the Youngest Snowbird:

Three Month Check-Up

It's been just under three months since JohnnyDisco had work done at the Tiffin Mothership in Red Bay, Alabama. This post was delayed since I wanted to make sure everything that we had repaired was still working a few months later.

We dropped off our rig (a 2010 Allegro Open Road) on January 30th, 2012.

Pictured below is what I call 'Camp Tiffin' - a bare parking lot with full hook-ups for customers having warranty work done on their motorhome.

It's free to stay at Camp Tiffin if you've made an appointment, but if you just show up with your rig or you're having post-warranty work done, there is a nightly fee (between $10 and $20 bucks).    

Here's why JohnnyDisco was in for service: 

• large bubble forming on the roof over the fridge
• fridge would not defrost - interior light flickers
• generator needs to be looked at - from day one we couldn't put even half an electric load on it
• rear auto jacks take very long time to store (we need to auto store, auto level and then auto store AGAIN for the back jacks to store) 
• drivers side electric window will open but needs to be pulled up manually to shut it
• rear furnace will not ignite (the furnaces were wired backwards when we first bought JohnnyDisco)
• siliconing: around slides, windows, bathroom sink
• front door: seal on window has been coming off since we bought the unit; seal around door is loose; have to slam to close properly;  screen door was not hung straight;  screen door paint by latch is peeling
• main awning is twisting
• rivets coming loose on corners of slide outs 
• all the bin doors on the two front slides need to be looked at (some won't latch properly, some stick)
• passenger side windshield fluid hose is broken
• passenger side window separating (interior, bottom left)
• screws and seal not properly fixed under bunk slide
• paint peeling/rusting under slide bin doors (latch area)
• wall panels beside fridge loose (both sides)
• black water tank hands free (no fuss flush) is leaking into sewer bay

Keep in mind, we bought a brand new unit less than two years ago and 75% of these problems were discovered within the first few days/months of ownership. Quality control really dropped the ball the day our rig was born. 

As requested, we had left JohnnyDisco at the Tiffin Mothership for two weeks, returning to pick him up on Sat, Feb 11th - but the Tiffin service area was closed for the weekend so we waited 'til Monday to sign off on the paperwork. (Lots of folks complain about the service department being closed on the weekend, but I don't think it's that big of a deal. Everyone needs a day off.)

About 7am on Monday someone came by to let us know they had a few more things to finish on our coach and it was quickly brought into a service bay.

We met some really nice folks that day, including Carl, who did all the miscellaneous repairs like straightening our screen door, installing the new bedroom window, etc.

My Fella looks like a giant in this pic but Carl was just standing on a lower step

this is Bryan setting up a roof test to make sure there are no leaks in our new roof

The majority of Tiffin employees were friendly and efficient. And everything on our list was taken care of and now functions the way it should have when we first purchased JohnnyDisco.

Kudos to Stephanie Umfress (who got the entire ball rolling), our crew leader Torino, the lovely Carl (who was determined to make sure we were completely satisfied), Bryan the roof guy (great sense of humour), Peggy (who kept us in the loop), the furnace folks, the Blind Lady, the generator team and everyone else who worked on JohnnyDisco.

And a huge thank you to the Big Cheese, Bob Tiffin, for repairing every single thing at no cost to us.

He didn't even charge us for installing a new bedroom window. And there was actually nothing wrong with our old bedroom window; we just wanted one that opened so we could get more air flow circulating thru the back of the coach. We fully expected to pay full price for the new window and the installation, but we weren't charged a dime.

In our minds, this was a Tiffin customer service success story.

Our brand new coach was kind of a lemon (roof bubble, furnaces wired backwards, faulty generator, etc.) but My Fella and I are both impressed with the Tiffin service gang in Red Bay. We hated having to drive all the way to Alabama for the roof repair (big waste of time and money) but the Tiffin Mothership treated us well and fixed everything for free.

And we would look at buying a Tiffin product again in the future; but we probably won't limit our choices to Tiffin.

For other Tiffin owners heading to Red Bay:

• dealing with the service manager is a complete waste of time; if you have legitimate concerns, go straight to Bob Tiffin - his direct phone line is (256) 356 0206
• if you have more than a few things that need to be repaired, make a list and have a copy on hand when you pull into the Tiffin parking lot
• there's a bit of old school mentality with some of the older male employees in the service department - in our case, I asked the generator repair guy a number of questions and he would answer them, but while looking and speaking only to My Fella ... after a few minutes of this annoying nonsense, I cut him off mid-sentence: "Excuse me - I AM THE OWNER OF THIS COACH and at the moment, I'm the one asking you the questions!" He looked like he'd just been slapped with a fish, but he did start speaking to me directly 
• if you need a propane fill-up after you leave the Tiffin Mothership, stop at L & L Gas - great folks there
• and if you have to wait at Camp Tiffin any extended amount of time, BYOB - Red Bay is in a dry county 
  

Things We've Learned in 2 Years on the Road

(this started out as a comment on a previous post but it got so long, I figured it deserved its own post)

Some of the things we've learned while RV-ing over the past couple years:

• how cotton grows (on a two foot shrub-like plant)
• and how peanuts grow (underground, like carrots or radishes)

• how it feels to be in the middle of severe tornado warnings
• driving thru the aftermath of a destructive tornado
• watching someone groom a palm tree 
• seeing fresh armadillo road kill
• finding out what 100% humidity does to my body weight
• being thisclose to a 1000 pound alligator
• seeing the beautiful home $80,000 will buy in Arizona (in a similar Okanagan neighbourhood, that house would cost $400,000) 
• when dealing with American retail cashiers it's usually easier to make up a zip code than try explain what a postal code is, or that "I'm not from here..."
• vegetables traditionally grown in California are cheaper to buy in Arizona and Alabama (???)
• a teenager can legally buy a shotgun anywhere in Alabama, but it's illegal for a thirty year old to buy beer in a dry Alabama county (roughly half the state is dry)
• if we're ever lost in the desert, there are parts of some cacti we can eat

• our little family is so much more aware of our hydro/water usage; in an RV we use only one third of the water/hydro than we used when we were homeowners
• we really don't need to be carrying around so much toilet paper   :)
• I am a very average driver;  My Fella is a better driver than 99.9% of folks on the road
• at least half the vehicles in North America are driven by someone completely unaware of their surroundings; from my high perch up in the motorhome I frequently see drivers talking on a cellphone, texting, yelling at kids in the backseat, reading a map, eating lunch, fumbling with an ipod/cd player, etc. ... many of us have forgotten that driving is a priviledge, NOT a right

No doubt there are many more things on the "What I learned While Travelling" list; if you're an RV-er  (or conventional traveller) feel free to add to it.

In the meantime, a little humour from our senior RV neighbours:

Billy was 4 years old and was staying with his grandfather for a few days. He'd been playing outside with the other kids, when he came into the house and asked, "Grandpa, what's it called when two people sleep in the same bedroom and one is on top of the other?"  His Grandpa was a little shocked, but decided to tell him the truth. "ahem - Well, Billy... it's called sexual intercourse."

"Oh. okay."  Then Billy quickly ran back outside to play with the other kids.

A few minutes later he came back in and yelled, "GRANDPA, it ISN'T called sexual intercourse -  it's called BUNK BEDS. And Jimmy's mom wants to talk to you."     :) 

It's Official

We're boring.

Not bored. Just boring. That's why I haven't been posting much. 

Our little RV family is having a hoot here at Rancho California, but we haven't been doing anything particularly exciting. I've settled into a pretty regular routine; walking the dogs, reading the biz news, drinking beer, eating carrots... usually all before 9am.

just kidding - I never eat carrots before 9am

My Fella has been golfing a few times at the resorts 14 hole course, which is $25 a round or $150 for one month, unlimited play. And he's washed JohnnyDisco and cleaned out our little chevy so everything is spic 'n span. 

While My Sweet Baboo does his outdoor stuff; I'm inside on the computer, checking the CAD vs. USD so I can buy more greenbacks. And staying current with the stock news, especially companies we own. And reading Garth Turner and all my other fave blogs.

Over the past week we've taken the mutts in for shots and haircuts. And we've played mucho tennis at the RV resort courts - which are club quality, free and always empty.

I like southern California but it's such a strange place, like a fantasy world.  

The palm trees and sunshine (and robotic plastic surgery) make it all seem so perfect. Awesome weather, beautiful people, gorgeous scenery, blah, blah, blah...

Then you listen to the local news and digest the problems... crime, crazies, crooks, foreclosures, overpaid politicians, unfunded state liabilities, bad water, forest fires, earthquakes, etc.

As far as I'm concerned, RVing is the best thing since sliced bread:

• in a few short years, it has given us the chance to experience so many different areas. And the personal interaction we've had with folks around North America (Alabama, Mississippi, Mexico, California, or wherever we drop the jacks) has prompted a better understanding of why people feel/act the way they do, wherever they happen to be
• being on metered electric has really opened our eyes to our power usage, and how much power is wasted by every one of us, every day
• and dry-camping has renewed our awareness of all those modern conveniences (microwave, hot shower, toilet, computer, reading lamp, furnace, fan, tv, radio) we take for granted every single day living in a regular house

The truth is, RV-ing is continuously opening our eyes to so many important things. I realize it's not for everyone. But it's definitely for us.

Red Bay to Texas

It's been 3 solid days of driving since we picked up JohnnyDisco from the Tiffin Mothership on Monday. 

More about our Tiffin customer service experience in an upcoming post, but so far everything they fixed seems to be working. Fingers crossed.

We left Red Bay, Alabama on Monday around noon and stopped for a quick propane fill-up at L & L Gas.  The folks on staff were fun and very opinionated Alabamians, and during the fill-up we had a great conversation about 'wet' and 'dry' counties. (Quick reminder: Franklin county is dry.) I won't reveal what was said but I can tell you the words 'hypocrites' and 'church' were tossed around a few times.

From Red Bay we drove south down the historic Natchez Trace Parkway. Despite being winter, there was a lot of greenery thru the parkway, except for one long stretch where a tornado levelled the area back in April 2011.

Miles of forest along the parkway were completely ripped apart. Definitely an eye opener after all the tornado watches/warnings we'd experienced over the past four months in Alabama.

Our little RV family (happy to be reunited with JohnnyDisco) drove a total of 765 kms on Monday - thru Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and finally pulling over at a welcome center just past the Texas border.

Tuesday morning we were back on the interstate by 9am, after a quick fuel-up and grocery stop. We were heading westbound on the I-20 towards Dallas.

After the Dallas  turn off, the I-20 gets pretty lonesome. Yodelling twangy country song kinda lonesome. "I'm so lonesome I could cry", kinda lonesome...

The interstate is flat and straight and the open fields are dotted with oil rigs, wind turbines and tumbleweed.

And the odd oil refinery.

We drove past Midland, Texas - home of George Dubya.  I waved ... sort of   :) 

Just past Odessa, Texas we stopped for Subway (for the 15th night in a row) and then parked at a truck stop for the night.

Unfortunately within half an hour, a truck and trailer packed with yahoos pulled up next to us. And they brought the party outside. Five drunken meatheads - laughing, drinking and slamming doors right outside our bedroom window.  One of the twits was actually yelling into his cell phone at his girlfriend.

It took us 3 minutes to get dressed, pack up JohnnyDisco and hop on the interstate towards another Texas rest stop, just a few miles down the road.

In all we drove 905 kms on Tuesday.

The above pic is Garmin, leading us to the Subway store and then the interstate rest stop. In the bottom right hand corner you can see the speed limit on this stretch of Texas highway is 129 kms/hour.

We were doing about 100kms in the RV, but guys were blowing past us at 140 and 150kms/hour. Apparently things aren't only bigger in Texas, they're waaay faster too.

The Tiffin Mothership in Red Bay, Alabama

Yesterday we dropped off JohnnyDisco at Tiffin Motorhomes.

Our little RV family actually arrived in Red Bay, Alabama on Sunday afternoon and stayed the night at Camp Tiffin - basically a huge parking lot with numerous RV stalls and full hook-ups.

The arrival process was fast and easy. We were immediately greeted, our RV and tow vehicle were registered and I filled out several forms regarding the repairs that needed to be done.

Here's the list:

• bubble forming on the roof over the fridge area - the roof leaked once in the bathroom between the skylight and the drivers side wall
• fridge does not defrost - interior light does not work anymore
• freezer does not defrost
• generator needs to be looked at - from day one we couldn't put even half an electric load on it
• rear auto jacks take very long time to store (we need to auto store, auto level and then auto store AGAIN for the back jacks to store) 
• drivers side electric window will open but needs to be pulled up manually to shut it
• rear furnace will not ignite (the furnaces were wired backwards when we first bought JohnnyDisco)
• siliconing: around slides, windows, bathroom sink
• front door: seal on window has been coming off since we bought the unit; seal around door is loose; have to slam to close properly;  screen door was not hung straight;  screen door paint by latch is peeling
• main awning is twisting
• rivets coming loose on corners of slide outs 
• all the bin doors on the two front slides need to be looked at (some won't latch properly, some stick)
• passenger side windshield fluid hose is broken
• passenger side window separating (interior, bottom left)
• screws and seal not properly fixed under bunk slide
• paint peeling/rusting under slide bin doors (latch area)
• paneling beside fridge on both sides is loose
• black water tank hands free (no fuss flush) is leaking into sewer bay

It may appear like we're being picky about some things that should be considered regular wear and tear. But keep in mind, we bought a brand new unit less than two years ago and 75% of these problems were discovered within the first few days/months of ownership. Was the person in charge of quality control not working the day our unit was built?

Monday morning we met with our service guy to go over every single thing that needed to be fixed. And then we sat down with the Tiffin service manager to make sure we were all on the same page about the repairs. (He and I had been corresponding via email and I'm not really sure how happy he was to see me in person  :)

My Fella and I felt optimistic when we finally left the Tiffin service bays by Monday afternoon.

But then again we were also very optimistic when we first drove our brand new unit off the dealers lot, back in February 2010 ... 

I'll keep you updated on our repairs and Tiffins customer service.

Internet for RVers in the USA

Just read a post from my blog buddy Rene about using wireless internet while on the road.

Which reminded me that I never showed you what was in this box we had delivered to Coulee Playland RV Resort, our first stop after crossing from Canada into the USA.

We got this:

It's a wireless USB stick from a company called Millenicom. We went with these guys cause they had the best plan for us. Random stuff about our Millenicom service:

• the USB stick was $99 dollars
• the plan is $70/month for unlimited use, but you prepay one month in advance
• our plan uses Sprint - great coverage across the USA
• there is no contract and no taxes
• you turn your service off when you leave the USA and then turn it back on when you return the following winter, just don't lose your USB stick
• when you first purchase the USB stick, it has to be shipped to an American address - that's why we had it sent to our first US rv stop instead of our home address in BC
• had to call their billing folks once and the tech line once and both employees were efficient and friendly
• I can use the internet while My Fella is driving JohnnyDisco down the interstate  :)

Our internet plan isn't cheap but the convenience is worth it. So far we're totally satisfied with Millenicom, but I'll definitely let you know if that changes...

Lame Post to Explain Why I Haven't Been Posting

Our little RV family is still laying low here in southern Alabama.

The past two weeks have been busy, but very routine.  Some RV-ers crave constant travelling/doing/seeing, but my personality type demands a regular routine mixed into the chaos of our RV adventures. It keeps me sane.  ish.

When we're not on the road, a typical day includes:

• an hour or so at the community tennis court
• a 5 to 7 km daily power walk, so I can drink beer and eat peanuts
• walking the dogs half a dozen times a day, PLUS a few rounds of squeak fetch
• regular boring chores (cleaning JohnnyDisco, buying groceries, laundry, etc.)
• a few hours every morning and afternoon digesting the business news, monitoring our stocks, and futzing around on the computer 

On top of this I've spent mucho time over the past month communicating with Tiffin Motorhomes. They are based in Red Bay, Alabama and they are the reason our little RV family is here in Alabama; we have to visit the Tiffin mothership.

Won't go into all the gory details right now but we've had quite a few issues with our Tiffin Allegro (JohnnyDisco) since we bought him new in February 2010:

• the furnace controls were wired backwards, and the bedroom furnace didn't work at all
• a bubble started forming on the roof of the coach
• the freezer will not stay defrosted, an inch of ice/snow forms every three months
• the front door sticks 
• the seal on the front door is coming off
• the generator fizzes out when you turn on too many things, it's only firing on one cylinder 
• the electronic drivers side door window opens but won't close - it needs to be pulled shut manually
• several outdoor bins either won't lock or are hard to open

Could this be why we got such a great deal on the rig?   :)  

I should also mention that these issues were all discovered during our first few months of ownership.  Last year we brought the rig back to the dealer in Tucson for warranty work and the only thing fixed properly were the furnaces.

We bought JohnnyDisco in early 2010 while the US economy was still pretty messy, so our new rig was priced the same as the used units that were a few years older. Plus we bought it in Arizona so it was 35% cheaper than the same unit in Canada. And we paid cash which gave us a little more room for negotiation.

We knew there would be some minor 'first year kinks' to work out with a new unit, but we did NOT expect a whole laundry list of problems. 

After a number of frustrating emails were exchanged with several different Tiffin Motorhome employees, I got a call last week from the Big Cheese, Bob Tiffin. He told me all of our issues would be fixed, free of charge.

Mr Tiffin started the company. He is the Father of the Tiffin Family and runs the whole shebang so I appreciate that he's a busy fella. He seems like a very nice man who cares about the reputation of his company. And it's good news that they're fixing everything for free. But to be honest, I'd rather not be in this situation in the first place. My Fella and I would much rather be driving JohnnyDisco around Mexico this winter... not laying low in Alabama waiting to get in to the Tiffin Mothership.

Our appointment is at the end of January. In the meantime, we're making a complete list of everything that should have been repaired properly, under warranty.  And then I'm gonna try forget about this whole hassle until we finally drive JohnnyDisco into the Tiffin service bay next month.

Turns out the free-wheelin RV lifestyle is NOT problem free. It's been a good reality check for us.

And while I'm totally jealous of all the Canucks that did make it to Mexico this year, at least we didn't get stuck trying to maneuver our big rig thru a narrow, crowded street of a tinyteenyweeny Mexican town in the middle of nowhere - like my cyberpal, Mexi-Croft. Good thing you're a good driver, mister... HOLY MOLY.  Oh yeah, and "LISTEN TO YOUR WIFE! That's what she's there for!"  :) 

To end on a high note:  While I've been tearing my hair out over our frustrating coach issues, My Fella has been doing something constructive. Literally.

He made this out of $15 dollars worth of pvc pipe, connectors and rope. 

It's a laundry hanger for the back of the coach and it fits snugly on our roof ladder.

We were looking for some place outside to hang our towels (and other non-controversial laundry) and most RV parks don't allow clotheslines.

These little contraptions are selling for $75 bucks at Camping World, but my own Mr Construction-Pants was able to rig up this copycat model in less than two hours.

Fancy schmancy.

Louisiana, Mississippi and the Alabama Tunnel

Hover your mouse over the pics for my lame descriptions of the action.

Our little RV family will be exploring the Gulf Coast for the next three months until JohnnyDisco can get in for repairs at the Tiffin Motorhome mothership, which is based in Alabama.

More pics of this area coming up over the next few weeks. And if y'all have any suggestions of things to do around these parts, please let us know   :)

Stuck In the Middle of Texas

Northern Texas, that is...

That's where we ended up last night after our generator went on strike.

We haven't been dry camping much since we first bought JohnnyDisco back in February 2010, although we have run the generator once a month for an hour, to keep it in shape. But we've never really put a heavy load on it (turned on a lot of electric powered things at once).

And when we hit Moab a few days ago, the stubborn thing wouldn't even start. We'd press the button to fire it up, the genny would choke out a few weak glub, glub glubs and then die out. So we tried boondocking without it when we were in Albuquerque, but after only one night of that nonsense we knew it had to be fixed ASAP.  (Neither of us are mentally equipped to handle 5:30 am without coffee.)

Instead of staying in NW New Mexico, our little RV family packed up and hit the eastbound highway to Amarillo, Texas - home of the nearest Onan generator dealer on our route.

We didn't have an appointment and ended up dropping into the dealer early Monday afternoon. 

Josh, the mechanic, took a quick peek at it and told us it wouldn't start cause we were only firing on one cylinder. 

Good thing we're already heading to the Tiffin mothership in Alabama cause apparently the whole thing needs to be ripped out and repaired or replaced. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.

Josh from Cummins/Onan showed us how to start it until we could get it repaired.  He was a super nice guy and refused to charge us for his time so My Fella slipped him $10 for lunch or a beer after work. If he was even old enough to buy beer.  The guy had the knowledge of a seasoned forty year old, but looked about fifteen. Damn.  Isn't that what old people say?

Question for anyone who has ever been to Texas:  Is it always so windy in Amarillo? Gusty winds tossed JohnnyDisco around like a feather on the interstate and My big strong Fella had a major struggle staying on course. My Guy put up a good fight but the wind zapped us in the end when My Fella opened his driver side door and it was blown out of his hands. The door stabilizer strap ripped off at the screws and our aluminum coffee cup blew thru the cupholder and all the way down to the fenceline. Is this a seasonal thing or is Amarillo just a really windy place?

Edited later to add:  Thanks Bev & Vic W for the info about the Texas wind.  Have a wonderful winter in Lo de Marcos with the Pa and Ma Outlaw - and I hope you don't mind that I posted some of your email below... 

^{"I saw on your blog about the wind in Texas.  From our experience and that of our friends who winter in the Lower Rio Grande every winter, it is always windy in Texas.  If you put out your awning, only do so when you are there to tend to it.  Otherwise, you'll come from a nice excursion to find a torn awning.  We hit strong winds on highway 20 last spring on our way to Fort Worth TX.  Our mirrors lost most of their paint from being sandblasted by the wind!"} 

Electric City, Washington to Caldwell, Idaho

We dry camped last night for the very first time.

Loved it.  Loved it, loved it, loved it.

Trip details first:  JohnnyDisco crossed one time zone and three states yesterday, cruising from Electric City, Washington, through Oregon and stopping for the night at a Stinker Station in Caldwell, Idaho - our first boondocking experience.

We drove 636 kilometres (395 miles) which took 7.5 hours, although we were on the road for almost 9 hours.  Since this wasn't a race we made frequent stops for water refills, pee breaks and to stretch out all 12 of our legs. 4 human legs, eight mutt legs.

Here's some pics along the way: 

Unfortunately my camera battery died right about here.

Our little RV family is boondocking again tonight just outside Salt Lake City, but we'll be heading to an actual campground tomorrow for a few days.

We're very excited to explore more of the beautiful state of Utah. And to take showers  :)

RV Stuff:  We just found out that it's okay to run your generator while your motorhome is travelling down the highway.  A few folks have mentioned they use the generator while driving, to run the a/c or cook in the convection oven, but that seemed like a bad idea.  We researched it last night and apparently cranking on the genny to run the a/c while you're driving is fine.  It even gives your generator a good workout.  Who knew?

There's info about this here, and here, and here too.  Oh, and there's a full article about it here.

Our View For Only More Day

It's the last time we'll see this thru the windshield...

Some of our newly planted trees and a very naked Benin gazebo frame.  Our skeletal gazebo looks ready for Halloween... spooky and scarrrrry!

Our little RV family is pretty much packed and ready to head south for the winter but we did finish a few last minute projects around the RV today; furniture renos that involved the skill saw and a power drill.  

I can see that thought bubble rising over your head ... "Huh?  They waited til THE DAY BEFORE THEY LEAVE to start chopping up the furniture?"  We sure did. 

My Fella is a bit of a procrastinator so when I want something done, I spring it on him at the last minute.  Which means he has a built-in deadline. He works very well under pressure so this is a good system for both of us.  

As usual he came thru again today.  After I shared my plans he got busy cutting down the legs on a former bar stool so it could be used at a regular height table or desk. He also attached hooks to a side wall to keep our free standing counter steady while we're traveling.   AND he chopped the bottom shelf off our serving cart and reattached the locking rolly feet so we could use it as a stable coffee table in JohnnyDisco.

My Fella did an awesome job.  But now JohnnyDisco is packed and ready to hit the highway.  

And so are these two little goobers...

Only one more sleep!

Three More Sleeps 'til We Hit the Road

Not much left to do around the RV before we head south for the winter:

• went through all my books, rooting out those I'll leave at RV parks along the way
• cleaned out the fresh groceries, leaving enough food to last 'til we get to the USA
• sorted the dog toys, tossing out slobbery ones that have been chewed to death
• bought our travel medical insurance; $527 for two adults, 182 days outside Canada
• picked up the mail for the last time this year
• dug out our small stash of American cash
• alerted the credit card companies that we'll be traveling for six months
• My Fella took in the car for a last minute tire repair
• we stored a few outdoor items at the neighbours since we don't have a shed
• packed up our small Weber BBQ/outdoor table/camping chairs
• burlaped the cedars on the other two lots we landscaped
• said our goodbyes to our fave neighbours 
• asked the deer to guard the newly planted trees while we're gone - we'll see how that goes...  :) 

I have a doc appointment early Tuesday morning, then we'll be crossing the USA border sometime on Wednesday.

Message to the cheap beer and groceries in the USA:  Look out, we're coming to get you !!

Hey Walmart, Can I Park Here?

Our little RV family heads south in 18 sleeps.

We've been doing lots of internet research, gearing up for this winter's adventure, and tonight My Fella stumbled on this lovely little website that identifies every Walmart in North America that allows overnight parking.

I cringe when I hear about RVers abusing the priviledge and setting up camp at Wallys for two or three nights in a row.  Or extending slideouts and lounging in lawnchairs, really making themselves at home...

Although we've been full-time RVing for close to two years, we've never spent the night anywhere other than a paid campground or RV resort. But this year we're up for a little boondocking and free camping. And since we'll have our snazzy new mobile wireless internet access, we've decided to overnight at the odd Walmart that allows RVs.

My Fella and I are frequent Walmart shoppers, especially on the road, so a few overnight stops along the way will be convenient and will save us some cash.

Note to our fellow RVers:  If you've stayed at a Walmart recently, feel free to add your comments to the above website, and share info on the RV friendly Walmarts you know about. As well as the ones you've been asked to leave.

*Another great website to check out is CasinoCamper.com - it's an easy to use site that lists the majority of RV friendly casinos throughout the US.

Anxious To Get Going

Now that we're all packed and sorted out, we just wanna get on the road.

Does every RVer feel this way?

The inside and outside storage bins here in JohnnyDisco have been cleaned out and organized. Our summer stuff (planting supplies, fishing gear, gazebo, extra tools, etc.) have all been packed away. The final trees and shrubs we bought for this RV lot are in the ground and mulched for winter.

We pick up our travel medical insurance this week and will also be ordering a Millenicom wireless USB stick for mobile internet in the USA. The mutts shots are up to date, our mail is being forwarded to different RV stops along the way and I finally received my passport.  

My Fella has just one more week of work left at his summer golf gig and then we leave the following week. But I'm ready to go now.  

No doubt the cool, rainy weather has something to do with it. We wanna hit the road

Cleaning Out the Cupboards

That's at the top of my 'to do' list today.

My plan is to go thru every one of our interior storage areas in the RV and get rid of anything we haven't used in the past year. We also need to use up the remaining food in the cupboards and start fresh again after crossing the USA border next month.

The motivation for this big clean-up hit me at 5am, when I woke up and decided to toss out a bunch of unhealthy snacks.

It's both horrifying and embarrassing to see the amount of crappy pre-packaged food we have in our cupboards.

My fave salty snack is low fat Pringles but they're so expensive here in Canada that I've replaced them with low fat pretzels.  Problem is I'm also guilty of buying regular fat Pringles when they go on sale.

My Fella picks up peanuts/raisons/smarties from the bulk food section and makes his own trail mix, a fairly healthy snack.  But he also has different work treats like pudding and granola bars. Add in the numerous bags of chips we've been getting for free (from our pal, The Chip Guy) and you've got a million empty calories taking over our very limited RV shelf space.  

A healthy, balanced lifestyle is important to us since we both plan on living to 117. At least.  Yeah, we'll be really wrinkly... But healthy. 

We eat salad every day and, as a couple, we consume more veggies than anyone I know.  We only eat whole grain bread and pasta at home and although My Fella isn't eating fish yet, he has cut down on red meat.  I drink 4 litres of wine water every single day and unless the weather is crappy, I get at least an hour of exercise. That's on top of taking the mutts for 4 or 5 daily walks.  

But as someone who is constantly preaching about personal responsibility, I need to give myself a kick in the butt and lose these ten flabby pounds I packed on over the summer thru snacking.  Our salty snack party has come to an end.  Hear that sneaky salty snacks? Yer DONE!

Hence the big cupboard clean out and reorganization.

My Fella is on board with this project and took all of our unopened snacks into work this morning, making his co-workers very happy.  

And now we can start fresh.

Totally off topic, but only 24 more sleeps til we head south.  Watch your back Tillamook pepper jack, I'm coming to get you  :)

Oh, and before I forget - special note to the person who got to this blog yesterday by googling 'how to care for marijuana seedlings that have sprouted':  I have absolutely no idea how you got here by searching for that, since I know less about drugs than your average 9 year old.  Put down the weed and plant a tree or a pumpkin patch instead. 

Out in the BC Wilderness

The sky was a fiery yellow/orange tonight.

When you live in an RV on a golf course surrounded by forest, that's kind of a spooky sight. Especially with the smell of fire in the air and smoke off in the distance.  But more often than not, both the fire and smoke is just a neighbour's campfire.  And the orange sky is ...

... just a really awesome orange-y western sky.

Gorgeous.

It sounds corny and very cliche, but I feel so lucky to be where we are and doing what we're doing at our age.

If you're in your 20's or 30's and you want this life by age 40:  spend less than you earn, save/invest as much as you can and don't buy junk. If you stick to the basics you'll be way ahead of everyone else. Easier said than done, but c'mon - it's not rocket science.  

And as I climb down off my pedestal about to hit the publish button on this post, I hear My Fella screech into the driveway, slam the car door and holler out a phrase I haven't heard in awhile:

"Honey, I CAUGHT A FISH!"

Keep in mind My Fella is 6'4", so that's a decent size chinook salmon.  

Good sized fishy to BBQ during our mini family reunion on the Labour Day long weekend.  See ya soon,  Outlaws  :)

Seashells and Hot Glue

We don't have a lot of knick-knacks here in JohnnyDisco.

Clutter makes me a little crazy, especially in a space this small, so we don't have many random objects just lying around. But I did have a big bag of seashells we picked on the beaches of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Mexico.  

the marina in La Cruz

My Fella and I have an RV rule  that anything we haven't picked up, worn or used in the past 12 months has to be recycled, donated or tossed out. Since we've been hanging onto these shells since our trip to La Cruz (in Jan 2010) I knew the end was near - these shells had to be used for something...  

The initial plan was to outline the office corkboard with shells, but I figured they might overpower the wall. Instead I decided to glue them onto a single piece of wall trim, hanging over the desk. 

During this three hour hot glue gun project I burned my clumsy self in five different places.  I'm still a little scorched.

The shells are vintage 70's cheesy;  but it's also unique and beachy and a constant reminder of our two sunny weeks in La Cruz.  

And if I get tired of it I just need to replace that particular piece of wall trim.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Benen Gazebo from Walmart

It took about 5 hours (ish) to put together our new gazebo.

My Fella started laying out the pieces (all 7 billion of them) at 9am.  Around 10:30 I joined him outside to lend a hand 'cause putting this monster up really was a two person task.  He did a great job making sense of all the pieces and directing the whole operation (a.k.a  bossing me around  :)

As a sidenote, following the directions was crucial to putting this gazebo together. Some of the written steps seemed completely illogical, but after the gazebo was finally constructed, we understood why it was important to follow the instructions to the letter.  It wasn't rocket science. But darn close.

Our new gazebo looks super spiffy and offers privacy, shade and protection from flying golf balls.

The Benen gazebo was $300 on sale at Walmart.  There were a few other choices available at a cheaper price but this one looked like it offered the best quality. We're hoping we get 10 years out of it, at a cost of $30 per year.

That being said, if it starts falling apart you'll be the first to know.

We're Moving Again

Our little family is packing up JohnnyDisco and switching RV lots.

By sometime next week we'll be parked on a new undeveloped lot, just off the number one teebox at My Fella's golf course.  His commute to work will soon be a mere 205 yards.  Or a six iron away, for you golf nuts  :)  

Over the past few days we've been organizing all our patio stuff and emptying the ashes from the firepit, which will be moved to the new lot.

We're also bringing the 12' x 14' wooden deck with us, but that will be a separate trip since it doesn't fit in the car  :)

My Fella removed everything from JohnnyDisco's basement bins and re-sorted all our outdoor stuff.  My jobs included weeding our current lot, emptying and hosing out my flowerpots (which almost made me cry) and finishing the final yard projects.

But as I wander around the RV right now, cleaning and storing loose items, I realize once again that my fave part of this lifestyle is packing up and heading somewhere new.  Even if it's only a few miles away.

Although I'm happy that My Fella is working during the summers since it gets him out of my hair for a few hours every day  it gives us a little extra cash, we both look forward to the day when we can instantly decide we need to see Atlantic Canada right now (or Colorado ... or Vulcan, Alberta) and just pack up and go.  

Which is all very strange because I usually gravitate towards order and routine. And I shun spontaneity. Yup, I shun it hard.  In fact spontaneity sees me coming and it turns and runs away crying. That's how hard I shun it.  All part of my delightful INTJ personality.

Anyway it's not hard to say goodbye to this lot since we're ready for something new. But I'm glad we stayed long enough to see the plants fill in a bit and the flowers bloom.  We spent an awful lot of the past three months digging up rocks and playing in this dirt.

Everything has grown at least a foot or two, the coneflowers are in bloom and the creeping jenny I planted is finally starting to wind through the rocks in our Stone Path to Nowhere.

And soon we get to do it all over again at a new lot.

Summer is Finally Here

Apparently August is the new July when it comes to BC weather.

The past week we've seen sunny 30C days and warm summer nights out here in the BC wilderness. Top priority for me has been finishing several small landscaping projects on our RV site.  We actually may be switching RV lots in the next couple weeks, but more details to come on that.

The summer stock markets have been extremely volatile; popping and dropping with every debt crisis update and jobs report.  Our stock portfolio has lost 20% since the highs of March:

• 10% was a result of the overall drop in the market
• the other 10% loss was my fault for putting too much cash in two spec stocks (Yellow Media, Bio-Exx) - I've made a good whack of cash trading both those names in the past and I definitely got too cocky and ignored my #1 investing rule:  Diversification is the key to protecting capital.

That being said, it's times like this I wish we had more moolah to invest 'cause there are definitely some bargains out there.  We're fully invested right now with no intention of selling anything, although I think the markets will continue to drop next week.

Our portfolio in order of weighting:

• Alaris Royalty Corp
• Student Transportation
• Pembina Pipeline
• Data Group Income fund
• Superior Plus
• Inter Pipeline
• Canfor Pulp Income
• Chorus Aviation 
• BTB Reit
• Just Energy

Alaris (AD.to) and Student Transportation (STB.to) are 40% of the portfolio, only because they've both moved up so much since I bought them in 2008.  I've slowly been selling them down, but they'll probably stay at this weighting until fall-ish.  The rest of our names are evenly weighted, and if I had more cash I'd be adding to all of them at these levels.

Bored with stock stuff?  Okay, moving on...

The mutts are getting regular walks and playtime down at the local playground/dog park.  Shelbert needs a haircut at the moment and refused to sit still for a photo, but Norman is a ham and loves the camera.  

He also loves the BC wilderness and all the cool things to chase:  squirrels, garden snakes, chipmunks, butterflies, tall grass - it's heaven for pups.  Especially rescue pups from Arizona.

My Fella is in his own personal heaven because we're in the midst of salmon fishing season and he's had quite a few bites so far.

mosquito bites, that is ... (the fish always win, honeybunny) 

And this has nothing to do with anything, but instead of eating fruit for breakfast I've started eating vegetables (raw cauliflower, carrots, celery, etc.)  The truth is, I'd rather drink my fruit than eat it and it's hard to justify slurping wine for breakfast... even though it is technically fruit   :)

RV Stuff: Our Life in JohnnyDisco

This post is in response to an email we got a few days ago.

The folks who sent the email are a Saskatchewan couple in their 40's.  They are attempting a similar lifestyle to My Fella and I, heading south for the winter in their Class C motorhome. 

The new snowbirds had a few questions about this gypsy kind of life.  Can't reprint too much of the email I received since I never asked permission, but this will give you a snapshot of who they are:

"We have some experience as RV'ers, but certainly not as travellers.  We are a little apprehensive about heading south into the States, but we are so excited as well.  Our friends say we are crazy to give up our jobs, and spend 6 months in a little motorhome together, but we are best friends, and we are more than ready to jump off the hamsterwheel as well. 

We sold the big house last year, and were thinking of fulltiming, but so many obstacles came up, that we ended up buying a new condo.  Things like - how do you give a permanent address for Drivers Licences, income tax, health care, mail, etc.  Hey, maybe these can be some ideas for future blogs.....it seems like fulltiming is harder for Canadians, doesn't it ?"

First of all, thanks for reading the blog and thinking we know what we're doing  :)   My Fella and I have only been full-timing for 18 months so we're still newbies too.

But here's a few thoughts in response to your questions:

When we made the decision to move into an RV fulltime, we had no idea how it would go or what to expect.  Now both My Fella and I wish we would have done this years ago.  This lifestyle is very addictive and the freedom is hard to put into words.

The few downsides are the obvious ones:  limited storage space, lack of personal privacy at times, whole new learning curve, etc. But My Fella and I are very respectful of each others space and are usually able to compromise.

The many positives of this lifestyle far outweigh the negatives:

• always having the comfort of our home with us
• cheaper cost of living
• freedom and flexibility to move our home when necessary
• being able to travel with our mutts
• not being tied to a specific location or nasty neighbours

RVing in the USA is basically the same as Canada, except cheaper.  Gas, food, RV parks - almost everything has a smaller price tag.  Most of the USA is RV travel friendly and the interstates make the country easy to navigate. 

Our fave site for getting honest RV park reviews is RVparkreviews.com.  And we are members of discount camping clubs Passport America and Camp Club USA who both offer 50% off at RV parks across the USA.   Both memberships have time/length of stay restrictions but are still well worth the money.  

And a quick final note with regards to getting your mail when you have no fixed address:  we have a UPS box that has a suite number - which means we have a legal street address for things like income tax, bank statements, etc.  The cost was $165 for 15 months and for an extra fee they will ship our mail to us wherever we are travelling in either Canada or the USA.

Hopefully this post has helped anyone interested in full-time RVing.  And maybe some of the regulars (with more experience) will add their two cents in the comments.

And to the Sask couple that emailed me in the first place:  Good luck with your new snowbird adventure!  And JohnnyDisco (our unit) wanted to pass on a 'Hello honk' to your Class C   :)

Smuggling Refried Beans

Feel free to click on this music first to get in the mood:

Your mission, if you choose to accept it:  Help us figure out a way to bring 180 cans of low fat refried beans into Canada from the USA.

My Fella and I eat a lot of refried beans when we're travelling in the States or Mexico.  Our daily slunch (supper/lunch combo) is usually a mix of lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, corn, brown rice, spicy salsa, jalapeno pepperjack cheese and low-fat refried beans.  

Easy, healthy and cheap. We're definitely creatures of habit.

We've been trying to follow a similar diet since we returned to BC in April but have you seen the price of refried beans in Canada?

In Arizona you can pick up a can of No Fat Rosarito Refried Black Beans for 98 cents.  Not only can we not find this brand in Canada, but a simple generic can of these beans sells for around $3 CAD in BC. Three times the price.

My Fella and I have driven south for the winter every year since 2007 and we know Canada Customs has a number of rules with regards to bringing food back into the country.

But the border agents have never questioned us about transporting canned goods, even in our RV. My thinking is:

• it's not fresh food
• it's not for re-sale
• and the total value is only $180

What do you think?  Can we legally bring the beans into Canada when we come back to BC in April 2012?  

Do we have to tell customs officials we have 180 cans of refried beans?  Should I just tell the border agent they're magic beans???  If I do that and get arrested, can you bail us out? 

If you know the answers to these questions PLEASE ADVISE, cause I'd also like to bring home 60 cans of reduced fat sour cream Pringles   :) 

What's Behind the Lattice?

Guess I shouldn't have named it the Stone Path to Nowhere since the rock walkway we just built on our summer RV lot does actually lead to something.

If you follow the path to the right and peek behind the lattice you can see where we hide our...

... firewood.  It's a great spot for the wood - directly under two giant cedars that block out the rain.

Before stacking the wood, I laid a base of smaller rocks to keep it up off the ground. I also put a thick birch trunk on the right side of the pile:

• to stop the wood from rolling down the hill
• have a solid spot to chop logs for kindling

That birch trunk is very stable since I dug a hole and buried almost half of it into the ground, then backfilled the hole with rocks and dirt.  

I did the same thing to the birch log right by the firepit.  It's buried deep in the ground and makes an excellent resting spot for your icy cold beverage or toasted marshmallows.

Back to the firewood stack... we probably have enough wood to last the rest of the summer. 

Especially since it's been raining on and off pretty much every day since April;  not many chances to break in the new firepit   :(

RV Vs. House: Bathroom Storage

A gal at our RV resort recently asked where I stash all my stuff.

She had just learned that we live in JohnnyDisco full-time and she was very curious about how we fit everything we own into an RV.  Especially things like every day toiletries.

We don't have a ton of room in the bathroom but there is definitely enough storage space for two people. My Fella and I split the cabinet above the sink - my things are on the left, pictured here. His stuff is behind the closed door on the right side.

If we run across a good sale on toothpaste or shampoo we always stock up. Initially I thought storing the extras would be a problem, but as you can see, the sale stuff fits in fine with all our regular things.

The only drawer we have in the bathroom is our toothpaste drawer.  

We each have a bin for our toothpaste, toothbrush and any extras.  

Is it weird we each have our own toothpaste?  My Fella and I shared the same tube at the beginning of our relationship but our different toothpaste habits almost caused a break-up. I may be exaggerating here, but not much    :)

Clutter makes me a little crazy so the only thing on the counter is the hand soap and my sunscreen. They're both used so often throughout the day that it's silly to tuck them away anywhere else.

The lone cupboard under the sink (not pictured) is for the garbage can and bathroom cleaning supplies.

And there are two more tall skinny cabinets to the left of the shower.  The top one is for extra toilet paper, the bag of cotton balls and the big box of Q-tips. 

Below this is another tall skinny cupboard where My Fella stores his office stuff - golf books, hiking/fishing maps and Sudoku puzzles.  Don't ask why they're in the bathroom... I think it's a dude thing.

Moral of the story:  Houses probably offer much more bathroom storage but there's definitely enough bathroom space for two full-timers in a 36' RV.  In case you were wondering.

 

The RV Lot Project is Almost Done

Quick reminder of our situation:  We travel south for the winter, but during the summer My Fella works at a golf course out in the BC wilderness.  The RV lot we park on isn't ours, but the owner offered to pay for the materials if we did some simple landscaping for him.

This is the lot when we first arrived back in April.  Notice the lovely gravel finish:

and more gravel...

and that monstrous propane tank that had to be hidden

Here's what you'd see today if you dropped by unexpectedly.

(By the way - I don't really like unexpected guests.  Unless they come bearing vino.)

The mutts bought My Fella this Aurora Chiminea from Canadian Tire for fathers day. Chiminea is just a fancypants name for a firepit.  

This particular one received decent consumer reviews, has a one year warranty and was on sale for $99.  And it's a good size for our RV yard. 

Over the past couple months, we:

• had a deck built
• put up a lattice for privacy
• weeded and raked and weeded some more
• moved piles of dirt and sand
• built a block floor (surrounded by stones) for the firepit
• dug a lot of holes
• hauled a lot of rocks
• screamed bloody murder when a spider fell in my shirt (that was me)
• screamed bloody murder when a snake slithered out of the rocks  (that was My Fella)**
• planted trees, shrubs, vines and perennials
• re-thought the whole design and moved half of the above trees, shrubs, vines and perennials to a different location (that was me again)  

When we first started landscaping, this yard was one big gravel lot.  

Except for the area right behind the RV which was a neglected mess of overgrown weeds, dead branches, pine needles, rocks, spiderwebs and creepy crawlers.  You'll have to take my word for it since I forgot to take a before picture.

But here's a halfway there pic, after I cleared away most of the weeds/rocks and planted vines on the new lattice.  

And finally it's time to reveal the project I've spent the past month working on ... The Stone Path to Nowhere.

95% of these rocks were dug out of this site and the other 5% came from the nearby river.

The little garden area on the right hand side was an afterthought and needs a few more plants, but almost everything else is finished.

The shot below is the back end of the RV lot, by the edge of the cliff.  I call this our PJ Memorial Garden, because most of these plants were freebies from our neighbours Pask, Joanie and Janie.

You give me a free plant and I'll name a garden after you.  

(Special mention goes to my pal NewsMama for donating that lime green beauty at the very front, which I think is a Marjoram herb.)

So how much did the RV lot cost to develop?  

The plants/trees were about $600, and paid for by the site owner.  He paid, we planted.  $600 bought:

• two Japanese lilac trees
• one vine maple tree
• one Japanese maple
• five 6' cedars
• four boxwood shrubs
• clematis and chocolate vines
• boston ivy
• ornamental grasses
• bonemeal
• a few odds and ends I've forgotten

The 14' x 10' platform deck was $1200, which My Fella and I paid for.  It's movable in case we switch to a different lot next summer.  And it was worth it just to stop the mutts from tracking every single twig, leaf and rock into the RV.

And speaking of rocks, all the stones for my Path to Nowhere were absolutely free  :)

** This is a lie told to make the story better.  My Fella wasn't home when the snake popped out. Had he been at home he definitely would have screamed though.  A manly scream.