CLASS OF 2016

[Gannet]

I think we found our coach. Very exciting! Inspector is supposed to take a look-see on Monday.

[freestoneangler]

Bill & Jennie here. My 30 years of employment with the same company will come to a close April 2016 if I opt for early retirement (not likely much will change that plan, but one never knows). We're still in the hunt for a DP after initially having looked at and considered 5vers. We purchased a 2500 CTD for a 5th wheel, then decided we liked the idea of being able to get up and stretch while on the road. Also makes travel with our then 2-1/2 year old yellow lab easier. But that's OK, I love the truck and it works like a champ hauling a pop-up slide in camper. We just purchased a CRV for the tow car... so the cheap part of the rig is done . Except for the first year or two where we plan to travel the states, we do not plan to full time... just do the winter snowbird thing. Neither of us think we can be without a home. At present, we have plans to build in MT... but always considering options.

 

We'll keep tabs on the thread as time rolls along... good luck to all of us preparing to make the plunge. This site sure has been helpful getting insights from those who have been down the roads.

[HighwayRanger]

Mandolin,

 

We vacillate back and forth between a higher-end fifth wheel plus a Ram 3500 dually, and a Newmar Dutch Star diesel pusher. We will have a limited launch budget, so we are trying to be smart while not making a mistake. Whatever we go with, it needs to be THE full time rig for us. Not gonna be able to change rigs every couple of years.

 

As for our house, we have it rented out (So. Cal location) and are debating whether or not it is wise to sell it (and net 50-75 grand or so) or let it marinate for several more years. We will need to have seed money when we come off the road, and the house equity could do that, but I also like ditching the hassle of being a landlord too.

 

We will get the house appraised next spring, and will make the call at that time.

 

Hope to meet you on the road in summer of 2016!

 

Roy

[grayghost03]

Well we have had garage sell #2, got rid of a lot of clothes, kitchen duplicates, sports supplies (reading hunting gear). All went well, what little was left was donated. We have the house and property (5acres) ready and will list it for sale this week. We have been busy getting rid of "stuff". The new 5ver and truck is ready. If the house sells quick (we can all dream) we may check out early. Our daughter and husband moved to the Dallas area (grand kids went with them :-) so there isn't anything left here in Roswell to keep us rooted, except house and jobs. Once the house is sold, the jobs will be easy to vacate. The big problem we have is our pets, two Red Heelers, one is 8yrs and one is 4yrs. We are looking for a good home, they are outside dogs. Both are super great with kids and are sweet hearts, trying to find a home that can take both. Well, onward we go.

[Gannet]

So today we sealed the deal on our new home, a 1994 Blue Bird Wanderlodge 40'. So excited!

 

It doesn't come home until first week of January, plenty to do between now and then.

[grayghost03]

Wa Hoo, House went on the market today. Now we wait.

[imadtchmn]

Happy New Year everyone. May this year be even better than the last.

Edited January 1, 2015 by imadtchmn

[mandolin57]

Happy 2015 to the Class of 2016........we're on the downhill now! I hope everyone has a great year, and everything falls into place for you all. For us, it's going to be busy, with painting party in May, huge yard sale in September and all the other fun stuff in between to get the house ready for listing in 2016. Can not wait!!!!! Take care and be safe and healthy this year most importantly!

[whatsnext]

We are getting final pricing on the truck & coach. We are still planning on jumping in on Jan 1 2016! But there is definitely a lot that has to get done first. 2015 will probably just fly!

[Gannet]

Well, the newbies made it home from our 1,400 mile "delivery trip" fetching our '94 Blue Bird Wanderlodge. From north of Dallas to Sarasota. It was scary at times but we did fine, especially considering I've never driven anything like this before.

 

We had adventures, including our first-ever overnight stop at Rainbow's End, then the next night our first-ever back-in, after dark (!), to a spot in a deserted and unlit municipal campground on the Pearl River. That was a bit, shall we say "exciting", but there were no dents, no yelling, and no lost tempers, so all's well. Two more back-ins on following nights but those weren't so bad.

 

No real problems with the coach. It's amazingly tight for being 20 years old and 120k miles. No rattles at all except on bad roads.

 

Here's a picture of it in the driveway: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=593192917448728&set=a.102624889838869.2568.100002740744956&type=1&theater

 

Tomorrow we take it to our first rally, a WOG gathering at Parliament Coach in Clearwater, Florida.

 

I know for sure seeing it sitting there in the driveway is going to put the pressure on. Let's wrap up this old life and Get Going!

[mandolin57]

Very Nice Gannet!

Looks like you're getting closer to the dream!

Travel safe and have fun at your rally!

 

 

[grayghost03]

Well, its been a whirlwind month, as posted on December 4th, house went on the market, sold in 1 day. We close on the 29th of January, we start fulltiming the 25th (this Sunday) so I guess we go from the class of 2016 to the class of 2015. Getting everything arranged and sold has been busy to say the least. Holidays thrown in and family coming in didn't help, but it was nice to have one more family reunion in the house. We are excited, tired, but excited. Onward and upward.

[mandolin57]

Wish we were you John and Janice, but hope you enjoy yourselves and have safe travel!

[khb]

My DW and I gave away our fully depreciated pop-up truck camper here in Africa, and we are coming back this July, a month before my 66th birthday. We will try to sell some off our stuff here, notably the 1996 single cab pickup truck.

The plan is to get a 9-month lease on an apartment in Michigan and then buy an RV. Currently leaning to the newest floorplan of the class C Forest River Solera. It has has a walk-around queen bed on the full wall slide-out. The benefit of never getting a home is that we'll be that much closer to fulltiming.

Tentative date for beginning our life on the road: June 1, 2016. I'll be a work-camper, trying to wind up our life-work in 3 previously-unwritten languages while on the road. We will also be helping our daughter, also a missionary, start a PhD program in linguistics.

We plan on maintaining our MI domicile and using a local-to-us UPS office there to forward us our mail along with giving us a virtual physical address good for all purposes.

They charge is $108 a year. Mail forwarding 2x a month is $10 plus postage is $108 a year. Mail forwarding 2x a month is $10 plus postage.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Keith

[mandolin57]

Hi Keith, we may be hitting the road around the same time. Ours will depend on how quickly we sell our house when we list it early next year. What missions were you with in Africa? It's great your daughter is following the same path. I know from hearing our own missionaries speak, it is both challenging and rewarding, but it's great that you could be used in that capacity. Take care and best wishes as you start to prepare. We're going to leave PA as our residence for a bit too, until we see how it will all go.

[khb]

Wycliffe Bible Translators. Joined Dec. 1972, Worked in Cameroon most of that time, the only exceptions being occasional visits back to the US.

[Waynemcd]

Ruth and Wayne McDonell here planning on retiring September 2016. Found great deal on 2000 Newmar Dutch Star, one owner, garaged it's entire life. New tires. Not a scratch inside and out. Have all maintenance records since new. Gentleman took very good care of the coach. Have our tow vehicle- Honda Element. Used to think those things were so ugly. really like it now. Lots of head room- I'm 6'3'. wife calls the car a toaster. We presently live in Alaska and will be spending summers here in our older Cruise Aire III and then spending the winters based out of our sons home in Oklahoma. Been planning on full timing for years now and it's hard to believe that time is almost here. Looking forward to meeting many of you on the road.

[mandolin57]

Welcome Ruth and Wayne.....we're shooting for house on market in March 2016 and hopefully a fast sell. Would love to be out no later then June. It's really nice that you found your future home in great condition and sounds like you already have a plan in place. Alaska is an area that we'd love to hit sometime, (in the summer please) They say it's really beautiful country. Wish you the best in your planning and pass along any tips that might be making it easier for you....we could use some too!

[mandolin57]

Wycliffe Bible Translators. Joined Dec. 1972, Worked in Cameroon most of that time, the only exceptions being occasional visits back to the US.

Well welcome, and best wishes on your planning and arrival back into the states!

[imadtchmn]

Well our first trip of the year is planned. Going to F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Georgia at the end of March. Hopefully the weather will be warmer than it is now. We have had a cold winter with lots of rain. No snow or ice like last year so far. Fingers crossed. We've never been there and from what I have found out from various websites, this is a huge park. Since it is right outside Calloway Gardens, we'll have to visit that also.

 

I have some mods I want to do to the 5th wheel before going and need to fix the shower holding tank. Seems we have a leak there. Getting a plastic welding kit to repair it. Hopefully it will be an easy repair. I do have to remove the coroplastic so I can access the tank, but I do like having it there. The floors stay much warmer. Sill have to finish sealing the sides of the coroplastic also, so I'll do that after the tank is repaired.

 

I see we have more people coming into this class. Welcome all and have a wonderful day and year. Although we live in our RV, we can't wait until I retire so we can travel without work restrictions. The DW and I are looking forward to it.

[SpaceNorman]

Hi all ... after 15+ years of dreaming and scheming - my wife and I took our first concrete towards becoming card carrying members of the Class of 2016 today. We closed the deal on the purchase of a gently used 2012 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 43 DFT - in anticipation of retirement in July of 2016. We decided to purchase the coach a little early - hoping that having a chance to use it some a bit prior to retirement will let us ease into the RV lifestyle - and make the transition into full-timing a little smoother.

 

We plan on using the next year to outfit the coach with all the little stuff we'll need ... while kicking our effort to downsize (which has been underway for a couple of years - albeit very slowly) into a higher gear.

 

With temps here in Michigan hovering around 0 degrees and a couple of feet of snow on the ground ... I suspect the next month or two is gonna be tough while we wait for the weather to break so we can take the "new" coach out for our maiden voyage.

Edited February 19, 2015 by SpaceNorman

[chasmatt]

Mernie and I thought we would go full time in 2012 when I retired. We spent a year in a 37 foot MH driving all over the western states, went to an Escapees HOP at the Rose Parade and wintered in Mesa, AZ. When we got home in the spring of 2013 we realized we were not ready to give up the house yet. We sold the MH and bought a small TT for short trips. Late last year we decided we were ready now to go full-time. We bought a good tow vehicle and a 39 foot 5er(still at the dealer) in January, and are getting the house ready to sell. We intend to be full time one month after the house sells. Right now we are unloading excess stuff. Going to have a lot of things on Craig's List.

[HighwayRanger]

So, now that we're under the 10-month mark, we are getting serious about the RV selection. We continue to go back and forth between a nice diesel pusher and a high-end fifth wheel. But, we are trying to make the first good financial decision of our lives, and are looking at a more modest fiver and truck. Could save $100K if we go that route. Seems like the right thing to do, as long as we are still happy as fulltimers. What we're not going to do, is to change RVs 18 months into the journey because we made a mistake. So, we'll make the best decision we can, and will look forward to hitting the road in the Spring of 2016!

 

Roy

[SpaceNorman]

I think my wife and I became card carrying members of the Class of 2016 yesterday. We closed the deal on our new (to us) motorhome. We're now the proud and happy owners of a 2012 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 43' DFT. We've been dreaming about doing this in that far off "someday we're gonna....." sort of way for more than 18 years. We're a hair under 18 months out from retirement and are hoping to use the time to get ourselves acclimated to the coach ... and downsizing the rest of our lives. With a set of coach keys in our pockets .. and a retirement date pretty much selected ... it finally feels like it's getting real! It looks like our first hurdle will be to not go crazy as we wait for the incredibly cold and snowy weather here in Michigan to break so that we take it out for our first weekend trip!

[imadtchmn]

Boy, are we ready to go camping. Made reservations for the end of March for Roosevelt State Park, here in GA. Never been so we thought we would hit that one this year. Hoping the weather will be warmer than it is now. So ready to take a vacation. Also made reservations for Florida at Rocky Bayou State Park in July. Both of these parks will be new to us, so we'll let you know what each is like. We are also going to do some impropto camping between and after these reservations. I did notice that many state parks already are half full with reservations. Glad I looked early.

 

Have some work to do on the truck and a crack on the shower gray water tank. Got a plastic welding kit and will be doing the weld as soon as the weather warms up just a bit. Its been a long cold winter in the south this year. Can't wait to retire so I don't have to deal with this weather anymore.

These old bones don't like cold and damp.

 

On another note, softball season is here again and the grandkids are ready for the season to begin. Love working with all the girls in their practice. Work is not allowing me to coach this year due to being on call 2 out of 4 weeks a month, but that's how it works.

 

Well all, have fun and hope for an early spring. I do see buds on some of the trees, so that is a good sign. A big welcome goes out to all the new members of the class.