We're off, or so we thought!

Aways watch where you park your RV.

That statement should be obvious, however sometimes it just isn't. A few weeks back, we had some serious rainfall and we had scheduled a 4 day trip about 50 miles north of our current location. We were ready for some down time.

Let me describe the area where our RV was parked. Nice grassy area, level spot with trees around one side and the back. Sounds good, right? Well not when it rains for 3 days straight and you are parked on grass. Although we did not see any water puddling, the ground became saturated and with a total gross weight of 18,000 pounds, worry started forming.

We hooked up the truck and let the jacks up. No problem so far. Got done with our checklist. Yup, remembered everything. Had the grandkids load up in the back seat and we were ready to go. Yes! Go about 30 feet and the fear became a reality.

The truck tires began to spin and forward motion stopped altogether. The blood left my face and what I had feared became a reality. We had sunk into the rain saturated soil. We hooked up our other truck with a chain and tried to pull out both the dually and the 5th wheel, but it did not budge. After 3 hours of trying to get out, still pouring down rain, we gave up. Trip cancelled.

The grandkids were disappointed but they did get a laugh as I proceeded to raise the 5th wheel tires and get some wood under them. I didn't want them sinking into the ground any farther then the already were.

Two days later, the ground finally dried out enough to make an attempt to pull out the RV. I raised the 5th wheel tires again, doing each one at a time and got more wood under them. Finally I was ready. I hooked up the dually, checked the hitch connection, electrical connections and yes we were ready. I let the landing gear up and watched the dually tires for any indication of sinking. Whew, looks good.

With fingers crossed, I began pulling forward and we started moving. Hurray, it's working. I pulled the RV around and got it positioned into its original place. Not on the grass, but next to the trees where the ground was much firmer and the tree roots and cover absorbed less water. I never had any issues pulling out of this spot.

So as you go about your merry way, remember to look at the ground where you park. Make sure it can handle the weight of your RV, even when mother nature throws its worse at you. I have learned the hard way and now knowing what to look for, I hopefully will not get stuck in this situation again.

Have fun in your travels.

5th wheel in our mist.

In February of 2012, we decided to embrace the idea of a 5th wheel. In our search for one, we knew we wanted to go with a used one. We didn't really know what we were getting into, or what we really wanted in one. We decided to give it a try and see what happened.

We purchased a 1998 Chevy Dually diesel and a 2001 Dutchmen ES33 with 2 slides. After getting things transferred from the travel trailer to the 5th wheel, we got comfortable in our new home. The difference in space and storage was like night and day. We were no longer overweight with the things we wanted to keep.

Speaking of weight, it is imperative to keep an eye on the weight you carry with any RV. It is very easy to make your RV heavier than it is designed for. Once you get your RV loaded, make a trip to the scales to see what you are weighing in at. You would be surprised at how things add up in a short time.

On our first trip, we took a short trip to Indian Springs, approximately 50 miles from the home base. I knew the truck still needed engine work and as suspected, it pulled very hard. It wasn't the trailer weight since that was still within the limits of the truck, it was that I had not done the work I wanted to do to increase the horsepower to what it was suppose to be able to have. We enjoyed our trip anyways and had fun with the grand kids, swimming, fishing and bike riding. Having a long bed allowed me to bring the bicycles along.

I was amazed at the difference in pulling the 5th wheel. There was no sway like we had with the travel trailer and hookup was much easier. No more torsion bars to pull on or trying to align the ball with the trailer. Now I could look into the rear view and match up the truck with the 5th wheel. I think I found heaven.

I also began something new, a checklist. I got a checklist app for the tablet and began a list of items to be checked before leaving. Nothing like leaving the electrical cord plugged in when leaving. Don't ask how I know that. It was that incident that made me look for and get a checklist app for the tablet. Now I go through the checklist each and every time. No skipping any items. Occasionally, I will add a new item to go along with the checklist. You can get checklists online at various sites, however, you will need to add or subtract item that are pertinent to your RV and travels. Everyone travels differently. Some bring all their food with them and therefore need to verify that they have everything. Others eat out during their travels, so their list of items to bring is much less. Don't be afraid that your checklist is long. The more detailed it is, the better prepared you are.

I still visit RV.net and rvnetworks.com to see what is new and what new items I can add to modify my RV to make it more ours. Stay tuned for more to come and remember to RV with Style

In the Beginning

Our decision to live in an RV was not an easy one. The economy was really a deciding factor.  The cost of maintaining a mortgage, car payment, electricity, etc. was proving to be a tad too much for us. Sherry had become disable and with one income, we were going into debt more and more. Hospital and doctor bills were draining our account. That's when we figured out a cheaper way of life for us.

We began to clear things out that we, nor our children wanted, and sold what we could, trashed what we didn't and gave away what was wanted. This took about 6 months. I built a small shed to keep the small amount of items that would not go into the RV or that would be changed out between summer and winter seasons. I also joined  RV.net, Escapees.com, and a few other RV forums learning as much as I could about towing, fulltiming, weights, etc. You would be surprised at how much there is to learn and what fun you can have learning it.

In February 2009, we purchased a 2001 Coachmen 30 foot travel trailer, with no slides for our first RV and gave our home to our daughter and her children after they had lost their home. This made the perfect arrangement.  We made an agreement that she would pay all the expenses for the home and land, and we would retain the right to live on the property in an RV. We set up a spot on the land and had the sewer and electrical set up. This was to become our first fulltime RV and homebase.

We had gone from a 2000 square foot home to a  225 square foot RV. What a change. It did take some getting used to, but after a few months all was well. Even our small dog, trinket, began to adjust to the smallness finding her sleeping spot next to me on the chair. She even received a sleeping bed next to our bed for nighttime. What a spoiled animal, but then, most RV'ers spoil their animals. Our grandkids love spending the weekend nights at our place. I think they miss having the grandparents around all the time.

Fulltiming is an adventure and read on as I create this blog on how things go and on our adventures of our travels around the southeast for now, all of America after my retirement. We wish you well if you decide to go this route and enjoy each day. Never know when you may leave this world and not get to do what you want. I am taking an early retirement so I can have the most days to enjoy a new and exciting lifestyle.