Hello family! It's been a long time since I last blogged. In fact, it was over a year ago on Day 3 of our journey home from Ohio in the RV trip of a lifetime! That's what makes it so appropriate for me to blog on what our life is like now, post-RV. It's different. At times, I'm not going to lie, I really miss the RV. I miss waking up in the forest on Saturday morning. I miss setting up the satellite dish and bragging that I nailed it the first time, in < 15 seconds. I miss putting fresh sheets on the bed. I miss putting ice from a bag into the ice maker. I miss laying out the rugs and putting out the solar lights. I miss leveling the RV (not). And I really miss the friends that we enjoyed while we RV'd. We had a ton of fun in every RV that we owned, from the travel trailer to the fifth wheel to the gas RV to the Fleetwood diesel pusher. And it saddens me that the friends we loved the most while RV'ing have moved on to a different stage of their lives, and we aren't able to spend time with them any more.
But what I don't miss is maintenance. What a dirty word! The risk of cancelling trips because of some problem that came up when we picked the RV up from storage increased with each year beyond the manufacturer's warranty. And with just over a year left on the extended warranty at the time we traded it in, this was starting to really become concerning. I don't miss the payment every other week (my payday). I don't miss the huge yearly payment for plates and a month later, for insurance. I don't miss the $1,000 oil change or the risk that if we had tire problems, we were looking at a minimum of $450 for each tire (the coach had 6). I don't miss the risk of our Jeep losing a tire or breaking loose at 60-70-80 miles per hour. And I REALLY don't miss how rude and inconsiderate other drivers were of the fact that we weighed 30,000 pounds and could NOT stop on a dime if they decided to cut in front of us and slam on the brakes.
We've been fortunate that we had what I could consider a "mild" summer this year. We didn't have constant 110+ degree days. We were still over 100 the whole summer, but it didn't seem oppressive. We were fortunate to be able to visit the Rapps cabin in Munds Park several times more than previous years. And we were very fortunate to rediscover our love for tent camping. There's nothing like spending a small fortune to live like a homeless person! We had a great time doing this, and look forward to doing it again Friday.
As I sit here at home on Saturday, with Dennis already in bed, my wine bottle empty and my water bottle half-full, I reflect on this new life post-RV. It's calmer, cheaper and more predictable. The dogs don't love us any less. We spend more money on our local economy, eating out and buying good wine. We spend more precious time with Patrick & Lisa and Lyn & Dan. We work later on Fridays. And the only rush to get home after work on Friday is to open a bottle of wine and unwind from the week. It's different. It's relaxing. But we like it. Life is good.
We are still adjusting, but it's getting easier. I no longer look at new RV floor plans. I no longer browse the inventory at local RV dealerships looking for the small, cheap, perfect RV. We are far enough out that I'm over it! It's been 4 1/2 months and we have never looked back! Thank you all for your support and love. And we look forward to whatever the next chapter in our lives brings.
Lots of love to all of you! Thanks for listening to what's in my head tonight. I hope the canoe trip is successful tomorrow. All the best to the canoers! We look forward to seeing you all soon.
We love you!
Rodney & Dennis
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