2gypsies

For San Francisco I'd recommend first doing a small van tour to get the feel of the area. Then you can do more on your own. Stay somewhere on the north side of the bay. Pre-arrange a tour from this company: https://www.sanfranshuttletours.com/ Park at the Larkspur Ferry Landing and take the ferry across the bay - passing Alcatraz & Golden Gate. Arrive at the Ferry Bldg. where the van tour will meet you. They take you to all the highlights including driving across the Golden Gate and having lunch in Sausilito. The stops give you ample time to tour including the Japanese Garden. You'll then be taken back to the Ferry Bldg to board the ferry back to your vehicle. It makes for a very nice day. Our daughter, who lives in the area, went with us and was very impressed by the tour. Places to stay on the north side would be Napa Valley Expo, KOA in Petaluma and others. We stay at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds. Leaving the area it's a straight shot north up Hwy 101.... no driving through the city.

You both have high qualifications. You'll need to be stationary for a teaching job and probably for any good paying job. Good luck!

From Casa Grande take I-8 west to Hwy 85 at Gila Bend then north to I-10 at Buckeye. Go west on I-10 to exit 45 taking your to 72 to AZ 95 at Parker, AZ. Then north on 95 to Lake Havasu to I-40 then either west to 95 or east to 93 into Las Vegas. This completely avoids Phoenix and CA95.

During our travels we've seen many gas motorhomes of all ages doing just fine on the mountain roads. The biggest issue is how well you know how to come down a hill without using your brakes constantly. Downshift before you even begin the downhill; not in the midst of the downhill. Going up you'll just be going slow.... and you'll have company. Best not to pull off and stop when going uphill because you'll have a difficult time getting power. If you're on an interstate just stay in the trucker's lane. They'll be going slow. The best scenery and awesome camping is had by driving those kinds of roads. You'll soon get the hang of it. I'd also recommend that you get the 'Mountain Directory for Truckers and RVers'. Even though we loved driving those roads we always referred back to the directory when we drove it again... just to refresh us of what's coming up. 6&7% grades are very doable. Some interstate sections even have those grades - and higher, such as I-70.

Here's another 'go for it' recommendation. I'll add that you should consider volunteering if you don't want to take on another job. To start and get some volunteering experience, check with the Oregon State Parks. Being a teacher I think you'd enjoy interpretation duties such as campground programs for children or giving lighthouse tours, as we did. With your husband's skills he could help in the parks in many ways. It would be rewarding in that you're helping out in parks which is much needed. It would also give you a free campsite. The hours aren't long and you have ample days off. We did it for only 8 weeks at a time and then took some time off to travel to a new area. It also gives you time on your days off to explore the area fully. The national parks utilize a lot of volunteers but they usually want a 3-month commitment. We once bargained with them to let us split the season with another couple if we could find the couple. They agreed so it worked for everyone. It was awesome to be able to 'live' in Rocky Mountain National Park! Doing something like this might even help your future resumes as you were continuing to use your skills. Best of luck to you! You're definitely not the first youngsters to do this. Many, many more are doing so nowadays.

We found plenty of places to stay. In British Columbia you're not allowed over 4 hours time in official rest areas. However, there are many other turnouts or open areas to stay. You'll see many others stopping at various places and you'll soon get the hang of what to look out for. There are some nice Provincial Parks and in the Yukon the Provincial Parks are awesome and most of them also supply wood for a campfire. We didn't drive long days ; sometimes just moving 100 miles or so and we stopped at places we wanted to explore more thoroughly so we usually stayed in Provincial Parks. Don't rush through Canada and the Yukon. There are some gorgeous areas; some even prettier than Alaska. We went up on the Alaskan Hwy and returned via the Cassier Hwy..... spent the summer. Have a great trip. It's a very easy one to do …… just long.

If you read a few posts up you'll find that they successfully spent a winter in a Class A and they have no regrets.

Interstates can go up to 6% grades and there are a few 7% grades. This one is a baby & that's why it's not in the 'Mountain Directory'. Here you can read about it and look at the pictures of your drive. It's an easy one! https://www.aaroads.com/guides/i-025-north-santa-fe-nm/

Wow! How do you handle the grey & black if you stay until 300 gal of fresh are gone?

Internet isn't always available and sometimes you're not within a good phone signal. We're all for a weather radio. Ours is an oldie so can't recommend a new model. Good luck!

I'd recommend an Escapee RV park in Benson - Saguaro. A month rent is $365 + electric. It's a beautiful, immaculate, friendly park with large lots and a very active clubhouse. There's lots to see in the area: Chiricahua Nat'l Monument, Tombstone, Bisbee (do the mine tour), Kartchner State Park (tour the caverns), Sierra Vista (very nice canyon hikes) and you're close to Tucson for day trips: Saguaro Nat'l Park, Desert Museum, Titan Missile Museum and awesome hikes. http://skpsaguaro.org/ratesregulations.html They don't take reservations but if you can be there by the first week of January you'll get a spot. Better yet, plan to be there Dec. 1 and enjoy the many holiday activities. It's a great place to have Christmas dinner shared by everyone.

WalMart, etc. has thick rubber cups that you can slip on the ends of chairs like that. They come in all sizes. We had them on our chairs and the chair didn't sink. Also, you can use a outdoor patio mat which helps and also keeps sand and grit out of everything.

If you're in a car and boondocking for a week what are you going to use for a bathroom? Just something to think about. From reading other posts this seems to be a new adventure for you. Hope you can find someone!!!

Had to laugh..... yes, when we lived in Missouri we had a cistern as did many others and no one seemed to get deathly ill from the water. Who knows what was in that water? Hadn't thought of that cistern in 70 years!!

Here is a picture of your campsite. It looks like you'll be able to back up slightly with your tires touching the barrier. There's a firepit directly behind. The description of that site on the reservation site is max RV 24'; max trailer/popup 12' (so they're allowing room for the truck). Keep in mind that if you rented a 30' RV they usually measure out a little longer; they're not exactly 30'. Good luck! https://www.campsitephotos.com/campground/ca/lower-pines/photos/lower-pines-058

If you keep bouncing around from plan the price will soon catch up with you. They all raise their price at some time.

You seem to have a good attitude about your future lifestyle. Personally, I'd give it longer than 6 months. If you do a year before making a decision you will have gone through all the seasons and realize you can have reasonably good weather all the time. Also, with the seasons of summer and winter you will get a feel of the different types of people out there - families and retirees. Slow down in your travels. You don't have to see it all right away. Many seasons we picked a state and explored that state thoroughly - driving every secondary road and backroads. If you seem to become bored, why not try volunteering? In addition to getting your campsite in some of the most beautiful places in the country, you can have the feeling of really helping out our public parks. You don't have to be a camp host. There are many unique opportunities to do. We specialized in giving lighthouse tours, including living on an island in Lake Michigan. We gave the tours at the famous Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon. We volunteered at fish hatcheries. We also did a stint on the Trash Tracker on Lake Powell, AZ - cleaning up the shoreline. We went with another couple and the pilot of the houseboat. We hauled a barge for the trash and a speedboat for off-time siteseeing. We also did some camp hosting. When you get to pick the places you want to live with your RV it makes it pretty special. Best of luck to you!!

I don't know if it's still the same but when we volunteered at Lost Dutchman State Park there were multiple rescues from the mountain by helicopter and they didn't have to pay a thing. Park rangers said folks go up there when its light & don't realize how difficult the climb is and then use their cell phone to call for help when it gets dark. The park's hands are tied. They have to do a rescue, if needed.

I would suggest a good quality used 5th wheel which is usually better built that a travel trailer and have a lot more storage. If you don't have a truck there are many people that move trailers. You're in Texas so check out PPL Consignments. We sold our motorhome through them and it was a very good experience and liked the way the company is run. Here are 3 5th wheels that are good quality although Newmar is excellent! There are a lot more on their site above these prices. I just started with the lowest price & looked for quality. 2003 Nu-Wa Hitchhiker $13,495 2008 Newmar Cypress $18,499 2004 Newmar Mountainaire $21,999 w/built-in generator which might be needed for when you're in one of those Texas storms Good luck in your search and your future! https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-rvs-for-sale/fifth-wheel?sortBy=price+asc&startIndex=24

Long story but..... we were going to Alaska & thought we'd be happier taking a small RV. We bought a used older truck & 28' 5th wheel. On our way we went through Death Valley and the truck broke down. Our tow insurance was with a rider on our policy. Lone Pine Towing came with 2 flat beds and towed both our vehicles - truck & 5th wheel - to Lone Pine. After repair we went back to AZ to unload everything and pack our 40' motorhome & Jeep which we should have taken in the first place. We had absolutely no issues on our trip. By the way, Good Sam and CoachNet don't own their tow trucks. If you had one of those for your insurance and broke down in Death Valley you would have gotten the same tow company as we did by used a very cheap rider on our insurance. If you tell them the equipment you need you'll get it.... doesn't matter about your insurance.

Zulu... you live in one, right?

I would say they probably wanted privacy from their front window instead of facing the road but if the curtains were closed...… ? We've been in some public parks that have narrow roads or one-way roads and you would need to go the wrong way to enter front first. The camp hosts will ask them to leave and come in the correct way. We hosted at one and that's what we had to do.

… just to get an idea on various floorplans and prices here is a good site to do that: https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-rvs-for-sale/travel-trailer?sortBy=price+desc It sounds like you have a good plan and since you love the outdoors you'll really enjoy yourself! A small trailer is very doable for you. Good luck in finding the right one and enjoy the lifestyle.

Hmmmm. I think there are more than you think where family and friends know the address. Some like the personal touch of greeting cards and letters more than Facebook, etc.

I meant we never bought anything that was recalled.