Moving Slower Than Planned

It's been an interesting week since my last post. No earth shattering news to send you, just normal living. That "normal living" led me to wonder at times this week, if I should shut down this blog. I wrote a couple of different long posts this week explaining why I was going to stop blogging. I kept them in the draft mode, then ended up deleting them. A commenter a few months ago suggested taking the word "RV" off of my blog title because I was really posting nothing about RVing and my hounds were more interesting anyway. In a way she was correct.

My subtitle states: "Researching the rv lifestyle, deciding whether to travel with a bloodhound, two basset hounds and what kind of rig to buy".

Basically that research is done. Maybe I need to update and change the subtitle. I verified the definition of "rv" was a recreational vehicle. The word "vehicle" led me to look up the definition of 'recreational vehicle' because ... would that include trailers? By definition it would include trailers. So by reverse engineering, the RV stays in the title of my blog.

I know that will disappoint a few of my recent new blog fans that like to email me, telling me how screwed up I am, that my blog deals nothing about RVing and the lifestyle. They have a point ... I'm not traveling. For those few that have voiced their opinions the loudest, making comments and sending emails, I found that most of them don't travel either ... except through other people's blogs.

A recent commenter told me "You need help". That is something I have said to myself for a lot of years, so nothing new there....lol

Back to the subtitle. My research is basically done. I know with my current tow vehicle will not change, I am limited to a trailer with a GVWR less than 4,500lbs to play it safe. I have a non-refundable deposit on an Escape trailer but I do not pick it up until October 14, 2014.

In October 2011 the plan was to leave by May 2014, when I would officially retire from my job. Well I did retire a month early but I had not decided on a trailer. It's a good thing I didn't as I don't have the same tow vehicle I had in May.

So where did the thoughts of shutting down this blog come from? Not from the disenchanted commenters/emailers, that's their DNA so to speak. It came from thinking the 'research was over'. I know what I want to buy and how I want to travel with the hounds. Many followers are waiting for the daily posts with pictures traveling the USA, yet I am still in the 'tropics' of southern Indiana doing nothing more than normal activities. Doing normal things just like some readers of this blog.

What's there to blog about?

This past week my effort to prep the house for sale slowed considerably. One day I loaded the hounds in the FJ and we took a 22 mile trip south to a nice State Park sitting on a nice lake. The hounds spent most of the day sitting next to me sniffing the air or sleeping in the shade. I knew then they could be travelers even if State Parks are not in my plans as a place to stay the majority of the time. While there I just relaxed, thought about the 'what if's' and enjoyed the scenery. It was a great day but I wondered if I should be taking pictures and posting about my day on this blog. I didn't want to, didn't have the urge to. The trip was just something I did for my own personal enjoyment. That is where the conflict comes in as far as blogging goes.

I'm a fairly private person, live in a area where neighbors rarely get together if at all and will wave at the mailbox if we are there at the same time. It's a private area. I've never felt the need to plaster a website with pictures of what I have done or am doing. The times I did that were blog related. All that did was open myself up to strangers telling me what I should or shouldn't do. Why does it matter to them what I should do? Why do they get emotional when I change my mind? I find that to be an interesting concept. For those that scream the loudest, I cannot reply in a 'politically correct' way, so I'll not comment.

The day after hanging out at the State Park, I decided to buy something I have thought about for a year. Nothing major but another bicycle, only this time instead of something built to go fast, I decided to buy a mountain bike. This bike would be a bike I could ride while traveling or here at home. Instead of changing into all the bike gear I would wear while riding my high speed 'road' bike, I can hop on wearing my every day shorts, tshirt, road glove shoes and ballcap and take off. I've ridden this bike every day since I bought it, to town a couple of miles away. I've taken off on the rough asphalt roads nearby, over gravel or dirt roads and down a path to the back of a nearby field.

So it's serving the purpose. It's a GT Timerbline 1.0 29er. I don't know all of the mountain bike lingo, nor do I plan to upgrade or modify components ... I just wanted a bike I could cruise on, enjoy the scenery and at my age would even increase my pulse rate for a little work out. So don't expect me to post pictures of me airborne like you may see of other younger mountain bikers online. Like I told the salesman who was trying to get me to buy a more expensive CycleCross bike, "if I am airborne that only means I am in trouble and soon to be hurting when I land".

I did not intend the color of the bike to match the FJ but noticed it after I got it home. Here is a picture of my new toy.

If you have read this far you may be asking yourself "where is he going with all of this"? This past week as I started to enjoy activities and places where I live and those within driving distance. I realized that I was not going to put the house up for sale. I don't see myself moving westward and buying a fulltime residence BUT I do see traveling for part of the year and having this house as a base camp. There was a lot that went into that decision. Some of the reasons are the same as before but mostly it was because of what happened this past week ... "started to enjoy activities and places where I live and those within driving distance".

The short explanation is, I live in a pretty neat location. I have more campgrounds located near me than I realized. The new McAnally map I bought a few weeks ago showed a lot of new places to check out that were close to me. I live within a 30 minute drive to a college town with a major university (lots to do). One of my favorite fall activities is going to IU football games.

I am 70 miles between two large cities if I need to shop or visit. The local stuff  you know about, and it's a great place for the hounds.

Sadie Doesn't Eat Sticks - She Breaks Them Up Into 1" Pieces

Heidi Is Always On The Hunt

Hounds Enjoying The Weather - Sadie Never Likes Her Photo Taken

I realized this past week as I recycled, cleaned out, did minor repairs to the house from the winter weather ... that I didn't want to sell my house. Do I want to get away for the winter? .. definitely.

What about the blog? I don't feel the urge to blog about everything I do every week. The only traveling I will be doing until September will be local trips most likely and tent camping. It all gets back to ... do I need to blog what I do when it's just normal everyday stuff? 

May 2014

The blog itself will stay online if I decide to stop blogging. It can be a reference for those starting out and maybe curious about different rigs or trailers. New readers might have the same questions I had a few years ago. I do have some reviews on what I found with different rigs they could use or people have used. When I started I found very few blogs about full time travelers with hounds. I have only found one traveler with a bloodhound, on Facebook, and they travel in a monster size Class A. So I thought this blog might be of some value to people that have dogs and wonder if they can travel with them.

The ONLY things I know about traveling with MY hounds are, they ride well in the different tow vehicles and the Class C I had. They also handled the State Park well. They didn't bark at everything they saw walking by, such as other dogs or people in the State Park. The only thing they did was whine while wagging their tails ... wanting the kids to come over and pet them.

I am going to keep getting rid of stuff here at the house. I may do some interior painting. I will be riding the bike daily and enjoying the places nearby. The past couple of weeks it seemed for everything I finished on my list I added two new things to it. The list never decreased. At least the weather has been fantastic this spring and early summer to enjoy and get things done.

I wonder if I have a case of "destination addiction" that some of us may have.  I still want and need to see all of the places out west that I have not seen yet, except on other blogs ... I just don't have to sell out and relocate to do that. 

To blog or not to blog?

Downsizing is Never Ending

I'm not really taking a break this morning because I haven't even got started on today. It's 9:15am local time. I've had a couple of cups of Starbucks Columbian coffee, read blogs not only about RV traveling but those on my Feedly list that covers Mac O/S, Bedlam Farm, Sports, etc. Still after all of that reading, only 2-3 hours of my morning has slipped away. I'm not really a morning person but the hounds wake up daily about the same time (6:30am) and want to go outside for their morning trip. I am usually more productive in the hours after 12 noon.....so I have convinced myself today I can still get a lot accomplished even with a slow start.

After almost 2 months of retirement, I am finding out something my dad told me years ago after he retired ... "know what you are going to do for that day when you get up" ... maybe not a list of things to do but a good idea of what you want to accomplish. Otherwise it's like a few days I have had getting nothing done with a whole lot of hours spent on the computer either reading, commenting on forums, looking at spreadsheets or like yesterday .... moving all of my .jpg files from my "Documents" folder into a "Pictures" folder. I also downloaded them in bulk into iPhoto which was pretty fast, going through over 4,000 photos by "select all", import into the iPhoto library and clicking the box "not to import duplicates". This caught any photos I had not previously imported into iPhoto after my switch from Windows to Apple in October 2010.

Sad to think it was beautiful yesterday and I sat inside doing self-imposed computer work. I was still able to sit outside and watch the soft summer rain in the late afternoon. While smelling the rain, I pictured doing the same thing in places out west in my future travels.

Now to the title ... "Downsizing".  I did some major downsizing last summer and fall, taking 3 Hummer truck loads (cargo area) to Goodwill. That was mostly clothes, dishes, and silverware. Then this past winter I didn't buy anything that I did not need....zip, nothing! Yet as I walked around last night sorting stuff that was either going to be sold online or taken to Goodwill, I could not believe how much I had to get rid of, even after getting down to the basics last summer and fall. The clothes I used to wear for work can now be sold or donated.

Where does "stuff" come from?

What would you think if you went to see a house for sale and that house was fairly empty? Should it be all or nothing? Such as selling everything from books to desks and some furniture or should I leave the interior of the house looking full, as if someone really did live here?

I am past the point of giving things away....possessions that are left have more value than "free", plus any money earned from online sales is gas money down the road....that is the way I look at it. So it might be more time consuming taking photos and writing for sale ads for Craig's List and eBay but there is some potential dollars sitting around here for things I no longer need.

By the time potential buyers view the house, it might be pretty bare. Will that be a problem in getting the house sold? I'd hate to have to wait until after the house is sold, and then rush to sell things during the time period the house deal is closing. If for some reason the house has not sold by the time I leave to pick up the Escape trailer, I've always planned on leaving it empty for the realtor to show.

Usually my rule on clothing is if it has not been used in the past year or two, it is gone. I am having a hard time applying that same rule to my vintage 33LP vinyl record "unintentional" collection, or the 80's cassette tape collection and a lot of the CD collection. I can't remember the last time I even listened to a record album but find it hard to let them go. I have an interested Craig's List buyer for all the music I have. I think getting rid of all the cassette tapes and record albums is a good idea, while keeping just favorites of CDs and DVDs. I need to download the CDs into my iTunes or iPhone and play them that way.

DVD's are another story. Like all media changes, I never intended having as many as I do. Yes, I do watch some movies more than once or more than a few times over the years. Due to available hard drive space I will not be downloading them into any iMac or iPad to watch later.

Other than that, I don't have much left. Some of the furniture, the vacuum, the Rug Doctor carpet cleaner are spoken for when I leave. That only leave things I think I will store somewhere out west in a very small storage room, for when I want to set up a new base camp. Then I think forget that storage and sell everything. Whatever is left, I could have a weekend yard sale and I'm pretty sure most if not all would be gone.

As I write this post about downsizing and telling you what is left, I realized I really don't have that much more to get rid of.

Well, I'm going back to work loading stuff into the FJ for my recycling trip today, a possible future Goodwill trip and taking photos for my eBay and Craigs List ads.

A Post From the Past

There are days this post I made back in February 2014 haunts me .... and today is one of those days.

Editor's Note @ 8:15pm: By the end of this afternoon I was excited about selling out and getting out of here. The list of to do's never seem to end with a house and a lot of them repeat. I've had the urge for road trips all last week and even now, but was needing to stay here to close car sales, house prep and more downsizing ... not including a run to the vet for Heidi. I think today's post was a little bit of "cabin fever" talking.

Progress in the Last Eight Days

When I left you last I had two cars for sale, a call schedule to put a deposit on a New Escape trailer and thought I'd be too busy to blog. I'll fill in some updates in this short available window of time.

A few days after my last post, Escape Trailer Industries emailed me with information on a previous buyer that had the same trailer I wanted, only a 2013 model. It was also in the same state where I lived, but a 4 hour drive north. Escape Trailer uses the "Referral Program" for potential buyers to see their trailers as they have no dealers they work with. When you are retired, I am finding out those kind of spur of the moment trips can be scheduled with a blink of an eye. I love road trips and it would not only give me a chance to see, touch and sit inside an Escape trailer before I decide to buy one but also check out my tow vehicle after 8 hours of round trip driving. Both the visit and the trip were a huge success that included an added bonus at the end that was not expected.

When I arrived to see the trailer around 11:30am I thought I'd do a walk around, glance at the exterior, the axles, the top, sit inside, take some notes, take some photos and see the custom features this buyer had Escape build for him and his wife. Well not only did I see the trailer but also had a GREAT 3 hour lesson/orientation plus a great lunch with Bob and his wife Linda. They had backpacked and tent camped many years before moving to trailers. They had moved to an Escape trailer after using an Aliner trailer for a short time. It sounded as if they had done just as much research in what to buy as far as a motorhome, or the truck/trailer combination as I had these past couple of years.

As Bob and I walked towards the building his trailer was parked in, he asked me if I had brought a pencil and paper? I replied I had my iPhone and would take some pictures plus add any notes to the Notes program on the phone. Bob stopped, turned back toward the house and came back outside handing me a clipboard, with paper and a pencil. Orientation had started ... and it was fantastic!!

It gave me a lot of information helping me decide if this was the correct trailer to buy. They had made 2 or 3 long trips out west from Indiana in this trailer, knew what worked, what needed to be changed or added to. A couple of times I kind of moved toward the steps to walk inside but was lead to a different part of the exterior to continue the lesson. We did not move inside the trailer until after we had lunch.

Those first few steps inside, felt different than all the trailers I had stepped inside of before. It didn't shake with each step, everything was quality material, modified to the owners wishes and was easy to see why you do not find a lot of these for sale as used trailers ... people keep them and use them.

On my return 4 hour trip home, that included traffic going around Indianapolis on the most "Famous Weekend in Sport....the Indy500 Weekend", I knew that I had the right tow vehicle and the correct trailer. The only thing of question was the scheduled phone call on May 26 with hopes I could get on the list in time for a January 15 delivery at the earliest.

I am 11 miles from home after almost 8 hours of driving on Friday, windows open, driving though some beautiful scenery on Hwy 67 going south when I thought I had heard my iPhone ring. I glanced at it and it was lighting up with caller ID: "Escape Trailers". I usually don't drive and talk on the phone at the same time but when I saw who was calling I decided I had to pick up. They were calling to let me know that I did NOT need to call on Monday the 26th of May because of a cancellation of a previous order, they had a spot open with a delivery date of October 14, 2014 !!!  If you look back at the previous blog post I had made on May 21, I stated that no matter what I was going to leave Indiana by October 15, 2014 to beat the incoming bad weather. It didn't matter if the house, cars had sold or not ... October 15 was the planned departure date.

Interesting how things work out isn't it.

So with a delivery date of October 14, I plan to drive and pick it up in Sumas Washington, which is their delivery point right across the USA/Canada border. The paperwork process always seems to be changing so I'll be prepared to go to their factory in Canada, hounds and all, if needed. The hounds and I will have all of our paperwork and passport ready in case the delivery needs to be at the factory in Canada.

So the trailer is set.

On to the cars. Both cars sat during the weekdays with NO responses ... not a sniff, a call, an email, nada. On a holiday weekend for some reason the car selling business decided to get started. I had more people stopping on Saturday and Sunday looking, with two of them making test drives and making offers on both cars. One car was paid for and picked up yesterday, the 28th. The 2nd car has an offer $2,500 below what I want for it. What I want for it is also below NADA, USAA suggested retail. They are willing to wait with their only offer to see if I eventually change my mind. I am willing to wait for a better offer.

Even without selling the 2nd car, I am finally down to two vehicles in my possession, while only 3 short months ago I had an old truck I rarely used, an RV I had decided I did not want and a 4x4 vehicle with an ailing engine plus one other car. Three of four of those are now gone.

Today felt like Friday, found out late this afternoon it was only Thursday. This retirement lifestyle is rough .... lol.  So with the trailer situation stable and in process, the vehicle situation stable, I can now turn all of my 'working' focus on the house and downsizing the last of my possessions. I swear "stuff" multiplies by itself, even when you have cut back on spending based on the "want or need" theory this past year.

With muggy weather starting and still having to mow my yard two times per week, I see my decisions to sell out and head west are the right decisions. With the call from Escape Trailers moving my delivery date up to the middle of October like I had planned as my departure date, seems to be a affirmation of the decisions I have chosen.

Progress is being made.

I'm Back Only to Update the Latest Plans

I'm back tonight, much sooner than you probably expected and sooner than I had planned on, but there has been some recent developments this afternoon. I thought I'd post the updates and then take a break from blogging ... my future schedule just got really busy today. I chose to, on the suggestion of a friend, to blog about things tonight, instead of continuing to stay away for a month or so and then posting when I got back "by the way, last May I decided and did this while I was away" .... I don't believe that is fair to people logging in to read this blog and have chosen to follow me.

I have spent the last couple of days getting prepared to leave the area for a short vacation. Some of my camping gear is missing. I believe it's one of those "senior moments" you hear about...all speculation I know :) ... but a few years ago camping was more of a regular activity. A younger relative needed some equipment on the trips I did not have time to go on. I believe that is where some of my stuff is. I forgot to get it back or ask for it back. I was pretty job oriented then and was extremely busy with traveling, so I just spaced it. It's not a big deal because it's all replaceable.

I spent more time than I wanted and expected at the local Bureau of Motor Vehicles this morning. Since my plates for the Chevy Truck were just bought a few weeks ago because in this state, my plates expire 28 April every year for all my vehicles ... I was wanting to transfer those plates to the Toyota FJ Cruiser that was just bought. It's a simple process and the lady doing my transaction has shown in the past to be very knowledgeable about her job. I felt good as I sat down up until she started frowning at the computer screen, then her hand went to her forehead and possibly some slight mumbling to herself, barely audible. I knew then I might see many other people sit down, do their transaction and then leave way before I would. I remained calm. It ended up being a successful transaction taking longer than planned but at least I was given a huge credit.

With everything transpiring with the vehicle changes, mind changing on what rigs to buy, etc ... there has been a lot of thinking going on about my plans going on. Those plans have been thought about for a long time but a lot of it just got sorted out the past few weeks and hit loudly today and I feel its all part of the plan starting to come together. The pieces of the puzzle are showing up with the most appropriate timing, something I thought might happen once I was retired.

You probably remember over these past few years I have looked at, blogged about, a lot of different ideas, a lot of different rigs, a lot of different trailers. So what I am going to explain was NOT just something that flashed through my mind and a minute later I decided to do it .... I might be crazy but I'm not insane.

Last week after looking at the RV in Indy, since I was near one of two large RV dealers in the area, I stopped in to look at used trailers and new trailers. They all had one thing in common, they felt like trailers when I stepped inside them. Nothing impressed me, new or old. They were poorly constructed, it was just a feel I had again about them. When winds out west are up to 50mph at times and I am moving the trailer a little bit just by stepping inside ... I see that as a problem. It wasn't  something I had not thought of before or felt before.

Through all my research there were a few manufacturers that had topped the list. Probably the Nash, Arctic Fox, Bigfoot and Escape (Canadian) always seemed to end up in my "favorites" folder of trailers I liked. The Jayco makes good stuff but it had that feel I described earlier.

So last week I was on a forum and saw "Production Dates" for a specific manufacturer. I didn't think much of it, because I always assumed I'd buy a used one. The problem with that theory was twofold. One, few were available and Two the used ones had retained their value to where there were a few $1,000s difference between a old and new one. The difference was small enough in most cases to make you consider just ordering a new one. Also rarely did I find a used trailer having everything I needed. The thing is with all of these trailers based on my past research and past Excel spreadsheets to compare ... they all ended up about the same total price but they all had different standard equipment and you were going to have to buy options to get what you NEEDED, not what you WANTED.

So a long story short .... {drum roll}

I called Escape Trailers in Canada today, late this afternoon, to place a deposit on a new build for a December 2014 delivery. I found out the last reservation spot sold earlier this morning. So they took down all of my information except my cc number and I am to call back soon for a January 2015 production date.

That is the trailer I am going to buy, no doubts, no changing my mind. Not only have I thought about that trailer before but with my recent change of tow vehicle, that changed the amount of weight I could tow ... it's all good, it wasn't a surprise. I have a close friend that has inspected them for me in real time, stepped inside them, touched and felt them and the trailer came highly recommended. With over 15 years of being on the road, more on the road than off, I felt their knowledge was more valuable than me traveling 2,000 miles to find out for myself on what very little experience I have.

Now that the trailer date has been decided ... and it definitely has ... that changes my plans of leaving  this week or next because based on my other decision I am about to tell you about ... after months, if not years of thinking about it ... Since my retirement roughly 6 weeks ago, I found out some things that I suspected would happen and have. Some of these reasons are personal and will not be blogged about nor discussed with anyone but basically it is something I thought about last year, all through this year and even years before an RV was even part of my vocabulary. I felt that once I retired I would have my answer ... that has come to be true and I have an answer.

I am selling my house.

My two cars are already listed for sale as of today and in fact one was cleaned today and is parked down by the US Highway I live on, that gets a lot of traffic. It will take longer than my 1994 Chevy which lasted about a day down by the highway before it sold. Now before we all go freakazoid about this move, don't look at this decision as if I'm selling out to go full-time rving/traveling, something I have never done but look at it with the perspective of the hounds and I relocating back to the western states where I spent over 20 years of my life. Only this time I'll not be looking to live on the beach in Carlsbad Calif like I did in 1977, nor Whidbey Island NW of Seattle where I spent 10 years before moving back to Indiana for job related excuses. Some where out in states many miles west of the Mississippi River, there is a place that will let me know when the time is right ... that's it. In the meantime, what little I keep will be stored at a friends and small enough amounts that things can be shipped or driven out to me. There will not be much to take because honestly after my downsizing last summer and fall, I really don't have that much stuff to move.

So the new plan is and has already started:

1.  Get down to one vehicle ... my tow vehicle the FJ Cruiser ... Two other cars are currently for sale.
2.  Deposit on a new trailer after years of study.... the time spent searching for a rig or trailer are over!!!
2.  Once the cars and house are sold I will hit the road and will either tent camp on my way to the western states and then find something locally to stay in until the January 2015 delivery date for my new trailer.
3.  Based on weather, I plan to leave Indiana no matter what has or has not sold, no later than October 15. Based on local market information I received last week in a conversation, it is very possible that my house will sell faster than one of my cars.  :) but I have to clean it out and clean it up for it to be shown to prospective buyers.

So as you see there is a reason I am not leaving for vacation or some camping like I had planned a couple of days ago. I cannot justify taking time off from here until I have prepped my house so that it it's prepared for the local Real Estate agent to show it. That also includes a final downsizing of possessions.

I HAVE A LOT of work to do, not only to prep the house for showings but also to get rid of the last of my possessions that I no longer want. It's NOT everything, just a few things that fall into that folder of either selling them online or donating them to libraries, Goodwill or local charities. This is stuff that I have not used or looked at in over a year or longer!! The stuff I blogged about in the past 3-4 months, that I didn't want to get rid of, most of that is going with me.

It's already close to June 1 and October 15, IF NOT SOONER is just right around the corner, so I don't have a lot of time. Currently the vehicles to do lists are all finished, either they are for sale or have been registered and have new tires. The humidity hit today and the hounds are panting on occasion and that's never a good sign. Highly motivating for me to get into action.

As far as selling the house and the moving part, I basically saw that decision weeks ago but put it on the back burner so to speak. Each day forward I could see it was the right thing to do.

So that is my plan update. Everything seems to be falling into place, just like I thought it would once I was in the retirement mode. I'm some of the readers are taking or placing side bets on if this happens ... when it does, I want a percentage of the winning amount.  LOL

I do not plan, as some of the blogs I read a few years ago, do daily or weekly blog updates about the downsizing of possessions, the status of car sales or house sale. I'm going to be off the blog for a while doing what I just discussed. I will finally have to get my butt off this chair and away from this computer day after day to get the things done in time for hounds and I to head west.

Time waits for no one.

Do I have ADHD?

You know when I haven't posted in 4 days or longer, things may be happening .... and they are.....lol

A year ago in June 2013, someone told me that I had to make a choice to either find my comfort level in my tow vehicle or in my trailer.

During my drive home last Friday after looking at the 1984 33' Holiday Rambler I realized I might have to make some changes. I didn't like the longer larger vehicle (rv or truck). I know if I had only one dog that my idea about traveling would be small and off the grid as far as possible. One of the full-timers I follow has a big ole F350, towing a 26' trailer, he is off the grid a lot but has mentioned at times even though the truck is diesel and 4x4, he is in locations that he is hesitant in either approaching or has attempted with things bottoming out. That's not good when your truck is 20' and you have an additional 26-29' behind you. I thought about that for a few miles that I was driving last Friday. I was also thinking about a 33' RV towing the smallest toad ... still limited.

I also started thinking about the older Class A idea and how much that was really going to cost me in the long run for any kind of repairs lurking around the corner. I was sure they were similar to any old vehicle, in my case it was the VW buses I had a few years ago. That was, even though they were in great shape and road worthy, something always needed to be repaired.  Also that 33' HR I looked at was on a different website for sale .. no year listed but shows it was 37'. The paperwork inside that RV shows also that it was not a 1984 but a 1982. I also remembered past and current Class A owners that wanted or want to downsize. Parking something smaller was going to be more comfortable to me. So you can probably already tell that the "brain cells" have been moving, somewhat non-stop at times.

The other night I asked a follower that has traveled full-time in every thing possible, from a cargo trailer to a 40' motorhome with slides. My question to him was what did he think was the best traveling combination. He replied traveling solo he preferred a truck / trailer. With my hounds, I could still to do a truck / trailer. Yet, I was finding out with my recently purchased larger Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 Short Bed, it was feeling bigger than I thought it would be. It was my first larger truck but I was getting use to it, hadn't backed into anything or sideswiped anything. I knew it could basically tow anything that I would want to live in. It would be a great truck hauling down the highway pulling a 30' trailer or even a 5th wheel but that was not what I wanted to do. I knew with the size, even though it was 4x4, it was not like a Jeep, Hummer or FJ Cruiser 4x4 ... that could get off the grid without problems.

Like all shopping addicts ... I had been looking at some particular brand 4x4 vehicles recently .... around my RV inspections ... lol. I've missed my H3 with cylinder problems and I also know that was my 2nd choice at the time I bought it. There is one vehicle I have always wanted and a few use that same vehicle to tow a trailer and it's tow rating is a little more than the H3 I had. It has a bigger engine than the I5 engine my H3 had.

A few nights ago I asked myself if you were down to just one vehicle (my plan) instead of 3 .... what vehicle would you chose for normal travel, off-road trips and still have the ability to tow a 19' trailer???

It's the Toyota FJ Cruiser.

Yes, I know 2014 will be their last model. That's fine with me, parts will always be available. After all, the H3 Hummer was no longer being made either.

Actually I had been looking at the FJ Cruiser online for quite a while....years. I had a price range it needed to fit in, miles? really didn't care but I wanted all the off-road packages..the rock rails, the skid plates, the 17" wheels, tow package, brake controller, transmission cooler, luggage rack and on top of that it should get 15-19 mpg. I'm told around 13 mpg if a trailer is being towed.

Well late, late Sunday night I was poking around online and found one that met all the requirements.  It was not listed on the site I normal doing my searching. A friend had recently bought her new used car from a different site and I decided to try that.....and there it was. A short drive away, all the photos shows it's in great shape. Good enough to call and possibly go see it. I don't mind a little wear and tear in the cargo area.  So I called the dealer first thing Monday morning, a couple of hours away, to get a ballpark figure for the trade in value of my Chevy Truck. The range was acceptable and even if he gave me the lowest number, a deal could be worked. I cleaned up, made a fresh cup of Seattle's Best Coffee and hit the road.

Long story short, he gave me more than the trade in range we spoke of on the phone. In his area, trucks like mine are popular. The FJ was in fact better shape outside and inside than I had anticipated. It sounded great, drove even better and one I knew I wanted after the test drive. At the time I did not know what they were going to give my for my truck. I knew that I was willing to accept even a little below the number we spoke of on the phone, this FJ was that good. I'd make up the difference with cash. Neatly folded and tucked into the owner's manual at different maintenance dates, were all the applicable receipts for oil changes and routine preventive maintenance. Someone liked record keeping just like me. It was a 1-owner, bought new and had all the options that I had been looking for.

Will this FJ be a 'toad'? That is doubtful. I have decided to move away from the old Class A option. I was always going to supplement my rig, rv or trailer with a 8x10' PaHa Que tent for the hounds and I during the day. Maybe something like a screen room. So I am back to a 19' trailer, around 3,500 lbs max. I know this is hard for those that travel in 35'-40' motorhomes ... but it's what I am comfortable doing and basically has been more original plan.

Another thing that got me thinking this way was the drive back home on Friday after the disappointing motorhome inspection. That is .... I need a vacation. I don't want to spend the summer or the next month spending time tracking down a trailer to travel in while time moves forward. I need to get away for at least a few weeks, maybe a month before it starts getting extremely hot and humid where I live. I can handle extremely hot and low humidity. I will probably even avoid places that are extremely hot for the hounds peace of mind.

So I am going to pack up my new to me vehicle, find my scattered camping equipment and buy new what I can't find ... pull out my 2015 Travel Atlas and hit the road. I still plan on boondocking but for the next few weeks to a month it's going to be pretty low key and camping like I use to, only with hounds this time. If it doesn't work then we will turn around and come back, no big deal.

So I have replaced the 7 year old tires on the FJ with Bridgestone Duelers AT's, checked all the belts, fluid levels. I have done tests for the hounds to get in and out of the back of the FJ, either from the side or the back door (seats fold down flat) and they have passed with flying colors....all except Winston. He loves to ride, loves to go ... so he refused to jump out the back , refused to even stand up to let me pick him up and help him to the ground.....because he loves to ride, loves to go anywhere in a moving vehicle.

So there you have it. For the hundredth time I have changed my mind on rigs and combinations. I have a tow vehicle that I have always wanted, even if I wasn't traveling. I am more confident taking that places off the grid than that long wheel base truck. I can live with whatever trailer I buy and so can the hounds.

Like my friend told me last year, whom I cannot remember, you have to find your comfort level either with your tow vehicle or with your trailer. I chose the tow vehicle.

I'll not be around for a while to update the blog. When I say I need to get away from my location, I also need to get away from computers. I'll take my iPad for GPS purposes and email ... but I will not be blogging for a while. I want to live days right now without a lot of electronics ... just good 'old school' daily activity.

I just need a break.

It Wasn't What They Said it Was....Lots of Humor Here!!

What makes people that are selling something, not tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth???? I'm confused. (~smiling)

On the phone this morning the seller said it was a 1984, the date wasn't listed on the ad. I ran a NADA to get some idea of the value plus looked at other rigs for sale from 1985-1990 Holiday Ramblers. Once again it was way under priced based on NADA for a 1984 Holiday Rambler Imperial. As the ad said he took it down to TN just last weekend. I looked up that trip on google maps and found it to be a 750 mile round trip. So I felt pretty good about the rig I was going to go look at.

Back in the years 2002-2008, I was buying VW Buses from the years 1961-1967, with the 67's being the last year of the split front window. I learned early from buying them online, always out of state, that most likely they will not look as good as the pictures on the sales ad. That's fine, I have no problem with that. This rig didn't either.

So last night a follower let me know there was another Holiday Rambler for sale in Indianapolis which is only a 1-1/2 hour drive from my house. The photos looked fantastic. The ad had a lot of detail except one ... what year was it? I was so excited about the possibilities, I called him at 8am, hoping it was still available. It was. Arrangements were made to meet today at 1pm to take a look at it. The seller was recovering from knee replacement, so he stayed inside the house while I went over the rig, inspecting it. I was there a total of 2 hours looking at everything and starting it. The rig was plugged into house power.

I started with the outside, yes it wasn't bright and shiny like the pictures, that middle striping was pealing but that didn't bother me. Over all outside was good, small dent in rear passenger side corner. Tow bar and 7-pin plug was good but looked like it wasn't used recently. That was kind of confusing because he kept telling me that he tows a trailer with his motorcycles when he travels. I climb up on top, caulking was old but that wasn't a big deal, I could re-caulk myself. Roof looked in great shape.

I went though all of the bay doors, everything was in good shape, no water damage, no rotting inside, original bay material was still in good shape. The two windows on the drivers side had both window awnings that were in great shape. On the drivers side, the 15 ft awning even included the correct piece in the middle that was attached to the rig as designed. The steps came out when the door opened just like the ad said ... even the doorbell worked. The tires are an off brand name but all are new like the ad said. As I step inside to inspect I am feeling really good so far about this rig. For a 1984 it's in great shape.

The inside was even better. No water stains anywhere, inside cabinets, lower cabinets, under sinks. No mouse traps were set but at the same time they were using this rig is what I am told and had just bought a huge 5th wheel. Everything from the driver's cab to the back bedroom was fantastic. All the closets were still in the original design, no modifications. The electrical outlets worked for the tv, all the lights worked ... every one. The oven and microwave were in new condition and as advertised the refrigerator and freezer were a new stainless steel unit....both were working.

I turned on the water pump and hot water heater, then went to look at other things while the water heater warmed up. I kept listening for the water pump to kick on but it never did after 30 minutes. I had pulled off the center console of the engine bay between the two front seats. Still after a while I never heard the water pump kick on.  Of course what might explain that, while looking under the rear bed at the water tank valves and for water damage, I actually moved the tank with my hand a little and looked closer .. the fresh water tank looked empty. Hmmmm, thought they used it last weekend on a trip??

Still the inside was FANTASTIC!!  At this point of the inspection I am thinking this rig is soon to be mine. In one of the cabinets I find the large notebook with the original owners manual just like the CL ad showed in the photo ...with one problem. He told me this was a 1984 and all the manuals say 1982. Then I find and take a picture of a manufacturer type title with the VIN and year from the factory ... 1982.  So it's not a 1984 like he said on the phone and there is no year listed on his CL ad.

What do you think about that?  Make me wonder if this is common or not.

While inspecting the inside the rig, two other people drove up and hung out for a bit by the rv. I asked if they were here to see the rv and both gave different answers..."No, I'm here to see the Honda Accord that's for sale, are you ....?" and "No, I'm here to see the truck that is for sale"  I'm looking around, there a huge 5th wheel, a truck, an Accord his daughter drove up in, two cars parked behind mine. I'm wondering at this time what this guy does. I had the wrong impression based on the phone call. Based on the phone conversation I'm picturing a family using the RV I'm wanting to buy, to travel in every summer, they have had it forever and they just moved up to a 5er and a new truck...a new truck is nowhere to be found. Now I'm wondering about this phone conversation and what is going on here.

All that doesn't matter ... the rig looks great, the generator looks great ... I'm feeling pretty good at this time. As we agreed, with the seller recouping from knee replacement, his 2nd in 7 months, I was to come to the house to get him when I had questions. Well I needed the keys to start it up and test drive it. The plate was current. While inside when I pushed the buttons for the pump and water heater, it was the same screen showing they were on as the levels of the different tanks, gas etc. Well nothing showed up for the tank levels nor the gas level. The propane tank showed full on the gage outside.

Before I go back out to start the rig we begin talking about all the trips he has been on but he mentions this "other 30' Class A toyhauler I had" and "the 5er".  No mention of the one rig I'm looking at as being the rig of choice for summer camping trips. A small flag goes up in my head....lol. I also mentioned to him that I wasn't sure if there was any water in the fresh water tank to test the faucets, water heater and water pump. "Oh no, there's no water ... the rv is still winterized, in fact I have no idea when the oil was even changed last" I replied that I had checked the oil on the dipstick and it look like it had just been changed.

The man checking out the Honda stops us to ask if there is a license plate he can use to test drive the car. The seller says "I have dealer plates you can use, I'M AN RV DEALER" .... I hold back from laughing but I'm thinking to myself "what is going on here???"  LOL....Unbelievable, you cannot make this stuff up!!!  LOL On the inside my laughter is out of control....I am even laughing again as I type this.

I get the keys...I go back out and pull off the center console again so I can see and hear what this engine does. In my first inspection there was heavy oil residue around the valve covers....I'm thinking at the time that's ok, it's easy to get to and I can replace those cover gaskets myself. Well I turn they and it's cranking but not starting. The seller who had walked out to where I was because a truck had arrived to deliver another car with auction markings on it....so I figured it was another car to sell, since he did say he was an RV DEALER....I mean, come on, what did you expect??  lol

He tells me it might take a few times because its a carburetor. I'm old enough to know about those so I keep pumping the gas and finally get it to kick over. Now remember before I tell you what happened...the seller told me in person and on the ad they had taken this rv on 750 mile round trip just LAST WEEKEND!  Well when the engine turns over, there is the highest shrill sound combined with a loud LOUD sound as if the muffler was not attached to the exhaust manifold. I had to cover my ears, it was that loud and high pitched....sounded like a belt or something that turns a belt....???

It finally stops...and the engine is idling with that loud no muffler sound. I checked under the rig when I was outside and would say the mufflers were more to being new than rusted and old...they were shiny silver.  I also hear a loud tapping sound of the valves....a sound I remember with untuned vw engines....the loud tapping sound was only on the right side, not the left. I turned on my iPhone and made a video so I could record the sound. But the whole sound of the engine on the passenger side did not sound normal at all ... not what a healthy engine would sound like.

I saw no blackened area around the headers like was suggested a few days ago. All I saw in question visually with the engine was the leaking valve covers...and those were nothing more than gasket replacement I think. So I rev the engine....the loud exhaust sound gets louder, small race car backfire....NO...I'm not making this stuff up. My Coachmen Class C was quiet, very quit at idle. Even the HR I passed on was sounding better than this one. My impression of the engine....I would be afraid to drive this out of his driveway....no test drive, I had heard enough. But they did take this on a 750 mile trip just last weekend!!

So I go back inside to let him know that I had made a recording of the engine sound I couldn't identify and was going to let my mechanic listen to it and I would get back with him. I told him I liked everything else but I want to check the engine out first. He replied "that is a great engine, like I said we took it down to TN just last weekend".

So I left, did not give him any money for a deposit and returned on my 1-1/2 hour drive which gave me time to think.

I will not be buying that rig.