Scared I made the wrong choice 6 months in

[rocksbride]

Hey Erin's Mom,

I grew up in tornado alley and have a healthy respect for weather.  We've full-timed since '08 when we sold our home in North Dallas.  We still find ourselves along I-35 in Texas, OK, and Kansas much of the year - especially spring and fall.

I saw in your post that you watch weather apps and listen to live weather broadcasts.  Me too.  Here are two tools I rely on the most:

NOAA-Hi-Def-Radar app (android on my phone; also on my iPad):  This one has great weather tracks and will tell you how far you are from the cell, what direction and speed the cell is traveling, and specifics re hail.  It is just a few minutes behind real time.  I have another weather app for forecasting and real time temps, but the first is my favorite to track storms.  [ON EDIT 10/12/17 - NOA HI-DEF-RADAR APP changed about a week ago and I deleted it.  Looking for another that will have real-time radar with storm tracks.]

I also rely on a wonderful weather radio that can always find a local broadcast, unlike my previous one.  This radio is small and light, can be powered by solar and hand-crank if necessary and is an awesome resource even if the power goes out. It also has a built-in flash light.  The live broadcast gave us 30 minutes warning to get undercover prior to 5" hail.  Here's the link to C. Crane's Solar Observer:

The CC Solar Observer Hand Crank Radio... One Part Radio, Two Parts Emergency Preparedness

If it's tornado/hail season and we're in a new camp, I usually check out the local options for shelter, just so I have peace of mind.  We've only had to run a few times, but one night we grabbed the cat, computers, MIFI, the Crane radio and iPad, jumped in the Smart car and hid out in an underground parking garage at a mall about 20 minutes south of the storm.  Same drill, Smart and contents - under a metal-roofed picnic shelter as hail got too close for comfort...

We were parked by a steel-framed building in N.E. Louisiana Sunday afternoon when the take-cover sirens went off.  Spent some quality time inside with new friends (and our Kitty) as the storm blew by.  The rig was fine when we returned.

In all the years on the road though, we've only SEEN one tornado (took shelter in the park's block restrooms) and experienced two truly damaging hail storms, same place, two weeks apart.

I'm sure other posters will offer their favorite apps and weather-tools. I'm looking forward to that input, too.

[S-Cape]

.

[Kinsa]

5 hours ago, remoandiris said:

Maybe you should consider workamping.  It will give you a "purpose".  It will also give you an avenue to meet people.  If your daughter is willing, both of you could workamp, maybe make a little money, but at least get your site for free.  And there are opportunities all over the country, as well as some year round jobs.  If you want to give it a shot, find an area you think you'd like and offer to do it for 4 months, from before Memorial Day to after Labor Day.  That is a manageable amount of time and the light will always be at the end of the tunnel.

Just an idea, feel free to ignore it if it doesn't float your boat...

If you end up with a smaller rig, I just posted in the volunteering section about this opportunity: https://www.volunteer.gov/results.cfm?ID=10154

Big Bend National Park doesn't get the severe weather that most of the rest of Texas receives. And the pace of life is so, so, so s-l-o-w here.  It's like we are 20-30 years in the past, and everything moves in slow motion.  Definitely the type of place that one can regroup and breathe again.

Just a thought.

[wilyoung]

Sent you a PM

[accumack]

You should read this blog by a single woman traveling with her dog. It is a small rv but reading her blog may help and I'm sure she will answer any questions you have.

http://rvsueandcrew.net

[Kirk W]

4 hours ago, S-Cape said:

I'm a native Texan.  Take my advice: Move.  Springtime in Texas is bad, but Summertime is worse.  The three weeks of Fall are pretty, but Winter sucks.

 

Sorry to tell you this, but there are a lot of folks who very much disagree with all of your points. I've lived long-term in 9 different states, did 1 month or longer volunteer tours in 16 more and every one of them have both good and bad points. Texas has a lot of good things going for it but no question that you and TX are both better off now. 

[slackercruster]

OP...listen up. There are all sorts of people in the world with all sorts of abilities. We can't all be Trumps! Even then, who would grow our food if we were all Trumps?

If you messed up go back to living in a house or downsize your rig.  Find what fits you best. See if social services can help you and your family out.

Good luck!

[coachmac9]

17 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

Sorry to tell you this, but there are a lot of folks who very much disagree with all of your points. I've lived long-term in 9 different states, did 1 month or longer volunteer tours in 16 more and every one of them have both good and bad points. Texas has a lot of good things going for it but no question that you and TX are both better off now. 

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Blues]

On 4/5/2017 at 4:28 AM, SecondWind said:

4.  I don't know anything about tornadoes and torrential rain in the Austin metro area.  I can't even remember the last time we had a good rain.  But maybe you experienced that in another location, before you got to Florence.  Central Texas doesn't have the tornado problem that north Texas does.  I moved to the Austin metro area in the summer of 2009 and weather-wise have never felt safer.  It's a far cry from the quite regular tornado sirens of rural Illinois where I moved from.

Florence is very near Jarrell, where there was a monster tornado in 1997. 

https://extremeplanet.me/2012/06/26/aerial-damage-from-the-f5-jarrell-tornado-the-most-intense-tornado-damage-ever-photographed/

And Austin has had devastating floods on two different Memorial Days that I can remember.

[Al F]

6 hours ago, Blues said:

Florence is very near Jarrell, where there was a monster tornado in 1997. 

https://extremeplanet.me/2012/06/26/aerial-damage-from-the-f5-jarrell-tornado-the-most-intense-tornado-damage-ever-photographed/

And Austin has had devastating floods on two different Memorial Days that I can remember.

Don't worry about devastating floods in Texas. Just don't stay or build in an area which can be flooded. 

If you build in a low area by a dry wash or small stream, it is not a question IF you will be flooded, but WHEN a really, really heavy rain will fall near by or 30-50 miles away and flood your location. 

In the southwestern US it is not unusual to have 10 inches of rain in an area in 12-18 hours.  There have been documented events (more than 2) in the last 50 years in Texas where that has been upwards of 20-25 inches of rain in 24 or so hours.   A low pressure system moved in and stalled and dumped huge amounts of rain. 

Just stay out of low areas and you will be fine. 

[Al F]

Don't worry about tornadoes.  Any one individual's chances of being hurt by a tornado are minuscule. 

I you want to worry about something, worry about driving a CAR ANYWHERE.  About 3000 people were killed on Texas roads last year, the year before and on and on.  Not to mention the 30,000-40,000 killed in all of the US.  

If the national news programs put on a weekly show showing a fraction of the devastatingly horrible crashes in the US that week no one would want to get on an highway. 

Extremely few RV's are involved in accidents.  I would say you are much less likely to be injured while in an RV than in a car.  Partly because of the large number of miles and hours we spend a car versus an RV. 

[elliott-maine]

I've put 40,000 miles on my RV and I still tense up when driving in Austin and on I35.  There are a lot of active RV parks just to the west and south of Austin with plenty of activities -e.g.Miller Creek RV Resort in Johnson City.  Every afternoon there is a social hour around the fire pit.  They post their calendar on their web page.  This is just one I am familiar with.  I assure you there are many like this.  Less chance of tornadoes, a safe room in case, Good vets in the area.  Not affiliated with the park, just stayed there several times.

[SecondWind]

16 hours ago, Blues said:

Florence is very near Jarrell, where there was a monster tornado in 1997. 

https://extremeplanet.me/2012/06/26/aerial-damage-from-the-f5-jarrell-tornado-the-most-intense-tornado-damage-ever-photographed/

And Austin has had devastating floods on two different Memorial Days that I can remember.

I guess I should have made myself a little clearer.  When I said, "I don't know anything about tornadoes and torrential rain in the Austin metro area.", I meant recently.  I deliver pizza part-time in Georgetown (north and west sides, including Sun City).  I work five evenings a week, and average about 300 miles each week.  But it's been awhile since I've gotten soaked on the job.  February sounds about right, since Erin's Mom said there were two bad storms that month.

 

Cheers,

Ken

[sandsys]

20 hours ago, Al F said:

Don't worry about tornadoes.  Any one individual's chances of being hurt by a tornado are minuscule. 

We've lived in tornado territory most of our 70 years. Neither of us has actually seen a tornado and the times we've even taken shelter can be counted on one hand. We do pay attention to warnings but then check radar to see how threatened our particular area might be as those warnings cover LARGE areas so we are seldom actually at risk. At this moment I can only think of four times we took shelter (two in campgrounds) and none of those hit us. It is good to be aware but not good to be terrified.

Linda Sand

[Nomad Hiker]

IMHO your situation is not irreversible.  We are planning to full time, but we have re-assessment dates set.  Our first date is 12/1017.  That is the first time we can get our money (without penalty) from our investments to buy a house.  At that point we will decide whether to continue full-time or  part-time.  I think many of us in our life-time, if we are honest, would admit we have made some less than stellar financial decisions at some point. It is not the end of the world.  You just need to regroup, and decide what is best for you and those you love at this point.  Reach out to whatever support system you have, but above all don't be afraid to admit you need to take another route.   If 6 months in, I were feeling like you, I'd probably go to plan B, but hey, you gave it a try.  It just wasn't all it was cracked up to be for you.  Take care and God bless.  

[JoeTrekker]

You've been given great advice: 

(1) Take your time and drive over to Escapees Headquarters in Livingston.  Lots of great and friendly folks there who you can meet at daily Happy Hour and who can help you.   Take a deep breath and give yourself time to think about your options calmly and in a safe (Escapees) location. 

(2) Have your daughter drive your tow car.  and

(3) inquire about the RV Driving School.  

Joe

[Kirk W]

Based upon her profile, she has not been back to the forum since April 5.

[Erinsmom3293]

We are still thinking things over we have made some positive changes including starting to enjoy what Texas has to offer and being much more social. My daughter is set to start receiving some help on the 28th so we are going to see where it all takes us. We are both pursuing job opportunities and know now that we dont have to rush our decision.  I have a buyer for my whole set up if we choose that option. Right now we are just relaxing and enjoying our surroundings. Sorry I havent posted but things got a little complicated. Thank u so much to those who are really trying to support and help its been ....invaluable. Keep ur ideas coming thx again. Ellen 

[Al F]

21 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

Based upon her profile, she has not been back to the forum since April 5.

Based on the OP's reply several hours after your post, Kirk, I'll bet Ellen has been following the individual replies by checking her email. 

On nice thing about this forum is the email notification, with the text of the reply, you can get for a topic you have opened or replied to.  You don't actually have to logon to rvnetwork.com to keep up with the replies. 

[Al F]

3 hours ago, Erinsmom3293 said:

We are still thinking things over we have made some positive changes including starting to enjoy what Texas has to offer and being much more social. My daughter is set to start receiving some help on the 28th so we are going to see where it all takes us. We are both pursuing job opportunities and know now that we dont have to rush our decision.  I have a buyer for my whole set up if we choose that option. Right now we are just relaxing and enjoying our surroundings. Sorry I havent posted but things got a little complicated. Thank u so much to those who are really trying to support and help its been ....invaluable. Keep ur ideas coming thx again. Ellen 

Thanks for coming back and updating how things are progressing in your life.

[Erinsmom3293]

4 hours ago, Al F said:

Based on the OP's reply several hours after your post, Kirk, I'll bet Ellen has been following the individual replies by checking her email. 

On nice thing about this forum is the email notification, with the text of the reply, you can get for a topic you have opened or replied to.  You don't actually have to logon to rvnetwork.com to keep up with the replies. 

Actually I replied because Kirk sent me a private message. I turned off the notifications a while ago. 

[Kirk W]

50 minutes ago, Erinsmom3293 said:

Actually I replied because Kirk sent me a private message. I turned off the notifications a while ago. 

I was debating whether or not to mention that. 

I do believe that most people who post here do mean well, even though some posts may at times not see that supportive. I'm happy to see that you have reconsidered and are back on the forums. 

[Dutch&Di]

I think you have been given a fantastic amount of good solid advice/suggestions. I'm glad to see you replies are a bit more on the upbeat/positive side. 

My suggestions are First take a breath and try to stay calm.  Your daughter & your dog can sense your stress and this could contribute to their stress to a degree also.  Our condolences on your daughters loss but I'm glad you both were able to free yourself from bad situations.  Unless you are in harms way, I would suggest staying  put for a bit just to let things settle down some.  Bad wind and storms can be scary but we have all gone thru them, it's part of the lifestyle.  It's hard to be in a park where there are no "neighbors"  to talk to but that does happen.

Once you gather yourself you can decide if you want to sell or stay with it. The final decision is yours. Please don't rush into a decision.  34' isn't all that big especially if your daughter and dog will continue to be with you.  I like the thought of possibly your daughter following or leading you.  Not while RV'ing but in our move from PA to FL  we were in our moving rental truck & car and the CB or today, your phones on speaker are a great way to keep in touch. I agree with checking out the weather before you head out so you can choose your best route but remember, the weathermen aren't always right either.

Great suggestions from others on possibly a driving school but I don't know your situation and the schools cost. You could also go to a large parking lot that is empty or another area just to practice up a bit. If you got from Florida to Texas, you do have some driving experience. If you  sell and buy smaller you are, in my opinion, going to lose a lot of money, especially if you are thinking of getting larger again later. once you drive them off the lot, they lose $ value.

One other suggestion that works well for us is that we stop every 2 hours for a break,  walk or a bite to eat or drink.  that way we are refreshed before heading out again. If we can't find a rest area, we pick a WM, mall etc that is roomy as we won't be there long.  Please keep us posted and I hope you make a decision that is right for you.  Remember, this was your dream but sometimes dreams have a few bumps in them. Hugs, Di

[accumack]

Couple of suggestions. To help with the anxiety I would plan your drives/trips. Keep your driving distance short. We try to drive about 300 miles a day. I started to get nervous one day where we drove just less than 600 miles so it happens even to seasoned RVer's. Get rv park reservations for your next stop at least the day before (planning). Research the parks using a site like RV Park reviews prior to making reservations and look at them on google earth. You may want get a toad that can be flat towed so you aren't dragging and trying to park a trailer.  Be flexible in case something comes up. And Enjoy each day.

Just my 2 cents.