OregonJim

Only YOU can determine where to draw the line between minimizing risk and actually living life.

Unfortunately, that link doesn't work anymore. Takes you to a Google support page. EDIT: hold on a sec, it worked the second time. I'll give it a shot...

I must be missing something. I'm trying to add a picture to a post. Directly inserting an image is limited to 0.1MB (100k), which is a laughably tiny limit. So, I tried instead to "Insert image from URL". When I enter the URL (a public image in my Dropbox account) into the pop-up box, it just turns red, with no explanation why, and refuses to allow me to continue. So, how do you get an externally hosted image to show up in a post on this site?

Not to mention that, on YouTube, just about every magic trick ever devised is revealed in great detail...

Well, a "magician" once made my Honda scooter disappear, but that's another story... -Jim

That is exactly what I did in my last trailer. It worked very well. The Tarheel is on the van right now, but due to be transferred to our full-time rig, probably a Class A DP, whenever we find the right one. Before that, I had an S3 43' collapsible fiberglass ground-mount vertical. Collapsed size was about 5 1/2'. Easy to put up, easy to stow, but can be tough to find enough area to spread the radials. Boondocking only, would never try that in a campground... -Jim W7JLL

One foot down to hold the valve open, one hand to plug nose for the duration, and good aim. -Jim

Kirk, you hit the nail on the head. It's not a matter of "should she do it" or "should he do it", it's "can we BOTH do it if needed". -Jim

Oh, we've already discussed it at length and she has no problem with it - otherwise, we wouldn't be considering this lifestyle. But it still bothers me. -Jim

Same here. My DW thinks in an entirely different manner than I do, which sometimes makes communication an interesting exercise. As far as driving goes, my wife will likely be doing most of it, at least when moving from one site to another. In 2008, I had (what the doctors think was) a stroke which left me deaf in my left ear and messed up my equilibrium. Either that, or it's Meniere's Disease (what they officially diagnosed it as). It took nearly a year for me to recover my balance well enough to drive again. I do fine at speeds under 60 mph as long as there aren't more than 2 lanes of parallel traffic (like the Interstate). Higher speeds or multiple lanes of parallel traffic are too much for my brain to deal with (especially when switching lanes or passing). What's interesting is that I have no problems as a passenger. I guess we need to find a good GPS that can route us on secondary roads without low bridges or tolls. I'm also hoping that the higher vantage point of a Class A DP (looking over traffic instead of into it) will help. I hate to put the burden of all the driving on my wife... -Jim

Between my back and my wife's knees, Frisbee golf would be more of a chore than a hobby. We thought about the box trailer, but a toad to sight-see in won that argument. Then we thought about a toy hauler, but that just didn't seem like the right solution. We really want to spend our time exploring places, not fiddling with more stuff. I like your philosophy of leaving some things in the past. It's time to be set free. I'm already feeling liberated just from the planning of how to get rid of all this stuff. Most of it has been packed up in boxes for the past year (preparing for the move), and I haven't really missed it at all. -Jim

Thank you - that is reassuring to hear. It sounds like your preferences are very similar to ours. However, those preferences may or may not change after we've been full-timing for a year or two. I must resist the urge to overthink things and realize that we humans are more adaptable than we realize. -Jim

Thanks, Linda. I'm not too concerned about the 'feel' - I'm more concerned about buying a rig that is too big to go certain places. I want to make sure that I can get into most of the lesser-developed state parks, without going *too* small - looking for that sweet spot, size-wise. -Jim

Well, most of my hobbies require far too much storage space. For example, wood turning requires a lathe, drill press, band saw, sander, not to mention raw stock. My CNC machine is too delicate to withstand the 'rolling earthquake' that is an RV. Electronic design (for me) means oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, soldering station, various meters, PCB making materials, and a wall full of parts bins. I play multiple musical instruments - I could perhaps keep a single keyboard or guitar or violin, but most of it has to go. 3D printing requires a more controlled environment (constant temp/humidity, no drafts) than that available in any RV. The only solution I know of is to find new hobbies. Photography will be a good one. Drawing/painting might be another. My wife & I have recumbent trikes that we'd like to keep if we can find a way to store them... -Jim

Hi all, My wife Bonnie and I are joining the class of 2019! We've been planning since 2014. Actually, we took a road trip in our Chevy Tahoe from Oregon to New Hampshire and back in 2014, and that ignited the spark. It was heartbreaking to stick mostly to the Interstate and miss touring the back roads, but we had limited time. Also, 500 mi/day was not fun - we would rather have done a lot more local exploring. Anyway, we researched full-timing in 2014-2015, and then we (me, mostly) got cold feet as we discovered that we would have to give up too many hobbies and all that 'stuff'. We modified our plans and decided to buy a S&B in NH, and RV part time. So, 2016-2017 were devoted to researching how to sell our Oregon home, buy a NH home, get 3000 sq ft of 'stuff' moved from one coast to the other, and not end up homeless in between. Well, we never did figure out all the logistics. So, this year we both agreed to go back to our original plan. We're going to sell all of our possessions this winter, we've already got the house (mostly) ready to put on the market in the spring. I'm hoping that the proceeds from selling our stuff will be enough to purchase a 3-5 year old class A diesel pusher and toad. That way, we can put the equity from the house sale in the bank and use it to buy another house when the time comes that we can no longer do full-time RVing (if that time ever comes). My biggest question right now relates to RV size. I've heard that many state and national parks, especially in the East, are limited to rigs no larger than 35'. We definitely don't want to shut ourselves out of a significant number of parks by buying a rig that's too large. What do you think? I've made my peace with downsizing, but don't want to go too small, either. -Jim