Since I had some time on my hands, I thought I would take a few moments and give some updates on the RV Dreams Class of 2014.  As many of you know we started this journey by attending an RV-Dreams rally back in the spring of 2014.  While we were there we made friends with a large group of people who were all planning on going on the road that year.  Although I have lost track of some of them, I wanted to take a moment and provide updates to show that this lifestyle really varies wildly for everyone in it.  I do see some patterns so it seemed fitting to take some time to commemorate six years from the event.

It is important to note that there were two rallies that year and many people went on the road that I either met later or never met at all.  As able I will talk about those folks as well, because their journeys often intersected ours and again they help show the trends and variation.

Front row from Left:  Ben, Jo, Eileen, me, Cori, Deb, Sue, Eileen,and Guy.  Back row from left: Craig, Lee, Gene, Steve, Greg, Linda, Scott, Kelly, Bill, Pam, Red, Jo, and Mario.

First and foremost I should mention that after 12 years on the road Howard and Linda from RV-Dreams have finally settled into a home.  They downsized to a Class C and traveled in it for awhile and ultimately ended up in the Villages in Florida.  They still are having rallies (COVID has slowed that down) and provide mentorship to couples.  Linda has started her own business and Howard just got his real estate license so they are definitely keeping busy.

Another couple who has had a significant impact on us is Bill and Nancy.  We met them at the first rally and several times since, and they have been extremely supportive to us over the years.  They downsized their Class A into a smaller model and are also living in Florida.  I know they are staying busy, because I have rarely met people with more energy and we are very happy for them.

But onto our group, and these are listed in no particular order.

Lee and Tracy – We are still in our original fifth wheel, and although occasionally we talk about changing out we have so many upgrades in this one it doesn’t make a ton of sense for us.  We had our first grand baby this year and have talked about buying a piece of property, but again the location is an issue.  We have three kids in three states and our parents are in two others.  Having the ability to travel actually works best for us with family time.  We have talked about stopping, well I have, but Lee like Deb could do this forever.  We worked multiple seasonal jobs on the road, but recently I started a corporate job again and we are going to see what traveling with the new job looks like.

Cori and Greg – We bonded over Cori and I working on the road and we were super sad when they finally sold their Class A.  It was a second home to us and we had many wonderful gatherings in it.  They downsized to a Chinook and have traveled successfully in a much smaller space and have bought a piece of property that Greg refers to as the Center for Mental Wellness in Texas near Cori’s dad. Cori has worked part-time for her employer this entire time and Greg has been running a very successful solar business.

Kelly and Bill – They like us are first time grandparents this year and once again our lives are following strikingly similar paths.  They are one of the few couples that are still in their original rig and they seem completely happy with their choice.  Although having conversations around buying a piece of property they have not decided on where, although location of their grand daughter is definitely a factor.  Bill is installing solar for Greg which allows them to travel and generate income.

Steve and Deb – Steve has kept his corporate job this entire time and has managed to work and travel very successfully.  Most of the credit goes to Deb who plans all of their routes.  They have definitely logged the most miles of all the couples, although with a brand new grandson and kids getting married they are staying mainly on the west coast this year.  They are also still in their original rig and again seem very happy with their choice.

Jo and Ben – Traveling nurses they worked for several years in various states and eventually sold their RV and moved back to Colorado.  That wasn’t a perfect fit though so they bought another RV and started talking about going back out on the road at least part time.  They have also talked about buying a piece of property, but location has not been finalized yet.  When you have the whole country to choose from and family members spread out picking one place is not always an easy choice as many of us have discovered!

Ellen and Mario – Ellen and Mario sold their house and went on the road and then left the road when they found their dream house in Florida.  They bought another RV and part time now and Ellen has worked on and off corporate jobs through the years.

Eileen and Gene – They sold their Class A and then bought another one, but ultimately settled in Florida to take care of Gene’s mom.  Rose is in her 90’s and going strong but Gene as the only child wanted to be closer to her.

Sue and Guy –  They sold their Class A and bought a toy hauler and have been traveling full time with some stops for health issues.  The last two seasons they tried work-kamping and really liked it and are traveling as we speak. They bought a piece of property in Georgia near their kids pretty early on but as of yet are still living in their RV.

Jo and Craig – They switched from a fifth wheel to a Class A and although I have largely lost track of them last I heard they are traveling between PA and Texas.  They have a pretty regular route as far as I know and are still living full time in their RV.

Pam and Red – They changed from a fifth wheel to a toy hauler pretty early on and have had a piece of property in Arkansas from the beginning.  They have made lots of improvement to it over the years and spend time in the summer leading RV caravan trips which they love.

Linda and Scott –  I know the least about what they are doing other than the fact that they switched from a fifth wheel to a Class A and spent several years working in Texas.

That covers the folks in the pictures but here are updates on others we have met along the way.

Sharon and David – They changed fifth wheels pretty early on and are currently taking a travel break while they take care of Dave’s mom who broke her hip.  They like to stay close to her because of health reasons, and have worked a variety of seasonal jobs

Jim and Diana – They kept their RV the entire time, but have recently bought property in Michigan.  They love to winter in Florida and have worked a variety of seasonal jobs and volunteer jobs to supplement income throughout the years.

Jim and Barb – They downsized their RV into a truck camper and have bought a piece of property in the Dakotas.  They were the first of the group to build a Barndominium and inspired many others to do something similar.

Linda and Steve – They get the most adventuresome award as they sold their Class A, moved to Europe, and are traveling in a Class B.  They stayed in France through Covid but have just started traveling again.  Very cool.

Dino and Lisa – They changed RV’s, got off the road awhile, came back on the road, and are buying a piece of land.  They are working a variety of seasonal jobs along the way to supplement their income.

Rick – Rick has soloed with his dog Maxine for several years.  He upgraded to a new to him Class A and had worked several volunteer jobs throughout the country.

Bridget and Pat – We all met at the RV-Dreams rally and for several years they talked about full timing.  They were taking care of elderly parents, but very recently they put their house up for sale and have gone on the road.  They are a wonderful example of it not really mattering how long it takes for you to get out there.  Sometimes things just take a little longer!

That is the updates and again I think the most important thing is this clearly shows there is no one true way to full time.  I think we have all learned that it is a set of decisions that create a path just like any other life.  One of the beauties though is there are many more decisions because of the freedom the lifestyle allows.  Sometimes though it can definitely feel like too many choices and of course other factors in life often prescribe our choices.  We’ve been blessed to stay in touch with most of these folks over the years and I wanted to end by sharing a few pictures of those large group meetings. We’ve had tons of smaller gatherings of course but its really special when a big group of us can get together.

Puppy gatherings are super fun too!

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After our interview we spent quite a bit of time finishing up errands, writing/rewriting blog posts, and talking.  One positive thing that came out of all this was we had some long discussions about our role in everything that happened.  Dealing with these work issues as a work couple is complicated.  I have an approach that is honed over years and Lee has his own approach.  Because he always worked in a creative environment and I worked in conservative corporations it is not surprising those approaches are different. We are also different people, with different limits and different hot buttons.  What bothers me doesn’t always bother him and vice versa.  But when you are working as a team, every decision you make impacts the other person. This can be difficult to navigate, and unless you worked together prior to going on the road, it is unlikely you will have dealt with how to handle things prior to them happening.

And that’s a problem for us.  Because in the heat of the moment, when things aren’t going well, we don’t always band together.  Sometimes we flatly disagree or other times we know something needs to be done but don’t agree on the approach.  Based on our most recent work experiences though, we definitely knew this had to change.  Essentially we felt we had two basic choices.  We could either accept whatever happened once we arrived on the job site or we could address the issues as soon as they occurred.  Although it’s tempting to just say “as long as they pay us, whatever, we don’t care”  that tactic simply won’t work for us.  Neither of us is temperamentally suited for it for one thing (our friends are all laughing right now and nodding their heads) but more importantly it feels way too much like our old life.

Some people become full time RVers because they want to travel, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but we wanted to change our lives.  We wanted more freedom, less pressure/stress, and the ability to have more choices.  We can say we can tolerate anything for short periods of time and there is definitely an element of truth to that, but we have reached the point where we can see where too much compromise would make this the same as our old life, simply one on wheels. That’s not OK for either of us.

So that leaves us with addressing issues as they occur. That’s the “grownup” thing to do in any event, but it’s not always that simple.  I tend to be too Pollyanna, waiting until it is too late to recognize there is a problem, and Lee takes the opposite approach being very bothered when things aren’t as promised and generally assuming the worst. (I like to think of it more as expecting people to keep their promises and being prepared. – Lee) Basically we need to find a way to meet in the middle, and not only meet in the middle but also construct a joint strategy prior to having the conversation.  Let me give you a simple hypothetical example.  We accept a camp host position this summer and are told where our site will be.  This is an important benefit to us, so we google earth the spot and are pleased to see it is off the main road and in the back of the campground, and overall a pleasant place.  Awesome…looks perfect.  Once we arrive at the job, we are told the owners changed their minds.  They feel we need to be closer to the front for convenience sake and take us to a campsite right next to the road and the dumpsters and dump station. We have two choices in this scenario.  We can either accept the change and make the best of it, or we can talk to the owners and try to work something out.  We also of course always have the “nuclear” option of leaving, but no one wants to do that over something relatively minor.

So most people, ourselves included, just accept the change to the verbal or written contract and live with it. The problem though is it doesn’t generally end there.  More changes are made and before you know it, the job you are doing is not the job you signed up for.  That’s why I think it’s important that going forward we to try to talk it through right from the beginning.  It accomplishes two things.  First and foremost, you might get what you were initially promised, but even if you don’t you have made it clear that you have limits, and are willing to stand up for yourself.  You also get a really good feeling for how the job is going to go, by seeing how the owner/manager handles the conversation.  If they are vague/evasive, that is probably not a good sign.  If they are hostile and shut you down, that is really not a good sign.  But if you talk about it openly, even if you don’t get what you want as an end result, I think it’s a good sign for the future work relationship.   This approach may seem obvious, but for us it’s a stretch, especially as a couple.  We tend to gravitate towards a “give it a pass and wait and see” approach and that has not served us well. Both of us feel like this is an ongoing process, and as long as we’re making progress, that’s something.

In addition to solving all the problems of the world through talk therapy, we also took care of some business.  Lee found a way to replace the hose on the blue boy which was MUCH cheaper than replacing it, ($30 versus $250) and we took our truck in for its 60K mile maintenance service.  It wasn’t that surprising when they called and said the front tires needed to be replaced. The tires had less than 2/32 tread left of them, and are about a year and a half old. Our front end has been out of alignment pretty much since we hit the road, so Lee wasn’t surprised. (This has been incredibly frustrating, because I’ve had three alignments since we hit the road, and because of our travel schedule by the time I realized that the alignment was still off, we were hundreds of miles away from the dealer where the work was done. The last time was when we were getting ready to leave Alaska. They needed a kit to do it, and couldn’t get it fast enough, because Alaska, and we had to leave. Now we are going to be within an hour or so of the dealer for at least a month, so if it isn’t properly aligned I can go back and raise hell. – Lee) So it was $492 for tires and an alignment that we weren’t expecting, but everything else looks great, and we feel very confident in the alignment so far. We also watched the tent company and fence company completely empty our Christmas tree lot, which was actually pretty interesting.  I took lots of pictures, so why don’t I just show you how it happened. The tent came down in about an hour, and the fencing in about an hour as well.

First they took the side walls down. They clip onto a rope that runs along the tent, and each side panel is about 100′ long.

And wrapped them up in an amazingly tight bundle. Seriously, that was amazing this stuff is hard to wrangle!

Then they unwrapped the ropes on the poles.

And using a sledgehammer knocked the tent stakes loose from the ground.

Next they brought in the forklift and put all the side metal poles (except the corners) on it

And then the CAT knocked loose the center poles

The tent started to come down

Next they brought buckets for the chains

I was super impressed by how they used the CAT to minimize physical labor. Efficient!!

Then back to front they started knocking down poles. I stayed outside the tent for this part

Reminded me of those parachutes we played with in elementary school

Once the tent was down I saw it was actually multiple pieces “sewn together”. Lee was surprised I didn’t already know this. (I might have been a roustabout in a previous life, but mostly I just can’t even imaging how heavy the vinyl tent top would be if it were a single piece. Not to mention transporting and storage. The system also allows them to build tents to pretty much any size in 10′ increments. – Lee)

They removed the rope from the seams which took the longest of any step. Not much you can do to speed that process up, just good old fashioned untying

Then they folded the pieces up. This took some muscle

And rolled them into balls, once again using the CAT for transport

My favorite part of the process was when they uses the forklift to lift the tent stakes out of the ground. Amazing control of the CAT was called for

The poles with no heads took a little longer (but not much) as they had to wrap a chain around them and pull up. That still went super quick

Finis! (After two months of having the tent between us and the road, it was really weird to suddenly have a clear line of sight to the road. We felt really “exposed” and the traffic noise was much louder. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for the most of the other locations that were right next to the interstate. – Lee) 

Removed the fencing on piece at a time

Stacked nice and neat. This was much less dramatic than the tent but still impressively efficient

We only stayed one night on this empty lot and felt pretty exposed.  The lights from the gas station next door helped as they kept the lot well lit, but I was glad we were leaving the next day. The tent not only gave us an illusion of privacy it also helped quite a bit as a wind and sound barrier. (Once the fence was gone, we REALLY felt exposed. Having an 8′ fence around you gives you a sense of security, and now at this point anyone who wanted to could walk or even drive their car right up to our front door. We were both really glad that was only one night. – Lee)

So next up is Camping World, and our first visit to a service center. We have been having a problem with extreme uneven wear  on one trailer tire and want to get that looked at before we figure out what’s next. (Oooohhh, foreshadowing! – Lee)

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