The Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD Has Been Purchased

I know for long time readers, the words in the title are hard to believe ... lol

Due to the busy schedule of prepping trailers for delivery from the establishment I am buying from, I had to wait until next week to pick up my new trailer. Since I am now working 4 - 10 hour days, early Friday morning seemed like the perfect time to drive down and pick it up after they install the brake control, the sway control and some operational training on the trailer itself. So I'll pick it up July 19!!!

I have laid the 25' tape measure out in the backyard and have plenty of room to park the trailer parallel or perpendicular to my house. It is not possible to park it in the driveway due to the incline and no room on the sides of the drive. Plus, I don't have a lot of level ground in the backyard, so there was only one place basically to set it up.

I will then move what I would plan to full time with into the trailer, including the dogs, their water bowls, dog food, my clothes, couple of glasses and a couple of plates. Then sleeping bags for them and me to sleep on, not in due to the current temps.

By the following 3 day weekend, the 26th I plan on taking the hounds and I on a weekend camping trip...kind of a "shakedown cruise", enjoy the fire, some coffee and what it feels like to finally relax and just hangout.

By that time my resume's for workamping jobs will have been sent out.  I'd like to start that way to get to know the trailer better, the camping scene, see some nice areas and meet some new people. It will also keep be a little busy rather than just going "cold turkey" from working a fulltime job to nothing.

Once I find a workamping position, I'll look at my start day, subtract travel time, a little vacation before and after arrive and come up with a date to use as my resignation date...."they" will not be happy with that news.

If for some reason I do not come up with a workamping position, I might take off towards the southwest before winter hits Indiana and go boondocking right off the bat.  I've had a lot of good teachers with all the blogs I have been following so it should be fun to see how I and the hounds do.

I will add some pictures later.

I could come up with every excuse and justify every reason NOT to do this.....but the urge to travel just never went away, even when I attempted a couple of times to push it away.

Make That a Million and One Times

The night of my last post, the more I looked at my sleeping Bloodhound the bigger she got and the smaller the Casita room looked. Then when all three hounds were standing next to my desk chair wanting attention, I realized the Casita would not work.  My basset hounds are longer than the width of the isle in the Casita Trailer!!

No matter how much I wanted it to work ... facing facts ... it would not work.

So I called the seller, only 30 miles away, the next morning after sleeping on my thoughts and told him I had changed my mind ... that it was too small. He had 2 people in line to buy the trailer if I backed out of it.

I had positive feedback from readers and local friends on that decision. I knew it was the right decision as soon as I hung up from the call.

So now, what?

Yes, there has been a couple of outrageous emails ... enough that I shut the blog down, with no intentions of coming back to blog land. Then there were emails that were helpful and encouraging.

I came back to blog land because I caught myself writing a journal. Then I thought I already have almost 21 months of history already recorded, don't let a few bad emails make you run from blog land. I admit, I am usually not this open with private decisions and putting thoughts out online was somewhat of a question for me.

I'm back ... maybe all of my confusion will help someone, otherwise it will be a good record after I hit the road.

I found a Starcraft dealer nearby, so Saturday I drove on our "new" Interstate to check out this RV dealership loaded with new trailers and 5th wheels.  I am only looking at and have looked at trailers that I can pull with my H3 Hummer. That limits the size of the trailer but there are a couple bigger than the Casita that I think will work. Those are the Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD and the Lance 1575 w/slide.

I looked at, sat in, check out the bed, the storage and the roof for a 2013 Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD. They have given me a great price that includes a new battery, installed brake controller, ball mount, anti-sway bar and any changes I want as part of their dealer prep. 2 year warranty on the trailer and 14 year warranty on the rubber roof. Quoted sale price was $9,995.

This gets me on the road faster, under my budgeted cost, have some good feedback from people that are using it and a lot more space than I saw in the Casita.

So the plan can be the same as I last posted. Buy the trailer, park it in back and live in it, with the hounds and find out if we all will be road worthy. With my forced sequestration day off starting this Friday until the end of September, I see some camping trips on the horizon working only 4 days/week.

Thanks to an email I received from a follower, a suggested book has really helped me understand my insanity.

2006 Casita Liberty Deluxe 17'

After 21 months of research, changing my mind a million times, test drives in A's, C's, tow vehicles and sitting in 5er's and trailers, I decided to start with the smallest. That fits in with the goal I had in 2010 after reading about Glenn over at "To Simplify", was to downsize and travel. I will not go through the reasons I didn't buy the larger rigs but I will tell you why I bought this trailer.

1.  The least expensive cost for me to get on the road and a place to live.
2.  I can start this weekend to apply for workamping jobs if I wish to go that route, who knows I might have an offer from a location that I can't refuse.
3.  Trailer is in great shape with free add-ons included in the price.
4.  I have a ton of research bookmarked on Casita mods, repair, and places to go.
5.  Too many Casita owner love these trailers.
6.  Aerodynamic for good fuel mileage.  Without a tow my H3 is getting 17.8 mpg since it left the lot.
7.  Owners on forums have shown me it can be done with 2 adults and 2 large dogs so why can't 1 adult with 1 large dog and 2 short dogs fit ok?
8.  If I want to change it up later, these trailers have great demand and resell value.
9.  Small spaces equal less electric used for heat and A/C.
10.  Bigger bed to sleep on than the one's I used on Aircraft Carriers :)

All of you are thinking "what about the hounds"??  Well nothing has changed, they are going with me and THEY will decide where their comfortable spot is. Good weather days and nights, I don't plan spending time inside a trailer living on a computer ... I plan on sitting outside in the quiet watching the sky at night and hiking, napping, cooking, photography and writing during the days. As a suggestion from a friend that has been traveling for a long time in set ups like these, I will take a tent with me that is as big as a spare room, "sun room", "porch" when I feel like going large.

On days and nights like we experienced last night in Indiana the hounds and I will be in the "cave" waiting it out even if it's for days or weeks. I'll move before it is weeks. Last night we had tornado like winds that blew over power poles, trees and anything else .. along with more rain water faster than I had ever witnessed in my 17 years at this house. The Casita was in perfect condition today after high winds and hard rain.

I will install solar, the wiring already added by the seller. He is installing laminate flooring for me and as a "gift" he is giving me a new Sway Bar.  He has installed tubular lighting inside and rope lighting in all the cabinets spaces. He has installed an electrical system with LED warning lights to let me know (old and senile), that I have left something on that is using battery power. It was 92 and muggy today when I stopped by and the AC ran freezing temps inside or as cold as I wanted it...78 felt pretty good.

As we sat on each side of the trailer inside going over all of the operations and features, I noticed where my hounds could hang out even with 2 people inside the trailer.  Everything is as nice as it looks in the pictures. I must say inside it is in "mint" condition and the exterior is not far behind the "mint" rating.  TV has HD quality with an antenna that lays flat inside the door beside the tv. All appliances looks like they have never been used. The canopy is manual and has a new top that was changed just to make sure it was not aged.

I will be able to carry and store more water for my hounds and I inside my H3. I will have a full Baja roof rack where I will keep out of season clothes (not much), spare tire, Hi-Lift Jack (made in this small town I live in), and thinking of a drawer slide out system in the back of my H3 for tools and emergency equipment that I might need.  All ideas are from the Hummer Forum.

I've never been a "pack rat", so the storage inside the Casita is perfect for me.

So the plan is, within two weeks the seller will finish the floors, maybe in 3 days, maybe 14. It's hot back here and he is in his late 70's so I told him to take his time and do the floors on his schedule. He has a 2nd Casita he is working on to resell. This seller traveled in these for 30 years and I can honestly say loves these trailers....loves them.  Has been all over the Rockies, the west, Texas etc but the body wore out so he had to get off the road but he loves "rehabbing" these trailers and getting them back on the road for traveling and camping.

I will bring it home and park it in my backyard, hook up the electric, water and they don't know it yet, but the hounds and I will be moving into the trailer and we will find out real quick what works and what doesn't. My place of employment starts the Government forced "Sequestration" July 12 and that is scheduled to go through September. So as soon as possible with my weekly Friday off to save them money and a 3 day weekend, the hounds and I will hook up and go to the nearest State Parks or one National forest for the weekend. In fact where I work, they have a nice facility for RVs that is in a wooded area and borders a lake.

I have had many suggestions from everyone, local and distant, on whether to sell my house or not.  I can't decide if it should be Plan B or not. Most people tell me to travel 6-12 months before I make a decision whether to sell it, since I have ZERO experience in RVing, although I have experience tent camping and backpacking in the Rockies, Cascades and the Olympic Peninsula.  I would prefer to be on the road out west before the winter weather hits the Midwest and end up in Quartzsite AZ for my first big rally and possibly only rally. Boondocking off the grid is going to be my DNA. With small tanks, small fridge I will implement some of my backpacking and tent camping knowledge to extend my stays in the Casita.

If I didn't have dogs, i would go the teardrop route....yes, I'm serious about that. I want to get small and travel anywhere I want to go ... with this small trailer and my H3 4x4, I can do that. For the first time in my life I will learn and take the time to fish when the chances present themselves.

So there you have it.  After all the turmoil I put you through, this is what I have decided on with no doubts it will work.

I will have more pictures later but here are 5 basic views I took with my iPhone because I forgot to take my camera with me today.

In Process of Making the Purchase

This is just a short note to let you know I have FINALLY made a decision. Buying from a private party, we have agreed on the price and delivery will take place after a couple of modifications are complete. I can honestly say I have been more excited about what I am buying than any other rig/trailer I have looked at.

Details - Pictures - Reasons to follow in the next few days!  I'll just say one thing ... most if not all of you will be shocked .... lol

Saturday at Camping World In Indianapolis

I didn't go to Camping World to buy, but to look. They have the largest selection of different RV's and trailers in my area.  I was once again able to travel through their lot without a salesperson with me. I was able sit inside of the ones of interest, think while I sat there, inspect their conditions and think some more.

I am not sure what is going on but I have never seen their lot as full as it was today. Not only for the rigs for sale but the lots for storage and the lot for people staying that are getting maintenance or problems fixed....not sure which. There were a lot of rigs parked in an area that I thought was for storage instead of repair.

I was there to look at a couple of trailers I had seen online, that could be pulled by my Hummer. Since I had sat in a Casita a few weeks ago, I could sit in these Starcraft Trailers and compare them to the Casita. Gary Ramsey has a Starcraft AR-ONE 17RD that he likes a lot.

I also wanted to check out their Class C's again, thinking about towing my Mini Cooper or my Hummer.

The two trailers were the Starcraft AR-One 14RB and 15RB. I believe both of those could work and seemed to have more room than the Casita. Sure, the hounds, but I could see where they would be if we were stuck inside during bad weather or after dark. Most of the days will be spent outside, them and me. Yes, I agree those trailers would be small, but a lot of couples fulltime in Casita's and love it. I could see myself being able to use those trailers and carry most of my supplies inside and outside my Hummer.

Over the past 20 months I have visited Campy World and Colerain in Indy 5-6 times. After all those visits there is ONE rig that I always like and feel good when I sit inside thinking if that is the one, if I will have enough room for me and dogs, can I drive this on BLM land.....and the ONE consistent rig that I always like is the: ....Gulfstream BT Cruiser with a slideout and a queen size bed in back.

I don't know why, but that exact rig has always been the one I have liked, even over the Class A's.

Now could the E-450 set up tow a 4x4 .... salesperson says yes it can.

I see Wheeling It putting their 40'er in places I would like to go, so a 28' BT Cruiser would be able to do the same and I would have more room than I would in the trailers that I am looking at.

The house is back off the market.  Once again I am trying NOT to make this an all or nothing situation.  Fulltiming might turn into part-timing, at least 8-9 mos out of the year and 3-4 months at home but that could change after I am traveling.

The majority of friends and people that email me agree that is the way to go, even those that have traveled for a lot of years.

That's all for tonight.

Rambling Thoughts

It's been quite a week. Nothing new on the house, not a call, an email or even a "sniff". After 6 mos for the 3rd year in a row, my neighbor (not close), has taken down his For Sale signs. So we will see what happens on the house front, probably a slower process than I expected.

I test drove a possible different tow vehicle. I found a very sharp 2007 Ford F150 4x4 on cars dot com with the truck being only 30 miles from me. It was a one owner, body in mint condition, new tires, bed liner looked as if nothing had been ever loaded into the bed. Had a possible tire balancing problem at 60 mph (heavy vibration) but overall drove great. It was priced way below NADA value.

The problem was the dealer didn't want to give me anything for trade in for my H3 Hummer. Not really anything but a lower price than I expected. Due to the time of year, if dealers don't try to sell Hummers in the summer, there must be a reason for it.....not hard to figure out.

So, we couldn't close they deal and I am stuck with a H3 that I like but won't tow enough weight.

A few friends have told me to take the loss and trade the H3 for a truck. The trailer I want just dropped in price $5,000 the other day. Its a Bigfoot trailer, used a few times over an 8 year period.

I've always looked for trailers that would fit the tow rate of the H3 and one that is nice and even has a slide is the Lance 1575. The GVWR is below the 3,500 lbs. That rate has a factor of a 20% decrease for traveling in the western states and mountains. So far the only trailer I have found that has enough room is the Lance 1575 and is under the 3,500 lbs.

At the time I bought the H3 I honestly thought I was on my way of towing a Casita but I had never sat inside a Casita. I thought from the blogs and picture that the Casita was the winner for me hands down. So I was basically choosing between the H3 Hummer and the Toyota FJ Cruiser. I had test drove both and even as a past Toyota owner of different models, I preferred the H3 over the FJ.

I remember, without looking it up on this blog, that I had no desire to use a pickup truck to tow a larger trailer.

So like I was told today ... I have to decide where I want my comfort level ... in the tow vehicle or the trailer. There are a couple of other trailers that are below the 3,500 lb limit that interest me and I could see living in them full-time but I like the Lance. They are a 4 season trailer. Their 60 years of experience in truck campers moved over to the travel trailer side of the production line.

So we will see if I take a loss and trade the H3 for a truck and a little bigger trailer, 19'-24'.

For those wondering, yes ... I did have thoughts at times this past week, of keeping the house, the H3, the Mini Cooper and my old 94 Chevy truck .... then traveling only when I had the urge to get out of town or became bored. I really do like all of those vehicles.

There are a lot of things I like about 'sticks n bricks'.  I know what it's like to be in small push button showers while deployed 10 months at a time on aircraft carriers. One of the top 3 things I always enjoyed coming back home ... long long long hot showers. Those will be few and far between traveling in a trailer.

I like all that I own, the house, the H3, the Mini Sport and even the old truck that I drive 400 miles per year. I love college and NFL football on a large HD screen.

I can do most of those likes traveling in a trailer...showers will not be as long, the tv screen will be smaller if I even have a tv. My dual 27" monitor iMac will be a 15.5 Macbook Pro.

Everything smaller and shorter so I can have the ability to decide what my 'front yard' will look like. Or how warm I want my weather.

I am 4-1/2 hour drive from a Lance trailer dealer, unless I could find one at Camping World in Indy.  I'd like to take a look at one, sit inside for a while and see what kind of vibe I get. I have enough room to store in the H3 as I don't plan on taking a lot of stuff....water quantity could be my biggest item to carry.

One interesting thing that did make me flash back to a Class C ... with pictures and articles sent to me by an H3 owner, I can tow my H3 wheels down while sitting it in neutral without any adjustments. He tows his H3 with a Class  A.

On a final note ... I've been having painful problem with my right wrist, my "mouse" hand. At first I thought I had carpel tunnel but found out the wrong fingers were numb. I had chiro treatments, ultrasound treatments, a Futuro wrist and elbow brace, along with ibuprofen....nothing worked. The last few weeks I noticed a ganglion growing on top of my hand near my wrist.

Well as of today I am in hour number 5 of removal treatment without needles or surgery. I'll find out if the google search worked for removal of the ganglion.  I hope so, I don't have time for surgery.

That is all from the "tropics" of Southern Indiana.

Safe journey's to all that are traveling Arizona, and Colorado near the fires.

House Back on the Market !!!!

You are going to think I have lost my mind!!!

Basically I have to make changes, I don't want to keep living safe like this when I would rather be living back in the western USA. The more I think about it, I go back to my original train of thought in October 2011. Sell the house and everything I own and hit the road. If/when I settle down again it will be out west somewhere, not in the same western places I spent 20 years living but in the west somewhere. I will find that place during my travels.

The sign is back in the front yard. The blog is back online http://leavingbloomfield.blogspot.com and by late tonight I will have listed my car, and the house on Craig's list, with a link to the blog for more pictures and description.  There are more pictures at the end of this post.

What about the "backup plan" or the "need to have a base camp" thoughts in past posts. Well if I decide I don't care for the traveling or need to get back to a 'sticks n bricks' then I'll find something out west, possibly some land and put up one of those new 'tiny homes' on it,  or buy land and build a home around 800 sq ft, or a small town with a small home that I can work on while I live there.

Endless possibilities!!

In the meantime I could be up camping right now in the Dakotas, Montana, PacificNorthWest at higher elevation to keep cool, then head for Arizona, or New Mexico, eastern Calif for the winter...just like I have been dreaming of the past 20 months.

Ballgames???  I have a DirecTv account where I can watch a game on any device (iMac, iPad, iPhone) as long as I get an internet connection and if not, it will not be the first time I have missed ballgames...not really a big deal. I was wondering this weekend, is the reason I watch so many games on tv is because of boredom?

Today I could picture hiking or mountain biking trails off the grid, dogs off a leash and spending most of the day outside. I could get use to that type of day real easy.

I also sold my '94 Chevy Truck today to a manager at work. He commutes by my house daily to work and noticed and laughed about "one day your house is for sale, two days later it isn't"...I see "my" truck is still up on the hill waiting for me to buy it....well I'm ready to buy it.

My Mini Cooper will be on Craig's List tonight and Cars dot com. That will leave me with trading the H3 Hummer in for a 4x4 Truck that can tow more than 7,000 lbs. Some of my friends are still pushing me to get a diesel truck and a 5'er.  I am thinking a Ford F-150 4x4, towing a Bigfoot or a Nash Trailer.

Exciting times!!  Stay Tuned!!

I swear, I only have one personality.  LOL

NOT Part of Sale - Property Behind House

Early Morning From The Front Corner Of The House