The last week has been mostly about relaxing, although I have found myself feeling a little restless. That wasn’t helped by an unusual batch of extended rain this week as we caught the tail end of a hurricane.  We were lucky though, no wind or lightning just steady rain, but it was enough to stop the guys from puttering outside and made us all feel a little cooped up. We took advantage of the time though and went to meet some RV Dreamer friends for lunch.  We met Mikki and Jay (Chasing our Sunset) at the 2016 rally and have stayed in touch since then but never had a chance to meet in person.  Several months ago they decided to give gate guarding a try and so far are really liking it.  We were lucky enough to catch them on a rare break between gigs and met halfway to see each other in person.  Since we have talked via social media several times it really was like we had just seen each other yesterday and no time had passed at all.

From left: Jay, Mikki, me, and Lee

We love all of our RVer friends, but I really enjoy comparing notes with other couples like us who have to work most of the year.  I learn a lot for one thing, and it also makes me feel less alone, when we connect with others in similar circumstances.  The conversation just flew and we had a really good time, plus its always great to connect in person. So glad the stars aligned and we were able to see them.

While it was raining Lee and I also made a trip to the local Humane Society.  It has been four years since we were pet free, and although there are lots of benefits to traveling without pets, I have stretches where I really miss having one in my life.  Lee has remained adamant about his no pet policy, but I occasionally put my foot down and say I want to look.  When we went on the road I never agreed to a pet free life (although I did agree that for us it was a good way to start out) and I remind him of that when I start to feel the urge.  Usually I will do a search and start weighing the pros and cons, but mainly I just don’t want to force the issue without good reason.  I have been waiting for years to run across a pet I absolutely fell in love with, but so far that hasn’t happened.  Usually to fill that need we love on our friends pets and luckily we are getting to spend lots of time with Hobie.

Lee and Hobie hanging out. You’re not fooling anyone, you’re a big softie.

He even gets to be on our couch!

By the way, when we went into the cat room, they were all over Lee.  As gruff as he likes to be about pets, they gravitate to him and he had six cats loving on him.  The shelter was also OK with adopting out to a full time RVer (not all are) which is one of the other great things about Texas.  They have a much more relaxed attitude towards pets, versus some places up north where the background checks to adopt a pet are way more stringent.  It was a very nice place and I really liked the people who ran it, but no pet really called to me.  Plus I called my friend Kelly (who travels with a cat) and got the lowdown on what I would need to make it work.  The litter box placement and smell is a huge issue for Lee and we would also need a carrying case for travel days.  I was left with a vague feeling of lots of expense/work for the reward (as Lee says, cats decide how much love they will give you) so I decided to put that on the back burner for the moment and continue to chew on it.

As a consolation prize we decided to go to a local Honky Tonk with Greg and check our their $1 Taco Night.  Cori is on a work trip, so we are hanging out with Greg solo and he loves trying unusual things.  Normally Lee wouldn’t be caught dead in a small town bar, but since I grew up with those places I was game.  It was a really small place with pool tables and a small stage area, so I put $5 in the jukebox and Greg and I started playing pool.  We were having a good time until three young guys came in and started doing shots and suddenly I said it was time to go.  Greg seemed surprised that we wanted to leave so soon, but I recognized the signs and not long after one of the drunk guys hit the cue ball off the table and it almost hit Greg in the back.  Definitely time to go, which was a shame, because some live music was starting and the music was pretty good.  Still better safe than sorry, and the last thing I wanted was to be anywhere near a bar fight in small town Texas, which is where things seemed to be heading.

You could smoke in the bar which surprised all of us

Played some pool

The tacos were awesome which you can see from Greg’s expression. We ate 11 between the three of us

The next night it was still raining and we made steak dinner.  Another great thing about Texas is the steak is generally fantastic and these were no exception.  The three of us hung out and talked (Lee and Greg solved all of the world’s problems) until eventually we called it a night.

Yummy!!

And the next day it finally stopped raining.  The guys both had lots of stuff to do outside, and I spent some time checking things off my list.  Since we got here, I sent my hard copy letter to the jury duty people (hope that turns out OK), we voted, and I made numerous calls about the biopsy bill.  I appreciate very much by the way everyone who has reached out and offered ideas or assistance, and I am plugging away.  I sent more detailed information to financial assistance, and called BCBS (my insurance company) to get more info.  Turns out they did NOT negotiate the prices down on this bill at all and if I want them to take another look at it I need to mail or fax a written request ::sigh.  The more I look into this the more I realize that something is just wrong with these charges, but I keep getting stonewalled.  I will spend some more time on it today as well and hopefully soon something will break through.

Thankfully we had a beautiful evening so I could put aside the phone frustrations from earlier in the day.  Greg smoked a yummy pork ternderloin and we had a big Texas sized fire and sat outside and enjoyed the twinkling lights in the trees and the beautiful sunset.  The weather was absolutely perfect and we all enjoyed ourselves very much.  Those perfect kind of nights are a big part of what makes this lifestyle so special.

Beautiful clouds and big Texas sky

Big Texas fire

The sun started to set

And the lights came on. I felt like I was in an Italian Villa

Oh one more thing.  I mentioned I was feeling restless right, so I decided to try dying my hair.  Since there is so much grey in it, I was hoping I could dye it blonde since I have always wanted to try that.  I went to the drug store and bought L’Oreal Platinum and decided to give it a go.  Well I have to say I am definitely not a fan.  First off it looks kind of orange to me (perfect for Halloween) and since I have so much grey the color is very uneven.  And it turns out the blue tint to my pale skin maybe isn’t such a good match for a blonde color anyways, and the whole thing just didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to.  Oh well.  The good news is my hair grows fast and since I keep it short it won’t take long to get cut out.  The big question is will I just leave it or wait the minimum period and dye it brown again.  Not sure, but I will say I wish I would have just left it alone.  This is what happens when I am feeling restless, which is not necessarily a good thing.

Camper Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We very much appreciate any purchase you make via our website links.  There is no additional cost to you and helps support our blog.  Search Amazon.com here

Or you can check out our recipe book filled with 80 real recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. The cookbook specializes in recipes that have a limited number of ingredients, without sacrificing flavor and is organized into categories that matter to full time RVers such as Happy Hours, Travel Days, and Pot Lucks   You can preview the kindle version on  Amazon or the Apple version on Itunes.    It is available in paperback on Amazon if you prefer.

One of the things most full time RVers eventually settle on is where to spend their winters.  Don’t get me wrong, if you have the right setup you can winter anywhere, but most of us are more comfortable somewhere in the south.  And since even the south can get pretty cold, as a group we tend to push into the southernmost portions of Florida, Arizona, California, or Texas.  Yes, there are other places to go, but those seem to be the most common choices and when we started we decided to try all of them and see which one we liked the best.

When we first started out we spent our first winter in Clearwater, Florida, and coming from 15 straight years of New England winters we loved it.  The weather was amazing, we both loved the ocean, and there were lots of new places to explore.  But for us, the benefits were outweighed by the relatively high costs (gas, food, etc) and the crowds.  Monthly RV campsite rates were over $650 and reservations needed to be made way in advance, and yes we loved our evening trips to the ocean but we didn’t like the traffic we had to fight to get there.  All things being equal though I would I have liked to spend more winters there, but finding seasonal jobs that paid well was tough.  There are some camp host jobs, but most are volunteer jobs since they are in high demand.  Even the ones that pay are on the lower scale and many of them want a longer time commitment.  We know lots of people who winter in Florida though and are perfectly content, but for us, the combination of those factors have never made it the best option.

So, the next winter we decided to try Quartzsite, Arizona.  In many respects Arizona is the antithesis of Florida.  It is mostly desert terrain for one thing, and unlike Florida there is hardly any rain.  Also because there is so much public land, you can find numerous places to stay for free (if you are set up to boondock) which keeps the monthly cost of most RV parks in the reasonable $400 range.  Initially I didn’t feel like there was much to do there, but there are lots of activities, you just need to search a little harder for them.  And if you are a person who travels with a four wheeler or is a rock hound, there is plenty to keep you busy.  Plus of course, during January Quartzsite is the mecca for RVers, and tens of thousands gather in a relatively small area to hang out together. For us though, once again, how to make money was a factor.  You can find paying jobs in Arizona and paying camp host jobs are relatively abundant, but again they pay on the lower end of the scale, and are designed to supplement an income rather than fully replace it.   But if you have money coming in (or in the bank) and are looking for a place to hunker down and keep costs low (food and gas are relatively cheap and Mexico is close by for dental, prescriptions, and vision needs), it really can’t be beat,  but ultimately it wasn’t really for us, but we know lots of people who make this their winter choice.

Southern California is the one place we have not spend the winter in, but our good friend Rick Raab is starting his second winter there.  From talking to him the weather seems absolutely amazing and there is lots to see and do there.  He volunteers at a park so he has a place to stay, but food and gas are on the high side.  Paying for an RV site is more in line with Florida prices and similar to Florida, if you are close to cities you are dealing with crowds.  It’s an option though, and one I would love to try if your financial circumstance was a little different, but for right now, not the best choice for us.

Which leaves us with Texas.  The two best things for me in Texas are that the costs for food and fuel are really low.  Diesel is currently $2.83 here, which is way better than anywhere else (driving here from Oregon we saw it as high as $3.93 per gallon) and food costs are low as well.  It’s also a huge state with a wide variety of terrains so you can be in desert regions, near the ocean, or the hill country.  One of the downsides is there isn’t much public land here to stay on for free, but lots of RV parks have low monthly rates and there are lots of them.  Plus, for me at least, the state is really RV friendly.  The roads are flat, there are places to get fuel kind of everywhere, and if you stay away from the big cities it’s not too crowded.  I also really like the weather.  It may not be as warm as Florida or as dry as Arizona, but there are lots of days in the 70’s and because there is some rain it is usually green.   It also has trees, which I am a fan of, and the hill country in particular is really beautiful.  And of course there is work.  The camp host jobs are again mostly volunteer or minimal pay, but there is other seasonal work here.  We sold Christmas trees here (which we hated) but we have also gate guarded, which we liked a lot. Finding a decent paying job is reason enough for this to be our winter spot, but for me at least it is more than that.

I grew up in a small town in Ohio, and the culture down here is similar enough that I feel comfortable.  And yes, I am completely aware that my experience would probably be different if I was a person of color, but for me the level of courtesy is refreshing.  Initially when we started traveling here, I was a little uncomfortable with all of the Ma’am’s I received, but now I really like it.  The general level of service in restaurants and stores is pretty good and the friendliness of people you encounter is also very nice.  Don’t get me wrong, Texas definitely has an edge to it, and at times a sharp one, but so did the small town I grew up in.  And mainly people just leave you be as long as you don’t start talking about politics or religion. It’s hard to explain but I feel comfortable here, at least as a visitor.  I’ll never be a Texan, not trying to be a Texan, and as long as I behave as a polite guest in someone’s home that’s how I am treated.  I’m totally fine with that.

It’s a combination of all these factors that finds me saying “I really like it here”, at least once a day.  I love the sunsets and sunrises, I like the wide open spaces, and I like the green.  Plus our friends Cori and Greg winter down here, which is icing on the cake.  Wherever you decide to winter it’s good to be near friends!  For most of us, winter has long stretches of downtime, and it’s great to spend that time reuniting with each other.  We are like migrating birds in a sense, where we cluster together in the winter time and then spread out in the spring flying all over the place.  Come to think of it our travel patterns are exactly like birds, which is kind of interesting.

Trees, green, and pretty sunsets.  What’s not to love?

Camper Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We very much appreciate any purchase you make via our website links.  There is no additional cost to you and helps support our blog.  Search Amazon.com here

Or you can check out our recipe book filled with 80 real recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. The cookbook specializes in recipes that have a limited number of ingredients, without sacrificing flavor and is organized into categories that matter to full time RVers such as Happy Hours, Travel Days, and Pot Lucks   You can preview the kindle version on  Amazon or the Apple version on Itunes.    It is available in paperback on Amazon if you prefer.

Most of the time when we are traveling from point A to point B our biggest concerns are how many miles we will drive each day, what route will we take, and where we will stop at night.  Despite being on the road for several years now, these decisions in and of themselves can be time consuming, mainly because there are lots of choices.  Let’s take this trip for example.  We knew we were headed to Texas to start gate guarding, but we also like to take some time off before we start, so we had to decide where to spend that time.  Since we don’t have money coming in, and want to keep our costs down, where we stay does matter.  For me the perfect month off would be a little bit of family time. a little bit of friend time, and a whole lot of nature.  That’s not always possible of course, so it’s always a discussion of how we are going to spend our time.

Since we were so close to Joshua Tree and there are lots of places to boondock there, I really wanted to to head that way.  Lee, on the other hand, really wanted to get to Texas, so we compromised and decided we would stop at Big Bend, another place we have never been where there is tons of boondocking.  The other benefit of going to Big Bend was we could stay on the major highways most of the way there, which was important because Lee was sick.  We have been really lucky in this lifestyle to rarely get colds or the flu, but Lee picked up a nasty bug in Vegas and he felt really lousy.  Although I do drive a section every day we travel, Lee does most of the driving, so we had to talk about what he wanted to do.  Do we want to find a place to hunker down until it passes or would Lee drive sick?  Ultimately he decided that although he felt lousy he felt well enough to drive, and he didn’t want to waste our time off just sitting somewhere.  So we drove shorter days than normal, stopped at 50% Passport America full hookup campgrounds along the way, and basically I tried to make it as pleasant as possible for him as we drove.

Although he felt terrible, we were making progress and every day I asked if he needed to stay an extra day. His answer was always no, partly because the $20 a night campgrounds we were staying in are fine for an overnight, but not really a place you would want to hang out for an extended period of time.  Plus it started raining pretty much as soon as we left Vegas and the rain followed us. To be clear, it didn’t rain all day every day thankfully, but it was gloomy, overcast, and pretty cold, so again, we might as well keep going.  Before we even got to Big Bend, we realized from the forecast that it was going to be rainy and overcast there for at least a week.  We have certainly boondocked in the rain before, but it adds some extra layers of complexity.   Not only do you have to worry about power generation because there is little sun, but also the ground on which you are staying.  Most boondocking spots are on dirt or sand and a perfectly accessible spot when it’s dry could be problematic in the wet.  Plus what’s the point if it’s too wet to go see anything (we aren’t big hikers in the rain) and I was worried about having spotty or no cell coverage.  Put all those factors together along with the fact that Lee was still sick  and ultimately we said screw it and changed our plans and  went ahead and headed to the area we were going to wait for a gate in.

And if all that wasn’t enough to worry about I had a series of things I was peppered with along the way.  Some people can drive a full day, stop, boot up their computer and take care of business and others can work on things on their phones while they are traveling, but I had my hands full driving, finding gas stations, and places to stay.  I tried to stay on top of things but just wasn’t feeling it, so kept pushing stuff off until we reached our final destination, which of course added to the stress since I am person who likes to deal with stuff as it occurs.  I am not a procrastinator by nature, but sometimes life pushes me in that direction and in this case I felt the need to focus on just getting from A to B. That would be fine, if I could just push those lingering details aside, but I am not really that good at that, so I was worrying about things along the way but not doing anything to clear them up.

So what was I worrying about?  First off, we decided that we might try to file for unemployment.  This is not something we have ever done before, but lots of people we know who work on the road do it, to bring a little bit of money in between jobs.  Since filing is all online now, it’s much easier for those of us who live on the road and since several people I knew and trusted talked me through it I thought it was worth exploring.  Turns out that like most things in life it was both easier and harder than I thought it would be. First we had to decide what state to file in, since we worked in Kentucky, Oregon, and Texas over the last 14 months, and ultimately I decided Oregon.  While in Vegas I took the time to upload the information they needed (paystubs mainly and answering a ton of questions), and while we were driving I received a followup call from them.  They walked me through what the benefits would be depending on which state I filed in (turned out we couldn’t file in Texas because our gate guarding jobs are 1099) and I decided to stick with Oregon.  Then they told me that once the claim was setup I would need to sign up for the Texas unemployment database and then fax them a screenshot to prove I had done that.  I would also need to provide proof of two jobs I had applied for every week, plus three job activities I had done per week (update resume, look for jobs etc) and every week I would have to file a claim.  We were eligible for about $250 a week, which would be about $2K a month for both of us, which was a significant amount of money to make the effort worth it, if we were sitting still somewhere, but finding time to do all of that while we were traveling wasn’t that appealing.  I could wait of course until we got where we were going, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t inadvertently screw it up somehow so I didn’t file the first claim and kicked that can down the road.

The day before we left Vegas I also got a certified letter in the mail at our mail service.  Since we were dealing with a three hour time difference, we didn’t have a chance to have it scanned on Friday, so had no clue what was in the letter until we stopped Monday night.  Turns out it was a jury summons and I had two weeks to respond.  This was a first for me and again not something I wanted to screw with so I put a question out to some friends of mine on how they dealt with it.  Turns out it is pretty common and most people just called the clerk, told them they were traveling, and were excused.  Every county is different though, and I was particularly worried about the summons, because Clay County is in the middle of deciding whether or not we as full timers can vote without having a permanent address.  Voter ID has become a big deal in many areas and those of us who only have mail services as our primary addresses are paying attention.  I knew that it was probably a coincidence that I was summoned for jury duty the same time all of this was going on, but it made me extra cautious.  While we were traveling, I saw that the Supreme Court had made a ruling in North Dakota that upheld the states requirement that voters have a permanent address.  In that state about 30% of the voters don’t have a permanent address and many of them are native Americans. In Clay County, Florida where our address is there was a similar court challenge and many of us were waiting to see what happens.  The right to vote is a big deal to me, but changing addresses and/or states is a huge pain in the ass and would ultimately impact what health insurance we have which is also a big deal. Not to mention it could require a trip back to Florida if we decided to make a change.

Anyways, even though I know the jury summons is probably pure coincidence, I wanted to be careful I wanted to make sure I had my ducks in a row when I called.  Ultimately I called the clerk of courts and when I said I was traveling was asked if I could send a travel itinerary, hotel receipts etc.  Well no, I travel in an RV and am visiting friends in which case I was told I needed to send a hard copy letter along with a hard copy of the summons and no I couldn’t take care of it over the phone.  Ok well that means finding the time to write the letter, getting the printer out, printing everything and sending it certified mail.  That’s all stuff I can do but definitely easier when you are staying in one place for awhile.  We also needed a place to get our absentee ballots sent to and we needed to get those back in before November 5th, again not that hard to do when you are in a place for a few days, but not possible when you are staying in a new place every night.  So again, kicked those cans down the road.

The last thing I was dealing with while we traveled was the outstanding $4K in medical bills for the biopsy I had this summer.  Before we left our summer job I had sent (certified mail) a packet of information they needed for financial assistance.  I wasn’t crazy about going the financial assistance route, would have much rather just negotiated down the bill to something reasonable and paid it, but their billing office kept pushing me in that direction.  Well while we were traveling I finally got a letter on their patient portal which stated they had declined it and I had 30 days to provide additional information.  They want 6 months worth of bank statements, all pay stubs for this year, and because I have a small business a year to date a year to date profit and loss summary. Ok definitely not going to get all that done while we are traveling so I called them.  I talked to three different people (including a supervisor) and here’s where I am right now.  Neither the billing office nor financial assistance office has the ability to negotiate the price.  I don’t know who does, but it’s not them.  We talked quite a bit about the fact that the doctor told me the procedure would only be $1400, but since the radiologist who told me that isn’t part of their network, there is nothing they can do about that.  I was very polite and tried to hit it from every angle I could but they weren’t budging.  The best I could get was they grudgingly shared the fact that I could email information to them rather than mail it all in, and again they really needed me to write a letter explaining my situation.  They were pretty stumped by the fact that I didn’t have a mortgage or rent costs, and my situation was unusual enough that I really needed to write a letter explaining it.  I am seeing a pattern here and definitely kicking that can down the road.

Oh and one last thing.  I had spent some time updating my resume and putting some job searches together, looking for a job this winter.  Yes, we are planning on gate guarding, but I was hoping I could find something temporary in the San Antonio area area to do this winter instead.  The good news is I have had some interest from a couple of head hunters and there are lots of jobs out there.  The bad news is trying to find time to read through all the postings, schedule phone interviews etc is (for me at least) incredibly difficult while traveling.  The first few days I kept up the best I could but finally had to say screw it and let it go until we got where we were going. It will take me several hours to get caught up on the job search emails and more time to apply (and write cover letters) for anything that looks interesting. The good news is we finally made it to where we are staying until our gate guarding job starts so I will have some time to get caught up on all this stuff. Lee also has some rig maintenance that needs done so the next couple of weeks will be spent getting all this stuff taken care of before we start working.

And yes that stinks.  We really look forward to the off time we can squeeze in between gigs and this time at least we are going to spend a chunk of that time on real life stuff. The good news is we are with friends and we are in a place where we can focus and knock this stuff out, so it definitely could be worse.  The near constant rain isn’t great, but again could be worse and we are thankful we don’t have to try to deal with this stuff while we are working a 24/7 gig.  Oh and really one last thing.  Not everyone we know likes having their location reported real time.  Actually lots of people we know either blog in arrears or don’t communicate their location at all,  so when we are traveling with those folks we try to be respectful of that.  I’ll just say we are in Texas, on full hookups, have a strong cell signal and access to a place we can have stuff shipped.  All very important factors in both the things I need to get done and the maintenance Lee needs to perform.  I’ll make sure I update you as things change and hopefully we can get out and explore the area a little, but if you don’t hear from me, it just means we are hunkered down and getting through our respective task lists. Like I started with…it’s real life.

Camper Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We very much appreciate any purchase you make via our website links.  There is no additional cost to you and helps support our blog.  Search Amazon.com here

Or you can check out our recipe book filled with 80 real recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. The cookbook specializes in recipes that have a limited number of ingredients, without sacrificing flavor and is organized into categories that matter to full time RVers such as Happy Hours, Travel Days, and Pot Lucks   You can preview the kindle version on  Amazon or the Apple version on Itunes.    It is available in paperback on Amazon if you prefer.

Vegas is kind of a weird place to meet up with people.  There are so many choices and different things to do that people tend to go off in different directions.  Plus because we were at Circus Circus and Mom, Eddie, and Wendy were on the opposite end of the strip at Polo Towers, some coordination was called for.  Throw in that everyone else was on East Coast time and the fact that Mom was still sick, and it was all just very complicated.  Despite all of the challenges we did get to spend some time together and everyone seemed to have a fun weekend.  Here’s some of the things we did.

Wendy, Eddie, and I met at Aria to watch the Buckeyes game. Since we all grew up in Columbus we are avid Ohio State fans, and it was fun to watch a game together. It’s pretty obvious we are related.

We also met up at New York New York one day for lunch and Mom felt good enough to come.  She had picked up some kind of flu either on the plane or in a casino and was in and out all week, but she tried to join us when she could.  New York, New York was a great place for lunch since they have lots of reasonably priced choices.  Actually New York, New York turned out to be one of our favorite casinos all weekend.  Lee has gambled at Bally’s almost exclusively for many years, but now on weekends all of their blackjack tables have minimums of $15-20. That’s not in our budget, which totally bummed him out, but then he discovered New York has $5 tables 24/7, so he played there a few times.  The $5 tables have pretty lousy house rules, with 6-5 payouts, but he still manages to play for hours and basically break even, and has a great time. Overall he only spent $40 the week we were there and got tons of free drinks in the process.

I played penny slots all week (roughly $10 a day) and ended up spending about $30 all in.  One thing I will say about penny slots is I was disappointed by how many of the new machines require a minimum of a 25 cent or higher bet. The whole point of penny slots is to keep the costs down and the new machines aren’t cheap.  But almost every casino has a corner where they keep the older machines and I always looked for those when I played.  Basically I end up playing $5 in every casino I go to and the most I won was $18 but hours of entertainment at minimal cost.  Eddie and Wendy aren’t gamblers though (Wendy tried a slot machine for the first time and wasn’t a fan) so they spent time walking through the various casinos, which Wendy had never seen.  Eddie had a good friend who worked in Vegas when they were younger and he’s been many many times, but Wendy has only been twice so lots to catch up on.

New York New York

$11.75 is not bag for a foot long hot dog meal

The big thing they wanted to do was see Beatles Love, and since that is Lee’s favorite show he went with them.  Mom and I had just gone not that long ago so we opted out, but we did all meet for dinner at Caesar’s Rao Italian Restaurant.  If it’s my choice I never choose Italian when eating out and this place was super expensive.  Eddie, Wendy, and Lee loved their meals but Mom and mine were just so so.  I will say the wine was outstanding though and our waiter was really terrific.  Plus I was glad that we got this cool picture of all of us, which was great since the room was super dark.  Tip to restaurants, when people have to pull our their phones to read the menus, the lighting is too dark.

Mom at the table

And I really liked this half bottle of wine. So much so that I took a picture,

Lee loved his veal marsala

From Left: Lee, me and Eddie in the front and Mom and Wendy in the back

After dinner we wandered down to the Mirage and then I headed home while they saw the show.  Lee had lots of energy because afterwards he went down to New York to play some more blackjack and didn’t get home until 2:30am.  Vegas Lee is an interesting guy, he has tons of energy.  The next morning I decided to go to the outlet mall and check it out because I really wanted a new purse.  I don’t use a purse much in this lifestyle and have had the same one for three years, but it’s getting a little worn.  I lucked out because Coach was having a 70% off unadvertised sale and since I picked a clearance item I got an additional 20% off of that.  So for $105 (including tax) I bought a new purse and a wrist clutch and I was super happy.

Outlet Store

My new purse and clutch hooray!

One interesting thing about the outlet malls in Vegas is they have stores you don’t see in other places.  They had a Jimmy Choo outlet and a Robert Cavalli outlet and even though I couldn’t afford anything in either of those places it was fun to look.  For me it’s weird going to Vegas, especially living this lifestyle, because it brings out the largely suppressed materialistic side of me.  I basically live in jeans and t-shirts, but all those pretty dresses and designer clothes do have an impact.  Which is crazy because where in the heck would I wear any of that, but I did buy one shirt ($10 on clearance at Banana Republic) that I can wear for the occasional dinner out.  I also find that in Vegas my middle aged pudginess really bothers me. Again not really something I think that much about in this lifestyle, but being surrounded by gorgeous and trim young women everywhere you go really makes me feel my age. Ahh well.

After shopping I met Mom and Lee at the buffet at Paris because I really wanted to try it out.  At $30 each the buffets aren’t really a bargain, but they can be fun if the selection is good.  I liked mine, but Mom and Lee weren’t that impressed and Mom wasn’t feeling well again so we parted ways.  We met up that night at Harrah’s to try out a piano bar and since we got there a little early I got to watch the last half of the Patriot’s/Kansas City game in their VERY nice sports book.  That was a ton of fun and the seats were super comfortable and since the crowd was mixed with KC and Pats fans and the game went down to the wire it was great.  Afterwards we met up at the Piano Bar and caught watched some very fun Karaoke waiting for the piano players to start at 9pm.

The Paris buffet has a cool courtyard vibe

The deserts were amazing.  The best Creme Broulee I have ever had.

Hooray the Pats won at the very end by a field goal!

The piano bar

Unfortunately the regular act (twin girls) wasn’t there that night and the two guys that replaced them weren’t really that good.  Plus it was loud and not conducive to having a conversation so Lee and I took off because we had an early start in the morning.  I am really grateful that my Mom arranged this meeting with everyone, but I will say that Vegas just isn’t my favorite place to meet with people.  It’s really challenging to keep costs down, no matter how hard you try, and there aren’t many activities that lend themselves to just hanging out and being together.  Lee liked it though…he never has a bad time in Vegas, but next time we get together I am going to lobby for mom to trade her timeshare our for another location…someplace with more nature in it.  It was very nice of her though and I am glad we all got to be together, but off to the next locations.  We are headed to Texas to spend some time with Cori and Greg (who we haven’t seen in almost a year) before starting Gate Guarding .  Hooray! To end the post here are a couple of random shots I took along the week.

This beautiful bus was a couple down from us in the RV Park and the coloring was striking. Would have loved to get a look inside

I have seen this on TV, but it was interesting to see in person. IV bags with fluids and vitamins for those who are seriously hungover. The price starts at $28

This is the “Rat Pack” corner of Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra Boulevard’s. Lee got a kick out of it, and you can just barely see all three signs in the picture.

Camper Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We very much appreciate any purchase you make via our website links.  There is no additional cost to you and helps support our blog.  Search Amazon.com here

Or you can check out our recipe book filled with 80 real recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. The cookbook specializes in recipes that have a limited number of ingredients, without sacrificing flavor and is organized into categories that matter to full time RVers such as Happy Hours, Travel Days, and Pot Lucks   You can preview the kindle version on  Amazon or the Apple version on Itunes.    It is available in paperback on Amazon if you prefer.

The last couple of weeks have been really, really, really quiet here and we have had plenty of time to relax and recoup.  (Seriously, I have gotten in the habit of turning off my walkie talkie and turning it back on again because sometimes an entire day can go by with nothing happening. At all. Which is just creepy and weird. – Lee) Because Lee likes to stay busy he has spent most of his time finishing up the new workshop so I wanted to take a moment and talk a bit about that.  When we first arrived we saw the beginnings of a brand new workshop and over the early part of the season it took shape.  Designing the inside was a bit of a challenge, but something Lee was super excited about, and since no one else really wanted to do it he made it his season long project.  He talked to all the stakeholders, did 3D CAD drawings, got approval for the design, and ordered custom shelving.  Then he assembled the shelves, arranged everything, and really turned it into a beautiful place to work.  Everyone was super impressed, myself included, and he wouldn’t let me take pictures until yesterday when it was done.  So here is what he did, and I am super proud of him. (Aww shucks, ma’am. Tweren’t nothin. I just figure out where things want to be, and then put them there. Since we at this location last summer, I had no idea just how bad the old workshop/shed was. When we got here, I saw it for the first time. It’s an old building, about 10’x20′, and has been in use as the tool shed for a very long time. As a seasonal place, everything is closed down each winter, and although some people return year over year, there’s also a lot of turnover. So there’s a bizarre mixture of influences on how things were stored and placed inside. There’s also a LOT of stuff in there. The shop is used to store supplies for the lodge, and for the hosts of the individual campgrounds, and tools and parts and other supplies. And lots of stuff that only gets used once in a great while. Like most places like this, there was a lot in there that was leftover from many years ago, and some things that could easily be thrown away. When I first saw the inside my first thought was “This place needs to be cleaned and organized. But since I didn’t know what was useful and what was junk, I decided to wait. Plus, they were building a new shop right behind it, no point in doing the work twice. – Lee) 

(This is the view from the door. AS you can see, there’s a TON of stuff crammed into this tiny space. Over the years various people had tried to come up with new and interesting ways to fit more in. Some of these methods were clever, some just crazy. My favorite crazy one was the 10′ piece of bamboo from which someone had hung plastic hangers to hold up long things ding over the “workbench”. – Lee)

(As you can see, people had gone to some effort to keep things somewhat tidy and sorted, like the camp host supplies. No small feat in such a tight and crowded space. – Lee)

(One of the problems is that there were lots of shelves, but they were very deep, which invites just ramming more and more onto them, and invariably, stuff gets shoved to the back and forgotten. – Lee)

(There was also a lot old paint in spray cans, pint, quart, gallon and five gallon cans. Some were nearly empty, and some were so old they were unusable. Again, someone had kept them all together, but there was also other stuff mixed in. finding anything was a pain. – Lee)

(Lots of small boxes with stuff. Labelled, but mice love to live in and chew up cardboard. Since this building is closed up all winter, everything was covered in mouse droppings. – Lee)

(Another good example of fighting for space. The boxes on the left are different sizes of gloves, which were delivered to hosts each week. But they were shoved to the back of a shelf, and had to be rooted out weekly. Annoying. – Lee)

(Each fall a lot of signs are taken down, and shoved into the shed to be removed in the spring and re-hung. There were also replacement signs stored, and this was the worst, lots of signs mixed up and shoved onto a shelf in a corner, so the ones in the back were almost impossible to get to. – Lee)

(I actually liked this. Someone had put up a little shelf with holes cut into it for the power tools. However, the shelf was all the way in the back corner, and hard to get to. There were also piles of tools in soft bags and hard cases stacked on a table to the right of this photo. – Lee)

(And there was lots of this. Things hanging from the walls by nails, and bits of wire, and just sort of leaned against the wall and stacked up. Finding and getting things was quite the chore, and usually involved things falling and getting knocked down or over. – Lee)

(It reminded me a lot of someone’s garden shed or small garage that had been living there for 40 years. An attempt was made to keep it in control, but it was just too small a space with too much stuff, and nobody curating it. – Lee)

So imagine how happy I was to see this, just a few yards away! 

When we first got here, only the posts were up. I took a few pictures, but I can’t locate them. Then I was planning to take pictures of every stage of construction, but work and the fact that the builders would show up randomly and work for a day and then disappear for weeks on end made it all but impossible to do that. I did get some pictures along the way though. 

While I waited for the building to be finished enough to start doing things inside, I would stand inside and try to visualize the best place to put things, and just sort of daydream about having it stocked and try to figure out how to best use the space. Then I did some measuring and started building a 3D model. That was a lot of fun, I hadn’t done that since I designed a TV studio back in 2005.

One of the things I definitely wanted to do was utilize as much of the vertical space as possible. With a 20′ peak, there was a LOT of space to work with, and since much of the stuff only needed to be touched once or twice a season, it made sense to get that stuff up and out of the way. I ended up going with two types of shelving, both bolt-less for ease of putting it together. For long span shelves and workbenches I used pallet racking. I ended up buying a mixture of new and used stuff from an industrial salvage company, and all of it ended up costing only about $1500, which is CHEAP! Here’s a panorama showing the entire “shop” side of the building, as opposed to the bay side. The shelves and pallet racking on the left already have some supplies because I wanted to be able to start using it right away to make sure everything would fit and see if what I had imagined would work in practice. The nice thing about the shelves on the left is that they are accessible from either side, so you can grab supplies from the “shop” side and use the man door, or you can pull a truck up to the garage door and grab stuff from there and put it right in the truck. 

I had originally thought to set the shelf height for each shelf based on what ended up on them, working my way from the bottom up, but then I had a much better idea. 

These are the work benches, and the shelves I hung above them. The shelves I hung above the workbenches are 10″ deep, and from the left to the right they are 9′ and 7′, sop there’s a LOT of shelf space. The first shelf is easy to reach from the floor, but the top two require using a little folding three step. So frequently needed stuff goes on the lower shelves, less frequently used stuff goes higher.  The bench on the left I had them cut down in order to weld heavy duty locking swivel casters, so it can be pulled out into the middle of the room so you can work on something and have access all the way around it. I got to use it already and it’s a really nice feature to be able to walk around something large and bulky and heavy at workbench height. It’s also a great way to move a large number of things or really large heavy things from the door to somewhere else. It’s a workbench! It’s a cart! After a week or so of looking at it I decided to go back to the industrial supplier and add two beams across the bottom to make a shelf. It game me another 27 square feet of storage, and more stability to the bench. 

I also made the top 5″ deeper on the back side and notched it so it would slot in to the beam it sits against so there wouldn’t be a gap for things to fall through when it was pushed against the wall. 

Once the shelves were all done everything got moved from the old shed to the new. I used the floor of the bay side to pile everything up and then started sorting through it and placing it where it would end up living. That allowed me to take my time and throw away things that we didn’t need, and put things with like things. 

Here’s some shots of it mostly finished. Some of the shelves are empty because I hadn’t quite finished putting things on them. This is all of the supplies in place. You can also see the rolling steps I bought to easily access things from 14′.

Here’s the reverse angle of that shelf with some of the supplies taken away because it was the end of the season, but with the stuff on the shelves where it will live. 

Here’s my better idea for the shelves. All the shelves are the same height, and instead of loose stuff, I put everything in heavy duty totes, so they can be labelled and to keep things from just being scattered all over the shelves. the paint will live on the lower shelves, but it goes to a different building that’s heated in the winter.

Now the signs are much better organized and accessible. 

(By the way, take a look at that extension cord on the left. That’s what they look like after being coiled incorrectly a few times. They are ruined forever. There is a better way. You can coil 100′ or more of cable and set the coil on the ground, pick up one end and walk away with it, and it will uncoil in a nice straight line, with no kinks, loops, or knots. Every time. 100% guaranteed. – Lee)

I’m really glad I added that lower shelf to the rolling bench. That’s where the really heavy stuff will live. 

The long bench and the super short bench are bridged with the work surface to make a 12′ bench top. It’s kind of hard to see, but in the center I added a magnetic strip to hold commonly needed hand tools. All the other tools are in the tool chest below. The fans above pull fresh air in, and on the other side of the building another set push air out. Next Spring I will add a shelf at the bottom and middle of that small section on the right, and that’s where the various power tools that aren’t drill will go. The drills hang above the workbench, just inside the door, so they can be grabbed quickly and easily, along with a magnet that holds driver bits. 

My first project next Spring will be to label all the parts drawers. 

There’s some other stuff not pictured, and it’s still a work in progress, but I have all next summer to perfect it while it’s in use. Here’s the old shop empty and cleaned out. Right after we left they were supposed to start working on it to turn it into a bunkhouse for two or more college age summer interns, so we’ll see what it looks like when we return in April!

In addition to Lee finishing the workshop, Fred and Helen cleaned out the lodge and looked for missing items or duplicates.  People bring and leave things all the time, so we had a huge amount of extra cooking items.  This was kind of fun and we divided some of them up and donated the rest.

One night we went to Red Lobster dinner with our friends Sharon and Dan and had a terrific time.  Sometimes you meet people at these jobs and just click and that was definitely the case with us and them.  I really feel like we are going to be lifelong friends.

Sharon and me!

We also closed down the last two campgrounds, which went very smoothly, and then spent the last week tidying up loose ends.  I was thankful that I had lots of down time and feel much better rested.  Kari, one of our camp hosts, gave me some flowers on one of the last days which was incredibly sweet. They were absolutely beautiful and I was incredibly touched by the gesture.

Next up: on to Vegas to see my Mom, my brother and sister.   I am so excited about getting a BREAK and am definitely ready to go.

Camper Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We very much appreciate any purchase you make via our website links.  There is no additional cost to you and helps support our blog.  Search Amazon.com here

Or you can check out our recipe book filled with 80 real recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. The cookbook specializes in recipes that have a limited number of ingredients, without sacrificing flavor and is organized into categories that matter to full time RVers such as Happy Hours, Travel Days, and Pot Lucks   You can preview the kindle version on  Amazon or the Apple version on Itunes.    It is available in paperback on Amazon if you prefer.

We love getting reader questions, and one of us always take the time to answer them, but occasionally I find the questions interesting enough that I think they deserve a blog post.  That was the case when I received some questions from JoEllen a few days ago, and since I thought many of you might have similar questions I decided I would answer them in this format instead of directly to her. The questions themselves are in italics, and my answers are in blue. Lee’s comments are in red. (She’s not the boss of me. My comments are in bold orange italics. – Lee)

Tracy, I have emailed you before several times and learn a lot from you 2. Hopefully in 2-3 years we will hit the road and will need to work also. We have already sold our house and all our goods. 

Thanks!  Always nice to hear people are getting something out of this blog, and congratulations on completing two huge steps towards you new life.  (Yes, congrats from me as well, but in bold orange italics. – Lee)

1. My BIG question is, “why” did you and Lee (almost) throw in the towel and stay PUT for a full time job that could change the direction of your life only after 4 years of being on the road? 

I don’t know if we got to the point where we were willing to throw in the towel completely, but we were having conversations about what this all looks like going forward.  For those of you who have read the blog for a while, you know I have found work kamping to be very challenging.  I, at least, am constantly evaluating risk versus reward and it is tempting when the jobs are particularly challenging to think about taking a break and finding something stable for awhile.  A huge part of that is fear, some of that is a “grass is greener” mentality, and some of it is just frustration.  There are trade-offs in this lifestyle, just like any other, and I think those trade-offs should be constantly weighed.  I tend to be more introspective than some people and more open about my introspection but I think most people have these thoughts at some point. (Believe it or not, while I understand where Trace is coming from, I don’t feel the same way. We’re very different people. For example, she tends to write in blue, while I tend to write in bold orange italics. But seriously, I generally feel like the idea of taking a break and finding something stable is a trick/trap. I don’t believe there’s any such thing as stable. I would rather experiment and see “what’s next” than sit around thinking I’m safe and secure while someone (without my knowledge) is deciding I make too much money, or I’m too old, or too bold, or italicky. I feel more in control of my own destiny now than I ever have in my entire life. – Lee)

I would like to make one more comment.  You say “only after 4 years of being on the road” and I found that interesting.  In this lifestyle 4 years is a long time.  I say that because it is so packed with experiences and living in the moment that I personally would say 4 years equals 10 in a more traditional life.  That’s my rear view perspective, but I stand by it. (And for me four years seems to have screamed by so fast I actually have to do the math in my head to make sure that 2014 to 2018 was actually four years. It feels more like 2  1/2 years to me. Except for Amazon. That felt like eternity. – Lee)

2. Is 4 years the turning point to start thinking, “OK we have moved enough” let’s put more grass under our tires instead of asphalt? What I have noticed in keeping up with your age group (and I keep up with a lot of blogs) of starting on the road verses those 62 years old and beyond (who don’t work as much or at all) is that the 62 year old and beyond stay on the road LONGER. I know about Howard and Linda but their situation (not working all the time) is different than most people. I just read the other day about a couple I keep up with at times who are hanging up the keys, but he is 82 and been of the road a little over 10 years.

That’s a great question and opens the door for me to talk about a trend I have been noticing.  My short answer would be “Yes”, for many people four years seems to be a crossroads of sorts.  Many people I know are buying a piece of property and putting down roots at least part of the year. Others are coming off the road completely. Many of us who haven’t found a place we would like to settle are looking for a “route” where we can find a summer and winter “home.”  There are still lots of people I know who are traveling somewhat randomly, but almost everyone has slowed the pace from those first couple of years.  One point I would like to make though is using people who write blogs as the representatives of the lifestyle doesn’t tell the whole story.  I did the same thing by the way, but since we have been out here working we have met TONS of people that have been on the road for many, many years and the lifestyle of the working group is different than those who have lots of money in the bank.  (I also agree that there might seem to be a significant number of people that make some kind of major change to how they do this after four years. I think the reason for that might be that four years of heavy travelling or aimless wandering or racing from place to place can be exhausting for a lot of people. But I also think there’s no trustworthy data so I would have a hard time declaring anything. The scientist in me bristles at all that jumping to conclusions in the absence of verifiable facts. – Lee)

3. Should “One” consider it safer to “WAIT” till in their 60’s and feel as if “this is now my NEW life?” Verses those in late forties early fifties who may consider the road as a “cool down period” then charge back into a daily grind?

My struggle has been finding work that is satisfying and maintaining a roving lifestyle.  The longer I get away from my old professional life the more of a gap I have in my resume and the harder it is to find that type of work.  I also find that emotionally I am less suited to a traditional 9-5 gig as time goes on and the postings I do see are much less appealing.   If I was 60+ I think I might care less.  At 52 I am looking at 13 more solid earning years and I hate to give up the money and satisfaction I get from working in my field.  If I had a job with a pension or had socked more money away I would probably feel differently, so really it is less about age than financial circumstance.  Simply put since I have to work, I want that work to have some meaning.  From a financial standpoint, I get nervous as our nest egg dwindles over time.  These are prime earning years and because of my lifestyle choice it feels like I am giving that away.  

All that being said I know several people who kept their corporate jobs on the road and even one who lost that job, found another, and is still living a mobile life.  I hear stories about the 30 somethings who work while on the road and they made sure they kept their corporate type jobs from day one.  My journey was a little different.  I wanted to try pure work kamping for a variety of reasons, but wasn’t really aware when I made that decision on how difficult it would be for me to jump back into my profession.  And to be clear I am not even 100% sure that I want to.  That’s the main conflict I am having right now. (I don’t feel the way she feels about career work. The work I did I could go right back to doing, although the last few times I did it as a freelancer I felt “not as young as I once was” for the first time. Show business is hard work. But I say the same thing to everyone I talk to about this; Do it. Don’t wait. People die or become incapable of doing this every day with little or no warning. The money will take care of itself. Be happy. At the end, we all go in the same size hole. – Lee)

4. Again WHY did you 2 ponder such thoughts?

Lee rarely has these thoughts.  He had a career that required living in one place and he knew he might never work in it again.  For him the trade-off was more than worth it and he made the decision with that in mind.  I kept my job for the first year and knew that I had a skill set that was friendly to working remotely.  Because I have always done this lifestyle in baby steps, it has taken me longer to  come to terms with the sacrifices I might have to make professionally.  This summer and this job brought those things to the foreground and the subsequent job search has really brought those issues home.  I was stuck on the idea that I would have to spend the next 13 years working at jobs I didn’t enjoy because we wouldn’t stay in one place.  Those thoughts were in no way about not liking the lifestyle itself, but about not wanting to make that sacrifice.  I didn’t see why I couldn’t have both, and succinctly put, it was pissing me off. 

Then I had a conversation with my Mom. You know how sometimes your Mom can say the exact right thing at the exact right time? Well this was one of those times. Recently she lost her husband, sold her house and moved to her dream condo on the ocean in Myrtle Beach.  For the last several months she has been very happy, but misses what she gave up, living next door to my brother and one of her grandsons.  My Mom, who is a no-nonsense kind of chick, said “Best not to dwell on things you do not have when your life is so rich with experience.”  After I called her she went on to say that I have a pretty terrific life and better than many people my age.  Then she asked me why I would want to give that up for the possibility of something that I wasn’t even sure I wanted?  My answer, which came from the gut, was “fear”.  And really that’s what it comes down to.  Do I believe that it’s possible to find both meaningful work and continue to live the lifestyle? Yes. Do I think that is a certainty? No. Am I afraid the longer I do this the less likely it will be.? Yes.  

So I have three choices.

1. I can give up on that and just take what jobs I get and find my peace with that. 
2. I can continue to try to find jobs that allow me to stay on the road and give me satisfaction, allowing that it will be a ton of work and I will probably be disappointed quite a bit. 
3. I can find a job, leave the road, and possibly reenter at a later time. 

These are all valid choices, by the way, and I have very close friends who chose one of these three routes in the past year.  For right now, I have decided to go with the middle option.  The downside for both of us is things remain unsettled.  The upside is we don’t have to settle. 

And if I can say one more thing and this is more to the general audience than just you, because I don’t want to assume anything.  When I started this lifestyle I thought it was an “all or nothing” proposition.  I thought the amount of time on the road mattered, and for me at least full timing was something I wanted to conquer and win in some way.  I don’t feel that way anymore.  It is an amazing and wonderful way to live sometimes, but it is not the romantic dream that I thought it would be.  Every year in November, I take stock of the trade-offs the previous year and decide if it was worth it.  I look at what we had to do for work, the mechanical issues we had, and the pictures we took.  The pictures tell the story and every year to date, this year included, the pictures (and the corresponding experiences) have won.  Some year they might not, and that’s OK.  Personally I don’t ever want to be in a place again where I am not living my best possible life.  What that looks like depends on lots of different factors, some of which are outside of my control. So that’s why I ponder these things, and I hope I continue to challenge myself to do so 🙂 (I don’t ponder these things at all, really. For me it’s mostly about practicalities, which I see as broken things to fix, or systems or processes that need tweaking. I already feel like I’m beating the system most of the time in this lifestyle, instead of the system beating me. I sleep better than I have in 30 years, I’m more relaxed, and I just generally feel like a better person most days. I’ll take that over how I used to feel any day of the week and twice on Sunday. – Lee)

Thanks for your time and sharing your life, and family with us.

Your very welcome.  Thanks for the interest and allowing me to share my thoughts with others. 

(Write in whatever color you want. It’s good for the soul. – Lee)

Trace

Camper Chronicles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, a program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. We very much appreciate any purchase you make via our website links.  There is no additional cost to you and helps support our blog.  Search Amazon.com here

Or you can check out our recipe book filled with 80 real recipes we have cooked in our RV and taste tested by Lee himself. The cookbook specializes in recipes that have a limited number of ingredients, without sacrificing flavor and is organized into categories that matter to full time RVers such as Happy Hours, Travel Days, and Pot Lucks   You can preview the kindle version on  Amazon or the Apple version on Itunes.    It is available in paperback on Amazon if you prefer.