Closet-phobia

Closetphobia--fear of small closets.

RV closets for rigs in our size range should have a sign denoting "Not suitable for men over 165 pounds". My shirts hang so low their lower portions serve as carpet scrubbers.The depth is not much better-- if your shoulders are wider than a stick figure of Gomer Pyle, the coat also will not fit.

I knew we were facing this conundrum as we headed out to get a sports coat for potential job interviews down the road.Where does the RV'er hang a jacket with an XL (Extra Lard) size tag on it?  Well, lo and behold, it looks like we have a new purpose for extended cab pickups. Now if I can find a butler to run out to the truck to snag it when needed.

Day 254 of tin can camping continues.

Money Laundering

I don't have a pet peeve, I have a zoo of peeves, all be it of the first world variety. In our current campground, they have two nice, well-equipped coin operated laundry areas. But guess what they do not offer--- C O I N S!

Imagine going to the bank teller and being told "Sorry sir, we don't provide change". Or, getting all situated at the car wash only to discover they have no way to convert your greenbacks to silver. How about if the soda machine had an illuminated sign reading "does not provide change". Like mustard to a hot dog, coins are to a coin-operated laundry--no?

I understand security concerns with 24 hour laundry rooms and change machines. But could you not place them at the office where there is constant presence for at least 8 hours a day. If you don't want to mess with change machines, then could you not at least make rolls of quarters available to your office staff. I mean---really---what is happening to the coins that are being inserted into their dozen machines? Seems like availability is not an issue.

So when I inquired as to where I can get change to use their laundry services, guess where I was told to go--"sir, 1 mile north of here there are change machines at the laundromat and the car wash. If that doesn't work, a bank".  YA THINK??

Over and out.

Fixin' To Fix Something....

"Fixin to" is a favorite Texas euphemism for "preparing to"--we are fixin' to leave for the grocery store. In the RV lifestyle, seems like you are continually in a "fixin to fix something" mode.

We have had several lingering issues in need of repair, but for the most part, they were of the intermittent variety--the worst kind for diagnosing. We have had the temperature relief valve of the hot water heater leaking periodically, the furnace thermostat acting up and a leak into the basement from the shower basin. So, after my limited problem solving skills failed, yet again, it was time to test out our extended warranty provider and a local RV tech who worked with such companies.

So a call was placed to RV Specialist mobile repair service in Austin. Their best response time was two days which was not an issue since 2 of the 3 issues (not the shower leak) have been plaguing us periodically for months and the other is solved by a 50 foot walk to the awesome compartment style (our favorite) showers at the campground.

After 2 hours of problem solving, although I suspected it was a shower faucet leak, it appears it was weakening caulk around the lower wall of the floor pan as a peek into the faucet cabinet showed it completely dry. It takes 24 hours to set and I am not fully optimistic that was the issue, but we will go from there. The furnace thermostat issue, as luck would have it when repair folks arrive of any nature, could not be reproduced. The water heater valve leak was demonstrated, so it was replaced.

 

Total bill before warranty was $253.00 including $75 service call for just bringing their smile to our RV park. The tech confirmed, as other RV repair folks I have asked, XtraRide is one of the easier warranty providers to deal with. The end result: Xtraride covered the service call fee plus the water heater valve parts and labor, minus $50 deductible,  leaving us with a balance of $150. I figured they wouldn't cover caulking nor the "unable to duplicate" thermostat issue, so I would say we are satisfied with their coverage. 

Oh, and yes, I had gone over it with caulk before they arrived, but APPARENTLY acrylic caulk, which I knew was not entirely waterproof, but thought it would have some value,  is useless on showers and tubs.I am rapidly approaching putting the complete into complete idiot.

On somewhat of a related topic, we discussed in a prior post about Coach-Net, our roadside assistance program, which we had dealings with during our accident in Wilmington, NC. While there are only 2 major players in this provider category (the other being Good Sam's), we were pleased with our overall experience. They had a clause providing Trip Interruption benefits in the event, as an RV'er, we were involved in an accident and our rig was rendered inhabitable. They allowed for hotel ($400), rental car ($300) and meals ($400). I checked in with them on Friday and although the check has not been written, all of our paperwork has been received and the claim approved. We knew from the outset a 60 day waiting period was the norm and it has only been 30, so it is proceeding on course.

While we are on topic of repairs, for those that order online parts and comparison shop like Christie over at He Said She Said, give Tweetys a look. I have found them to be less expensive after pricing in item cost and shipping than both Amazon and Camping World.

There you go, a RARE, HELPFUL post on 2 of the hot button topics amongst RV'ers---warranties and roadside assistance providers, plus a tip on how to save a buck or two. It must be the giving season.

The journey is parked in Austin, TX as we celebrate 8 months of minimalist living in 2 days....

Settled

We had to play "musical sites", but we are here for at least a month at Oak Forest RV Park in Austin, Tx. Staying five nights in our arrival spot then moving over a grand total of----one space---- on Friday. Love it when I can drag all of our property over to our next RV space, all be it the rig is a tad too heavy for this lightweight, so we will hitch up and haul it around the loop once and be done for 31 days.

When the bikes are down and the cargo box is out of the back of the truck, you know as an RV'er you are put for awhile. Good feeling!

Arrived at the In-laws on Friday only to discover our back plate had been stolen, so filed police report and put front tag on the back. As you might surmise, the back plate is entered as "stolen". Since the front plate has the exact same info on it, guess what Mr. Policeman sees on his car computer--"STOLEN LICENSE PLATE". With my background, an overzealous officer will sometime mistakenly read "STOLEN VEHICLE" and that is where the roadside entertainment begins with officers pointing guns at you and commanding you to exit the vehicle with your hands up, blah-blah. Of course, I would be tempted to start "signing" with them pretending I was deaf to test their training and it would probably go bad from there. So, limited driving til new tags arrive.

One of the very few possessions we did not thankfully sell--our home vacuum, which rested in the shop loft at the in-laws. Within hours, I had the RV basement reorganized to take quick possession of this MUST NEEDED tool. Even though Teri swept and vacuumed with the (useless) Walmart mini-vac, this was the result with the Dirt Devil---one third full in a rig that has about 50 square feet of carpet.

When we started this journey, one of Teri's desires was to be near a community farm or a farmer's market. Well, it took our final campground and lo and behold if we aren't parked across the street from Green Gate Farms. Oh, and those turnips right there, when Teri works her culinary magic, really do taste just like mashed potatoes!

"Happy, happy, happy" (for you fans of Duck Dynasty) when this boy is 5 miles from the touchdown zone of Austin Bergstrom International Airport. In Texas, we call this bird-watching.

May have to reactivate spam controls on the blog----sorry---- but a bit tired of vaginal bacteriosis prevention, penile enlargements and the best one--eyelash growth serums--promotional links. Although I am not a doctor, I don't believe we have a need for any of those at this stage.

As promised, we headed back to Texas to spend more time with family....

Day 237 of full-time RV living/leaving/loving, sometimes all of the above....

Home Sweet Home!

*no words necessary*

Moving....Moving....Moving....Stopped.

7 days, just shy of 1,100 miles, Myrtle Beach, SC-Lake Charles, LA, where we will rest for Thanksgiving on the road. We sit just shy of 35 miles from the Lone Star state border- good, stiff westerly breeze and we might just get a whiff of some home grown Texas BBQ.

Yellow means yield--as in stay 2 lanes over and 100 yards back. The two closest near hits in this 11K mile journey involved truck rentals, no doubt inexperienced yahoos who still think they are in their daily driver.

To the average eye, that appears to be a washboard. In reality, that is a picture of I-12, westbound, from Baton Rouge, La. to Lafayette. There were more bumps than an experimental group testing out a new cure for acne.

 So you want to pay half-price via Passport America, then we will give you half a picnic table.

Ok, my astute wife spotted their nifty solution---they redeemed themselves--- combo picnic table and bench.

Rv'ers are an ingenious bunch. Hey, when you don't have kickstands, just grab the 6 ft aluminum ladder and convert it into a bike storage unit.

Nothing spells stability like drying off sitting on a bar stool on a wet floor in a campground bathroom.

Hat tip to Newmann, a faithful mentor I found over at RV.net and who is currently residing in La. for recommending Steamboat Bills, possibly the best meal we have had on this journey. A Boudin ball, red beans&rice, shrimp pistolettes and shrimp platter. All is well in the land of Cajun.

What the final journey will look like---those 16 states were the only ones Mr. Barnum and Ms. Bailey did not traverse through. There will always be next time...via a Gulfstream V business jet.

35,000

Here is wishing all of you who have stopped by since our journey began 7.5 months ago a Happy Thanksgiving!


Off to Texas on Friday, HookEm! Day 228.

Home for the Holidays!

Decision time: We said we would give it 9 days once we arrived at Myrtle Beach, so we did what we always do--changed our mind--gave it 9 hours. We are moseying our way back to the Lone Star state to be home with friends and families for the holidays and will take an extended, if not permanent break, from being mobile. Yee-haw-ho-ho!

If you followed Teri's most recent post, there probably is no need for you to pick yourself off the floor.

We will continue to reside in the Lady Eagle for the foreseeable future. For those that do not know, we owner financed the home we sold for a year, so buyer has until March to seek funding, all be it the possibility exists it could be done in 2 weeks or so. So, our hands are tied until that point as we need the balance to purchase property. Additionally, I will probably try to find a career position and the RV gives us more flexibility to have a portable house to be close to employment until a sticks and bricks surfaces, or God reveals a different course of action. Austin is a traffic zoo and you don't want to commit to a home first and saddle yourself with a commuting headache.

Our motto was: "Cash is gone or we hit a year, whatever comes first". Are we out of money? No. Did we make it to a year? Time will tell. It is simply time to reunite with our friends and families for an extended basis and reevaluate in the stability of a known area and one that is as beautiful as any place we have visited. 

Other factors:

• It was our plan to have our boys join us in FL. for a Christmas get together. We priced fares from Austin and Denver where our boys reside and they were price prohibitive. They are typical young adults with checking account balances that vary from "Slim" to "Pickens". If they would have bought plane tickets, they would have had zero monies left to lavish their parents with gifts. Unthinkable.
• We have loose ends to tie up with settling post-accident matters, taxes to work on, etc.
• Where gas prices have receded 25% from Summer highs, there has been almost no offest with diesel, still pumping it out at about $4 per gallon. Continuing to move would be budget crippling.
• We are both ready to give back to our friends, families and community. It has always been a mental battle for me between "Enjoy this season of your life since you have been blessed with the resources to do so" versus "Are you really fulfilling God's path for your life serving the less of us". That was an epic struggle in this midget of a mind. Can you do both on the road--absolutely--so I don't want to take away from those that have found "their place" in the mobile community. There are wonderful organizations such as RV-Care-A-Vanners and such serving the locals. We just feel a tug toward longer term relationships.
• I need a big dog to love. Yup, alot of you folks travel with them well, but I would have been right in our 2 week stay in a hotel and the hassle of trying to solve that with a canine in tow.
• Need to get annual cholesterol tested. Results last time said: "Too much chicken fried steak". If you have followed our travels, put your money in the makers of Lipitor.
• There is a Trader Joe's coming to Austin, so Teri can rest easy.
• Driving 11,000 miles+ in tow is enough. Even though we had well maintained gear operating very safely and being driven likewise, I could not get rid of that 6th sense of uneasiness. Sadly, it manifested itself into 6 seconds of more excitement than we ever needed.
• There is no 12 step program for brisket withdrawal and I need a fix.

The good news is Teri is back in her comfort zone as a co-pilot post North Crasholina. She actually napped during our brief ride today into Tallahassee. Thank goodness, that passenger brake was being worn out.

 

What does blogging foretell? What's not to love about making fun of ourselves and folks who are involved in this lifestyle. Of course, it continues until we hand over the title of the rig.

What about the RVing lifestyle? We still want a connection as we have met so many real and virtual friends. Teri even had a good idea to add an RV pad with power and water for ya'll to have a place to experience real Texas hospitality at no cost. Workkamping and even RV sales still is of interest to me, now that we have seen the inside looking out of the lifestyle.

When do we put on the cowboy hat again? Before Christmas. We know we will just mosey back on I-10 enjoying Turkey Day on the road. If you know of a cool town between FL and TX let us know. We have done Panama City, Mobile and N'awlins as recent as January, but are open minded to other hangouts.

Day 226...the journey slowing down to a crawl to the finish line.

Tally-ho from Tallhassee...