bed mattress he was right. This 22' trailer had a small slide out which gave the trailer enough floor space to get me to consider this. It had much more room than my Class C and it was a "new" 2012 model, no longer made. Then he said something interesting that was a deal killer. "We have had some water damage to the floor under the couch due to a leak in the slide out". They were repairing it and correcting some things to prevent it taking place a second time but I didn't want to take that chance.

The ground clearance was another issue. Standing back looking at the trailer, the ground clearance looked acceptable for what I am wanting. When I looked at the leveling jacks that were retracted, a lot of the ground clearance was gone. But the deal breaker happened as I turned around the corner from the rear. The gray and black tank connection for dumping was exposed by design to the edge of the trailer but the problem was, from the bottom of those connections to the ground was only four inches.

I could not see this trailer surviving long on a dirt, gravel or uneven roads. I probably wont go to the extreme of staying in place like Sebastian does but similar to AL & KELLY, Paul & Nina and RVsue. At times I'd like to do what Chinle does over at the Spotted Dog Ranch leaving the trailer at the camp and tent camping further off the grid for a few days in good weather.

As you notice this post is about a trailer, not a truck camper. I was kind of leaning this way after I got an accurate measurement of the bloodhound while she was sleeping last night, snoring through the measurements I took. I quietly got my Stanley tape measure out and went from the tip of her nose to her hips ... she's long ... LOL.  I went from top of her hips to the bottom of her feet as she laid on her side, she's taller than the truck camper isle is wide. She would take MORE THAN the majority of the floor space in a truck camper. That doesn't include the other two basset hounds which are also long, even with extremely short legs.

So dogs win ... it has to be a trailer.

Two that come to mind ... Nash and Arctic Fox. A couple of the bloggers I follow travel full-time in an Arctic Fox while Sebastian full-times in a Nash Trailer.

The choices are decreasing and the options are down to a couple I believe.

Winterized

Recently the temps have been dropping at night to 30 degrees and I no longer wanted to push my luck, with forecasts of 18-25 degrees overnight lows this week before jumping back up to low 40's after that. Typical Indiana weather.

As I read about winterizing and watching YouTube videos this past month, I kept thinking it wasn't that hard of a process. I drove to Bloomington this morning and picked up a pump winterizing kit at a local RV parts and repair shop I found a few weeks ago. That place saved me 150 miles of driving to Camping World in Indy.  I didn't need the whole kit, just the plastic tube and connector to the Antifreeze Connection in the upper right.

I made a few mistakes at first. I didn't drain the fresh water tank because I couldn't find the low point drain valves. Mine were not where all the YouTube videos showed them. I also didn't change the shut off valves on the water heater tank.  Next I had drained my water heater  and adjusted the valves on the Water Works panel that Coachmen has to "make it easier" to winterize with out all the manuals, still I had problems. In my first attempt I had used about a gallon of antifreeze but didn't have any come out of the faucets. I had a pretty good idea where the antifreeze was going but I did not see any coming out of the water heater drain, so I was confused.

I called Coachmen customer service and they took time out of their busy day to find my specific rv model in their computer and then directed me where my low point fresh water valves were. both my fresh water tank and hot water tank is under the bed. Draining the fresh water tank probably took longer than the whole winterizing process.

After that drained I started the process over for feeding the antifreeze into the water system and had the pink stuff running out of the faucets, shower head and toilet. I also pushed the center button of the city water connection outside and had some pink stuff shoot out like it was suppose to.  Just for my own piece of mind I put a little antifreeze in all the sink traps and the toilet.

Since the RV would be sitting on grass for the winter, I bought some leveling blocks and after a few tries got that beast on the blocks centered and off the grass. That yard would become very saturated after the snow and ice melts this winter so the blocks should help keeping the tires off the ground.

Just as I finished and picked up all the tools, empty containers, hoses etc....it started raining....perfect timing. The biggest challenge of the day was getting the bloodhound into the house, she doesn't care that it rains and besides that she was on a scent in the back field and was oblivious to my yelling her name.

So I believe I'm good for the mid-teen temps this winter and single digits.

It took a while but I am glad I figured that out for my own experience. Although I hope this will be the last and only winter I am doing the winterizing process. I still plan to go out on weekend trips but during the winter I will take my own water and revert to my tent camping ways and leave the rv winterized.

Loading the Rig and Downsizing Thoughts

I had to take time out today when I arrived home from work for something I wasn't excited about anymore. The yard needed mowed. The shrubs will get their annual trim tomorrow. This is an activity I use to really enjoy. I have a push mower and it takes about 45 minutes to finish, nothing major. Anymore it's a task I dread. Either its too hot and humid that you can barely breath or its cool and dry where there is more dust in the air, so it's hard to breath. I guess the real culprit could be me, being out of shape!  Anyway, I haven't enjoyed mowing much the past few years.

I decided earlier in the week that I would start moving things to the rig as if I were getting ready (I actually might be) to head west.  I did this for various reasons.  I wanted to see how it felt moving stuff out to the rig from the house and see if at any part of this moving I would feel hesitation or doubt. I also wanted to see just how much of my traveling list that I could fit in the rig. Before I get started it looks like I will have plenty of room for storage. The last thing I wanted to see, was how much stuff would be left in the house that would have to be sold, given away or taken to the goodwill.

Since 2011 I have downsized in different periods of effort (motivation) or as my mind changed.  I would say I am really down to just one room where I am sitting now. It has my computers, indoor bicycle stand with bike mounted, a closet full of my sports jersey collection, winter clothing and jackets and more stuff to throw away. I have downsized A LOT over the past year....still looks like a lot to go.

A lot of the furniture is spoken for when I leave, lamps, tables sold, other stuff sold and will be picked up when I leave. Tonight I see a lot of stuff that can be sold on eBay. I see some things that may be stored in a box somewhere.

In the meantime I have hauled a lot of stuff to the rig. I have a plan in mind that I will follow. I'll keep you updated on how this progresses. There should be more answers as I get into the process.

I will leave you with this though. I think at least the hounds are ready to travel fulltime. Why do I say that? How do I know?

Every night this week, I have left the coach entry door open as we do the daily hound walk through the hay field in back. On the return about 100' from from the yard I stop and unhook the basset and the bloodhound from their leashes...Winston, the old hound walks without a leash. So, EVERY night this week after being unhooked from their leashes, all three hounds sprint (ever see a basset run?) toward the house but all make abrupt left turns jumping into the open coach entry and all are inside the rig by the time I get to the door.

What do you think?  Are they ready?

Two days ago when I pushed the domain name to my blog I started getting hundreds of anonymous comments from spammers. I have had to adjust my comment setting to not allow anonymous comments. I apologize to those that are honest people but are blocked from commenting.

A 584 Mile Trip Full of Excitement

Sunday morning the H3 is packed, dogs are happy being able to go for a ride, they just don't know this ride is longer than the 11 miles to their veterinarian. The AC is already turned on high as we leave the driveway at 930am local. I realized I was leaving later than I had planned but I wanted to get there a late as I could due to the mid 90s temps that would be waiting for us. Little did I know what would be waiting for us.

My first plan didn't work out .... A year ago I had planned that I would slide the seat of the backseat forward, as designed and leave the back up to keep the dogs and storage separate. The space left after sliding my back seat part forward was too small for my bloodhound, let alone two other basset hounds. So I folded the back of the seats down, packed my sleeping bag, tent, bag of clothes, bag of dog stuff and my camp chair in the space between the front seats and the folded down back seats.

7 Gallons of H2O & Hound Sleeping Area

So it's beautiful, sunny, very little traffic all the way to St. Louis where I make my first major error. I am not sure why, nor what I was thinking about as I always have taken the bypass freeway around the city going in either direction but today I spaced it out and had stop and go traffic through downtown St Louis for 1 hour 15 minutes....they are rebuilding the intersection of I-64 and I-55. I wasn't the only one though...just as we moved down to one lane at the end, a truck pulling one of the largest 5th wheels I had ever seen, merged right in behind me. The driver did not look happy. The picture is a few miles from the city (you can barely see the arch above the middle green sign) and we are already stopped in traffic, with 3 dogs wanting to get out..... because "we were stopped".... and 1 hour and 15 minutes to go.

Just East of St. Louis - Arch Barely Visible Straight Ahead

We take our first rest stop on the west side of St. Louis on what I call a "high speed" rest area, where you exit the freeway from the left lane. So even though the park is set up nice for the hounds, their own area, parking at the curb....I find out really really quick what is an eventual issue traveling with 3 dogs.  I have opened the back door to put 3 different leashes on, of course as soon as the back door is open, the 2 bassets jump out NOT LEASHED.  I scramble getting leashes on both then step on the leashes so they don't move. To add to the excitement, with the semi truck noises, high speed freeway traffic noise that is very loud since we are in the middle of the freeway so to speak .... my 90# bloodhound is TERRIFIED!!!  She freezes, doesn't want out but does because the 2 other hounds are out of the H3. Her front paws are on the bumper but she's afraid to jump. Howling in her best bloodhound voice, I help her jump out of the truck. By the sound of her you would have thought I was hurting her.

As soon as she hits the pavement, she takes off sprinting, luckily to the grassy dog section, but that 25' retractable leash stops her in her tracks with my hand attached. IF it had been 50' she would have sprinted that 50' in a nano second. IF I would have had her on the standard 5' NON retractable leash I believe she still would have sprinted 50' and dragging me 45' of it....so luckily I didn't have the standard 5' cloth leash on her. The 3 hounds and I get to the grassy area, all their noses are to the ground BUT...BUT...they are all going different directions, wrapping 3 different leashes around my lower legs. Fortunately I was able to step out quick enough that they didn't tie me up....LOL. Yet, I had 3 different leashes to untangle and 3 hounds all moving in different directions. The purpose of the stop was successful so all is good.

Before The Leash Tangling

Now back into the H3. I lift the 2 50# bassets into the back of the H3. They are NOT people so they DON'T move forward....they stand at the edge of the opening, where I have a 90# bloodhound that does NOT want to get back in....she is squatting onto the pavement as I try to get her to stand up, get her paws on the bumper so I can left her heavy ass up and get her in the H3, while rest park traffic is moving past me like it's a Indy500 or a NASCAR pit lane....cars are flying into this park, a few feet behind me and the bloodhound.

All is safe....we are back on the road heading west.  That gives me at least 4-5 more hours to think about this dog situation I am in. The next time I stop for gas (H3 got 18.3 mpg on this trip), they all want out...why....because the truck is stopped, they think they are home. 

I drive onward across the state of Missouri turning south at Joplin onto I-49 after the delay through St. Louis and then a wreck delay after that. For those that have never been through this part of Arkansas, (NW) this is only my 2nd time and I will tell you....beautiful country. We arrive in the northern part of Springdale Arkansas (everything...buildings...etc...is NEW) with daylight and even though it's in the 90's, it feels a lot less humid than Indiana. I decided to head to McGaugh's RV dealership since there was enough daylight and take a look at the LiL Snoozy if I can. There it is ... ready for hookup in the morning.  I unload the hounds and we do a walk around, peeked inside the windows, looked underneath the trailer ... The LiL Snoozy is fantastic and I cannot wait until tomorrow morning. The trailer looked much bigger inside than the pictures I had seen.

I get 2 of the hounds on leashes, Heidi seems to be enjoying the grass so I leave her unleashed as the pictures show. As I am getting the dog food out and filling the water bowels, I turn around and Heidi is nowhere in sight....gone!! I put the other two leashes over the fence poles to keep 2 of the dogs there and go off yelling her name. There are a few houses that border this RV lot, she may have headed over there. Still cannot see her  .... yelling her name but no dog.

McGaugh's RV - Springville Arkansas

The Lil Snoozy

I go back to get the other dogs to take them with me on my search for Heidi. Usually the bloodhound will pick the scent up and find the missing dog when this takes place at home. Just as we move into the grass lot of RV trailers to start the search, here comes my basset sprinting like she was a Kentucky Derby winner down the home stretch. She wants to eat.

After 8 Hours of Sleeping it's Time To Relax

The Grass Feels Better Than That Blanket

 As you can see from the picture below, my bloodhound is very stressed out. She has her tail down, a look of all looks on her face, panting heavy, and a long tongue falling out of her mouth.  A dog that normally eats her bowl of food in a couple of minutes and then stands over the other dogs until they come up for air so she can eat their food ..... does not even eat one small kibble of food.  A dog that can drink water by the gallon at home, isn't interested in even getting her tongue wet. She doesn't want anything to do with what is being offered. The bassets never miss a meal....they eat at normal pace, guzzle water....and look at me and say "what's next?".....it's time for a walk around the grassy lot.

A Stressed Out Bloodhound

3 tangled leashes later we finish our 20 minute walk around the edge of the trailer lot, thought #2 hits me .... Have I been wrong in thinking I could travel with 3 hounds, especially the bloodhound??  I and a few other friends have always wondered if it was possible or not. There is nothing HEAVIER than a stubborn bloodhound that doesn't want to co-operate. You can't change their mind.....I even tried to bribe her tonight with "milk bones"....didn't work.

The bloodhound is not a happy camper.

With the sun going down I stop to fill up with gas so I will be ready to leave in the morning. I check the tires, etc. Campgrounds were my first choice to stay at Sunday night, thus the reason I brought my tent. After arriving in the area, I see where the campgrounds are further away than I want to be on a Monday morning, it's now after 9pm central time and I haven't decided where to spend the night. I am thinking of just staying on the RV lot, dogs inside the truck and me on the grass in a sleeping bag...then Monday morning shower at the Shell mini truck stop a mile away. About that time headlights pull into the lot, pull in front of me 20' away and turn on their bright lights...thought it might be someone that worked at the lot. As I get out of my H3, they drive off. An hour later, now around 11pm, same headlights pull into the lot, they drive over to the building's front door and stop. I get out and walk over to the jeep just as they are pulling away. I introduce myself and find out I am talking to the original owner of McGaugh's RV lot. The man I am talking to "built it 45 years ago from the ground up". He sold it last year to the sales rep I have been speaking to this past week. From speaking to both men I can tell John McGaugh and Charles Hamilton are great guys.

John tells me I cannot stay on the lot overnight but there is a place about 2 interchanges down (4 milesaway) where trucks pull into a vacant store parking lot, across from the Walmart. I decide to stay there overnight, no traffic and no lights....the lights from the the Walmart parking lot across the street are bright enough for both lots.

I repeat the steps of getting the dogs out with the same amount of hassle as previous times. The 3 leashes tangle around each other every time the dogs get out of the H3. By this time it's dark and around 11:30pm. I also started thinking again if I was going to be able to travel with my dogs, especially the bloodhound. I didn't feel I could travel with just the bloodhound, even if she was the only dog. STILL the thoughts if the dogs would work or not, did not play into my plans for picking the trailer up Monday morning at 8am. I was tired but was excited and I couldn't wait for tomorrow morning to pick up the trailer and hit the road.

I figured a long walk will wear the 3 hounds out so they would sleep all night, so once again at 12:30am, the dogs are unloaded and off we go. Only this time the leash of the running basset Heidi slips out of my hand and she is sprinting off into the darkness. Once again after yelling her name, no dog. About 5 minutes later as I had put the other 2 dogs into the H3 so I could track her down, Heidi is sprinting out of the the darkness. Little did I know at that time, into the early hours of the morning, would it continue to say hot, even with the windows down. The bloodhound spent most of the night panting, not sleeping, but would sleep with the engine running and the A/C on. I was in full agreement and slept the same way...AC on, car idling. I could not sleep with the windows down.

I was sleeping in 30 - 60 minute intervals. The times I did not sleep, I spent thinking of my travel plans the next day. I would either go north on the freeway just long enough to get to US60 and head east or to go the back roads in the eastern direction, through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

Between 3am - 3:15am for a few minutes, I finally realized traveling with the dogs could be a problem. A new potential issue occurred to me. With the trailer hitched to the H3, there would very little if any room to swing the back door open to let the dogs out. Even if I could swing that door open part of the way, would the 3 hounds be able to jump out the back of the H3 and miss the steel hitch? Getting them out the side back doors was even more impossible, because that would be one dog at a time and with the seats folded down, the "floor" was an additional 6"- 8" taller than what they were jumping off of in back. That was a reason I did not use the side doors earlier in the day.

I didn't think about the dog problems anymore and went back to sleep. Before falling back to sleep I had nothing but plans of meeting the owners in a few hours at the RV dealership (consignment sale), going over the trailer with them, paying them and heading east with a week vacation planned.

Around 5:15am Central time I bolted up out of a deep sleep like a lightning bolt had hit me, even wide awake after a pretty sleepless night…..KNOWING I COULD NOT GO THROUGH WITH THE PURCHASE. I couldn't travel with 3 dogs was the main thought. Even if they were to adjust to the traveling routines, the process of getting in an out of the H3 would be the same. Even with a pickup truck with the larger cab, the process would have been the same. I didn't feel the bloodhound would be a good fulltime traveler. Not only from her performance today, but other issues she has at times with separation anxiety, even as a 5 yr old bloodhound. What I feared years ago, today had provided me with my answer. It was not possible to travel with my 3 dogs.

After waking, I had decided to leave and head back to Indiana. I let the hounds out, going through the exact same routines as before and Sadie still scared to jump out. Once again I am trying to keep the two basset hounds near me by stepping on their leashes and trying to help the bloodhound (big baby) out of the H3.….luckily this deserted parking lot had small islands of grass inside concrete curbs, so all my hounds did their morning deed and we got back in the H3. During that 5-10 minutes when the dogs were out, I kept going over my decision of not making the purchase. I knew I couldn't buy the trailer, even as much as I wanted it. THREE dogs were a major issue….just ONE BLOODHOUND and no basset hounds would have been an issue. I did not see any way for this to work and there were a few things that would never change traveling with 3 hounds, but also 3 hounds that are bred to follow scents.

So as my truck idled and my A/C got the inside cooler, I was thinking to make sure, if this was what I wanted to do, back out of another trailer deal? After some soul searching while the H3 idled, I knew what I had to do, no matter how much I wanted to live the full time RV lifestyle. I sent both the RV dealer and the trailer owners, an email telling them I could not buy the trailer because I found out my 3 dogs were going to be a problem in the traveling mode. I also explained I did not find this out until after traveling 584 miles to buy and pick up their LiL Snoozy trailer. I was going to call McGaugh's RV when they opened up at 8am Central time but by the time I had a chance to call while driving, I got an email from the dealer and the trailer owners, both of them asking me if they reduced the sale price, would that make a difference. I was almost to Joplin MO and headed home by the time I had received their emails. I hated backing out of my decision and what effects that had on both the dealership and the private owners. I was also losing a great trailer at a great price.

Within that first hour of driving, I thought of nothing else. Could I find a way to make it work with 3 hounds? I had the time to turn around and get to the dealership before they opened if I could decide of a way traveling with the hounds would work. Could I buy the trailer and then take small trips with the hounds for the next few months? I felt even with the hounds adjusting to travel, the side doors etc ... I still felt I could not travel with 3 dogs. I could with 1 basset hound, not 2. I doubted I could travel with just the bloodhound alone.  She is just too much dog. Plus, every time yesterday I had 3 leashes tangled up beyond belief.

So the question I asked myself, before I decided not to turn back, should I buy the trailer now, since it's a great trailer at a good price...then park it (where I don't have a lot of room). Then use it for short trips to see if the dogs adjusted and/or keeping it for the time I would hit the road alone, without dogs. I felt as long as I had 3 hounds I would not be going on any kind of camping trips, long or short.

The final answer was no, I shouldn't buy it. Let someone that was going to use the trailer buy it.

Was fulltime traveling really fair to the dogs? Even at a boondock camp site out west, they would have to be tethered. The hound bred is not like terriers, shepherds etc....they are scent dogs...their noses go immediately to the ground and they are off once they lock onto a scent. Around home they will stay in the area most of the time off leash but just one rabbit or deer has sent them off on a high speed run ... no warning. Heidi had already ran off twice on this trip alone.

I finally realized what I suspected all along, but I kept pushing the thought off to the side …. even as good as my hounds are, well mannered, slept most of the way while driving….traveling for any length of time would be a problem with all 3 hounds. I spent the next 8 hours driving knowing that I was going to delay my travel plans. That was quite the letdown. It was very sad to finally find out I cannot travel at this time in my life.

Still I did find out this answer early enough before making a purchase. I do have a place to return to that really is a great place to live, minus the humidity and a few extreme cold winter days. Still, it will be very very hard reading bloggers that do travel and knowing that I cannot do the same at this time.

This morning as you can see below, Sadie is back in her element ... a little more peaceful and quiet than that "high speed" rest area on I-64. She is back to being a happy camper.

Back Home Again In Her Field - She Feels Better

Like the blog sub-title asks ...

"The decision process in deciding to RV full time, what kind of RV to buy and if this travel can be done with two basset hounds and one bloodhound?"

This blog was a decision I made 22 months ago when I decided I would open my thought process to the public. Maybe this blog would help someone that was thinking of traveling fulltime with dogs or for the first time and save them some research. I decided that I would be honest and tell both sides of my decision making process. It would also be my eventual traveling journal, something I could look back and read years from now. This blog turned into a mental rollercoaster at times only because I was being honest with my thoughts, those were available to the public to read. Being exposed at times bothered me, because I really am a very private person.

Still, back to the blog sub-title ..... The answer is no. Personally I feel I cannot and I have chosen not to travel with my 2 basset hounds and 1 bloodhound.

So my travel plans, and any kind of trailer/rv purchasing plans are delayed. I will not travel with 3 hounds and I will not buy a trailer or RV until I am ready to travel with only 1 basset hound or no hounds.  How long that will be, I have no idea. The option of giving the hounds away just so I can travel is NOT an option.

So that's it .... This will be my last blog post until I decide to travel, ...when that is I don't have any idea.

My decision is really not what is best for me but best for my hounds.  Non pet owners will find that hard to believe or understand, but that's the way it is.

Your dog .... "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. Your are his life, his love and his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"  ~Unknown author~

Adios

Negative Thoughts

I don't watch much tv but a few years ago I became addicted to a show that lasts only 12 weeks??, not sure...So I watched it tonight, this being it's last season. This summer after that show CNN has a 1 hour special where they send one of their reporters out in normal off the news living.

Tonight he was in Nebraska with a rancher, along with someone else reporting on the river traffic in St Louis on the Mississippi River….the major highway for transporting corn throughout the Midwest.

The theme of both locations….drought.

They were about the close down the river traffic because it has become so shallow. The Rancher in NE is about to lose his ranch, unless he is getting rain this summer. I could not tell which year they were in, 2012 or 2013.  I think it has rained a lot through there this year but I'm not sure.

By the end of two shows I had some interesting thoughts….no couch.  The trailer has no couch and during these two shows or the few times I watch tv, always, the bloodhound and the older basset hound lay under the coffee table and the younger basset lays on the couch.

So I wondered how that would be with the trailer having no couch?…just then a "brief" thought on selling the house….but more thoughts on what if nothing sells…the house, the truck, the Mini Cooper?? 

So my response tonight to all of this fast bombardment of negative thoughts I think is interesting because it is different than all the other times this happened to me. In the past when I had some quick negative thoughts like that, I would be outside right now at 11:40pm, pulling my for sale sign up in the dark…..but not this time.

I thought about what if the house and the cars sell….what if the house sells quick and I have not sold my vehicles yet….I would leave my vehicles on my friends car lot and sell them on consignment.

So I no longer wondered about the couch…..I saw the dogs finding their own sleeping/hanging out places inside the trailer once we came inside…I saw getting up early in the morning and after a cup of coffee, pulling out to a new camp within a few hours.  I saw traveling when I had an urge to go somewhere I had either been before or a place I've wanted to see and towing my house behind me…a bed the same size I have in my house, AC IF I want it and peace and quiet away from people, traffic noise, stuffed up sinuses, and to save electricity….a lantern.

So instead of freaking out with doubt….I have finally been able to recognize those thoughts (tiny negative voices) and then think of what I really want to do and that is to be moving around the western states with no yard work, tornadoes, freezing snow, boring work. Then pull into some small town for some gas, groceries maybe a dog park or a local diner.

I can't wait for Linda to show up on Wednesday to sign paperwork for her agency to list my house.….and I can't wait for my cars to sell. Her schedule was not open until Wednesday for us to meet and get the house on the market.

Looking at the "completed" listings on eBay on my Mini Cooper, there were a lot of listings the past two weeks and a lot of no sales and the couple that did, sold way below book value. My friend mentioned to me that it's August and that may not be the best time trying to sell cars or trucks because people are having to spend a lot of money getting their children into school, with book fees and clothes. I then remembered my co-worker telling me she was spending about $1,500 for her 6, 8 and 18 yr old to start school.

Still it only takes one person that likes that color of car, or the location or the low miles.

Spent the day cleaning....for just one person living in this house, its amazing where dust comes from. I took my biggest load of clothes yet to Goodwill, yes they are open on Sundays.  I am down to what I would call the bare minimum....I have a closet and 1/2 to clear out but that will take place this Saturday when I take 8 plastic tubs of sports programs and magazines that I use to sell online to recycling. Then I will have 8 tubs for storage on the road. The other part of the closets are throw away stuff. I even cut down my dishes and silver to a 4 pcs setting, even though I plan to use paper/plastic on the road.

Spent all day getting rid of stuff and as I sit here, it hardly looks like I put a dent in downsizing.

An Unproductive Week

Well for those readers waiting to see if that For Sale sign goes in the front yard tomorrow, I don't know. I didn't get anything done this week as far as my house goes. I did nothing but work overtime, came home and did nothing about getting out of here. Read a lot on the internet, watched a little college basketball ... and thought ... and thought ... and thought about what to do.

Not really doubting my plans but just wondering if I am making the correct decision ... I guess that is doubt, isn't it.

Unexpectedly my neighbor had a realtor for sale in his yard on Tuesday.  I was curious last Saturday why he had finally decided to clear a bank of brush and trees for over 200 feet. I own 13' of that bank from the top down but he had some men clearing to the top. Good, takes something off my "to do" list in April when it will be getting warmer.

Back to their house for sale, any disadvantage of having 2 houses next door to each other for sale at the same time?

I have a small 2 bedroom/1 bath, he has a small 4 bedroom/2 baths, both older houses.

The news of sequestration is going to affect me. I've been planning for it to happen when it mentioned the first time. I will be one of the many government employees or government contractors that will be forced to work 4 days per week and only get paid for 32 hours. My salary will be prorated for 4 days instead of 5...then add in the fact, I work overtime now and still cannot keep up with the pace of the schedules. Nothing like a 20% pay decrease to make me even more thrilled than I already have been. That may start around the middle of April and run into October 1.

Then my #1 Hoosiers got upset at Minnesota on Tuesday, only later that same night I find out that 2 close old friends of many years, are in a new battle against cancer. Puts that ballgame in a little perspective doesn't it.

So with all things considered ... I haven't been in a great mood nor motivated to do much this week, other than a lot of thinking.

I will say my range of thinking is consistent with the other times over the past year or so, when nothing gets done. It ranges from enjoying the various stories of some of the people I follow here that are in Arizona boondocking in some decent weather......all the way to the other end of the spectrum where I ask myself am I making a wise decision of selling a house that I own and only pay a very small amount in yearly property tax.

Questions that I have always had and won't know the real answer until I am on the road. I will not know for sure until I do it.

This week a friend says that with my 3 dogs, a 17' trailer would not be enough room for them and I, I'd need more room, even though they do it with multiple dogs that are smaller than mine. That 17' really equates to 14' and while I look at that measurement taped to my floor in the room I am currently writing from ... it really does look small for full timing. With that in mind that moves me away from a trailer that my H3 can tow, so I started looking at Class C's again and Class A's (prices are low) with towing my H3.

Back to the job situation ... currently not in a job that thrills me since I am out of the financial part of the work (Jan 1 policy change) and thinking maybe this sequestration might be the right time to pull up stakes and move out.

Yet, as I have downsized recently, I run into things that I really don't want to sell or store but too big to take with me or too valuable to want to get rid of. Then I read other bloggers who within a year have had doubts if they made the right decision to sell everything and hit the road full time. Makes me think.

My mind has always gone back and forth on this decision, as you know ... since October 2011.

Yet, for the readers that are checking back here or planning to check for that For Sale sign picture this weekend, I'm not positive that is going to happen this weekend. I still need to move my house inside from the "lived in" look to the "presentable for viewing" look in case I would have an interested buyer.

I'll keep you posted.

Is Sadie a Hold Up in the Decision?

As much as I love my hounds, I wonder sometimes if my 80lb bloodhound Sadie is subconsciously keeping me from making a decision. Two "low level" basset hounds are much different than 2 basset hounds and 1 large bloodhound. Plus a "hound" is much different than those smart never run away shepherds. I would have to have all 3 of my dogs on 3 different retractable leashes because even with the older Winston (8yrs old), when they get on a scent, they are off and all 3 can run much faster than I can.

I know this from past experience in the hayfield walks in the afternoon and an unexpected deer shows up within their scent range ... and I know how slow I am chasing them.

So when I see pictures of other travelers hiking with the dogs unleashed, and they stay around without running off, I know that is not possible with the noses of my hounds.

With a tow vehicle that I am currently driving daily to work, that puts me in the range of a small trailer. The more I think of it, the more I could see me and 2 basset hounds doing it comfortably but that 3rd 80lbs of fumbling tumbling hound INSIDE something only 16'-18' makes it seem hard to imagine.

So that is why I asked, if Sadie, my big bloodhound has been the reason I have not been able to make a decision, when I am use to making decisions pretty quickly on other topics.

All through my google searches over the past 13 months, I have not found anyone RVing full time with a bloodhound or even a large dog with 2 other dogs. Definitely not inside a smaller trailer.

Based on weekend observations, my hounds sleep A LOT during the day while I am at work and also while I am around on weekends. Those naps could be on a rug inside a portable fenced area like RVsue uses for her two smaller dogs but when the winds are howling and the rain is flying, the big girl with the 2 basset hounds and I would seem to be pretty cramped inside a smaller trailer when I think about it.

Does that move us back to a Class C or a 32' - 34' Class A?  Even in times of $4 gas?

I have done all of my gas estimates with different types of RV's at $4 per gallon fuel in the past year. I am pretty close to an estimate of 8,000-9,000 miles traveled in a year, maybe less if I stay in places I like longer. Having lived in the west in the past for 20+yrs, I have seen a lot of Calif, Washington, Idaho, and Arizona. So I see myself doing less traveling than maybe some others I read about.

Still, I keep coming back to traveling full time with 3 hounds and 1 of those hounds being 30" tall at the shoulder, packing only 80lbs and a tail that can clean off a coffee table with a couple of tail wags. I will not even get into the drool stories....lol

I could do a Class C or A and used my current tow vehicle as my toad.

More and more to think about.

The "itch" to Full-Time Travel is Back

I just finished up a 3-day weekend not doing a lot, but thinking, reading different blogs, glancing at RV's for sale .... and did I say thinking?

That feeling to travel full-time is back stronger than a few weeks ago and increasing. I can't see it any other way when I think of what I should do after I retire or even sooner. I feel my time is up here and it's time for new adventures, new towns, and new people.

Otherwise, it is my belief that I will continue the same "rut" I have been in for what seems like forever. I have had some good times at this place, but it's not one of the best places I have ever lived. I've lived across the street from the beach in Carlsbad California, to Whidbey Island Washington, ten months living in Breckenridge Colorado during ski season, back to Whidbey Island until 1995 when I moved back to Indiana.

It's strange that I have such an attachment to this place.

Is it the chance of mortgage free living? Low cost of living? Near a large college town? I keep wondering what it is that keeps me here.

I can sell my house, my Z4, my Toyota 4Runner and buy a good used RV for cash. That's mortgage free living isn't it? Low cost of living could still be maintained with solar panels, tanks large enough to boondock and I could visit about any large college town that I wanted and even tailgate on Saturdays if I wanted to attend a college football game.

That kind of paints a different picture doesn't it.

I stepped out of my house the other day to hook up my bloodhound to her 80ft climbing rope I have anchored in the field behind my house. If she isn't tethered she would take off at the first smell of a deer or rabbit and being 100ft from a RV traveling US Highway, her life would be short lived.  I would hate that ... so I tether only for short periods of time when she wants outside. She knows where that 80' ends, someway.

So, as I started to say, just as I start to connect her collar to the rope connection, my basset hounds start baying loud and they are off the to races. I glance up and deer are scattering everywhere in the field behind my house. Going in different directions. Maybe 15-20, too many to count and too fast for me to get inside to grab my camera. They must have been grazing in the hay field before we came outside.

The hounds eventually stopped and stared. Some of the younger deer stopped and stared back.

That's one of the nice things about living in this area, the wildlife, unannounced appearances.

Still, I could get the same thing camping out in the Cascade's or Rocky Mtn state parks.

Basically, I need at least two things:

1. The freedom to move when I want
2. Solitude

RVing full-time is the only way I can get those two things ... in my opinion.

P.S.  .... It would be nice to get rid of the year-round allergies I have.

A Lot of Thinking

Another normal day of reading RV information, in some cases read for a 2nd and 3rd time. Looked at A's, than back at C's. Ran a lot of numbers through my head, whether to pay cash or finance. Currently my mortgage balance is so low that I am unable to write off what little interest I pay every month. While walking the hounds through the field behind my house, I wondered if it was really fair for the 3 of them to be RVing or keeping their life the way it is. Here is a picture of that field. You can slightly see the path I make while they walk 25' out on retractable leashes.

I did look at C's while I was at work today. I saw some different and good ideas how people used that space above the cab for their large tv's, and computer equipment. I am going to need to arrange for my 46" HD tv, as a sports junkie that would be hard to give up. Computers I use right now is an iPad and an iMac with a large 27" monitor that I think I can make arrangements with some slight modifications (office desk) to keep that monitor. Here is my current set up:

I am pretty set on a A's 30'- 32', and only started looking at C's after reading a blog where a couple had spent 4 years full-time RVing and running their computer business on the road. I really don't think I would use the overhead bunk if I had a C, so any ideas about large tv's and computers are welcomed. On a A I already have some pictures of fitting large screen and my computer set up.

I also thought about this blog. I've gained a lot of good information from comments, emails, suggested links but at the same time it is kind of different for me to go public with my thoughts. Yet, I got this idea to start a blog now and not waiting until I started on my RV trip because most of the blogs I started reading a few weeks ago and currently, all started the same way. I guess in a few years it will be nice to go back and look into these earlier blogs and recall just how many different directions my mind was going.

To all the A owners out there on the road that boondock, what is the smallest road you ever traveled on to get to a great camping spot? To all the C owners out there, how many of you wondered if you should have bought a C after you lived in an A for a while and why?

Why do I ask that? The example is the picture of my computer set up. I spent months researching which iMac to buy or a MacPro or a MacAir. When I decided on a iMac, then it was either the 27" or the 21.5" iMac. Even the day I went to the store to make the purchase I looked at each side by side for over an hour and walked out with the 21.5 Then months later I kept thinking about the 27" I passed up. Instead of selling my 21.5 iMac and boxing it up and shipping it to someone that would have bought it outside of my location, I decided to buy the 27' monitor and plugging it into the iMac as a 2nd monitor. I love having two monitors.

So if I bought a C and was happy with it, would I always be wondering about an A????

This picture was taken last August when the temps were really hot but the hounds were wanting to walk.

The Three Amigos

My Bloodhound Makes Me Wonder about RV's

Guilty

First of all the title does not mean I am thinking about giving up my bloodhound nor my plans of RVing fulltime. All it means Sadie is having "one of those days". Our daily routine is getting home from work, letting them outside (today was beautiful), by the time they are finished dumping their tanks they are use to having their food and water poured and ready for them to eat. They come back in, eat while I check my email. Then about 30 minutes later we take our daily walk through the hayfield and back, usually about 30 minutes. Today must have been heavy rabbit scent because all three went crazy with their noses to the ground pulling me as I held their two retractable leashes. If I would have had been on skis they would have been pulling me across the grass at a pretty good speed. Winston is leashless here but will no problem using a "dually" on one leash with the other basset.

Well today, Sadie the bloodhound seems to have a little cabin fever, she wants out, then wants in. A little obnoxious. Anything from checking to see what's on the counter to eat, trying to get the bassets to play with her and giving every place in the house an inspection with that nose of hers. She is a smaller size bloodhound due to poor breeding I think, yet is she 73lbs and does not know how strong she is. Winston can hold his own, standing 13" high and packing 57lbs. Heidi is just content to hang out on her pile of mexican blankets next to my desk while I am on the computer.

Today was one of those day's that Sadie felt she didn't get enough to eat .... or the food is so good she can't get enough of it.  Not 10 feet away from me while Im on my computer, she is trying to get the lid off the container I keep the dog food in. She HAS BEEN successful before at this and ate so much one night when I didn't know it, I was concerned she was going to bloat. She has been known to slide open closet doors to get to my spare food that is in bags, chew open the bag and make it her own disposable dog dish. So to say the least, she still has a lot of puppy in her at the age of 3.

An hour later both Winston and Sadie find a place to sleep. It is that hour of being obnoxious when I wonder about a Bloodhound / RV mix.  Are they made for one another or will it be a problem? It is usually just that first hour or two after I get home from work where she is pretty active and excited. On weekends when I am around, she is a little different. Based on all three hound's daily schedule, I have no doubt they will work in an RV. The majority of their days, 7 days per week, they love to sleep. The times I am home during the week, they sleep all day, a little food in the afternoon, a walk and they are good to go. Of course it might be different for her since I will not be gone 9 hours per day once I make the transition to the RV.

It's days like these if an RV will be right for the bloodhound. 22 hours per day, laidback and a couch potato, but at times 1 - 2 hours can make you wonder.

There is a good discussion going on about the difference of Class A and C's on the RV Forum, linked to the left side of my blog.  A lot of good information in there from people that have been on the road a long time to the newbie such as myself.

I'm still "feelin" a small Class A (30'-32').

I am planning on next Friday driving up to the Indy area to look at different RVs and hopefully test drive some.

I was thinking today....RVing and Workcamping as an option if I didn't want to wait the 2.6 yrs to go fulltime.  I will spend some time this weekend reading about workcamping. In the meantime I have a bunch of new websites/blogs to read in a few minutes that I find from reading other blogs or ebooks. I have made folders within my "RV Info" folder, to keep any ebooks I like, or blogs or websites that have good reference material.

I think it might be time to start downsizing and just for fun try selling somethings on ebay or Craigs list.  I am familiar with eBay but have never tried Craigs list. I thought Craig's list might be better for selling some desks, chest of drawers, bookcases, mowers, tools .... things I was wanting to get rid of anyway even if I stayed here.

Have a great Friday night where ever you might be.

RV thoughts

Actually this is not a vacation but a day off ... one of those days off where "they can be there between 8-noon or noon-4".  I am switching out from DirecTv to DishNetwork. It's a long story and deals nothing with hounds or Rv's, so that is all I will say about it.

What that has done is give me some MORE time to read a pros and cons ebook, found some new blogs, different views, and of course more pictures of different RV's that people are living in fulltime. I would assume the reading and studying never ends?  Always keeping updated?

I still am thinking a Class C is the way to go for me, 28'-30' because I have dogs that will travel with me.  Yes it's tempting to buy a 30' class A, but I am not a "gearhead" and will need a Ford or Chevy dealer/mechanic to do work when needed. I can do the basics but not repair. So far there seems to be one consistent answer from comments here, other forums, emails, etc...."find the floor plan you like and go with it".....the engine, brand name is all about the same. It's a home on wheels, screws will loosen, sometime there will be leaks, or a dead battery etc.

Does that sound right?

BTW, my DishNetwork installer just called and that 10 minute job turned into a few more hours....so my 8-noon has now turned into 1 or 2pm.  :)

I looked over my numbers again late last night and found out, once my house is paid for (7K to go), my expenses living here mortgage free is almost identical as RV ing fulltime. Sure that is a rough estimate for expenses and you never know how much exactly it will cost until you are on the road.

Well I am going to go back to my reading and looking....more dreaming.  I'll be back later today or tonight for another post on what I may have found out new or any new questions or ideas I may have.

RV Sizes and Types

First of all thanks for all the comments and new followers after my first post. I am not new to blogging, just to this niche and it was nice to see that some people decided to hang around and see what I end up doing. I will read all the comments and will answer emails as soon as I can.

Well it was a pretty productive day and some answers are starting to surface. With my 3 dogs that I am going to travel with, I am thinking a 27'-29', Class C with a sideout is what I am going to need. It is tempting to buy the older 35+ Class A but from most of the blogs that I am reading, they are able to get into some spots where a smaller RV has it's advantages. I am going to want to stay out in the open more than parks. There is a huge selection but I have narrowed my search to the Southwestern part of the USA. I found in my VW Bus buying day, the southwest had dry metal and very little rust if any.

Which brings up the question, is it better to buy from a private party or a dealer?

Even the Class C 28' with no sideouts looks to have enough room for my hounds to sleep (their favorite hobby) while driving or even after parked and set up for a month stay. I walk the dogs daily using retractable leashes. They can go out 25' while we walk but I can control that with a push of a button. Their only problem is, they love people and always seem to move that direct to be able to sniff them a little or sit to be petted.

These blogs are really a great source of information for someone that has traveled but NEVER by RV.

So, before I head out to do some work on my blog, I guess I am looking for a Class C, 1 sideout, 27'-29', Gas Fuel, from either a dealer or private owner located in the Southwestern USA.

In the mean time I am going to try to get some pages up and filled in. Then give you some pictures and history of the hounds so you know will be taking this adventure with me. Also I tried many times to get a profile picture up but Blogspot didn't like them and kept having "internal errors", yet they didn't seem to mind adding the same picture to when I was following a blog.....go figure.

I am also finding that adding photos from iPhoto on my iMac is not a smooth friendship. As soon as I figure out how to keep Picasa from importing ALL (1,000s) of my photos from my hard drive, I will then load them into the blog from Picasa. I am computer literate, worked online at home from '05-'09, so it should not take to long to figure out what I want to do.

Can I follow these blogs of other people if I am using a WordPress blog instead of Blogger?  My frustration trying to use Blogspot is the same as it was years ago when I decided to move to WordPress.

Anyway, wherever you are, have a great Friday night and weekend.

Yes, my mind is still going a thousand mph with all this new exciting information.