Christmas decorations

Same thing everyday, still reading and still working with the websites. On Thanksgiving weekend I decided to pull out all the Christmas decorations, which I hadn’t decorated in years. All the decorations I no longer could use on my tiny tree were taken to the local Salvation Army. Still walking around the condo getting ideas on what I’ll keep, sell, and give away. More drawers are getting checked out, but I have to remember it’s 5 yrs away, will I use it before then. Goal in 2006 is separate the things I THINK I’ll have to have with the things I’m not sure about needing.

We bought a CD from rv consumers with the 5^th wheel ratings. We’re looking forward to the RV show in Greensboro in January. Jim is working on what 5^th will go with what truck. So far so good, we’re really looking forward to getting on the road. I finally found a website that describes some of the problems you can have on the roads. It can't all be good, so was looking for what can go wrong on the road and how to prepare for it.

Dealerships

We went to see RV/trailers at our local dealership, Hawleys RV’s. It was a cool morning but it was really nice going in and out of a lot of rigs. It was amazing how little they are in person from all the layouts we saw on the internet. We figured out what would absolutely not work for us and stayed with all that would work. We’ve decided NOT to get a pull trailer but to stay with the 5^th wheel. More control on towing and more room inside. The large RV homes may be a possibility, but leaning more away from them because of pulling a smaller car behind. We also decided on a 3 slide out unit. It gives more room and better accessability when parked for a long period of time.

We decided to check out the Ford dually trucks. The Ford is huge and impressive. We started it up, but didn’t drive it. Lots to learn about what truck we’ll need, but we’ll need to know what rig we want first. Back to the computer for more information.

What Now?

Where do we start? Websites and local bookstores. We started gathering a lot of information and books on what kind of rig we’d like to travel in. There’s a lot of info on the forums and books written by those on the road.

First: What is our lifestyle now and how would we do the same in an R
Second: What can we do now to prepare?

We gathered more info, every waking moment if not at work, we have our computers on forums or blogs or reading a book. The first book we read was Movn’ On by Ron & Barb Hofmeister. Several up front question were answered, like how to get rid of your stuff. I found myself going around our 1400 sq ft condo thinking what can I get rid of without a lot of money lost. I started cleaning out drawers and taking items that was never opened to the senior citizens building where my mom lives. Every thing I touch I ask the question will we need it on the road?

You're WHAT?

Ok, WHY are we interested in RV’ing? Well, why not? We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. When Jim retires, we’ll have no jobs, I’m sure I’ll quit working long before he quits. We have no family real close, even though Jim’s family is in Morehead City, NC. We have so many places we want to visit and no time not enough funds to see everything. The condo is getting too expensive and the upkeep is going to get more expensive as we get older. We both feel a little tied down, or restless, itchy feet to move, but it’s a real pain to move. We were formally in the AF and it was fun after a couple years to wait and see where we’d be moving next. I miss that chance to see the US with all the moves. With an RV we have everything already packed and ready to go at any time. Let’s go, I’m ready!!!

We thought of traveling with a small class C- RV after retiring from the Air Force. We both wanted to work a few more years and after moving from St. Louis, MO to Raleigh, NC with the last 2 years of the military, we decided to stay in Raleigh and get jobs. Jim got a great job with the utility company and life went on. Then the idea of fulltime began with a ham radio couple in a 5^th wheel setup on November 5. It was that same afternoon that we decided to check into how to start life on the road. The following is a blog of what steps we did for starting our life on the road. We have till 2012 before actually selling everything and leaving the area. Jim will be retired from his job and I’ll be over 62.