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Class of 2019


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Re: Memorizing numbers

I use Google Keep quite a bit to save that kind of stuff. I have one note with all our car (RV, toad, daughter's car) plate numbers with year make & model. Another with the access code for our storage unit, another for RV stuff like cabinet measurements, bike lock codes, and so on. Also put grocery list there & things I eventually need/want to buy.

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4 hours ago, Kirk W said:

If you now pay state income tax, this could be a beneficial change of plans. 

Yes it might be! Jersey likes its taxes! Income, property, sales, and rain!

Just more of a headache than I was prepared for, I would have started the domicile search way earlier if I would have known about my daughters change of plans. But that is what makes life interesting....right.😂

2019 Thor ARIA 3901: 2019 Jeep Wrangler:

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Hey guys! Just wanted to check in & see what everyone's plans are. Is anyone going to be in Quartzsite in Jan? And the Escapade in WY in June? We will be doing both & would love to meet anyone who's around!

We left Houston this morning, headed for California to see DH's dad for Christmas, south of LA. Will head out from there after the New Year and wander around, aiming for Q'site around the time of the tent show. Plan on wandering around the Southern desert Southwest for the winter. Oh yeah, gonna be in Tucson for the Escapees Hangout in early Feb.

The beginning of full-time life has been great! We left Houston Sept 1 & headed to Red Bay AL, to get punch list work done on our new rig at the Tiffin factory. Spent 2 1/2 weeks there waiting for, and then getting the work done. But we met lots of fellow Tiffin owners & had fun trading stories. We will likely head back there in March before our warranty is up

After that, we wandered to East visiting family we don't get to see a lot of. We went to Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, DC, HamptonVA, AshevilleNC, Atlanta, and Destin before heading back to Houston for a month to take care of med & financial stuff. Took our toad up to Tulsa to see fam for Tgiving. Kind of weird being in a S&B for a week after sleeping in the Chrysalis every night since late May. We missed her. 

But now we're back on the road again & I'm so excited! Hope to see some of ya'll in person!

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35 minutes ago, Cheryl Mc said:

Just wanted to check in & see what everyone's plans are. Is anyone going to be in Quartzsite in Jan? And the Escapade in WY in June?

While we aren't part of the class, we will be at Escapade so will be happy to meet you then! I lead the security team so should be really easy for you to get in touch with. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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Cheryl - you have certainly put on the miles this fall!

Funny that you left Houston Thursday, That’s the day I left Livingston. Right now I’m in Las Cruces, I’ll be in Tucson this evening, Yuma area tomorrow for a couple of days. Then Christmas with my sister in Vegas, leaving the 29th.

I’m going to Quartzsite, definitely in January, possibly for New Years (haven’t decided yet). My idea at this point is to buy an LTVA permit at the BLM office in Yuma, since I’m going there anyway. That will give me more options for staying in the area. So my guess is I’ll be there the first of the month, moving over to Scaddan Wash area to meet up with friends January 9th, the week before the big top opens. I’ll be leaving Q on the 23rd for a place near Phoenix, not entirely sure what my plans are for February (thinking about going back to Q for a while, maybe) and early March, there’s a lot to see in Arizona.

I’ll definitely be at Escapade. I also signed up for the RV boot camp, figured they can tell me all of the things I’ve been doing wrong for so long!

My first days as being a full-timer have been fun and unexpected. I’ve visited places I never expected to visit now (Florida), got to be better friends with a TC owning couple I had met a couple of times before, and met lots and lots of new friends at various campgrounds I’ve stopped at. Not sure it feels any different than when I took long trips before I sold the house. I keep thinking that it will eventually feel different, it probably will in February, when I realize I don’t have to shovel my driveway!

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Looks like your right in front of us. We just spent 2 nights at Davis Mtns State Park and heading to Las Cruces today. We will stay in LC 3 nights, then one night each at Picacho Peaks SP, AZ and then somewhere in Yuma before heading onto CA.

I highly recommend the Boot Camp. We did it in Nov '18 at Livingston & learned a ton.

Maybe we'll catch up in Qsite.!

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On 12/12/2019 at 3:22 PM, Cheryl Mc said:

We are in Livingston TX now and will not be leaving he area for a few weeks. Probably heading to Livingston Lake then south to Galveston area. Then east from there.  Will not be making it to the Q this year with the 2019 group.  We want to be in northern Mississippi to start the spring.

 

Mark from Missouri

Our Future in an RV

2018 Ram 3500 Laramie Dually LB 6.7L HO Diesel Aisin Transmission 4x4 3.73 Gears

2019 Vanleigh Vilano 320GK 35’ fifth wheel 16,000-pound GVWR

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16 hours ago, Cheryl Mc said:

Looks like your right in front of us. We just spent 2 nights at Davis Mtns State Park and heading to Las Cruces today. We will stay in LC 3 nights, then one night each at Picacho Peaks SP, AZ and then somewhere in Yuma before heading onto CA.

I highly recommend the Boot Camp. We did it in Nov '18 at Livingston & learned a ton.

Maybe we'll catch up in Qsite.!

If you don’t mind staying about 30 miles east of Yuma, there’s a nice Passport America associated park called Copper Mountain. It’s out in the middle of nowhere so not a good stop if you need to shop in Yuma, and may be too far east depending on where you are going in California. I don’t know if they have pull-through sites, I’ve only stayed in their back-in ones, which are huge, much wider than normal. It’s typical desert, no trees. I’ll be there tonight and tomorrow.

Otherwise there are tons of campgrounds in Yuma, but haven’t stayed at any of them. There’s an Encore Park that looks really nice, I’ve driven past it occasionally. I’m going to be staying with a friend of mine there (he has full hookups) from the 18th-21st, I’ll do the trip up to Vegas in 2 days.

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5 hours ago, fpmtngal said:

If you don’t mind staying about 30 miles east of Yuma, there’s a nice Passport America associated park called Copper Mountain. It’s out in the middle of nowhere so not a good stop if you need to shop in Yuma, and may be too far east depending on where you are going in California. I don’t know if they have pull-through sites, I’ve only stayed in their back-in ones, which are huge, much wider than normal. It’s typical desert, no trees. I’ll be there tonight and tomorrow.

Otherwise there are tons of campgrounds in Yuma, but haven’t stayed at any of them. There’s an Encore Park that looks really nice, I’ve driven past it occasionally. I’m going to be staying with a friend of mine there (he has full hookups) from the 18th-21st, I’ll do the trip up to Vegas in 2 days.

I think we're going to boondock for just the one night. Vibin' & Drivin' (You Tube channel) has a list of their favorite free campsites & one is just west of Yuma.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I’m now in Quartzsite, think I’ll stick around here until the middle of the month.

Christmas was wonderful this year, celebrated it with my sister and her family in Las Vegas. I did get tired of driving from the Oasis RV Park up to Summerlin, stopping at my storage unit though. I don’t know if I’ll ever get organized!

I toyed with the idea of skipping the LTVA pass and just moving between the 14 day free areas. But in the end, decided it was still worth it to get the season pass, I very well may stick around here for February and part of March (maybe).

So far it’s been interesting, to say the least. I’ve driven a lot further than I had planned on (hadn’t planned on Thanksgiving in Florida, which added over 2,000 miles). I found and fixed one plumbing leak and suspect that the pressure relief valve on the water heater may be flaky. And that’s got me thinking about replacing the water heater, the drain plug threads are gunky from hard water and when I tried to replace the plastic drain plug, two new ones got cross-threaded. I gave up at that point and put in the old one, which works for now. There’s always something with an RV, decisions to be made. A Jew water heater is over-kill at this point though.

Is anyone else from the class of 2019 here?

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  • 1 month later...

Just wondering how my fellow class of 2019 are doing this first month of 2020.  If all of you are happy with the choices you made last year to go full time.

This morning I started thinking about various things.  Most people I’ve talked to about going full-time said to give it time - a year - before you really get a feel of what it’s like.  I’ve been a long-timer for several years and for the most part, I’ve been feeling like I’m just in the middle of another multi-month trip (I’ve been full-time since the last week in September, 4 months).

I’ve been very lucky the past 6 years - I haven’t had a cold or the flu or anything like that.  And I’ve never been sick when I’ve been living in the trailer (5 years).  As I sit here in the early morning, sniffling and coughing from a head cold, it occurs to me that dealing with a minor, annoying illness is a big step toward being a permanent full-timer.  I don’t have the option any more of cutting a trip short and going home.  Plus I’m dealing with this while I’m dry camping (I had power and water for a couple of days but have otherwise been dry camping since before New Years).  

If I can gracefully get through this stupid head cold (which I think I got while waiting for 3 hours at the CVS in Parker Arizona for a prescription, or else at the Safeway next door), I think I will have crossed a threshold.  

What do my fellow classmates think about that?  Have you felt a difference yet between being on a long trip and being full-time yet?  Why?

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On 1/31/2020 at 8:38 AM, fpmtngal said:

Just wondering how my fellow class of 2019 are doing this first month of 2020.  If all of you are happy with the choices you made last year to go full time.

What do my fellow classmates think about that?  Have you felt a difference yet between being on a long trip and being full-time yet?  Why?

We just completed our 5th month as fulltime.  Wife and I also worked through having a cold which in her case even included a call with a doctor through a telemed online service.  Had to replace the truck while stopped, fortunately at a decent park.  So some big things as well.

We definitely like the decision to go full time although there are briefer times when we still stop and wonder if this was the best thing.  Life goes on like normal. Sickness and truck issues or whatever.  I agree the ability to be flexible and remembering this is not a vacation makes us more full-timers than not.  Lots of challenges out there. The key is are the hassles worth it.  We think so.

 So glad to have met so many others who taught us so much. So glad we tend to stay a week at a time, and twice for monthly stays, as we learn this way of life. The support system from our new neighbors is awesome. Seems like in just a couple days you get to know them.  The wife is able to talk to neighbors about her concerns and the emotions of it. I'm also able to get second opinions from the neighbors.  Really great support system to include everyone here on this forum.

 

Mark from Missouri

Our Future in an RV

2018 Ram 3500 Laramie Dually LB 6.7L HO Diesel Aisin Transmission 4x4 3.73 Gears

2019 Vanleigh Vilano 320GK 35’ fifth wheel 16,000-pound GVWR

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Wow - replacing the truck is significant!  While I’ve considered upgrading my truck to a 3/4 ton to get more payload, I wouldn’t want to have truck problems first and be forced into it.  Sounds like you’ve had some great support from other campers along the way.  That’s one of the things I love about the whole RV community.

I’m at a cross-roads today.  I’ve been camping with friends for most of the month and the last few are all heading home tomorrow (different directions). 

So tomorrow is the first day since I sold the house where I don’t have some sort of goal or direction.  It’s a weird, new sensation for me.  I can stay where I am now (dry camping) and sit out the cold and windy weather predicted for the next couple of days. Or I can go to a full-hookup campground about 130 miles away and try to run my 6 gallon water heater out of water without considering the size of my grey tank.  I’ll decide in the morning...

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Sounds like you are setup for longer boondocking stays.  That's a plus in that it gives you more choices on where you stay.  We are setup, or making adjustments, trying to hit a 2 week goal for electric only hookups. So far we would just have to add about 30 gallons of fresh water as our waste tanks will handle it.  We have a 30 amp generator but still try and find at least 30 amp connections in a park.

We decided so far not to plan to far out ahead of us, so the ability to take a spot with less services is a plus as the parks we like fill up such as state and corp. of engineers. We don't like having a place to be at a certain time although we are scheduled in late April at the factory for minor RV repairs.  By the way you may already know you can buy an annual pass ($80) for Corp of Engineer parks which cuts you stays to half price.  If you are 62 or older the annual pass is good for a lifetime.  American the Beautiful pass is what it's called.

We kind of pick an area we want to be and gradually meander towards it.  Hate moving more than 200 miles at a time or spending any less than 2 days in a spot.  Once we arrive at the park/spot we decide in a day or so if we want to extend our stay, hence not having too many reservations setup ahead of our travels.

Waiting the winter out sounds good!  I know the feeling when friends that you came to know start moving out. Causes hitch-ich and the desire to move as well.  But, seems like in some cases new friends just move in behind them.

I retired in October of 2019 so I'm still adjusting to that change as well.  It's about equally as hard as moving into the RV lifestyle.  The wife had been retired already and established a routine at our old sticks-and-bricks house. I think she is having more trouble than me making the switch in terms of how she spends her days. Finding those friends in the parks for longer term stays has been a huge help.

Mark from Missouri

Our Future in an RV

2018 Ram 3500 Laramie Dually LB 6.7L HO Diesel Aisin Transmission 4x4 3.73 Gears

2019 Vanleigh Vilano 320GK 35’ fifth wheel 16,000-pound GVWR

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Thanks for your insights - a very interesting perspective and different than what mine had been - different circumstances and different backgrounds.  Reading your point of view has given me some things to think about, I like that.

I ended up deciding that I really didn’t want to hunker down alone for a couple of cold, windy days at the isolated piece of BLM desert south of Why Arizona we were occupying, so opted for the full-hookup campground and a long, hot shower 130 miles away.  That piece of desert was very nice, I’ll stay there again and do the things I didn’t do this time, but I wanted that long, hot shower and it was going to be a lonely spot without the people I was camping with.

I am willing to do up to 300-350 miles a day if there’s a good reason to do it - I did it that was when I was a part-timer and it seems like a comfortable fit for the most part.  Probably it’s a bad habit I should try to break, right?

You just must have bigger waste tanks than I do - I can manage 10-12 days before I need to dump, depending on how careful I am and how interested (or not) I am in moving over to a dump station (requires re-arranging stuff and packing up the computer).  If I weren’t solo I couldn’t begin to contemplate 2 weeks!  One of the couples who went home today can only do about 4 days without dumping and refilling.

As far as power goes, I have fairly small power requirements so I’m able to be self-sustaining, using the generator when the solar falls short (more than one cloudy, rainy day in a row mostly, but also I have a couple of things that are beyond my small inverter’s capability).  I’m lucky in that I can run anything in my trailer (including my AC if needed) with a Honda 2200 generator and propane.  I would love to have more battery power and more solar, and a bigger inverter, but then we are talking significant money and I’m still vaguely thinking of replacing my trailer at some point.

Your comments about friends in one place leaving and other soon-to-be friends moving in to take their place is something I had forgotten/overlooked with the whirlwind that January was.  I spent most of it involved with a forum camping group I’ve known and traveled with since I bought my trailer over 4 years ago.  I always feel a sense of loss whenever I leave one of their get-togethers.  Thanks for the reminder that it’s just a temporary thing.

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Well I guess I'm class of 2019. I bought my Thor Hurricane  Four Winds 2001 in August and began full timing in Houston as I moved into the RV from living with my  brother since 2009. Ten years was long enough for that situation. Two hard headed independent people under one roof. I stayed in two resorts in Houston til November then drove the RV to Missouri for two moths to celebrate the holidays with mom and the rest of the family. Celebrated Grandma's 100th birthday the week before thanksgiving. Wow. Stayed til Christmas then drove the RV back to Texas and parked it here in Tyler. Went on down to Houston with mom to celebrate Christmas with my brother and pick up my Pickup truck. Came back to Tyler in that and that's where I am now. Might be moving to a Lake Palestine resort come spring time if all goes as planned.

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3 hours ago, SteveCampsOut said:

Celebrated Grandma's 100th birthday the week before thanksgiving. Wow. 

Yes, welcome to the class of 2019!

And a double wow for having a grandmother who’s 100 - that’s awesome!  My grandmother claimed to be 96 the year she passed away, but my sister is into genealogy and found her birth certificate - she lied, she was actually 98!  I hope I will be as spry as she was at her age.

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I sold my home on Vancouver Island BC  in Nov. 2018 and have been travelling since. I picked up my current rig (an Alto  R1713 by Safari Condo) in May 2019 and travelled to Yukon and Alaska. The winters I spent in the Baja. I am a solo Over and am enjoying "My Happy Place". I have not done very much with the Escapees although I have attended the get togethers on Vancouver island and I have stayed in Yuma at Kofa.

Am planning to join the Solos but need to get back to Canada to mail my application and cheque. If I mail it from the Baja, it will likely not get there this year....lol.

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2 hours ago, Queen Mary said:

I have stayed in Yuma at Kofa.

Am planning to join the Solos but need to get back to Canada to mail my application and cheque. If I mail it from the Baja, it will likely not get there this year....lol.

Where in Kofa did you stay?  A couple of friends of mine are camping along Palm Canyon Road and I went up there to visit - a very nice place.  It’s gotten to be quite popular, they were far from alone along the road.

I still haven’t joined the Solos, figure I’ll check them out at Escapade in June.

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  • 6 months later...

Hello, Everyone!

I guess I'm a late-comer to the 2019 Graduating Class. Had been dreaming of this since I was a kid, in one form or another. Had firm plans to go Full-time in 2008, buying a used Class-A to live out of in Georgia and Florida, spending the required amount of time in each state to earn another pension working as a 911 Dispatcher. Well, God had other plans, and in 2007, I became disabled with Meniere's Disease and other complications. My career ended in 2008, and within a year, I was homeless. I guess you could say I went full-time for the first time in May 2009, living out of my Pontiac Vibe with a tent, gear, books, my cat and tenacity.

After a long, hard battle, I eventually won my SSD case in November, 2014. By then, I was living with a man I thought I'd be with for the rest of my life. When able, I'd take driving vacations by myself, sleeping in my Jeep Cherokee or pitching a tent near friends and family. Sadly, Christmas Eve 2018, he and I had a falling out, and my dream to be free-roaming was immediately moved back to the front burner.

February 2019, I purchased my 2019 Forest River Wolf Pup 16BHS. I modified the bunkhouse to allow for better storage, including a rod for hanging clothes. I sold what I could, packed what I couldn't, and rented a very small long-term storage locker for my furniture and other belongings. April 1st (no joke!) 2019, I stepped into my camper to live full-time, and haven't looked back. The first few months, I visited family and friends in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, boon and Lot-docking along the way, or staying in their driveways for a month or two at a time.

I camped while exploring Washington D.C., while off-roading in the Uwharries of North Carolina, then more friend/fam visiting through Tennessee, Georgia and down into Florida for the winter on my parents' property.

In March of 2020, Covid-19 forced me back to Illinois (too soon!) for a cold couple of months camping on a friend's farm while tending to various medical needs, doctors appointments, and more friend/fam visiting through Social Distancing. With a clean bill of health, I hit the road again the end of June, finally crossing off of my Bucket List, a westward journey that included camping while exploring Yellowstone NP and the Grand Tetons, then down into Flaming Gorge. I'm currently making my way to Sacramento, planning to spend the end of summer and the foreseeable future near the home of my aged Great Aunt, as she has requested my assistance in maintaining her independence for as long as she can. I've been down in Las Vegas for the last month, awaiting repairs to my beloved Jeep after hitting a poor deer in Utah.

I'm looking forward to getting to know fellow travelers, to compare notes and offer up my own insights where needed. I am a firm believer that God always puts me where He wants me, and hope His plans include attending an Escapee event or two in the future.

Thank you for taking the time, if you read this far. I welcome anyone in this thread to add me on Facebook for pictures and travel updates (www.facebook.com/Talegi710). Look forward to getting to know you!

 

Edited by Talegi
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Yesterday my mail caught up with me again, and in it is the renewal for my trailer.  I can’t believe it’s been almost a full year since I started my full-time life.

It’s not exactly been the year I had planned - I had originally planned on “bagging” my last lower 48 state (Wisconsin) and seeing Michigan’s UP.  Instead, I’ve hung around Arizona and New Mexico, figure I’ll do that trip to the northern mid-west next year or sometime later.  I don’t have to do everything right now.

I’m sitting here now reflecting about things as I look at that renewal notice.  I had originally told myself that I would give myself 6 months in my little trailer before deciding whether I should buy something bigger.  And I would give myself a year before deciding whether I wanted to continue being a full-timer or get a home base somewhere and go back to part-time.  I’m still living in my little trailer, still don’t know whether I want a bigger one or not.  I ended up buying a bigger truck, figured it would be better to get the extra payload I needed now, then decide on a trailer sometime in the future.

It looks like I’m going to remain full-time - no place has “called my name” and I don’t feel at all uncomfortable, claustrophobic or anything else that would make changing my living arrangement attractive.  I can live very comfortably in what I have, especially since I now have a truck that’s a long way from GVWR with this trailer, and will be very competent for a larger trailer, in spite of all the junk I have.

Things aren’t exactly what I had envisioned when I sold the house - I had planned on traveling a lot for at least a year.  I had big plans, the only one that actually happened was spending the winter in Quartzsite.  I had not only planned the mid-west trip but also to spend this coming winter traveling around south Texas, spending a week here and there.  I’ve never been south of San Antonio and figured that since Texas is now my home state, I should explore it more - now it’s something to do next winter as I’ve chosen to travel very little due to the virus.

Is the way things have worked out this year, where I’ve been sitting around more than chasing that exciting next location like I did when I was part-time what full-timing is like for many?  And how many of the Class of 2019 are still on the road, still happy with their decision?

It looks like I’ll go back to Quartzsite and spend most of the winter there.  I like the area, the LTVA is a very inexpensive place to stay (as long as you don’t take too much advantage of the Amazon Hub location in Blythe!) and it’s easy to find a spot that’s isolated.

I hope all of my fellow classmates are doing well, staying healthy and are happy with wherever they are.

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  • 6 months later...

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