kb0zke

We really miss the large tanks on the Foretravel. We're learning to deal with having half the tank capacity, though, in exchange for 10% of the maintenance costs.

We've been practicing boondocking for the past month or so, mainly by turning the 50A breaker off for a day or two. This week we're practicing water conservation, just to see how long a tank will actually last. Next month we'll boondock three times for two nights each: Brown Springs Campground near Farmington, NM; Sand Island Campground near Bluff, UT; and near Green River, WY. There are several sites near Green River and no permits or reservations needed, so we'll check them out as we get there. Does anyone know anything about any of these campgrounds? Our travel trailer is 40' long, pulled by a 4wd F350.

We have a friend who is in his 80's, widowed, who still pulls his trailer cross-country every year. Other friends are somewhat younger than us and are no longer traveling much. Health and finances probably have more to do with travel decisions than anything else.

Glad she's back. Happy trails.

The owner's manual should give you the proper answer. If not, call the factory's customer service number. I actually removed the one that came with our trailer for a time. We were installing an electrical upgrade, so many other things were replaced, too. I now have a true battery disconnect switch that is mounted very close to the batteries.

Bruce, you nailed it with your first paragraph. What works for you may not work for me, and what works for me may not work for you. The biggest problem I see with both of those trailers is that they are designed by EV engineers, not campers, and certainly not by full-timers. I didn't poke around on their websites much, but I didn't see much about weights, tank capacities, etc. How will these things perform on cloudy or rainy days? What about wooded campgrounds, like may State parks? Water usage varies quite a bit. We met some Airstreamers last year that say they go 7-10 days on a tank of water, but I noticed that they were making several trips each day to use the campground facilities. How long would their water last if they didn't use other water? Next week we're going to experiment some. Sunday afternoon I'm going to fill and dump, then we'll go as long as we can using as little water as we can while still using only our own water. That will tell us how long we can boondock.

"Physically 67, mentally 14." My mind says I'm 37. My back and knees beg to differ. Question: When you get old enough to know better?

COE is our first choice, followed by State parks and local parks. We'll go to a commercial park if that works best, but we check the others first.

When we hit the road in 2014, we had some things stored with family members, but everything else was with us in the Foretravel. Five years ago we got our lot here at The Ranch, so now we're here for the winter and can change out stuff as needed. We traveled for several years before deciding on getting a winter base. Most of the Escapees co-ops have waiting lists and require a visit prior to getting on the waiting list. There are also parks that have some lots with long-term lease arrangements, so be sure to check out the various options. We have a couple of lots coming up here due to current leaseholders moving to a fixed location close to doctors. That can be an issue for some, so as you look around be sure to keep that in mind if it applies to you.

There are lots of stories about pets that eventually return home, sometimes years later. Not sure I've heard any about pets that manage to find a home that moves around the country, though. Since your cat is chipped, I would think that any animal shelter/pound would check for that, and you would be notified that your pet is at a certain place. We worry about our cat, too, sometimes. She hasn't been outside by herself in over 10 years. The last time she was a kitten and there was a bunch of cold, wet, white stuff all over the ground and she didn't like it one little bit. When we had the Foretravel we just put her in her kennel when it was time to travel. Now, we have to put her in the kennel and carry it to the truck. When we come home she will often meet us at the door, and then scamper in the direction she thinks we will go. So far no attempts to go outside.

I retired in 2013 and we hit the road in 2014. I got "roped" into a job in Wyoming for two years, but other than that we've been full-timing since 2014. We started out in a 40' MH, and loved it except for the maintenance costs. In January 2023 we switched to a travel trailer of similar overall size. During that time I've had cataract surgery on both eyes and a detached retina on one eye. We've had a few deaths of family members and the births of four of our five grandchildren. Five years ago we got our lot here at The Ranch, so we have a home base for stuff we don't need to carry with us all the time. Of course, sometimes what we want is back here and we're there, so off to the store we go... Our original idea was to give full-timing a try for five years. Ten years later we're starting to talk about what exit plans might look like. In the meantime we're planning our travels. "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." "When we start planning God starts laughing."

We stayed in Liberal at the beginning of covid, so couldn't see the museum. A couple of weeks ago we stayed just up the road from Liberal in Dodge City. We didn't have time to see anything there, but there are quite a few things to see and do there. I think you could easily spend a week between Liberal and Dodge City. North Platte is also a lot of fun. Buffalo Bill's ranch is west of town. His wife didn't like the ranch because it was too far from town. North Platte is home to a huge railroad switching yard. You can go up the Golden Spike (fee involved) to watch the activity. Retired railroad employees are up there to explain what is going on. Near North Platte is Paxton, NE, home of Ole's. Good food (come hungry). We stayed at the I-80 campground on the east side of NP. Nothing fancy, but good people. Lots of other things to do in NP. Oh yes, you won't have any troubles leveling there. There is something like a 10" difference between the highest and lowest points in North Platte.

I use one all the time, even here at The Ranch, where each of the two water pipes on our lot has two faucets. The reason is that I have quick connect fittings on everything, so I screw the wye on and then everything else is quick connect.

Yes, he does. I watched quite a few of his videos before I bought my components.

Most of us have traveled enough to know that each State seems to have a unique way of paying for things. Some States charge for everything in a State Park, often with a higher rate for non-residents. Others seem to think that campers will spend money while in the area, which increases sales tax income, so they keep the prices fairly low. Since everything eventually comes out of the taxpayers' pockets anyway, it doesn't really make much difference how it is funded. Some ways just seem more painful than others. I'm not a New Mexico resident, so I don't have an official vote, but I do have a financial vote. If I think that staying at a KOA, for example, is the same price as the State Park and offers more of what I want, then I'll stay there. If I think the State Park is the better value, I'll stay there. Case in point: We have family in Lincoln, Nebraska. There are several State Parks within a few miles of Lincoln, and some of the family like to camp there. A few years ago we decided we would join them, so we made arrangements to be at neighboring campsites. Being Nebraska residents, they had the resident annual pass, so it didn't cost them anything to come into the park, just the camping fee. Since we are not Nebraska residents, and were there only for a short time, we had to buy a day pass for the motorhome and another one for the car, both at the higher non-resident rate. Then the camp fees were at a higher rate, too. Now, when we go to Lincoln, we stay at the Lancaster Event Center, which is more convenient and costs less. When we lived in Missouri, those same family members couldn't get over the fact that it didn't cost them anything to enter a Missouri State Park, and that they would pay the same for a campsite as a Missouri resident.