sandsys

Be very careful about buying a 5th wheel to be pulled by a pickup truck. Weight matters in stopping as well as starting. Do not believe a salesperson who says, "Sure, it can handle that." He/she won't be held responsible if you have an accident. Get the truck weighed as part of your test drive. After you buy it, pack it then weigh it again. That way you will have real numbers when deciding what you can tow. Linda Sand

We were on a freeway in a new to us city. I knew our exit was coming up but Dave was driving in the left lane. When I asked why he said it felt like a left exit to him. He was right. He got that feeling from studying a paper map. I was driving though Kansas City when my GPS shut down. Fortunately, I had been that way before so knew what to do. Apparently, my GPS overheated from the sun shining through my windshield. It happened to me again the next year driving the same route heading south from Minnesota to Texas. But the absolute worst was when our GPS told us to turn down what was apparently an off-road place in the mountains. Dave drove us over a lot of loose shale before we got off that road safely. Sure glad he was driving. We once bought house in a new neighborhood. It took two years for our street to show up on our GPS. So, yes, check your GPS but don't place all of your trust in it. Linda

Being grateful for our blessings makes it easier to share those blessings with others. I am glad to "know" you all. Linda Sand

I read the blog of a female traveler who packs her favorite kitchenware in her checked luggage. Back when we were traveling with just carry-on luggage, we still packed tableware so we could eat from grocery stores. Where there's a will... Linda Sand

I'm not a current SD resident and we had employer sponsored health care when we were but what I remember is how many people said SD Blue Cross does not play well with others. I'm not sure if that is still true but I would look carefully into it if you are considering them. Linda

I also disconnected all my filters and never had a problem caused by water in spite of the many places I filled my tank. I didn't even filter my drinking water. I have been told, though, that some pets have problems with water from a variety of sources. In fact, the only time in all our years of living we had a water problem was from a well that had ants in it way back in 1969. Even then we didn't get sick but we did move before our daughter was born so as to not subject her to the risk. Linda

Lots of repeats of the text but the pictures did not come through. Linda

OP said full-time traveler. Did not say full-time RVer. Could be flying or cruising or... Linda

Maybe you could rent a car to take the driver's test? People who don't drive at all usually get a state ID card instead of a driver's license. Linda Sand

Many of us did some part-timing after full-timing and it does help make the transition to not going at all a little easier. Not going at all is still not easy but easier. You are lucky to have kids nearby willing to help. Keep on keeping on as long as you can. Linda

I never consciously hung up my keys. I just let Dave drive me wherever I wanted to go until one day I realized I hadn't driven for about five years. I no longer trust myself to do so now. My sense of space when backing up is shot. Linda

I still miss my conversion van and I don't even drive anymore. Fortunately, we live in a senior's complex with transportation available for free most places we go for the few times Dave can't drive us. Linda

I do indeed wish you well. Hope is a wonderful thing. Linda

Huh! When one of my eyes burned with the post surgical drops they said my eye was dry so I should use some artificial tear drops in that eye. Linda

Given the flimsy nature of many RV doors, why would anyone spend excess money on a lock for said door. True thieves will just break in anyway. Picking the place you park your RV is more important in my opinion. Linda

New accounts are treated differently from old accounts where you are just changing your address. Linda

Your own attitude makes a difference as well. When we went to register one of our RVs it had two titles: one for the chassis and one for the conversion. And South Dakota had just started using a new computer system. I stayed patient and pleasant while the clerk figured it all out with the result that, when it came to time get my plate, she dug around to find one that would be easy for me to remember when checking into parks. An attitude of gratitude can go a long way to making for a good life. Linda

So don't get in a line where someone seems to be holding up everything. Always follow the rules as to what you can bring across. Always be polite and respectful. Don't be one they want "to get". Considering making the crossing one way then drive down the road to return via the next crossing so you don't look familiar to them. Linda

We've been on the other side. We traded RVs at a dealer. In spite of us inviting people in to see it several times, they never went inside. Even their trade-in guy, who took the keys to check the odometer, never looked behind the driver's seat. Quite some time after the deal was closed and we left with our new RV, they contacted us about the fact we had changed the interior from the standard they expected and that change was going to cost them money to bring it back to standard. They could not require us to do anything about it then. We had encouraged them to check it out but they were so certain they knew what they were buying. In all cases, it is up to the buyer to understand what they are buying. Linda Sand

Check out local occupancy laws. You want to know how to prevent squatters.

Have you checked out the SKP park in Pahrumph, NV? https://skppairadice.com Linda Sand

I'm guessing you are asking about buying an entire campground, not just a site in a campground. Location is important. Near a river is not on a river and that matters to some people. Close enough to a metro area to make weekend getaways reasonable is another. When we went for weekends we mostly just wanted lack of noise. Linda Sand

I had my unit serviced once. I took it to a shop that repairs refrigerated trucks. That's where we learned the unit was installed then the cabinet built around it. They had to dig it out to do the work then left it in a more accessible location. So, yes, location is important for more than one reason. Linda

It wasn't a case of sizing; the ten hour limit was a feature of the heater. I suspect, since these are designed to heat truck cabs they wanted to make sure you didn't use too much fuel while sleeping. Although it would turn off if the fuel tank hit a certain limit no matter how long the heater had run. Linda

I had one in my last van. It would only run ten hours at a time. If I wanted it to run longer, I had to turn it off then back on. But it did a good job for my space while just sipping fuel. Linda