Terry still wasn’t feeling back to normal yesterday, so instead of flying kites again we ran a few errands in town, stopped at the farmers market, and then came home. So for today’s blog, I thought I would share some of the questions I have received lately and my answers.
Q. Do you guys ever miss your bus conversion and how does it compare to living and traveling in your Winnebago?
A. We loved that old bus and for over eight years it was a comfortable home on wheels. It was as solid as a tank and could carry more weight than we could have ever stuffed into its massive storage bays. However, it had a million miles on it and the engine and transmission were tired. Climbing up the mountains out west was becoming a real challenge, and for what it would have cost to rebuild or replace them we could put a huge dent in the cost of a newer, more powerful diesel pusher. And it was getting harder and harder to find shops what could work on the old two-stroke Detroit Diesel engine. Our Winnebago Ultimate Advantage has power to spare, two slide rooms that gives us plenty of living space, and any Cummins shop can work on it. We’re very happy with our choice.
Q. You used to have a lot of solar panels on your bus and did a lot of dry camping. Why didn’t you transfer them, to your Winnebago, and why don’t you dry camp anymore?
A. Yes, we used to spend a lot of time camping off the grid, but everybody changes over time. We reached the point where we prefer the creature comforts of a full hookup campground, and did not feel a need to move our solar system to the motorhome.
Q. Do you ever worry about what would happen if one of you were to get sick and die when on the road, far away from home?
A. Where is home? We are fulltimers with no ties to any particular place. None of us are ever going to get out of this life alive, so why spend a lot of time worrying about when or where the end will come? We prefer to spend that energy enjoying our lives.
Q. We are researching fulltime RVing and one major concern is that three of our four adult children are completely opposed to it. One daughter thinks it will be a great adventure, but the others have told us that if we sell the house and blow everything on an RV not to expect to come back and live with them when we are too old or are in poor health. How would you respond to that?
A. I would tell them that I am too independent to live with anybody, but if I had to, it wouldn’t be with someone who had an attitude like theirs and had forgotten all of the time they lived with me growing up. Then I would tell them goodbye, I’m off to enjoy my life.
Q. We are looking at discount camping groups like Coast to Coast, RPI, and Enjoy America. Our home park offers all three. Which of them would you go with, if any, and what about Passport America?
A. Most campgrounds that participate in any of these discount programs participates in all of them, so there is a lot of duplication. The biggest and best, in my opinion, is Passport America. We are lifetime members and have belonged since before we hit the road sixteen years ago.
Q. Our Class A motorhome has a patio awning that needs to be pulled out and closed up by hand. Some people have said it’s okay to leave it out when we are away from the campground and others say it’s better to close it up. What do you think?
A. We never leave our awning out when we are away from the motorhome. We have seen too many that were damaged or destroyed when a sudden storm or wind burst came through while the owners are away.
Q. We are leaving on our fulltiming adventure the end of the summer and my wife wants to pack at least six week’s worth of food, “just in case.” I keep telling her that we can shop at local grocery stores along the way. What do you think?
A. When that six week’s worth of food is gone, do you plan to go back to the same grocery store in your hometown where you shop now? We do our shopping just like anybody living in a house or apartment, at the local grocery store.
It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Crazy Days in Big Lake, the third book in my Big Lake mystery series. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.
Thought For The Day – A nymphomaniac is a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man.
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Nick Russell
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