GR "Scott" Cundiff

Re-upped for three more years.  Sure appreciate Escapees.

I added a wide angle lens to the bottom part of the rear pickup window.  It makes it easier to see the hitch when backing up.  http://pastorscott.com/travel/2018/10/03/2018-project-wide-angle-lens-for-hitching-the-5th-wheel/

11 minutes ago, Smokier said:

Greetings,

Can you define BOONDOCK and "BLM land", please?   As a true newbie, these terms don't mean anything.

Sorry and thank you,

Smokier

The easy one: BLM in the RV world stands for Bureau of Land Management - public lands where RV camping is allowed - sometimes disbursed and sometimes in campgrounds (without any hookups) - mostly in the western US -  https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/camping

You can have a lot of fun around the campfire with "Boondocking."  Some people think it is staying anywhere without hookups (including Walmart or in a rest area).  More commonly, it means camping in an area without designated campgrounds or hookups (often on BLM land but not necessarily) - check out the most famous boondocking area Quartzsite, AZ.

Have fun in your research.

It was nighttime when I looked out the front window of the motorhome. I noticed the registration sticker on the window and realized that it expires this month..10. "Boy does time fly,' I thought, "it doesn't seem like a year has passed". I started making plans to find a place big enough to do the state inspection. Today, from the outside I looked at the sticker again. Guess what? From the outside the month is "01" and not "10". Too bad I didn't notice the year the other night. Time doesn't fly as fast as I feared.

6 hours ago, ToddF said:

We're pre-retirees (59/61) and watching expenses closely as we prepare for retirement. It's very helpful when other RVers share expense info...helps us validate our own figures which of course will vary from anyone else but still give us an idea of what costs to expect. Not planning to go fulltime. 

The major items I've noticed recently are as follows:

The pandemic forced us to eat "at home" 100% of the time with some take out orders. Costs for food have dropped dramatically since we are no longer paying $30-$50 for a meal plus tax and tip. When things return to normal, I plan to limit eating out to once a week. I really don't miss the whole process of looking for good restaurants (at least half are mediocre), driving to them, waiting for a table, getting food that isn't exactly what I want, etc etc. Also, I quit drinking 3 years ago, and while I don't miss it, a big part of dining out was often the wine and cocktails which of course add to the cost. We also eat much less now that we are seniors. Big restaurant meals often left us feeling bloated and frankly, sick.

Health insurance is the other biggie, discussed extensively in another thread. Medicare, whether it be at 65 or 60, will make that part of the budget much more predictable and affordable. We've built up separate HSAs so we'll have funds for all the things we know won't be covered. This might save us money on expensive supplements since we would have funds on hand for possible expenses, many of which wouldn't be covered by supplements anyway. (Dental, glasses, alternative therapies etc).

Since we upgraded to the Thousand Trails Elite membership, our camping fees have dropped dramatically. (It was $6,000 to acquire a "used" membership, pay the transfer and cancellation fees associated with switching from the zone pass). On this 3 1/2 month trip, over 100 nights will be in TT parks at no out of pocket cost. The annual membership fees for the Thousand Trails Elite program are about $625 (ours included Florida sales tax because the original membership was sold in Florida) plus the $299 for the Trails Collection. I budget $115 per month for these 2 items plus the fees for Escapees, KOA, Passport America, and Good Sam. I look at the $6,000 as a good investment and plan to pass it down to a family member when the time comes. 

In 2012, we bought a used 1999 Lazy Daze Motorhome and got heavily involved in the Lazy Daze owners group (online). Because so many Lazy Dazer's are full timers, I sort of leaned in that direction (in theory). After 7 years of camping part-time, going FT is not in the cards. Instead, I sold my 2nd home which paid off a mortgage and raised some cash for the Thousand Trails membership and the rest added to savings. I will never own 2 homes again! I is more than enough!  It's a long story about how it evolved, but suffice it to say, property ownership is overrated in my estimation. If Home #1 wasn't such a good deal, I'd look more at fulltiming as it really appeals to me (in theory). 

Home #1 is paid for and runs about $850 a month for everything including Association fees (no lawn or snow work on my end), property taxes, insurance, utilities, culligan service, security monitoring, internet, and $100 for a personal maintenance fund. We are blessed with low property taxes ($2,000 per year) for a 1800 SF townhome with an attached 2 car garage. I know a lot of full timers SELL their home to get away from much higher taxes and other expenses. Makes a lot of sense to me. 

 

 

Sounds like you have done a good deal of research.  That's what we did too - I didn't want to jump off a cliff and then try to figure out what came next!  I think this thread is one of the best real world budget information to be found anywhere: http://www.rvnetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=120595

No smog test anywhere in Texas on diesel engines.

8 minutes ago, ToddF said:

I really appreciate your posting of your budget and also the extensive review of Thousand Trails parks. We traveled on a Thousand Trails zone pass for 3 seasons (not full-timers) before buying an Elite membership last Fall. 

Thanks Todd - We've stayed at a lot of Thousand Trails, glad to share our experience with any who are interested.

Help me think through this:

1. We are in the motorhome, in Texas - parked long term in a campground
2. My tags expire this month
3. I don't especially want to break down everything (again set up long term) just to go get an inspection somewhere
4. So, sometime around the end of the year we will be ready to travel again
5. I can stop and get an inspection on that first travel day, but my tags will still be expired

Is there a good workaround to the lack of tags?  Thanks.

3 hours ago, jules2go said:

That's a big wowza reality check. Now how can I trim some of this fat...... 🤣

There may be more room in the day to day expenses than in the camping expenses.  For instance, limit your eating out.  Or, from the camping side, travel less, stay longer, or, as Kirk suggests, volunteer for a campsite or work camp.  Also, we don't boondock - you can save a lot of money staying on BLM land.

As I've said many times, our purpose isn't to spend as little as possible - instead, it is to live on what we have to spend. 

I don't think the OP ever returned to the conversation but I agree with JimK (the very first response) that putting off retirement is a prudent thing to do.

Meanwhile, they can start downsizing, getting a rig ready to go, and "practicing" by making local camping trips. 

Had to smile - I think the longest pull through sites I have ever seen were at Schoodic Woods in Acadia National Park - probably 300 feet long.

So, as always, the answer is "it depends."

If you plan on visiting every National Park you are going to find some with tight length restrictions. 

I didn't mention that another "fix" for us was that when we changed RV parks our new spot had the driver's side of the rig in the afternoon shade of the motorhome.  Now its the curb side that is taking it on the chin.  North Texas is expecting 104 this afternoon...then we should start a gradual cool down all the way into the lower 90s.

15 hours ago, Kirk W said:

The key is a better volume or air and promptly. As a permanent fan I too would use a 12V in the top, blowing outward but the point is to get things cooling as quickly as possible. One fan like I suggested (and have used both on my RV refrigerator as well as that of a friend) will move much more air than a little 12V and it is far quicker to string an extension cord and just place the temporary fan into position. 

In my case, I put a small 110v fan at the bottom as a temporary fix.  With 100 degree sun beating on that side of the RV all afternoon I had to do something.  I just unplugged the ice maker and plugged the small fan in, pointing upward.  Made a nice difference.

I also replaced the thermosister.  The original still showed resistance changing based on temp, but it smelled a bit burnt.   Also, put a clip on fan inside on the fins.

I went from temps nearing 50 inside, to high 30's.  The fins show 28-30 degrees. 

Of course a better fix would be getting out of Texas in August! 

Thanks folks!  Our last night here, finished charging the car after dark, and ready to go tomorrow. 

I appreciate the helpful replies.

Please bear with me, I'm not an electrician by any means.

Our motorhome is 50 amp.  We also travel with a Ford C-Max Energi - a plugin Hybrid.  It charges on 110.  Usually I plug the motorhome in to the power pedestal 50 amp outlet.  I then plug the car into the 30 amp outlet.  It has always worked okay till now.  Today the motorhome surgeguard reports low voltage (103v) on L2 when the car is charging.  Otherwise, with the car unplugged it is about the same as L1 - around 113v. 

I normally don't charge the car during the day, knowing it is better to charge it when the temps aren't so high.  Today, I rolled the windows down and went ahead and charged it (never mind the reason). 

So, I'm guessing the 30 amp receptacle is wired off of L2 and the car charging is pulling the voltage down.

1. Is that likely the reason for the low voltage on L2 when the car is plugged in?

2. Is it normal for the 30 amp plug on the pedestal to be connected to one side of the 50 amp?

I doubt there will be many times when I want to charge the car on a hot afternoon - so it really isn't a big deal.  Still, I'd like to understand what was happening a bit better.

Thanks.

I10 is very rough a you come into Texas from LA - also construction and congestion.  Just be ready.  Some people complain about the long Atchafalaya bridge just west of Baton Rouge.  The seams in the roadway set up a rhythm that is just wrong for certain wheelbases.  Also, traffic can back up going over the MIssissippi bridge on I12 at Baton Rouge.

I20 is pretty bad at Shreveport.  Lots of potholes.  I thought the rest of the drive was okay except for Monroe which was a repeat of potholes.

Either way is generally fine, but you might need to slow down in the rougher sections.

I also tried taking Hwy 84 from Natchez to Alexandria to Leesville.  I was going to stay on the state highway over into Jasper, TX.  Just as I was getting ready to make the turn at Leesville I noticed a sign warning me of low clearance on the bridge crossing into Texas.  Wouldn't have fit!  Detoured down to DeRidder to continue west.  Cost me about 30 miles.

Some people talk about crossing LA on 190 which parallels I10 - haven't tried that one one yet.

Arriving

1. Electric
2. Water
3. Sewer
4. Drag everything out of the bays that we want (before opening slides)
5. Slides (while still aired up - per Roadmaster chassis instructions)
6. Dump Air
7. Level
8. Set up dish

Leaving

1. Take Dish down
2. Reload Bays
3. Water
4. Sewer
5. Start engine
6. Retract jacks
7. Close Slides

Or something like that.

39 minutes ago, Bill Joyce said:

Lately we have been running into campgrounds with signs that say you can only plug one thing into the power pedestal.  I suspect that will be more common over time.

We borrowed our friend's 2018 C-Max plug-in hybrid when our old car was in the shop and it was nice to experience it before we got our hybrid.  I wish our friend had told us the 110 cord was under the door, since we would have charged up in our campsite from the now unused basement freezer plug.  The Escape plug-in was $5K more and only came in FWD, both shop stoppers for us.  

I haven't seen that, but will be on the lookout for it.  During the winter we actually ran our 30 amp extension cord in through a window and ran a tower space heater off of it.  I liked not having to tie up a circuit in the rig for the space heater.  Over the winter I just charged the C-Max off of a decent extension cord.  Once it started to heat up I didn't need the space heater and switched over to charging the car using the big extension cord.  Also, I only charge overnight when it is cooler.  From what I understand it is better for the big batteries.

Since the discussion is really about full EVs I'm pretty much a bystander to the discussion.  I will just mention that the thing that first got our attention was that the Ford Hybrids can all be towed four down.  They had some battery draining issues at one point, but they seem to have solved the issue by the time our 2017 was built.  We just put it in neutral and it is ready to go.

I think it was a real shame that they stopped making the C-Max car.  We really like ours and would buy it again.

1 hour ago, rynosback said:

I thought about doing what your doing. Even to go a step further and wiring it through the rig. But even a 30amp source still would take a lot of time if you were low on charge to get to 80%. Would you want an Autoformer on it also to insure good voltage? 

My C-Max is a plugin hybrid.  I get about 20 miles per charge, then the car becomes a regular hybrid.  On a 110 charger it takes about 10 hours to get to full charge.  I think you are wanting to go with a full EV, so my experience is only marginally helpful to you.

Here's what I do: I have a 30 amp extension cord that I plug into the 30 amp plug on the post (the motorhome is plugged into the 50 amp).  I run the extension cord under the rig and plug it into my C-Max charger which stays on top of one of the front tires, out of the weather.  From there, I plug into the car.  We've had the car more than a year, no problem at any campground.

52 minutes ago, aztex said:

Thanks,

It's drag because I can't find out WHAT the plans would cost new...I'm sure more but if a payment plan...may make more attractive...

I guess they change plans over time but still honor old plans. It's still strange to me they would accept them and seems like they could cut it off at anytime without warning although I know this has been going on for some time...

One of the nicknames for the organization is "Thousand Plans" because so many different plans have been sold through the years.  Aside from the Zone Passes, many of the plans can be resold or willed to family members, etc.  One of the advantages of working with the reseller I linked to is that they help you cut through the fog and understand what you are getting. 

BTW, our plan is a NACO-Alliance upgraded to Elite.  The "Alliance" portion guarantees that we can always book 30 days farther out than any other member.  Right now I can book a site 210 days out.  As campgrounds get more and more full that's a nice option to have.

Most everyone recommends Campground Membership Outlet for both selling and purchasing used memberships.  They make their money from the transfer fees, so it doesn't cost you any extra for using their service.  Also, they have a reputation for responding to inquiries quickly.  Their website is: https://www.campgroundmembershipoutlet.com/ .

I'd check with them for prices and, while you are at it ask them what the difference would be between a new membership and the used one they price for you. 

In our case we started off with a used membership and then went through Thousand Trails to upgrade it.  Our used membership has some perks that new ones don't have so we wanted to keep those perks while adding all the advantages of the new one.  It probably cost us a bit more but we did get more for our money. 

If you look at the campground listings on campgroundreviews.com one of the criteria is "big rig friendly."  That gives you an idea of what the people who have stayed at the campground think of the ability of the campground to accommodate you.

Off hand, I can second ToddF's suggestion on Timothy Lake South (not North).  Also, the Thousand Trails at Harbor View (Colonial Beach, VA) and Chesapeake Bay, Glouchester, VA.

http://pastorscott.com/travel/2018/07/15/2018-timothy-lake-south-thousand-trails-marshalls-creek-pa/
http://www.pastorscott.com/travel/2019/06/26/2019-harbor-view-thousand-trails-colonial-beach-va/
http://www.pastorscott.com/travel/2019/06/11/2019-chesapeake-bay-thousand-trails-gloucester-va/

We can't help but wonder if we'll "accidentally" stop fulltiming!  The virus makes travel less attractive to us right now.  I keep getting invitations from churches to help them out during pastoral transition.  Meanwhile, Doctors keep "inviting" us to come back for followup appointments.

All the above keeps us kicking the can down the road.  It isn't that anything I mentioned can't be accommodated in a traveling lifestyle (well, the interim pastor deal might) but it all adds up in a way that makes travel less attractive to us right now.

It is kind of funny that we used to plan a 2 week vacation trip and look forward to it.  These days, after years of fulltiming, a 2 week trip hardly seems worth the trouble.