So Far So Good

It has been over a week since Victoria and I have returned from our 2 week visit back to Florida. We had a wonderful time catching up with family and friends. While there several people asked me how we liked the full time RV lifestyle. That got me thinking. I have also recently read a couple of blogs where the writers were questioning their full time decision.

Well, here is my take on it so far. We started about a year and a half ago working for Amazon.com. That was not a great experience and we decided we would not do it again. It was hard work in a dirty warehouse in a depressed little town.

On the up side we met some wonderful people that we are still in touch with. Although Amazon was not great I look at it as a learning experience, as I have tried to do with this whole adventure. Adventure, that is, what this is. It is not all fun and games and a lot of it is work. The adventure comes after work and while traveling from location to location. And that part words and pictures cannot describe. Our country is a magnificent land of wonder and beauty.

Our next stop, 3 months volunteering with the National Park Service. It was an unexpected and unplanned job. This was a lot of fun. We helped the rangers take school kids on nature hikes in the Mohave Desert. I never knew the desert was so full of life and beauty. We didn’t get paid but we did get a great RV site in the national park.

From there we headed north to Jackson, Wy. for the summer with stops at Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Zion, to name a few. We are very blessed to be able to see these wonders of nature. In Jackson we worked at a KOA campground. We worked 40 hours a week, me outside doing everything from fixing plumbing lines to building campsites. It is sometimes hard work and the weather does not always cooperate. 35 degrees and snow flurries in mid April can make a guy wonder what the heck he got himself into.

The weather warmed as the summer went on and we had 5 months to explore Jackson and Grand Teton and Yellowstone Parks. As those of you know who follow are blog it was AWESOME. We worked hard and we played hard all summer long.

October found us back in the Mohave Desert at a campground that catered to off roaders. This was not a good experience. It was in the middle of nowhere. It was an hour to the nearest grocery store. It was hot (105 in the shade). There were scorpions the size of a Honda Civic, and the flies were unbearable. Needless to say we started looking for something else right away.

We got lucky; we are now on the central coast of California. We are only 3 miles from the beach. Victoria loves that. We have everything we need within a few miles of the campground. The area is beautiful and we spend our off time exploring. That is why we are doing this, for the adventure of seeing what our current location has to offer.

As with the other places we have been, we have to work. We work 40 hours a week, five days a week. None of these jobs are very hard. I think that the owners of these parks understand that people in their 40-60 have worked a life time and it has been my experience that nobody has asked me to work near as hard as I did in the real world.


Victoria working in the office



Rows of Rv's

Needless to say though it is work. I am re-piping water lines which requires crawling around under damp and cob web invested cabins. Every morning I have to clean the pool and spa. The up side is I know it is clean and I have enjoyed the spa. Victoria has worked in the office at all our Camp ground jobs. Her job can be hectic and she has to sometimes deal with unhappy campers who are not always very pleasant.

The pool & spa

I get a golf cart to use

Building fences

Our RV spot is not the prime spot in the park. They have use next to the shop and the dumpster. It is not great but the site is part of our compensation so we don’t have to pay for a spot that cost $75. a night. I can stand looking at the dumpster.

Hey, that looks like a nice spot

Except it is really 2 spots and there is the dumpster

This park is also located only about 100 feet from the 101 freeway. This is a major highway. Think about I-75 or I-95 a 100’ from your door. There is a constant roar of traffic 24-7. That is probable our biggest complaint about our current location. That and the weather is a bit cooler than we would like and it rains a lot. But, it is not snowing and it is not 105 in the shade. So all and all this is a pretty good gig.

A big truck on the 101 Hyw.  they go 24/7

On our time off we explore the area and see all there is to see. We have seen some great wild life

and the scenery is fantastic. The beach is close by. There is a bike path and Victoria is taking

yoga classes down the road.

Elephant seals fighting on the beach

Awsome beauty

Nature at its finest

So in conclusion, are RV lifestyle is great. We have had some not so good experiences and some great ones. We plan to keep it going as long as we can. For those Rv’ers who wonder if your decision was a good one I would say hang in there. Take everything in stride. Enjoy the adventure.