Think for a minute about the times your family has one car in the shop for repairs. Isn't it painful to handle life with only one vehicle? It forces communication, pre-planning, coordinated calendars and more. Horrors!
We are discovering what it is like to live for an extended period with only one vehicle. It certainly has its challenges! There have already been times where one or the other of us has been frustrated that the truck isn't here when we decide we "need" to run out and do some errand or another. There has been a time or two (including last night) that someone missed an activity that they were hoping to get to, because of lack of communication and schedule coordination.
Because our kids are old enough to babysit themselves for awhile, when we each had a vehicle that was "mine," it didn't really matter who went where or when. There was a feeling of freedom that went along with having your own transportation always available. Now, there is a feeling of vulnerability when the other one leaves with the truck, not really knowing when transportation will be available again. (Emergencies are not really a concern---the fire department and squad are literally just down the road here.)
Fortunately, for now we are only a short walk from the community center, the library, and the coffee shop. The laundromat is here in the RV Park. Recreational opportunities are also just a walk away---the playground, creek-watching, climbing around in the foothills, and more. That's a big help to not feeling "trapped" in the RV.
Not knowing what life will be like in other locations and in other RV parks, we have bought an older Honda scooter from Randy's brother and are working on getting it licensed, insured, and running smoothly. We can haul it on the rack that pulls out from the back of the RV (once we figure out how to secure it, that is!) A scooter will at least allow for short trips to get "necessities" (you know, milk, bread, a cup of coffee, a book run...) when the other one is running errands in the truck.
So, think of us next time one of your cars is in the shop. And enjoy the freedom you usually enjoy with a vehicle of your own!
We're looking forward to the day we have a vehicle and a half!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Daily Life...
Okay...I know a lot of you wonder what daily life is like for a full-time RVer. From most of the blogs I've written, you might be thinking that we go from one challenge straight into another. I will admit that sometimes it FEELS that way. But, truthfully, most days are pretty much the same as daily living in a "stick house." Yes, we have way less space (<300 s.f.) and we do have to keep aware of heating issues (such as how much propane do we have, how cold is it going to be, and do we have the various heaters turned on to avoid a repeat of frozen water lines).
In general, for the kids and I, our days are filled with school activities, cooking, minimal cleaning (the plus side to small living space is small area to be cleaned), reading, getting out for awhile (to the playground or library, or for a walk, or getting a cup of coffee in town...any where with no walls to close in on you!), and a variety of scheduled activities. Randy spends time working and keeping track of financial stuff, both via internet. Outside activities include tae-kwon-do for Jakob, a weekly marriage/communication class for us, weekly church, and weekly time with Randy's brother and sister-in-law. Anna just started 2ce weekly morning swim lessons at nearby community center. Jakob is doing weekly climbing club there. There are also opportunities for family swim time, various museums still to visit, a "field trip" to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, a possible tour of Celestial Seasonings Company in Boulder, a possible Kayaking lesson (in the rec center pool), and various social gatherings.
Doesn't this sound similar to your own lifestyle? (at least if you have active kids!) Things would be much more hectic if we were travelling every day or two...but we are trying to stay at least a month or so in each area with day trips for sightseeing. That way we can cut down on having to pack up each morning and set up each night.
Yes, this RV is feeling more and more like home. And when you read future posts about challenges we face, remember...that's not DAILY living for a full-time RVer!
In general, for the kids and I, our days are filled with school activities, cooking, minimal cleaning (the plus side to small living space is small area to be cleaned), reading, getting out for awhile (to the playground or library, or for a walk, or getting a cup of coffee in town...any where with no walls to close in on you!), and a variety of scheduled activities. Randy spends time working and keeping track of financial stuff, both via internet. Outside activities include tae-kwon-do for Jakob, a weekly marriage/communication class for us, weekly church, and weekly time with Randy's brother and sister-in-law. Anna just started 2ce weekly morning swim lessons at nearby community center. Jakob is doing weekly climbing club there. There are also opportunities for family swim time, various museums still to visit, a "field trip" to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, a possible tour of Celestial Seasonings Company in Boulder, a possible Kayaking lesson (in the rec center pool), and various social gatherings.
Doesn't this sound similar to your own lifestyle? (at least if you have active kids!) Things would be much more hectic if we were travelling every day or two...but we are trying to stay at least a month or so in each area with day trips for sightseeing. That way we can cut down on having to pack up each morning and set up each night.
Yes, this RV is feeling more and more like home. And when you read future posts about challenges we face, remember...that's not DAILY living for a full-time RVer!
Monday, January 12, 2009
We woke up to find...SNOW!
What do you do in an RV when you wake up to SNOW?
1. Take a few moments to celebrate and savor the BEAUTY...
2. Dig through the storage bin under our bed to find the snowpants.
3. Let the kids head outside...but I can't follow yet...my coffee's not ready!
4. Walk through the snow (as yet unplowed), following the footprints to the playground.
4. Walk through the snow (as yet unplowed), following the footprints to the playground.
5. Laugh and laugh as Jakob and Anna enjoy how slippery the slides are, and as they defend/attack the "castle" (with snowball artillery, of course).
(can you find "spy Anna" here?)
6. Try to take photos...and get attacked myself!
7. Huddle over my hot coffee as I sit on the bench and watch kids play.
8. Eventually convince kids that THEY are freezing (!) and that hot chocolate is calling...
9. Strip off snow clothes back at the RV...now, where do we put them?? (draped over any possible surface near heaters, of course!)
10. Continue to enjoy the beauty THROUGH the windows, from inside our warm cozy home!
11. Celebrate the fact that we can enjoy snow fun and snow beauty today...and by tomorrow it will have melted again and the sky will again be blue and SUNNY! (Gotta love Colorado!!)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Beaten by a...sink?!
It's a nice quiet evening, everything settled and routine. Randy is perusing the news on his laptop at the table, Jakob is reading, Anna is playing quietly with toys, I'm washing the dishes. All's right with the world...
And then...the sink stops draining. Soapy water is bubbling back up from the drain. What?! Now, what do I do?? Ask JAKOB, of course! He knows everything about this RV we are living in!
He checks the control panel (hidden in the cupboard above the TV/sound system). Grey water tank, 3 lights, 3/4 full, doesn't need drained yet. Black water tank (sewage), 3 lights, 3/4 full, doesn't need drained yet. Galley tank...GALLEY TANK??? What IS this?? 4 lights, FULL, must be drained. Okay...but where is the drain handle?? Oh no, even Jakob is baffled. Now what will we do??
We think about it. Jakob looks outside under the far side of the trailer. Yep, like we thought there are two, count 'em TWO, handles color-coded and labeled grey and black. We have him try draining those tanks, just in case. First the black water, then the grey water. Back inside...nope, no change in my soapy, bubbly sink drain.
We pull out the slim, cheaply bound "RV manual." It has been mostly useless in the past...maybe it will have actual information this time?? ... ... ... nope, this useless pile of paper mentions grey water and black water tanks, but the "galley" tank apparently doesn't exist.
Now we are getting really frustrated. Past bedtime, kids are making more noise and distracting us, Jakob didn't know the answers this time, off to bed they are sent...
The sink sits and glares accusingly at us (we can't even manage simple things like this? Just what are we doing thinking we can live full-time in this place??) Both Randy and I get busy with our laptops. Check the manufacturer's website... nothing... check RV sites and forums and articles and... a few glimmers of info but nothing specific. This isn't helping!
Randy searches the cupboard under the sink, looking for clues. He wiggles this pipe and that. Nothin...oops! water leaking! OH NO! Randy wiggles the pipes the other way, tightens joints, cusses and swears (after all, that IS the correct magic for stopping leaks, isn't it?!). Whew! It stops, just a wet floor inside the cupboard. Towels to the rescue...
THAT didn't go well. Let's try looking outside (in the dark, of course). We crawl around under the kitchen side of the RV. Hmmm...here's a pipe underneath...where does it go? Check the far side of the trailer again. Nope, still no hidden release handles near the other two drains. "Look further back, under the slide out living area," calls Randy. So, I crawl under that section, looking all the way under the RV. Ahhhhhhh...another little handle...hidden away from everything else... Pull it, hear the water whoosh through the drain hose. Crawl back out and head inside. My sink has stopped bubbling and the lights for the "galley" on the control panel are back to 1, empty. YAY! We did it!
(Apparently builders take devilish delight in wreaking havoc in the lives of RV owners. Someday, maybe, we will find the tiny cameras the manufacturer installed...which gives them live footage of owners baffled by the hidden secrets of these RVs. Do they view these films at company parties to get a good laugh?! ARGGHHH!!)
And then...the sink stops draining. Soapy water is bubbling back up from the drain. What?! Now, what do I do?? Ask JAKOB, of course! He knows everything about this RV we are living in!
He checks the control panel (hidden in the cupboard above the TV/sound system). Grey water tank, 3 lights, 3/4 full, doesn't need drained yet. Black water tank (sewage), 3 lights, 3/4 full, doesn't need drained yet. Galley tank...GALLEY TANK??? What IS this?? 4 lights, FULL, must be drained. Okay...but where is the drain handle?? Oh no, even Jakob is baffled. Now what will we do??
We think about it. Jakob looks outside under the far side of the trailer. Yep, like we thought there are two, count 'em TWO, handles color-coded and labeled grey and black. We have him try draining those tanks, just in case. First the black water, then the grey water. Back inside...nope, no change in my soapy, bubbly sink drain.
We pull out the slim, cheaply bound "RV manual." It has been mostly useless in the past...maybe it will have actual information this time?? ... ... ... nope, this useless pile of paper mentions grey water and black water tanks, but the "galley" tank apparently doesn't exist.
Now we are getting really frustrated. Past bedtime, kids are making more noise and distracting us, Jakob didn't know the answers this time, off to bed they are sent...
The sink sits and glares accusingly at us (we can't even manage simple things like this? Just what are we doing thinking we can live full-time in this place??) Both Randy and I get busy with our laptops. Check the manufacturer's website... nothing... check RV sites and forums and articles and... a few glimmers of info but nothing specific. This isn't helping!
Randy searches the cupboard under the sink, looking for clues. He wiggles this pipe and that. Nothin...oops! water leaking! OH NO! Randy wiggles the pipes the other way, tightens joints, cusses and swears (after all, that IS the correct magic for stopping leaks, isn't it?!). Whew! It stops, just a wet floor inside the cupboard. Towels to the rescue...
THAT didn't go well. Let's try looking outside (in the dark, of course). We crawl around under the kitchen side of the RV. Hmmm...here's a pipe underneath...where does it go? Check the far side of the trailer again. Nope, still no hidden release handles near the other two drains. "Look further back, under the slide out living area," calls Randy. So, I crawl under that section, looking all the way under the RV. Ahhhhhhh...another little handle...hidden away from everything else... Pull it, hear the water whoosh through the drain hose. Crawl back out and head inside. My sink has stopped bubbling and the lights for the "galley" on the control panel are back to 1, empty. YAY! We did it!
(Apparently builders take devilish delight in wreaking havoc in the lives of RV owners. Someday, maybe, we will find the tiny cameras the manufacturer installed...which gives them live footage of owners baffled by the hidden secrets of these RVs. Do they view these films at company parties to get a good laugh?! ARGGHHH!!)
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Quiet Times
We had a very quiet New Year's Eve (playing a game as a family, then watching a movie with Jakob til midnight--Anna went to bed at her own suggestion since she was falling asleep at the table!!)...and a quiet New Year's Day for that matter. Right now that seems to be the typical. It's QUITE strange not having a schedule, not having places we MUST get to by a certain time, etc. I did just discover where I will wander off to when I need a break---there's a wonderful cafe in the historic downtown area---sign outside says "serious coffee" :-) There is a large fireplace with comfy couches, brick walls, servers are in (VERY) casual clothes, laid back atmosphere, etc. Plus, if I feel I need to bring Anna with me, there is a kid's play area in the BACK (surely I could sit near the front and read a book with my coffee while Anna plays, right?!)
Today is our first gray day since we've gotten to Colorado---mountains have disappeared into the mist and there are snow flurries. As Uncle Rick tells Anna, the mountains have been taken away for cleaning!! And it seems to be true--when they reappear later today or tomorrow they will be crisp and clear again.
I'm missing my friends but must be honest---at this point I'm not missing anywhere in Ohio with those terminally gray skies...I just wish friends and family could join me HERE!!
Today is our first gray day since we've gotten to Colorado---mountains have disappeared into the mist and there are snow flurries. As Uncle Rick tells Anna, the mountains have been taken away for cleaning!! And it seems to be true--when they reappear later today or tomorrow they will be crisp and clear again.
I'm missing my friends but must be honest---at this point I'm not missing anywhere in Ohio with those terminally gray skies...I just wish friends and family could join me HERE!!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Buffalo Bill...and Lookout Mountain
We took a trip today to the Buffalo Bill museum and grave on Lookout mountain (which is right behind where we are living). The drive up the mountain was a little tense for me---too many switchbacks, too many bicyclists (meaning we had to cross the double yellow line to pass them, putting us potentially into path of downward driving vehicles), and too many drop-offs right next to the road. I will admit that the awesome views of valleys & mountains from one side, and views of Denver valley and eastern Colorado plains were worth the drive (I think!). I also think the hang-gliders we enjoy watching most evenings are entirely CRAZY---after seeing the steep ridges they launch off of.
In the museum, Jakob was a little shook up to find out that Buffalo Bill left home in Kansas at 13 years old to try gold mining in CO, was a pony express rider at 14, and was in the Civil War at 16. Seeing the revolver and bowie knife (and little Bible---mandatory for all pony express riders to carry!) BB used as a rider was pretty intense for Jakob! On the lighter side, both kids enjoyed dressing up as cowboys (do you KNOW how heavy chaps are??), "riding" the horse and trying to rope the calf in the kids area. Between each try, you could almost see the gears spinning in Jakob's brain as he readjusted his technique. He indeed eventually roped the calf successfully. Anna, on the other hand, managed to rope her foot (in the stirrup!), herself, her horse's head, and everything BUT the calf!! Ahh, well...she had fun LOOKING the part of cowgirl!
Oh, and were you aware of how much of a "visionary" Buffalo Bill was?? I certainly wasn't! He was one of the first to start a domestic herd of Buffalo--both to preserve them for posterity and for use in his Wild West Show. He was fully supportive of equal rights for both Women and for Indians, even fighting for the latter when challenged a number of times that the indians belonged on reservations, not getting good pay in his show. He also tried his hand at city planning---with the town of Cody, WY which he envisioned as a tourist destination, as an up-to-date place to live, and as a gate-way to Yellowstone--none of which occured in his lifetime, but did eventually happen.
On the way back down from Lookout Mountain, we checked mileage and altitude change...and I've decided my original goal of walking up the mountain behind our RV by the time we leave this area in a month or two is entirely TOO outrageous! It sure doesn't look all that high when seen from below...but the road wanders 5 miles from side to side and around two mountains while ascending 1600' or so. I think I need to find a more attainable goal of a HILL for us to climb instead!
In the museum, Jakob was a little shook up to find out that Buffalo Bill left home in Kansas at 13 years old to try gold mining in CO, was a pony express rider at 14, and was in the Civil War at 16. Seeing the revolver and bowie knife (and little Bible---mandatory for all pony express riders to carry!) BB used as a rider was pretty intense for Jakob! On the lighter side, both kids enjoyed dressing up as cowboys (do you KNOW how heavy chaps are??), "riding" the horse and trying to rope the calf in the kids area. Between each try, you could almost see the gears spinning in Jakob's brain as he readjusted his technique. He indeed eventually roped the calf successfully. Anna, on the other hand, managed to rope her foot (in the stirrup!), herself, her horse's head, and everything BUT the calf!! Ahh, well...she had fun LOOKING the part of cowgirl!
Oh, and were you aware of how much of a "visionary" Buffalo Bill was?? I certainly wasn't! He was one of the first to start a domestic herd of Buffalo--both to preserve them for posterity and for use in his Wild West Show. He was fully supportive of equal rights for both Women and for Indians, even fighting for the latter when challenged a number of times that the indians belonged on reservations, not getting good pay in his show. He also tried his hand at city planning---with the town of Cody, WY which he envisioned as a tourist destination, as an up-to-date place to live, and as a gate-way to Yellowstone--none of which occured in his lifetime, but did eventually happen.
On the way back down from Lookout Mountain, we checked mileage and altitude change...and I've decided my original goal of walking up the mountain behind our RV by the time we leave this area in a month or two is entirely TOO outrageous! It sure doesn't look all that high when seen from below...but the road wanders 5 miles from side to side and around two mountains while ascending 1600' or so. I think I need to find a more attainable goal of a HILL for us to climb instead!
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