Stay tuned for TV news

Nope….again, not that kind of TV.  I’m talking about the news on the tow vehicle!  Its been rainy and dreary here in CO and that coupled with my random decision to give up caffeine for a bit has left me sort of in the dumps.  I felt completely paralyzed with what to do about trip preparation….and we’re only 10 weeks (or so ) out!!  Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!

My search for a truck so far has led me to believe you can only find DRW trucks in CO….the SRW’s are at least a state away.  I found one in KS and another in UT recently.  Essentially the same truck and price.  Getting the one in Salt Lake was an easy (and cheap….$59 one way) flight but KS what a bit trickier.  I debated….I thought….I dawdled….I pinched my pennies like those souvenir penny smashers….I drug my feet.  When I got home from church last night I did a quick search and found an even BETTER deal than I have found to date!!  My good buddy Scott Middleton at Insight Automotive is assisting me in checking it out and quite possibly buying it for us!!

So….stay tuned for more TV news!

Trust

My one word for 2015 is trust.  It really became my word in late 2014 and so I decided to use it in 2015 as well.  As we prepare to head out on our adventure there have been numerous items where trust plays a big role.  For me trust is tricky because I sorta want it to be a one way street….I want people to trust me but its hard to trust other people sometimes.  And not just people, but God.

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Butt space and beds

Whats the deal with couches these days?  The arm to butt space ratio is WAY out of wack.  We found this out when our family grew to 5 members and our tiny loveseat in our tiny TV room didn’t have enough room for 5 butts…but only because the arms of the loveseat took up at least one, if not two, butts worth of space.  We figured out that the Ikea Karlstad couch (plus the chaise for lounge-ability) would just fit in our room and had enough space for all 5 of us.  The couch has arms appropriately sized for an average human arm, which is the most frequent use case for couches in our house.  I watched Craigslist like a hawk and ended up scoring the EXACT unit we wanted, almost brand new (was in a family’s vacation home) for $200 and located less than a mile from our house.  Well, it seems that the poofy, luxury couches that come in most RVs are designed for Popeye’s big arms and tiny butt just like the sticks and bricks counterparts.

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Winterize

Once again my good buddy Eric lends a huge helping hand with winterizing the trailer.  Its mid October here in CO and the nights are getting chilly.  It won’t be long until we start dropping below the freezing mark.  So we gave the grey and black tanks a really good cleaning, drained the fresh water tank and drained the water lines.  We also pulled the plug on the water heater.  You’d think that draining the water lines would do the trick but we hooked the compressor up to the water inlet and, whoa nelly, there was still a LOT of water in the lines.  But after awhile we were just getting air out of all the fixtures.  I then poured a little antifreeze down each of the drains.  I think I’m going to order some Fresh Cab to deter mice from moving into our rolling castle.  I also saw a pretty clever mouse trap you can build with a 5 gallon bucket….maybe I’ll try that too.

I had really wished that we could get a trip under our belts, but its not going to happen.  There are so many benefits to getting some time in the trailer before rolling out long term….but we don’t want to do it the easy way!

The search for a TV

No, not a television….a tow vehicle.  However, it is a little funny that our 300 square foot home on wheels has 2….that’s right, TWO, a pair, of televisions and our sticks and bricks has only one.  The thought of the downsize we are making is sometimes daunting but then I remind myself….this RV has 2 bathrooms, 5 beds (and soon a guest bed), 2 kitchens and 2 TVs!  It’s a mansion….a veritable castle relative to the majority of the homes of the world’s population.

But that’s not what you came to read about!  Alright, tow vehicles.   Read more

How to buy an RV

We had found a good deal on a 5th wheel that seemed to be just what we wanted. We drove 6 hours (RT) one day to check it out and make sure it was The One. We made an SMS-based deal with the sellers.  But we had no clue what the rest of the process looked like.  Steph and I have bought several different houses.  Like real estate this was a pretty big purchase and it will be our home….but it has wheels so its more like a vehicle….right?  Steph and I have bought several cars, always used, twice with salvage titles, and always with cash.  But almost none of that experience translated to buying this fifth wheel.  What to do? Read more