When I was a teenager, I had a friend who lived with his family on a 34 foot sailboat in Waikiki. After school I would go down to the marina and hang out with he and his family. I thought at the time "how cool is this that you could have the freedom to move around from place to place and explore new places while never leaving the comfort of your home". I would later learn how to sail and thought that one day I would live in a sailboat of my own. Now 30 years later, family and career have taken priority over my adolescent dreams of living on a boat. I now live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and no longer have dreams of living on a sailboat. Nevertheless, the appeal of a life of independence, self-sufficiency and adventure still exists for me -- if not on water, then on the open road.My First RV
Back in 1987 I purchased this 1970 VW Camper from the original owner. I had previously owned a Dodge conversion van in Florida in the early 80s and would frequently spend many a weekend at Daytona Beach with friends.
Upon returning to the Puget Sound area I wanted a sleep-in vehicle that got better mileage than my gas-guzzling Dodge Van. The VW Camper would prove to be perfect for me.For 11 years, the VW camper would be my primary vehicle. My wife and kids would share many memories with me in the VW. Ironically, during those years, the thought of a motorhome never even entered my mind. After all, it was mostly older retired folks who had RVs.
I sold the VW in 2000 to a couple who flew up to Seattle from San Francisco to pick it up. It seemed like my camping days were over. In the years to follow, annual family vacations would usually consist of a flight to some warm location for a week in the sun. Little did I know that things would soon change. The RV lifestyle was just around the corner.
In 2007, we began spending time with friends and family in their RVs. Weekend road trips, wine tours, and family vacations in an RV started to appeal to us. But if we were to continue, we would have to have our own space. After months of extensive research and RV shopping we finally took the plunge in November 2007 and officially joined the ranks of satisfied RV owners across the country. I can't tell you how satisfied we have been with our RV. My dreams of independence, self-sufficiency and adventure are being realized, not on the sea, but on the open road in our RV.
In our first two years we logged more than 15,000 miles on the open road and have seen more country than ever before. We manage to do this despite busy work schedules, school and rising gas prices. Looking back over the last 30 years, it seems like it was meant to be.On our travels I've seen a growing number of RV couples and their kids on the road. In Hill City, South Dakota I met a family camped next to us who had driven from Florida to visit Mt. Rushmore. So there we were, a family from Washington camped next to a family from Florida. How cool is that. They were renting an RV to haul their 3 kids around the country. I spoke to the dad who was asking lots of questions about our rig because they too were considering an RV of their own. I told him that it was perhaps the best thing we've done for our family.
It's certainly been a dream come true for my wife and I. I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm with other families considering the RV lifestyle. While in the military I visited several countries around the world and have concluded that there is no better place to live than right here in the USA. So let's enjoy it and get on get out on the road to see more of it.
Thanks for visiting my blog and sharing in our adventures as we live them. What's your story? I'd love to hear it and would be glad to post it on the blog. -Tito
That is an awesome story T, I don't think I could have explained the thrill and excitement of RVing any better. There is so much to see and experience in our beautiful country and this is the only way to do it in my mind. Many happy adventures and we hope to experience a lot of them with you. Keep on rollin' - D
ReplyDeleteOn my birthday in January 2006 we purchased a new 31' Winnebago Outlook Motor Home. On Feb. 1st we set out from our home in Torrance Califonia, my Wife and I, our two kids, two dogs and two hamsters on a journey. Our goal was to see as much of the US as possible in 30 days, as we needed to be back in Phoenix Arizona on March 3rd for my wifes fathers 90th birthday.
ReplyDeleteThe trips objective was to determine where in the US we would decide to relocate to from our current home in California. I drove all 10,000 miles that we put on our new MH in the 31 days of driving we did. Some days were longer than others, but it would average to be 350 miles per day. Other than a couple of days parked in relatives driveways, we would stay in a RV park for the night, or for maybe 1/3 or the time we would stay in a motel room with the van in the parking lot.
I thoroughly enjoyed doing the driving, while my wife and kids did their daily routine of being home schooled. As we entered a new state, my wife would get out the map and go over the State Capital, State Bird and any interesting facts about the state as part of the geography lesson.
We traveled through a couple of snow storms and no matter if we were going up hill or down, with the wind in front or at our back, we got 7 mpg on the V10 Ford Chassis Winnebago. But we did see alot of the USA in a short period of time.
There was some retracing of our trip so we could visit with some relatives, but following I will give you the state by state rundown of our first family adventure in our vehicle nicknamed "Motee"
California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinios, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsyvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, kentucky, West Virgina, (back tracked back through Ohio and Kentucky) Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
31 different states in 31 days, for 10,000 miles. No problems, used alot of gas, but had a great time.
Now I live in Georgetown Texas, work at a Mercedes Benz dealership where we also sell the Sprinter Vans, and wish I had bought the Winnebago View with the Sprinter Chassis instead of the Ford. I can just imagine getting 18-20 mpg instead of 7. Maybe just a little less power and room, but would have been worth it for the economy. Oh well, that's for the next family adventure.