Solo18

Just spent March - early May in NM.  First, the northern part is indeed VERY cold in winter--think skiing on snow!  So you will have to spent the coldest part of the winter in the very southern part of NM.  Daytimes had highs of 60-70 and nights were downright cold--close to freezing many nights. 

One advantage is that there is a non-resident annual camping pass that costs about $225.  With that, you only have to pay $4 per night for electric sites.  However, a warning that most NM state parks have dirt roads and can be dusty.  There are some wonderful exceptions, however, among them is Oliver Lee and some of the camping areas around Elephant Butte.  One of my favorite places is Cochiti Lake, but it is COE and a little too far north for most of the winter. 

I drive anywhere from 10,000 to 18,000 miles per year, but that does not count a quick flight to visit grandkids the week after Christmas.  They live in a snowy climate, so I would not want to drive my motorhome there anyway. 

Total miles over last 9 years is 158,000. 

You are writing about "campgrounds" to be used as full-time, permanent locations near big cities.  That is a very narrow use of that term and limits the places that are open to you to commercial RV parks that squeeze in as many units as possible because real estate is expensive.  And you are right that that kind of living tends to be expensive and not very pleasant. 

However, most of us who are retired or who work online jobs do not stay for months and years in a single place, nor do we stay in "campgrounds" close to big cities.  I hope that if you choose to live full time in an RV that you can find a job where you can truly work remotely and thus can travel and choose places that are far away from cities and offer you more privacy and better scenery.  You are lucky to work in IT, so if you possibly can, maybe you can be looking for that job that allows you to choose where you live that isn't nearby where you work. 

There is a big difference between people who are staying in a commercial campground and using their internet or have cable at their sites, and people like me who travel and use mobile hotspots for internet connections.  It would cost me a fortune to buy enough gigs of data to stream TV as much as I wanted to. 

So for me, satellite TV is much more cost-effective and reliable, especially since i stay almost entirely in state and national parks. 

I was at Trailer Village last fall--October 22-26, and about froze to death!  First couple of days were chilly, but got snow on last day.  The shuttles around Trailer Village were shut down, so I rode my electric bike to the visitor center and main area, and then ended up riding my bike on the road in both directions to the ends. 

Temps were as follows:

• Oct 22    73-27
• Oct 23    70-30
• Oct 24    69-31
• Oct 25    64-35
• Oct 26    35-21 !!!!

If I had to do it again, I would go in late September or early October, although you just can't trust the weather completely to be pleasant, as evidenced by the last day of my visit, per Weather.com.   Even though the first few days were sunny and mild, I had to run my electric heater and furnace all night every single night to try to stay warm. 

By the way, because of the drought, the elk were and are extremely thirsty.  One nosed up within 4" of my hose as I was filling my water tank.  I could have petted her, I am sure, as long as I gave her water.  I had no bucket, but since i had not hooked up my sewer and the cap was on it, I walked around to the other side of my rig, rinsed it off thoroughly and filled the depression several times so she could drink.  If I had had a large dog bowl, I would have left it out and kept it filled.  These elk were introduced in the 1920's and really do not belong there because there are no streams or water sources for them.  They have learned how to turn on campground faucets and water fill station faucets, but of course, do not turn them off!! 

Frankly, all the wild (or not so wild) animals are having problems with the drought--getting food and water. 

Do you have electric or water bills that you pay by check?  Those can count as credit, but the credit agencies may not know about them.

Does anyone know how he could use these bills as credit information??

I drive a 32' motorhome, and the plate fell out because I had stopped at a rest area to heat food up for lunch.  My error was not making sure the microwave door was thoroughly latched when I was done.  (I always check cabinet doors and such before I head out in the morning.)  However, even when it is latched, the plate has often bounced around inside to the point where it is no longer sitting on the middle pin correctly.

My recliner does not move, but anything on my kitchen counter does move, especially if I am on a highway with lots of small chuckholes. 

Also, you will need to be careful how the microwave vents.  Many home microwaves vent on the sides, but at least the one I have in my motorhome vents in the back, so it is hard to find a replacement.  And you do have to make sure it is securely fastened down so it does not go flying during a hard stop!! 

Big tip:  Before you drive, always make sure your microwave door is shut securely.  If not, glass plate will fly out and break into a million pieces.  And I know from experience they are VERY hard to replace just the glass plate.  Luckily, I found an RV dealer who always kept the plates and the turntable plastic things when he had to trash a microwave!!  He had a whole box of them. 

On two-lane mostly back roads in Oregon, there are weigh scales that are in a pullover, and never manned.  To my knowledge, they are open every day, 24 hours a day.   In fact, there is no booth for someone to sit or stand in.  If you see such a weigh station, just pull in slowly and put your front tires on the metal plate and look at the number that will display on the pole in front of you.  Then pull forward and do the same thing with your rear tires.  Obviously, there is no charge for this as there is no one to take money! 

These are NOT the big ones on the freeways that truckers are required to stop at!!  I think they are intended for logging trucks, but i am not sure.  Here is a listing and a map.  https://www.allstays.com/c/weigh-scales-oregon-locations-map.htm

That's weird.  They closed Abiquiu Lake, but opened Cochiti Lake, which was closed for the last several months!!  Maybe they are short of staff?  The camp host I met driving through Abiquiu Lake said he could not understand why they were requiring three days advance reservations. 

Also, COE parks are divided into regions.  Both Abiquiu Lake and Cochiti Lake are part of the Albuquerque District.  It covers New Mexico, and parts of Texas and Colorado.  https://www.spa.usace.army.mil/About/District-Map/

The national site has a map of districts, and rules do vary:  https://www.usace.army.mil/Locations.aspx

The suggestion was made to take a photo of the trail map at the start of the trail.  In the case of the trail I was on, there was no trail map at the entrance to the trail or anywhere.  That was part of my complaint to the head ranger.  I don't expect a paved trail, but I do expect simple things like accurate descriptions of trails and a map at the entrance, possibly with information about elevation changes. 

Sorry - I should have said COE campgrounds in New Mexico required three days advance reservations.  Abiquiu Lake was where I tried to stop by and get in.  The place was almost empty but camp host told me no drop-ins and needed to make reservations three days in advance. 

I mostly stay in federal, state, and regional campgrounds, and that requires reservations long in advance.  However, one thing I do is plan on not driving too far between campgrounds and staying an extra day or two in each.  This gives me some flexibility if I want to see something I had not planned on seeing.  It is also a lot more relaxing.  If I end up with too much time someplace, that just means an extra day of relaxing.

It helps that I am retired and full-time, so I often do not have to be in a hurry. 

I do not boondock because I am an older woman traveling alone and like to have electric hookups and the security of a campground.  I don't care about water or sewer because I can go 3-4 days without refilling and dumping tanks. 

Except for a few days in September, I currently have reservations in Florida from October through March in state parks.  (Usually for two weeks each.)  The premium state parks fill up within seconds of the 11-month window, by the way.  And some of these parks took me several days of getting up at 5 am and trying for a spot.

FYI, New Mexico state parks require reservations made at least 3 days in advance--no last minute dropping in.  (See correction below.  I meant New Mexico COE campgrounds.)

I took my brand-new motorhome to a nearby full-hookup state park for a four-day weekend.  (Had never really operated or even driven one until I bought this.)  I had tons of boxes of kitchen and bedroom stuff to unpack.  I pulled into my spot and went out to hook up.  Apparently because everything was new and in boxes, it took the lady in the next rig about three minutes to identify me as a new owner, so she yelled across that her husband would help if I needed anything. 

I got everything hooked up and flushed the winterizing out, then just before dark, I turned on the valve to fill the hot water tank.  It took about two minutes to have three guys knocking on my door about the water running down the side of my rig.  I could not find my flashlights, so they went out, took the cover off, and put a plug in that had been left out!! 

The Escapees campgrounds would be most helpful, but I have found that almost anyone in a campground would be glad to help you out if you ask. 

I did not actually see a bear, but I did a really dumb thing when I was camped in the Fishing Bridge campground where they do not allow soft-sided campers because of bears.  I had a motorhome, so not soft-sided, but I decided I wanted a BLT sandwich for dinner, and I had a whole pound of bacon, so decided to cook it up all at once and refrigerate what I did not need for my sandwich.  After, I had the bacon all cooked and in the refrigerator, I took my trash out to the dumpster. 

Coming back, i discovered that my entire rig smelled wonderfully of bacon!  It suddenly occurred to me that this was a terrific bear invitation, so I had to scrub not only pans and dishes, but my stove top, backsplash, trash can, cupboards, underneath vent fan, floor, and walls before i got rid of the smell. 

I did have a raccoon move into my rear storage compartment in Florida.  The door was locked shut, but I had a habit of leaving the next door compartment door open for my electric cord.  I did not realize that an animal could enter through that door, and then climb into the rear compartment which was a pass-through and a cozy place for an animal to set up housekeeping.  She tore up half of a roll of paper towel into small pieces before I discovered her.  Once I opened the door, she flew out fast. 

Now, when I am in a wooded area where raccoons are a problem, I put my electrical plug through the small opening made for it and keep all compartment doors locked. 

There are some campgrounds along the ocean in the Pacific Northwest that require you to back in your motorhome.  No pulling in straight or parking sideways. The reason is that in case of a tsunami, they want you to be able to get out fast without blocking any other campers by backing out.  Same issue for forest fires. 

Some campgrounds also have rules about truck campers leaving the camper and going away for the day with just the truck part. 

I also had a car dealer overcharge me for a car, in spite of my having paperwork for a special price through a project I was working on with General Motors Headquarters.  It was only about $300, but I sent a letter to my corporate client at GM explaining what had happened and asking for her advice on how to resolve the matter. (This was after trying to get the salesman to refund the overcharge.)   I cc'd the owner of the dealership.  It took about three days to get a phone call with an apology and a check in the mail for the amount I had been overcharged!  Amazing.  

And when I have bought a vehicle, I warn the salesman that I will not take delivery if the vehicle has an advertising sticker on it.  Ditto for those license plates with the dealer's name.  If it already has a sticker, I will want to inspect that removing it has not caused any damage to the paint.  No signature until I inspect.  I am not popular.

I bought my motorhome from the General RV dealer in Canton, OH.  They refused to repair most of the warranty items, claiming that since I had driven the vehicle, I was responsible for anything that was broken!  The few items they did repair were things they just glued or snapped into place.  I ended up taking my rig to the factory customer service place in Decatur, IN, where everything under warranty was fixed quickly and correctly.  A couple of years later, i took it back to dealer for an oil change, but they claimed I had cancelled my appointment, and said they were too busy repairing vehicles that had been sold by them and that I would get better service if I had purchased my RV from them!!!  I loudly told them I had purchased it from them and would never, under any conditions, come back!! 

The mess with financing is why I always get my own financing when I buy anything.  I financed my current motorhome through my credit union and was able to pay the loan off early with no penalty.  I don't care what kind of discount or super-duper financing deal a car or an RV dealer tries to tempt me with, I don't trust them.  This makes them very  unhappy, but if they don't like it, I will go elsewhere. 

And before I take delivery of anything, I insist that they take off any advertising stickers.  

Thanks for the happy ending!!   

Good advice from Kirk.  Money is definitely going to be your problem.  You need a nest egg for repairs, which can be expensive.  Also, I would avoid cities and try boondocking on Federal land where it is legal to dry camp. 

And Kirk's suggestion to camp host is an excellent one.  Many positions are volunteer, but there are also ones that pay a small hourly wage.  Nearly all provide a free campsite with electric, water, and sewage hookup.  Make sure you get specific answers about the work and number of hours you will have to put in.  It can be light work such as checking in campers or cleaning up sites after someone leaves by raking gravel and removing ashes from campfires, but it can also be heavy lifting and maintenance, so you want a clear understanding if you have any physical problems.

And by the way, my friends and relatives thought I was nuts when I sold my condo and went full time.  I was 69 and have now been on the road for 9 years and 154,000 miles.  You are young, compared to my 77 years!  And there are a lot of even older people on this forum living full-time in an RV.   

I used to work for a consulting company where several people went off and did their own things remotely.  One important piece of advice is to start looking for clients while you are stationary.  It will be a lot easier to continue with clients or get referrals than to look for them when you are moving around.  In other words, you want to establish that you can work independently before you take off. 

Depends on what you mean by "forced." 

Good.  Surely a sign is much cheaper than sending out rescue teams and helicopters, to say nothing of the chances of loss of life.

I downloaded the book last night to my Kindle and have been reading it.  I finished Part I and so far have found it accurate.  I have known about Amazon workers and difficult jobs older Americans are being forced to take.  It is a sad book to read, but the only inaccurate thing so far is that many camp hosting jobs are not as difficult as described.  The author adds a lot about blogs and mentions Tioga George and RV Sue, plus a few others.  I figure this would not be in the movie, right??

To answer 2Gypsies, I was on the Desert View Trail.  I did a couple of captures of the Organ Pipe web site.  On one page, it still calls this hike easy, but on another it calls it easy-moderate.  No where does it tell you that you are hiking up the side of a hill and that the benches are at the top.  One site does warn you that "Trail terrain is uneven, rocky and steep in some sections. Hikers of many different abilities have hiked this route in the past. If you are curious about accessibility for your needs please contact the park."

I would not call uneven, rocky,and steep "easy."  And obviously, mentioning the "view" should have been a clue to me that it had a substantial change in elevation.  Here is a link:

https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-desert-view-trail.htm

And in response to the original poster, if they have rescued several people who made the same mistake, why do they not add a sign or two??