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Solo18

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  1. The problem occurs when electricity is down and/or businesses cannot access the internet or databases with their electric cash registers. Sometimes, they will have a generator and will be able to run gas pumps, but don't have a way to put a credit card through, so they will sell gas or food as a cash purchase only. That's why it is always a good idea to have some extra cash tucked away, preferably in small bills. In Napa, the small neighborhood grocery store I mentioned sold food by keeping paper tabs and using a calculator to add up prices for customers who could pay cash.
  2. I keep enough cash hidden to get gas and drive enough miles to get out of the way of a natural disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake were to occur and it was difficult to buy gas or food. One tip i learned from someone in Napa, however, after the last earthquake there a few years ago, is to carry your emergency cash in a combination of large and many small bills. She owned a storage business and had been tossing extra ones and fives in a drawer. After the earthquake, a nearby small grocery store was having problems because everyone was coming in with big bills to buy a gallon of milk or some bread, and he could not make change, so she went home and gave him all her stash of small bills.
  3. When I started out 12 years ago, my younger son said I would die in a fiery crash 200 miles down the freeway. I told him I could keep my condo and sit in my chair watching TV for the next 20 years, and I would probably die in my chair, but that I would much prefer to actually do something with the rest of my life, so I'd take the chance of that crash.
  4. Great to hear from you!!! I was next to you at the fairgrounds in TC. Also, saw you head over Big Mac as I was parking in the lot just below it at the Fort visitor center. Not only did I enjoy the jam you gave me, but I started to make my own version of cherry jam and have been giving it away to fellow campers, so if I bump into you again, I'll share it with you and ask for a review of my "recipe." Yours was very good and inspired me. I'm in Florida for the winter, but I'll be heading North through the Soo in August and then west on the TransCanada Highway to Banff and Lake Louise, then south to WA and OR and my son's house in CA for Christmas. Judy
  5. I am an older woman who has been full-timing for over 11 years, and while I started out staying at KOAs, I gave them up very quickly. Unless you are traveling with a bunch of young kids, they are noisy, expensive, crowded, and really set up for families who need kids activities and a pool, none of which I enjoy as I travel. Did I mention expensive??? Since you said "I am traveling" I am assuming you are also a single woman. If so, you will not appreciate the noisy and crowded atmosphere of a KOA at the end of a long day. First, you are planning on driving far too many miles too fast. You will find you have to drive any RV more slowly to avoid winds and other things. You will be exhausted driving just that many miles as you have to focus more driving or pulling any RV. I normally plan on driving no more than 225 miles each day, and then not even every day. First, are you over 62, and if so, do you have a federal senior pass? That will save you 50% on federal campgrounds, the best of which are COE or Corps of Engineers. There are several along your route and will cost you anywhere from $8 to $15 per night. They all have electric hookups and are very safe. You can find federal campgrounds at recreation.gov, and you can get a federal senior pass at any national park. They cost $80 for a lifetime pass or $20 for an annual pass, but you can trade-in 4 annual passes for a lifetime pass. Hard to know where to start to advise you, so I will send you a private message with my email and personal phone number. You have a lot of learning to do, and I wish you well. For me, it has been a great life, and at age 80, I am still chugging onwards. I will be in SoCal late next fall, FYI. I have a son in Napa, and will also be visiting someone near Dana Pointe probably in December.
  6. I met a couple in Michigan who had a custom-built 5th wheel, pulled by an enormous semi truck with a large cab on the back. (I believe they had more than just sleeping space in the cab.) In the space between the cab and the 5th wheel hookup, they had a tiny electric car parked. He said he had registered the truck as a motorhome, and pointed out to me that he had the words "Private Vehicle" painted on both the driver's and the passenger's door. This made it clear it was not a commercial vehicle and did not have to go through weigh stations, inspections, and such things. You can easily spot this very fancy rig if it is in your area because the whole thing is painted with red, white, and blue swirls and streaks! They are very nice people, so say Hi! to them.
  7. If food odors are a concern, look for an RV that has a fan in the kitchen. I have one over my stove, but it is useless because it does not vent outside. However, I DO have a vent with a fan in the ceiling almost directly over my stove. If I were to cook something smelly, i would open that vent and turn on the fan. Much easier than cooking outdoors in the rain and bugs. The outdoor kitchens seldom have more than a grill and maybe an electric hotplate. Cooking hot dogs and hamburgers, and occasionally a steak or some chicken gets old quickly when you are full-timing, and you will want to bake stuff and cook things like casseroles that have to be cooked in an oven. In fact, a lot of us like to cook ahead and freeze extra portions so we can just reheat stuff at the end of a tiring day or driving or sightseeing. Gives you a lot more variety to your diet.
  8. Negative to the outdoor kitchens is that they take up a lot of closet space inside. Most of us who travel full-time do a lot of cooking inside because of weather and because it is just easier.
  9. I get 8-10 MPG on my 32' 2012 motorhome with the v10 engine.
  10. I am a 79 year old woman who has traveled alone in a 32' Motorhome for the past 10 years, driving 183,000 miles in that time. Obviously, I have to do grocery and other kinds of shopping, and I have never had my rig broken into or had anything stolen while in a campground or in a parking lot. I do not spend the night in parking lots of highway rest areas, but instead almost always stay in county, state, and federal campgrounds. I would not feel safe sleeping at night in a parking lot, though some people do it. But, I have never felt unsafe parking there during the day to do my shopping, so you should feel comfortable parking in a grocery store parking lot during the day. Be careful of overhanging branches in parking lots, however. One once grabbed my TV antenna and damaged it. And more recently, I hit some overhead branches in a parking lot that broke the plastic cover on my refrigerator vent fan.
  11. Also, you are going to be subjected to many different allergens than the ones handled by the allergy shots. I do a lot of traveling as I full-time, and I found that southeast US allergens are worse for me--mostly pine and other plants that thrive in warm, moist places. These change when I go to the Northwest, where the climate is cold and moist. Deserts are usually good, but depends on time of year. Just telling you this so you will not be surprised when place and time of year affect your wife's allergies. Medications such as Singular are a big help in those cases. Don't give up traveling, but do keep in touch with your allergist.
  12. Solo18

    No Vacancy

    Be careful about signing up with one or more of the commercial "camping" groups such as Thousand Trails until you have stayed at a couple of their parks and have read the fine print about when and for how long you can stay somewhere. Sometimes they limit you to off season times in places you do not want to go, and also limit you to a specific number of days in specific weeks. I have known a few people who spent thousands of dollars on such plans, thinking it would save them money in the long run only to discover that they did not like the "resorts" and that they could not stay when they wanted to stay. Note: Escapees are excepted from this comment!
  13. Solo18

    No Vacancy

    I've been full-timing for almost 10 years, and prefer state, national, and county parks, so i make my reservations as soon as sites open. I know not everyone likes to do this, but I have specific campgrounds and specific sites I like to get, so early reservations are what I do. Right now, I am working on national parks in July. I already made reservations for several weeks in Washington State, but those sites are pretty much booked up already. Some exceptions might be if you have a very small RV or don't care where you stay. There may also be cancellations a couple of weeks before you want to go somewhere. What you need to do is make a list of when sites open in each state you might want to visit and plan that way.
  14. This is an old posting, but updated. Just want to add that I did not want full body paint when I bought my rig almost 10 years ago because I thought the cost was silly. However, I still get people who think my rig is 2 or 3 years old instead of 10! Well worth the price because I think it will be easier to sell someday.
  15. Just an important point--some of us live full time in our RVs without husbands or significant others to do maintenance stuff. It is not always easy, but it is doable and at least for many of us, worth the trouble. I also have age, being only 5 feet tall, and not being able to kneel against me. So, I use a stool to reach inside the utility compartment to hook up my sewage hose, and I use a wrench to tighten the water hose onto my motorhome because I do not have good hand strength. I also drive with a booster seat so I can see out better! Anyway, don't give up. It may well be that your husband and you will be able to work together once you get on the road. Also, if you sell your house, won't you be able to afford hiring people to do some RV maintenance?? Also, know that many of your neighbors will be more than willing to answer questions or make suggestions if you cannot figure things out. They probably will not want to do the work, but they can be very helpful with suggestions because of their experience.
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