RV Story 2 - RV Blog

Christmas In A Tiny Space

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 19:42:00 +0000

Ok, I admit it. I am rotten at keeping my personal blog up to date. When you write for a living updating, your own blog seems like a chore. With this said, it's been a while since I posted anything. Here's what's new.

#1 We are in Yuma, Arizona renting space on a private lot next to a home. We are in the Foothills area of Yuma, and it is lovely right up against the Gila Mountain Range. Today, December 6th, the temperature is 72 degrees with a light breeze. AHH! Love it.

#2 One of our big projects this winter is helping our Mexican missionary friends. This family is separated by the border, meaning the husband lives in Mexico and the wife and children live in Yuma. On November 12th I was honored to help at the birth of their new baby boy.

#3 Brian is in the process of developing a new website business here in Yuma. It's called. www.YumaRVSpace.com and offers free information on places you can park your rig and enjoy the winter sunshine. Check it out.

Finally, like you, we are preparing for Christmas. Since our tiny space is limited, I dedicated a window to the holiday celebration. Here's a couple of pics! Got to keep things simple when living in an RV, that's for sure.

Some Days Are Just Like That

Sat, 03 Sep 2016 01:20:00 +0000

When we first started RVing we had alot of challenging days. In fact, there were so many tough days in a row that we wondered if we had made a mistake. I remember thinking that someone should have warned us that RVing was not all cake and frosting! Fast forward 24 months and Brian and I have alot more good RVing days than bad ones. I am happy to say we turned the corner without driving off the rails.

Still, you will have days that are tough. These are the days when every plan goes south. What's the most important quality for an RVer? Flexibility. (followed closely with being exceedingly handy.) Truth is, I am not handy but I am flexible and as a couple we have learned to roll with the punches together.

Here's an example. Today, we got a late start even though we were trying to leave early. Things just took a lot longer than they should have. That happens sometimes. The car did not want to sit straight on the tow dolly and the tow dolly did not want to pull correctly. The wind was battering the rig pushing against us each and every mile. We hit repeated road construction. We pulled over at every rest area to check the straps on the motorcycle and all the while Brian's back was killing him.

Some days, you don't make the progress you were hoping for. Instead of going 400 miles you go 200 miles and instead of staying at an RV park you sleep at a truck stop. Sure, it isn't ideal but time will teach you that not every day will be this way you just have to hang on.

Tomorrow we will start again and see where the road takes us. For now, I will crawl into my King size Temperpedic that travels with me wherever I go. I will thank God for all that He has blessed us with and finally I will close my eyes. Tomorrow is a new day.

Here We Go Again - RVing To North Dakota

Mon, 29 Aug 2016 01:37:00 +0000

Here we go again.

After 4 and a half months in Oregon it was time to get Beulah back on the road. One of the places Brian has always wanted to visit is Golden Valley, ND where his family immigrated years ago. Since we need to go back to Kansas anyway, we decided to take an 800 mile detor and visit ND first. (Hey, there is even a Beulah ND so we will have to drive through that!)

We have been on the road now for 4 days and hope to arrive this evening in Golden Valley. In general, 4 or 5 days is the maximum time we like to drive. The cats get tired, Brian rarely sleeps and I get behind on writing. Once we arrive we plan to spend several days exploring and perhaps even meeting a distant relative or two.

From ND we will travel straight down to Washington, Kansas visiting some SD sights along the way.

Our building is still for sale in Washington and once in Kansas we will do some basic maintenance and get it ready for the new renter. We will also show it to a couple of potential buyers who have expressed interest in seeing the place. Since we haven’t been there in a year, we will need to do some cleaning to make it presentable again.

I look forward to seeing friends, getting my hair done (see you soon Becka) and sorting through our storage. I’d also LOVE to sell the place God willing.

After Washington we will travel back to Arizona for the winter. We hope to arrive in mid October and have rented a private lot instead of staying in an RV park. Our time in Yuma will be spent helping Hispanic friends in a variety of mission work over the border.

Writing On The Road - A Freelance Experience

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 02:30:00 +0000

In the last year, I have spent a lot of hours tapping on my keyboard. The reason? I was hired as an RV correspondent for a variety of recreational vehicle websites. I have written thousands upon thousands of words on the topic. Here are just a few of my posts which are a perfect way for you to experience the RV lifestyle without every leaving home.

Here is an assortment of creative articles which take a peek at the weird and wonderful side of living life on the road. I wrote these in 2015 under the pen name Dee Montana. (why? It's a long story). Topics include:

Rving Oregon: What To See In This Great State

Camp Food Recipes Just Went Gourmet

Little Known Landmarks that Literary Lovers Won't Want To Miss

How To Choose A Travel Trailer Hitch

Airstream Trailers Popularity Can't Be Contained

This Grandma Turned A Camper Into The Perfect Guest Room

Truth be told, I wrote over 100 articles for this company, and you can read them all here:

CLICK HERE There is something for everyone! From quirky to informative and back again.

In the fall of 2015, I began writing for another RV publication featuring in-depth articles that focus on Brian and I's real life "on the road" experiences. Here are just a few:

How To Choose A Domicile State

What Does It Cost To RV?

Discover How To Downsize In Six Easy Steps

Why We Bought A Newell

I have written about 40 other articles for this company that they are stocking up and releasing over time. It keeps me busy.

What is work camping?

Sun, 08 Mar 2015 01:17:35 +0000

There are many opportunities if you are willing to live the mobile lifestyle. Work camping is one of them. If you are new to this blog you may not know that this is our first work camping position, so I can't give you a ton of ins and outs. I don't even know if we will like work camping in 6 months but I thought I should give you ,the reader, a chance to learn about the opportunity and make the decision for yourself.

Work camping has a lot of definitions but basically you are doing a job in exchange for a place to park your rig. Your position may or may not include pay and it may or may not be long term. here are a few types of work camping jobs.

Camp host

RV park management

Mobile home park management

Gate guarding

Tourist store employee

National parks attendants

Concessionaires for events

We chose to discover RV park management on a 6 month contract. There are basically two seasons in the RV world. Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter. Spring/Summer is the easiest time to find a work camping position that includes a salary or an hourly wage. Fall/Winter is harder to find a pay related gigs unless you plan to be right in the heart of snowbird land.

In our case, we took a position that includes our space rent, utilities, laundry, store discount and an hourly wage as a package deal. We work 3 days on and 3 days off which allows us time to see the area and to work on my writing projects.

If you are looking for a work camping position be sure to shop around. Many of the work ads ask for a lot of hours in exchange for your space and utilities. Always make an effort to know what the true value is.

For instance, monthly space rental can run from $295 plus utilities to $1,500 plus utilities. If an ad asks the couple to each work 20 hours a week in exchange for your rent and the monthly equivalent is $295 you are getting a raw deal. If instead you are right on the beach and the rent is $1,500 a month you might think it is a great offer. Be sure to research the area and understand the offer.

If you are offered a package look at the total value. Work camping may supplement your income or it may replace a job but you won't get rich. You will however have the opportunity to live the lifestyle you dream of and you can't put a price tag on that!

Want to learn more about work camping? Here are a few links. Remember! Jan/Feb is the hiring time for Spring/Summer. Early summer is hiring for Fall/Winter. If you look for work in between these seasons you may find it difficult to land a job.

Check these out:

http://www.work-for-rvers-and-campers.com

http://www.workamper.com

http://www.workingcouples.com/jobs-category/work-campers

http://koa.com/community-camping-programs/work-camps/

Our First Workcamping Job - Welcome To Wichita

Sun, 08 Mar 2015 00:47:59 +0000

We arrived in Wichita, Kansas on March 2nd. It had snowed the day before so we had delayed our arrival until the roads began to clear. We were met by the owner, Sheila who directed us to our new "home" for the next 6 months. We chose an end spot with plenty of room for our trailer and vehicles plus a few trees. USI RV park is mostly gravel which is suppose to help in the summer heat. They have a large pet area and grass surrounds the edges of everything. There is also a playground.

We spent the first afternoon and evening getting settled.

The following morning we started training for our first official "job" in years. (we have worked for ourselves for a really, really, long time.) We met Chuck and Pauline, our trainers and fellow work campers, at 8:45 am and began our leap into RV management.

My job consists of running the office and small store. I make reservations in person and on the phone. There is a lot of interaction with incoming, outgoing and monthly residence which keeps me hopping and the first day was crazy busy. (so I got thrown right in!)

Brian runs around the park in a golf cart and oversees the propane station (which is relatively busy since its winter) cleaning the grounds, helping residents and guiding people to and from their spots. He also helps me pick and choose the right location for each rig.

Our hours here will be from 9-6 (in the office) and then on call for the rest of the day. We work 3 days on and then 3 days off.

Training was intense. We got to know Chuck and Pauline plus a ton of monthly residents in a hurry. The owner, Sheila, was preparing to have hip replacement surgery (which happened yesterday) so it was important that we jumped in fast and made every effort to "GET IT." Fortunately, we are pretty quick and only had to train for 3 days, test out for 1 and then fall into our regular schedule.

So today, was our first day off and boy did we need it. It seems like we have been going and going since February 18th when we left Oregon. What a relief to spend the day "settling." I slept in, cleaned and helped Brian re-position the coach on our spot.

Brian got a bunch of stuff done including washing our car and his motorcycle, dumping and filling the tanks and going for a nice "exploratory" cycle ride. The weather was 62 today and all the snow finally melted.

It's good to feel grounded again.

Tiny House Love, Love

Wed, 25 Feb 2015 03:42:45 +0000

Yep. we are into our 5th month of living small and I have to say I love living in a tiny house on wheels. Truth is, I don't miss anything. (so far). I am really enjoying less stuff and when I want something new, I feel good about tossing something old.

I don't love fast paced travel. I find it incredibly stressful especially trying to find a place to park our 65 foot beast. I hate the random terror of wondering if and when we will be able to get out of a parking lot or campground.

Still, I like feeling free. So far, thumbs up on life in a tiny house!

7 Crazy Days (or how to race cross country in a BIG RIG)

Wed, 25 Feb 2015 03:24:35 +0000

Have you ever felt like your life was on permanent hold? We have. The problem is, when something actually does happen, it's always a "seize the moment" kind of deal. For us, this meant signing a 6 month work contract and choosing a renter in the same week, then racing 2,600 miles in order to make both things happen.

Here's the story.

After spending 10 weeks in beautiful Dayton, Oregon (most WITHOUT a toilet) we were offered a chance to co-manage an RV Park for 6 months with a great 3 day on and 3 day off schedule. The location? Would you believe Wichita, Kansas...just 3 hours from where we started in November. The advantage of this position is multi-fold.

#1 We want to experience park management and see if this is a field we are interested in. As a full-timer there are many opportunities to work at a variety of parks around the nation. The Wichita job will give us a chance to see if we like the work.

I (Dawnya) will be running the office and Brian will be overseeing landscape and maintenance 4 days a week. In exchange for our work we will receive a compensation package including our space rent, wi-fi, cable, utilities, laundry and a wage.

#2 While driving back to Kansas wasn't our first choice, the flexible schedule in Wichita will allow us to travel back and forth to Washington, Kansas. As you may remember, we downsized 90% of our lives last fall but we still have 10% in storage. Our goal is to re-sort and sell anything we do not love!

#3 I am in the process of rebuilding an internet business. I am still doing a little tea education but I am spending most of my time writing books on topics like Prayer and travel. So, I am hoping with three days on and three days off I will still be able to focus on building a new vision online. (stay tuned!)

Once the decision was made and the contract signed, my body decided to immediately catch the first nasty cold to come by. I spent the week prior to our cross country drive in bed wheezing and sneezing with only 2 days to get ready for the big journey.

Enter winter:

Unfortunately, most of the U.S. is covered in snow and in order to avoid the Rocky Mountains we drove THE LONG WAY ROUND. We added an extra 1,000 miles to our trip going down through Nevada and over through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and onto Oklahoma and finally Kansas. Quite the journey in 7 days!

And so, here we sit, in Miami, Oklahoma at the Newell Coach service center. In the morning we will have our final warranty work completed and then drive back to Washington, Kansas where it all started! What a 6 month journey.

The Beautiful Sounds of A Flush

Tue, 10 Feb 2015 05:39:56 +0000

In 1988 Brian and I met on a bus going to Merritt Island, Florida. We drove continually for 4 1/2 days from Portland, Oregon and with nothing else to do, we got to know each other pretty well. In Florida we spent 2 weeks at Teen Missions International's Bootcamp training where we lived in tents and ran obstacle courses.

Brian was heading to Hungary & Russia on a construction team. I was 16 and fulfilling my lifelong dream to go to England. My team was jokingly called "The Holiday Inn" team since everyone envisioned us living on luxurious canal boats, lazily gliding through the heart of England. Yet nothing could have been farther from the truth. (actually Brian was the one who ended up with the "cushy" travel experience.)

Our canal boats broke down from the moment we got on board. The boats were old and a bit smelly with ancient faulty wiring. Within a few days, we had no electricity, no running water and no toilets! It was a long month on the water. When I returned home 8 weeks later I could hardly believe how grateful I was for a bathtub, a washing machine and a real "water closet."

Fast forward 27 years. After 9 weeks of slogging back and forth to the public shower room day and night, we finally got our own toilet! I have never loved the sound of running water more!

I have to brag a bit on Brian. (cause he would act like it wasn't a big deal). Truth is, he spent 4 weeks, day and night researching where on earth we could get a toilet that work on our coach. He tried fixing the one we had. He tried retrofitting one we ordered. He sat with plumbers, called coach manufacturers and talked to every RV supply house he could find. Finally 4 weeks in he discovered that a particular unit designed for yachts would work within our coach without a ton of expensive retrofitting. We were thrilled.

Unfortunately, no one had the unit in stock. This "Master Flush" was special order and required a two week wait. Two weeks turned into three. Three weeks turned into four. Finally in desperation we agreed to drive to Seattle and redeem the unit to speed up the process. We drove for 12 hours to get this precious bundle and today it finally paid off.

Brian was able to do the wiring, the plumbing, the tile work and all adjustments. (did I mention that this is like the most complex toilet known to man?) He was amazing. He never gave up and today we rejoiced over a simple sound that most American's take for granted. It took only a moment for me to relive my experience in England all those years ago. I remembered my profound sense of gratitude for the simple things in life.

Deciding What's Next

Fri, 23 Jan 2015 01:26:28 +0000

Brian and I are getting the "itch." We have been in Dayton almost 7 weeks and we are ready to begin exploring a new area. The weather here has been beyond fantastic. They say it is a "Freak Winter." We will take it!

Although we are ready to explore another area we are still wanting to remain in the NW. Saturday we will begin exploring parks in other areas perhaps in the Portland/Vancouver, Washington area.

Unfortunately we will not be moving until we get the new toilet and you can bet we are excited. It's been 6 weeks since we had a in coach "flushy." We walk down to the RV Park's bathroom throughout the day and night. Oh the joy. Hoping to pick up our new toilet in Seattle in another week or two.

In the meantime, I have been bouncing from medical appointment to dental appointment to eye doctor. I am trying to get all my updates done while we are close to my primary medical center. Tomorrow I have my last appointment and I cannot wait.