Finally a nice day......

Hot and humid weather along with storms or rain is the norm for a MN summer. The last two days have been beautiful. Low humidity and 80º, (still too warm for me) with little wind. Today we only had one thing, later in the day, to do. So we went for a nice long ride on our motorcycles.

It had been so long since I got to ride that it took me a bit to get "with one' with my bike. But after a few rounds about town, thanks to my hubby, I was ready to roar.

The fields are all green and lush from the warm weather. The only wildlife I saw was one huge hawk, one pheasant and two dogs playing tag along side a corn field. There were some cows that looked like they would make some mighty fine eats down the road. I do love my steak. hehehe  Oh back to the ride..... There was so little wind that the big semi's didn't put my bike and I into orbit today. Being that my Helix is quite a bit lighter than most bikes, a gust of wind from a big passing truck, puts me a bit off my game. It's not fun trying to stay in a straight line on your side of the road while being pushed by the truck typhoon.

Mark rides the lead since I have no idea where the roads lead. And I'm happy to say that he has not taken advantage of that and left me alone to find my way back home. I do carry my cell phone along in case of emergencies, but if you don't know where the heck you are how are you going to tell someone else?? It's not like the black and white cow hasn't moved, or the the green tractor isn't done in the field or big red truck is still picking up mail at the silver mailbox.

We went through a few towns I had never heard of and seeing how small they were I'm surprised there were people there. We did stop in Stewart, a town that I have heard of, at Cactus Jacks for a burger and a tall glass of water. The waitress was very nice and the burgers were great. It wasn't like in the movies either. Like when you walk into someplace where no one knows you, carrying helmets and riding jackets and everyone stares. No bar fights or bottles smashing on your head either. Just a really nice place to have a burger and a beer.

What is full time RVing.

As many of you know we started this blog as a log of what we did to get started on living in our RV full time and where we have been and what we have been doing. The blog is something that we look back on as a reference and as a reflection of our memories. Not everything we have done is done or has been done by anyone else. This is just what we have done and are doing. This blog is also a way for family and friends to keep up with us.

A lot of work was involved to get to this point and beyond. Work that we wanted to do so we could travel. Travel that we could not have done if we had to pay rent or make a house payment too. There have been struggles and great achievements along the way. All have been worth our time and effort. We have enjoyed our travels and time together.  If anything we have logged here is of benefit to anyone else that is a plus as well. 

There are several blogs that I read about full time RVing. They are full of helpful information and enjoyment and trials.  And then there are a couple places that I found on Facebook called Full time RVing. Some of the people on the FB ones really don’t know what full time rving means. So let me clarify…… Full time Rving is when you live in your RV full time and you travel and NOT sit stationary in one spot.  Staying in one spot day in and day out for years is called living in your trailer, period. Staying at a spot for a few days, weeks or months and going back to your apartment or house, is called camping. Quite a difference.

Full time RVing is work, not all fun and games. But like anything else you do it’s what you make of it as well. We have a goal to see as much of what we want to see for as long as God allows us. Some full timers that we have met have been doing this for over ten years and are in their 80’s. They have no regrets about their decision and still enjoy what they doing. Grant you, this lifestyle is not for everyone. And there are still some aspects of it that I am struggling with. But for the most part it has been a worthwhile decision. 

So what is your fancy? Full time RV, RV trailer living in a park, or camping? It’s up to you. And whatever you do, enjoy, life is too short not do just that. God bless.

Always an adventure.

Never without ice.

The weather we have been having has been quite a roller coaster. It goes from what I call nice, 73º to horrible which is anything over 80 and humid. Two nice days and then rain or storms seems to be the norm for the month of July. On the hot humid days I sure do go through a lot of water to stay hydrated, even though I stay in the a/c. I’m not much of an outside person really.

Back some months ago we purchased an ice maker. My guess would be that we have had the unit for about 5 months now. And boy does this beauty do a fine job of keeping me in ice for my water.  Yes, I said water. I’m a big water drinker and love to have ice in my water. This unit, made by Igloo, doesn’t take much power so we can even use it when dry camping. That really makes me a “happy camper”. Pun intended. hehehe  After my coffee, of course, it’s the first thing I turn on in the morning and the last thing to get turned off at night.

All that glitters is not gold

We have been back at the river park since Monday. We were excited to see that there is internet at the park now. Sadly it is through Nu-Telecom. It is the worst internet provider around. If you are lucky you can get to two different websites, but that is very rare, and they shut the service totally off at 10 pm. I don’t know why the city even bothered with internet when what they offer is a joke. Thankfully we have the hotspot on our phone that works great. You are asking why do we need internet when camping? Well we aren’t “camping”, this is our way of life, how we pay our bills, catch weather updates, news and stay in touch with family, friends and our doctors.   So reliable internet is needed. Mail service is NOT day to day for us. Some will call the internet service, what the city is providing, as “free”. Well that is not true either. The site rent went up in price, so we are paying for the service. A service that doesn’t really work, so very much is blocked and it is sooooo slow.

On a happier note we have been blessed with all the storms passing us by once again. Although it is feeling rather soggy around here, we won't complain. Rain when we are in Hutch is what seems to be the norm for us. hehe Don’t worry, we will be leaving next month, then it will dry out. LOL The farmers will be happy about that come harvest time. :)

Little by little I am trying to stock up on some things that we can only get in MN. The freezer is filled to it’s max already. What we buy now we eat within the week. It works if I remember to plan accordingly. hehe Did you know that skin on wieners and summer sausage is not found in the grocery stores in the south? Imagine being able to grill all winter long and never having a hot dog?  We were sure happy to have a Cashwise hot dog when we got back to Hutch. Although the Ambasador hot dogs that my brother had for us were really great too. I never knew they were skin on/natural casings. 

Since the weather has been so wet and gloomy I’ve been doing some more reorganizing and cleaning. Now if I could only find some of the things in storage that I would like here. Mark did find some of my coffee cups and put in hooks to hang them. I need to have some of “my” things around me to make it feel more like home. Guess you could say I am a material girl. LOL

This and that

So a while back we upgraded our water softener to a larger unit while we were in Yuma as the water there is absolutely BOLDER hard. As the height did not change on the unit I was keeping it as well as other things on a shelf running the length of right side of the 5er basement. I not thinking about the added weight of the softener it didn’t take too many site moves and it’s bouncing around caused the shelf to come loose in the corner where it was stored.

Now that we have some time I got multiple sized L brackets and reinforced all 4 corners as well as three each along the length of the shelf to the aluminum framing. This stiffening has made for a much more stable shelf and I will again be able to use it for the softener.

Now that we are back in Hutchinson for an extended stay I had the opportunity to go thru the tools we have been hauling with on our trip and make a more informed decision as to what we really need to take with on our next adventure. That said I weeded out two totes full of tools as well as a telescoping ladder that combined cut our payload by roughly 300 lbs. I think I heard both the 5er and the Dually whisper, “Thank You”. But I could be mistaken………..

With the added space we can now keep the extra spare tire in the back of the truck as we are traveling rather than lifting it up and into the camper each and every time we stop. Big win for me……… . And the wife since she didn’t relish climbing over it to get into the camper.

Other than that I have put off some work on the 5er to spend some time riding my motorcycle and visiting with friends, family and coworkers. It has been great catching up with you all. I can not express in words my feeling toward you all and want to leave this post with this message.

Should you get the chance to break away and take the path less traveled like Cindy and I are doing Jump at it. The unknown is more exhilarating and challenging that it is scary and the rewards the adventure provides will leave you with a lifetime of wonderful memories.

It is always an Adventure!

Stormy weather

Here it is the middle of July, almost. We are still in Hutchinson and it looks like we will be here through August too. The mid-northern states are so expensive to stay at and so very few campgrounds. So we opted to just stay here another month unless we get the itch to move on out.

We were graced by God and escaped damage from the storms that have passed through. Last night some towns had baseball size hail and 60+ mph winds. The hail would have done severe damage to our solar and home. Which would have had us looking for a place to live. Thanks be to God for sparing us that fate. Listening to the weather at noon, it sounds like another round is to be expected tomorrow. We are praying that we are saved from that one as well. Just another reason to not like living here. 

The ugly wallpaper border is now a thing of the past. I got that stuff off, and the sticky cleaned off of the walls in under 3 days. Once I start on a job I just can’t leave it until it’s done. And boy did my back pay me back for that poor decision. But the end result is a great improvement. Now what can I get into? I’ve been thinking of making valances for the windows, but not sure about that anymore. Maybe just leave well enough alone?

This week, because of a music fest thing here in town, we have to leave the campgrounds. We will be staying at a dear friends place in a neighboring town. Our stay there will only be for a few days and then back to the campgrounds but a different site. We will have to make a couple site moves during the August too. Such is the life of a Nomad.

Today was laundry day which means a fast moving morning once I roll out of bed. Just enough time for one cup of coffee, then get dressed and sort clothes. Mark carries out the two large laundry bags to the truck and carries them in to the laundromat as well. An hour and a half later I call him and he carries everything for me again. He usually goes and visit’s with Harlan while I slave away at the laundromat. LOL I was just informed that it’s  not such a tough job. But when I asked Mark if he wanted that job he stated a definite NO.

Since our fridge and freezer is no longer a full size residential fridge, we have to go shopping more often. Some times I/we forget that we are limited and I really have to be creative on packing stuff into the smaller appliance. There are times when you have to watch your head and toes when opening the doors. At least with Mark coming helping with the grocery shopping there is more of a variety. What I don’t think of he does. Now if I could just get him to cook. LOL LOL He does do a great job of clearing the table and drying dishes though. Team work!

Well it looks like I had better get up and see what kind of trouble I can get into now. 

As always, it’s an adventure.