Thursday, May 22, 2008

#3 The Best Layed Plans!

They say if you want to make God laugh just tell him your plan. Well God just busted a gut and is rolling on the floor at our expense. That month long trip to NY is on hold. The truck had fuel system issues but we found someone to fix it in time for our trip.The only problem is we would have to pay to have the parts overnighted from California! Oh well, you do what you have to do to save the vacation. Then Mary's motorcycle takes a dump on us.You can't go to a major motorcycle rally without your motorcycle. Well, you could, but where's the fun in that. Trying to change reservations, get the truck fixed, see if the bike can be repaired in time to salvage the vacation...BRAIN IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE!!!!!!!!

Oh well, I guess it wasn't meant to be. Mary says it's a sign or an omen. I say that trying too hard to make a bad situation better sometimes just makes it worse. The Americade Rally has been going on for 25 years so it should be there next year.

We are still taking a week off to get the truck and the motorcycle fixed. Then we will fix us a little. A movie here, a day trip there, and margaritas every night. We might even tackle a project or two while we are off (don't bet on it). I'm planning on just enjoying the time off. We will probably make plans for some future travel and see if we get a little chuckle from up there.

We're not on the road but...
Home is still where we park it
Frank & Mary

Sunday, May 18, 2008

#2 Gettin' Ready

Well, we are getting ready for our trip to NY. Washing the rig , as usual was an all day affair as well as exhausting. It looks great and makes us proud when we are on the road. Next a trip to Camping World for our new satellite system. Camping World for the non-RV crowd is a cross between an RV mecca and a black hole for RVer's hard earned money. While we are at it the truck needs some TLC and we should be ready to hit the road.

It is great to be able to take your trailer to a service technician where they have all the tools they need handy. The only problem is if they have to keep it for more than a day. As full time RVers this trailer is our home. It's one thing if the shop keeps your car and you need a ride or a rental, but try renting a home for a night with all of your worldly possessions locked up in the shop with your home. Hopefully the work will be complete in one day as promised.

I don't know if I talked about our trailer much but here is a little info. We have a 40' Sunnybrook toyhauler. For those of you not familiar with the term "toyhauler" this is an RV with a garage to carry toys such as motorcycles, ATVs, bicycles, and anything else you might keep in a garage. When we are set up to stay someplace for a while it becomes storage or as it is affectionately called a "crap catcher". The problem with gathering "crap" is what to do with it when we need the space to travel again. Ah, the joys of RVing! The garage is the rear 10' of the 5th wheel. The rest contains our bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and loft. The loft area has been commandeered by Mary for storage that she has informed me that it better be someone special(like the Queen and that's a maybe) she is not giving up her storage for loft sleeping space. There is also storage underneath in what we call "the basement". We also have generator which makes us self sufficient along with our fresh, gray, and black water tanks.

Well we have a busy week before we head to NY so I'll sign off and keep in touch. And don't forget...

Home is where we park it,
Fran & Mary

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

#1 The Beginning

And then there was TWO! We raise our kids(4), are approaching the ends of our careers, and decide we want to see the country. RVing seemed the ideal answer. We shopped, we dreamed, we shopped,we researched, we shopped, we talked to others, we shopped, we debated, we shopped, and we finally bought(whew). Through a series of fortunate events(or as Mary says"someone up stairs is watching over us") we found the perfect truck, a Ford F550. Then through Mary's determined internet search we found the ideal 5th wheel. The kids had moved out on their own, our house was sold and into 300 sq feet we moved. Interesting change, though not to difficult moving from a small house. Still a couple of years from retirement, we plan on refining our RV lifestyle to prepare for life on the road.

Two and-a-half years later we are almost ready. We have done some traveling around the country. Georgia for an RV rally,S Dakota for Mt Rushmore, Indiana for RV heaven and the Amish, and NC just to watch the leaves change. We are nothing if not dedicated "leaf-peepers". We are planning a 4 week trip to NY's Catskill Mountains and will park the rig for a year after that. The next year will be spent finalizing our retirement plans, preping our rig for fulltime on the road, and planning our travels which may be nothing more than "lets go that way".

We have a lot of friends who are curious about our lifestyle choice. You know... the what, when, where, who, how, and especially why. With this blog we hope they and anyone else who wishes can follow us and understand our answers to these questions. This is the start of a new blog and our new life. Please share and enjoy it with us.

Home is where we park it,
Frank&Mary