OMG ... or Whew! I'm Not Sure Which

It has been a long few months and a really long day, but WE DID IT!  We finally picked and purchased.  I am feeling so many emotions I won't bore you with listing them all.  Well maybe some of them ... OMG I'm so excited!, OMG what have we done?, OMG I'm so scared!, OMG are we crazy?, OMG I can't wait to get moved in!, OMG this is really happening!, OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!!  That's just a few.

We bought a beautiful 2003 Fleetwood Storm 31A.  She is really a beauty and we are over the moon with her.   Yes her.  What's her name?  That will come to us eventually.  I feel really good about the purchase.  I feel good about who we purchased her from.  Of course we will see if the dealer stands behind the product.  When I can give rave reviews I shall.  For now I will just say that the transaction so far has been a pleasant one.

Now the reality is really staring us both right in the face.   As we stood in our living room and started listing the things that cannot go with us, as I took a loonngg hot shower, as I cooked in my spacious kitchen, as I flushed the toilet, I thought, "Oh this will change, oh that will change, oh this will be an adjustment, oh I will miss this ... and so on.  REALITY!  Yup, gotta face the not so exciting, not so glamorous, not so adventurous side of this decision.  Although we have talked and talked ... and ummm talked about these things, talking and doing can be so very different.  So we are both a bit nervous.

Mostly, I think we are nervous that the other person is going to somehow be less than thrilled with the final decision.  My husband is worried about my feelings, I am worried about his.  The truth is we both know that we have to own our own stuff and come to terms with all of this within ourselves before we worry about each other.  But knowing it and, again doing it are two different things.

The truth is, this is something that we have never done and we are making a huge life change and any change this huge is scary!

But dang IS SHE PRETTY!  

We pick her up next week.  That will give us a full month to get moved out, moved in, and transition at a leisurely pace, rather than try to cram it all in one weekend.  We will start slow by camping right outside our front door for a bit.  And then slowly moving farther and farther a field.   I predict this week will be equally full of excitement and trepidation.  But I know we are ready, and I know we are doing the right thing for us at this stage in our lives.  So, ONWARD!

Safe and exciting trekkin!

Back on Trek

The search for the perfect turtle shell continues.  We took some time for a bit more soul searching.  Isn't the first time and won't be the last I'm sure.

We spent the last couple days up in the Sacramento area.  Seems RV's are very popular up there.  We went to several different dealers and had very different experiences.  Some shocking and some comical.  I will start with the shocking.

We went to "the biggest RV Dealer in Sacramento", I will not name names.  We were met by a sales guy that didn't seem so bad a first.  We told him we had narrowed our search to Class A no older than a 2000.  He listened, making comments, asking some inane sales guy questions and then he said, "I think I have the perfect thing, but lets start here".  The "but" there should have alerted us, but we followed right along.  He took us into a 1997 Fleetwood, telling us all the great things about the coach, going on and on.  Well first off, it was a 1997, is that a 2000 or better? NO! Then the coach itself was absolutely disgusting.  There were tears in the fabric, stains in the carpet, even a huge crack in the windshield (which he never even addressed).  It was so awful I couldn't get out of it fast enough.

He then proceeded to lead us to one awful coach after another.  None of them were 2000 or better and none of them could even be closely described as clean.  One even had spiders in it.  Not just webs but the spiders too.  Not only were we incredulous at what he showed us, but we were completely insulted that he could think we were so stupid as to think any of the coaches were even worth considering.  It was truly an awful experience.  This guy was so smarmy I don't know how they are even in business.

The rest of the stops were OK.  A couple of the sales guys were funny in their effusiveness.  You had to give them credit for trying.  One dealer we stopped at had a beautiful Bounder that we loved.  When we asked the owner if there was any wiggle room on the price we got a one word answer, No.  Oh well, we wanted something just a bit less expensive than what he had.

So we had hoped to come away with a purchase, but sadly did not.  We will continue to look and continue to learn.

Happy & Safe Trekkin!

Not Without Hesitation ...

I don't mind saying that the road to making a decision like becoming a full time RV'er is a bumpy one.  Fraught with pot holes, some as big as your rig.  Full of excitement and expectation as well as doubt and fear.  Tonight has been one of the doubt and fear nights for us.

Is this really the best thing for us to do?  The smartest use of our resources? Can we really handle life as a turtle?  Taking our home where ever we go?  Not just when we want to, but all the time.  Are we both ready?  Are we both sure?  All of these questions and more swirl around in a cauldron of emotions.  So much to wade through and such a need for naked honesty and communication from both of us.  This is part of the journey.  It certainly is not and will not be sunny skies and smooth roads all the time.

Unlike rig size and features like bed size or color schemes, making the decision to pull the trigger on a purchase that changes your life so completely cannot be made in a single day ... or week or year.  We have been throwing this around for years and years.  It has always been a possibility on our horizon.  But now that we have reached that horizon and stand on the cliff before that last big step, we pause, we hesitate, we agonize.

Are the turtles gonna trek?

Stay tuned and safe trekkin ...

The Gathering Continues...

The last few days have been very very intense.  I have looked at, walked in, crawled under, sat in, and climbed up more RV's then I even knew existed.  It has been SO FUN!  But a serious learning experience as well.  In addition to spending an entire day at the Alameda County Fairgrounds RV Show, my husband and I have hit as many RV Sales websites, Craigslist, RvT, RV Trader, and many others, as we can.  Comparison shopping is extremely time consuming but I believe it will be well worth it in the end.

We have been able to fine tune our choices though.  We know we don't want to go over 31 feet.  Mostly because I don't want to drive anything larger than that, but also because the bigger you go the more your choices of parks and parking narrow.

We also have decided that we want a Class A.  I sat in so many Class C's that I would not drive because the drivers seat was too low.  I was really surprised at the number of models that did not have driver seats that adjusted in height.  Now I realize I can get cushions and back pillows and all that, but do I really want to be doing that all the time? No I don't!  So Class A it is.

Queen walk around bed - a must.

I thought we had made a decision that we wanted at least one slide out, but then I checked out a few 30 and 31 foot models that were very nice and roomy and did not have slide-outs.  Plus a slide-out is another moving part that can break.  So the jury is still out on that.

Gas or diesel; most likely gas, but not a done deal.

And the list goes on and on ...

I think that the most important aspect of all of this shopping is that we take as much time as we need to get as close to perfectly what we need and want as we can.

It's out there and we will find it!

Happy & Safe Trekkin to all!

What a Whirlwind

Wow, I was so exhausted last night that I couldn't even think about making an entry here.  My husband and I spent our first full, and I mean FULL, day searching for our new turtle shell. And it was extremely overwhelming.

We started at an East Bay RV dealer but found that they had sent most of their inventory to the Alameda County Fairgrounds for a huge RV show that starts tomorrow.  As we had planned to visit the show that next day we looked at a couple units they had but quickly left.

We then attempted to locate Sky River RV and the Google had completely wrong info about them.  Seems they had moved and the Google sphere had not yet caught up.  But with a quick phone call and directions from a very pleasant woman on the phone we made our way to the showroom.

It just so happens that Sky River was also planning an Expo for this weekend and were just finishing up preparing for it.  The showroom was HUGE and the selection awesome.  After wandering for a few moments, we were greeted by a salesman, a very stereo typical salesman in my book.  I have to say I was worried about the "used car man" pushy come-on at first, but he quickly sized us up correctly as "serious browsers".  He was pretty awesome.  The information he gave us and the time he spent with us was helpful and very appreciated.  He pushed but was not pushy.

We looked at EVERYTHING!  Class C's and Class A's from well-used to brand spankin new and everything in between.  We spent almost 4 hours making our way through all the options.  We focused on aesthetics first.  Since we are greenhorns I have no idea if this is the best way but it worked for me.  I wanted to get a sense for what kind of living space layouts and features I would prefer before I started thinking about the mechanics of the machines.

Taking this step to change our living situation so completely is a very complex one and I want to do everything in my power to give us the best chance at complete success. And I figured that the first order of business was to answer questions such as, "How much space must I have",  not "want to have" but must have, "What amenities must I have", and "what is truly my acceptable price range"?  This last question is a doozy.

At this stage in our lives my husband and I have one important focus and that is to remove the "guns" from our heads.  The gun of debt and gun that waits to blow you into homelessness if you don't have next months rent or mortgage payment.  We want to own a home that cannot be taken away from us even if something drastic happens and we fall on very hard times.  These hard times are glaringly obvious all around us.  Although we live in one of the richest areas in the country, Silicon Valley has not escaped this economic melt down  anywhere close to unscathed.  Many of the tech companies here have laid off thousands of workers and continue to down size on a regular basis.  No ones job is sacred, no one is immune to the little pink slip.  And if you are living paycheck to paycheck, or even if you have managed to put together a comfortable savings plan, you are still facing a dwindling and eventual inability to to keep a roof over your head.  One look at the foreclosure market can give anyone nightmares.

So a home that cannot be taken.  Even if the worst case scenario happens and you run out of money and breakdown on the side of the road you still have shelter.   It may seem like a drastic step but there are increasingly drastic things happening around us every day.  We want to be a bit more secure.  The travel and adventure possibilities are really just bonuses that we look forward to.  The security is what we are ultimately after.

OK, I was not planning on getting into the "whys" of what we are planning until a later date in our trek but I guess it makes sense to put our motivations out there so our decision making process makes more sense to all of you and to help me keep it foremost in my mind.

Stay tuned and safe trekkin.

In the Beginning ...

My husband of 24 years and I are getting ready to embark on the next phase this adventure we call our life together.  Tomorrow we are going hunting for our home, our turtle shell.

We have been talking about going mobile for years.  It scares and excites us in equal measures.  We are by no mean independently wealthy, devoid of money worries, neither are we facing imminent homelessness.  My husband is a consultant for several companies in Silicon Valley and I am an administrator for a retirement community. Our motivation to make this change is both simple and complex, a complicated and twisting story that you, the reader, would most likely find confusing and very likely boring.  So let me just state the simple reason, we are finally ready.  Excited, scared, and ready.

While my husband has telecommuted for years, I don't plan to leave my job immediately. We intend to use a combination of boon docking and local camping spaces for at least a short time while we get use to living mobile and we work out the kinks in our new home and in our new relationship.  And make no mistake, we realize that while this will be an adventure, it will also challenge us in ways we can't even imagine at this stage.

I have been reading a fantastic book entitled, "Living Aboard Your RV", by Janet and Gordon Groene.  I highly recommend buying and reading it BEFORE you make a final decision about taking to the life my husband and I are affectionately referring to as Turtle Trekkin.

This blog will share our story with you.  Not from the very beginning, but from right now on this very early morning, very early in 2012.  I hope you will find it entertaining, encouraging, and educational in equal measures.  So begins the odyssey of the Turtle Trekkers.