Deadlines....

Yes, I know I promised to update you on the month of July and so far have only made it through the first week. But I currently have another priority in my life. Losing weight. LOTS of weight.

It all started a year ago when I bought this cute little Class C motorhome. Fell in love with her and she became my Lily Pad. She was SO spacious inside...lots of room to move around. When I got home I loaded up what I THOUGHT was 80% of my stuff (turned out to be more like 40%) and headed to the Escapade in Goshen, IN. While there, I got her weighed. Good to go...little heavy on the right side & the rear but not overweight at all.

I spent the next month moving the last items into the rig and took off, fat - dumb - happy. I added an auto-satellite dish to the roof, airbags, changed out the TV, got a new microwave, toilet & tires and added a full solar setup with SIX 12 volt batteries. Still fat, dumb & happy.

In March I attended the Tuscon RV Life on Wheels and opted to get weighed again. Truth be told, I DIDN'T want to get weighed but Rick Lang from RVSEF convinced me that even though I knew I was fat, dumb & happy, I needed to find out by how much. LOL! Oh boy, what a shocker. My right side was still heavy but not as much as I expected since I had done a little work in moving weight to the left side after the initial weighing. My overall weight was about 700# over but the scary thing was the rear was about 1200# over while the front was light.

So, a lot of the month I spent in Tucson was occupied with getting rid of STUFF. At least three totes of clothes were cleaned out, lots of miscellaneous stuff, and I was feeling good. I felt I had made great strides towards losing weight in the rear and smaller strides towards moving the weight to the front (hey, I DID move my firesafe to the passenger area...it's heavy!). Once again, fat - dumb - happy.

Fast forward to July and the Escapade and I once again get weighted. I knew I had way too much paperwork in totes so I moved all that to the car. I already had my lounger in the car as well as the duffels with all my motorcycle gear. I thought I was good to go! (Needless to say I hadn't factored in the new spare propane tank and gas grill stored in the back of the rig....gulp!)

I was still fat but not dumb and NOT happy. I had only managed to lose 100# overall. That seemed impossible but the scales don't lie. My rear was still over and the front under but the ratio was better....a little. This meant I really needed to buckle down and tackle all my STUFF.

Because there isn't a thrift shop in the small town of White Sulphur Springs, I wasn't sure what I would do with it all. Several things have happened as I have tackled the de-stuffing of the Lily Pad. First, my middle daughter called and proudly told me she had lost weight...okay, goodly portion of clothing clean out goes to her.

Then the campground owner told me the local high school was doing a garage sale fund raiser the middle of August. Phew! So whatever the other workampers don't' nab (and they have been VERY helpful in reducing the pile outside my RV) will go to the high school kids. (Well, except for a few things listed on eBay.... )

THAT is where the deadline comes in....I need to be done before this week is out. Thus every spare minute has been taken up with sorting out STUFF. I still have several areas to tackle but the storage bins are done as well as the kitchen, bathroom and 85% of the bedroom.

Just so you know I am still taking time to ENJOY....here is a progression of the sunset view we had last night after some major storms in the area. It finally got too dark for a good photo (my best camera is in for warranty repairs) but believe me, the sky looked like it was on fire. Gorgeous!



Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Living in Limited Spaces

Many think my quarters are tight but it works for me. I go into their 34-40+' rigs with 2-4 slides and feel like I'm in a house. I wouldn't want to share my rig since the space has been set up for me but I don't feel cramped.

There are many living in much smaller quarters than I. I've run into not just singles but couples full-timing in little Casita trailers (11-19'). This past spring at the RV Life on Wheels I met a couple who were planning on full-timing in a small Class B. Since then they have purchased their rig and hit the road. Today they posted photos of how they live in such tight quarters and I thought others might enjoy seeing it as well. Click here for the blog.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Wanted: Canadian Women Solo Full-timers

Are you out there? I have received a request from a freelance writer looking to contact Canadian solo women who RV, preferably full-timers. If you are one or know one, please contact me for more details. Thank you for passing the word around as well!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Addicted to Dust

Yes, I made it to Quartzsite and I have been having a ball, thus the lack of a blog for several days (well, that and boondocking with limited generator time).

Harvey and I took a slight detour on our way to Q and hit a Super Wal-Mart. It had been a while since I had stocked up and my list had been growing. We got on I-10 East for 4 miles and got off in Buckeye, AZ. This had to have been the largest Wal-Mart I have been in to date. It had everything I needed and more....LOL!

We hit the road and found our Escapees SOLO folks around 3 pm. Everyone had a good laugh at my looking for "pull-through" parking. Needless to say, we could pretty well pick our spot. Nicely level, far enough from other rigs so my generator wouldn't bother them and was good to go. Well, except it was COLD...much colder than I expected thanks to the wind (we had been fighting it for about the last 50 miles of driving).

There is no way to remember all that has gone on so I will hit the highlights, thus far, in list form:

1. Had Hobo Stew* with the other members of the Full-Time Graduating Class of 2007. What a wild, wonderful, wacky group of folks. The stew was DELICIOUS! Wish I could have spent more time with them but they are 12-15 miles away on the other side of Quartzsite. I know I will see many of them on the road over the next year or two.
   *Take whatever meet, canned goods, etc that you can find, mix it all together and simmer for as long as it takes. Then you've got Hobo Stew. Some of the best ingredients are beef, sausage, chicken, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, carrots...you get the idea.
   
2. I've eaten in a couple of local restaurants, courtesy of several friends.
   
3. I've seen every variety of camper - I won't even attempt to name them all but wow, what a variety - types, styles, brands, sizes, classics, homemade and more.
   
4. I've had my first (and definitely not my last) meal cooked in a solar oven. What a wonderful way to cook. I see one of these in my future....much easier and cheaper than using a conventional oven. YUM! With the prices in propane rising and the cost of using my generator to run the microwave, this would actually be a cost effective item (and would would involve healthier eating).
   
5. I got out to meet some of the local folks - dinner time at The Yacht Club. Great people, love the quirky flavor here (yup, I'm definitely a fan of quirky). Convinced me that I need to exercise more to get my back, hips & knees back into the groove of dancing. Good band, too!
6. I've seen beautiful sunrises and sunsets...photos to follow...almost every day.
7. I've met other RVers who also travel with a motorcycle as their "toad".
8. I sat in front of, behind, beside, all around multiple campfires - moving as needed to lose the smoke and keep my voice! (Someone asked if that was why my nickname was Froggi...)
9. I've learned that I have to remember to turn off my propane heater for the day or in 4 hours my generator won't charge the batteries enough to keep the heater firing all night long....even when set at 60 degrees.
10. Solar is definitely in my future....but I am much more comfortable boondocking than I expected and that is a good thing!
    

Here are some random photos taken so far....



As a friend posts in his blog....I am having TOO MUCH FUN!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Getting ready to roll!

I love staying in one spot for a month because I bring out more things and The Lily Pad feels even more like home. I hate staying in one spot for a month because I bring out more things and when it's time to go they have to be put away.

Yesterday was laundry first and finishing the books I was reading so I could swap in the library here. I restored my printer in the chair and put away other items that had accumulated on the two shelves in front of my entertainment center (this is the shelf that the drawer pulls out onto and is a nice out of the way spot to stack things out of the way and yet still have them handy.

Next step was to pull all the rolling duffel bags out of the trailer and pack away all the riding gear that had accumulated inside. I put them all up on the picnic table and took a slightly different approach to packing the stuff. Spent over an hour on that. Then I starting taking down anything that needed to be stored outside....my solar lights, the extension cord plugged into the battery trickle charger, etc. I pulled the totes out from the basement storage and putting things away. In general the organization in the basement storage is still working. It was really foggy and gray until around 1 pm then the sun came out and it got quite warm! Nice to finally sleep with the windows open again.

Today the sun came out for about an hour. It was supposed to hit 80 and it made 78 but was bearable with the clouds (I am NOT a hot weather person....LOL!). Once I did my morning email/forum checks (still have a bunch of email backlogged...but figure that will get done while waiting for Camping World to get done with the rig tomorrow afternoon), it was time to get busy again.

I pulled all the rugs out of the RV (one runner in front of the couch, one in front of the sink, one at the top of the steps coming in, one beside the bed and one in the bathroom - just in case you were interested) and set them on the picnic table. Dug out my Swiffer and after sweeping did a quick mopping of my Pergo floor (boy do I ever LOVE that!) and the bathroom linoleum. Washed and semi-dried the rugs (they all have a rubber backing that you're really not supposed to dry but I usually dry them a bit). Took them back and laid them over the picnic table to dry a bit more.

Since the sun was out and I was feeling pretty energetic, I decided to at least clean the cab outside...it was filthy. I came here in rain, spent several more days during the month with rain and top that off with lots of dust-filled wind and you end up with a pretty disgusting rig. I should have taken a photo...oh well. The worst of it was the hood where there were black circles where the cabover drips hit. I could have stood the rest of it...well except the encrusted bugs. LOL!

I've been using Protect-All since reading the recommendations from other RVers. Two micro-cloths, spray, wipe and dry. As dirty as The Lily Pad was, it took a little work but the wax job done in Elkhart (they used Meguire's Spray Wax) did put down a good base and that helped. Well, you know what happens when you start cleaning something that's really dirty...you end up doing more than you anticipated. The south side of the rig was bad so I kept going...doing the bottom half where I could easily reach...rounded the back and yup, filthy so did that as well. Last side, the north, wasn't so bad but what the heck, I'd come that far so did it as well. The higher parts aren't too bad (and who is looking up there anyway), the only place left that I wish I did was the front of the cabover and the under the cabover. But I would have had to get the ladder down to do that and I was pretty well whipped at this point....and I still had to load the bike and deal with putting away some of the inside stuff.

Mark, one of the guys from MN parked across from me came over while I was cleaning the outside and asked if I wanted help loading the bike. I thanked him and said yes. He needed to run to get groceries and I told him I needed to grab something to eat first anyway. Made a sandwich and sat down to rest before tackling the bike. I knew I needed to get it done because there was no guarantee anyone would be handy to help in the morning. But I was beat....figured I could rest for an hour, then tackle it.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a gentleman I didn't know was outside. He wanted to know if I had Wi-Fi access to the park. I explained that sometimes I did, sometimes now. Well, they had added a new router in the kitchen area and he was hoping it would work in the row where I was. He was currently parked at the back by the river. I checked the signal and sure enough...good signal (so I turned off Verizon and have been on the freebie since then). We got to chatting and he was shocked to discover that the motorcycle was mine and I was solo. He used to ride and is thinking about getting back into it. Well, he offered to help me load it and since he had experience with it and Mark really didn't, I took him up on it.

He hooked up the trailer and one thing was clear...I could never have put up the stablizers on the trailer without help. I could have done the rest of it but it was nice, as tired as I was, to not have to worry about it. Now picture this...t-shirt, knee-length shorts, no helmet, no gloves and over the calf boots. What a photo that would have made! LOL!! I got it loaded with Art monitoring from behind.

I then did the tie-downs, using the new ones that I bought in Branson. Worked great....except I can't tighten them. Just not enough strength...that means I have to find ratchet style ones that will work and not slip like the last ones. It's always something!

By the time all was said and done, I was REALLY exhausted and had strained my back. My left hip has been bothering me for over a month (off & on) and that's the side that I pulled. Took a nice hot shower and that helped a bit.

Sorry for the long blog....for anyone that has made it this far, I did snap a so-so sunset photo. Someone posted a comment on my sunrise blog that no one would really know the difference. The main difference here is that the sunsets just aren't as pretty as the sunrises (when it's not foggy or cloudy).

There is minimal stuff that needs to be done in the morning. I will fill my fresh water (the water here is pretty good), dump the tanks, check air pressure in all the tires, filling as needed, do my last minute checks and then hit the road. I don't have to be at Camping World until 1 pm so there is no reason to rush. Tomorrow night will be spent in the Camping World parking lot and Tuesday morning I head to the other side of San Antonio to get a new rear tire put on the BMW. Then it's HEAD WEST, old lady! LOL!!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

What's that white stuff?

Woke up around 7:30 this morning and took a peek out the window. YIKES! It was snowing and blowing....winds of 20+mph with a temperature of 29. I not only had to carry out my suitcase and my laptop, but three boxes of "stuff" that I had picked up at my mail forwarding company yesterday (did combine the nine boxes into those three though....that's why I carried them inside). Oh, and I had to get gas.....EEEK!



Some of you wonder about my having a South Dakota address. As a full-time RVer, I don't have a home base...since I don't own a home. That means I need to establish one so that I can register and insure my vehicles, get a drivers license and register to vote. That is where mail forwarding companies come into play. While not all cater to full-timers due to their specialized needs, there are quite a few that do.


The company I use is My Dakota Address, run by Terri Lund. It's located in the SE corner of SD in the town of Madison. Terri has taken care of registering all my vehicles, getting the tags & titles to me as well as answering all my questions.

I arrived around 11 am on Tuesday. Terri was on the phone but as soon as they put her on hold she bustled around getting my mail and all my packages. By the time I had returned from the car, she was off her call and able to chat a bit. When I asked where I got my drivers license, she reached around and handed me the application that I needed to fill out (yes, I could have done it there but this way she could answer any questions for me). Then she gave me directions...in nice weather it would have been walking distance.

I headed there next....in less than 15 minutes I was walking back out the door with my South Dakota license in hand. Now THAT is service!

I got back on the road and headed south, still a decent day for driving. I ended up stopping somewhere around Percival, IA, completely exhausted from the emotional turmoil of losing BoBo, the extremely long driving day yesterday and then another day of full driving. I had hoped to make it further south but opted to stop.

Then I woke up to the snowing & blowing.....I thought it would stop as I proceeded southerly. NOT! It got worse....sometimes a wintry mix, sometimes heavy snow. I stopped in St. Joseph, MO and picked up a few things at Home Depot (still working on using up those gift cards), Target and two pies at Wal-Mart for Thanksgiving tomorrow at the park with the other Escapees.

I stopped just short of Springfield, MO, in Bolivar. It was almost 5pm, getting dark and once again I was beat. All day I kept thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't driving the Lily Pad through that weather. The temperature stayed between 29-31 until after 3pm when it finally hit 33. I worried about ice on the roads and rarely did the speed limit (most other drivers were also cautious). I decided I didn't want to push the last 70 miles, arriving into Hollister in the dark when I'm still unsure of my directions to the park. At least I can see where I am in the morning.

Lastly, I cannot thank you all enough for all your thoughts, wishes, support, hugs, emails and posts. It HAS helped... I think it was the suddenness that really hit me, so unexpected. One of my blog readers posted something that made it a bit easier:

"As it was, Bobo surely couldn't have known what was about to happen, since dogs can't really think into the future, or know that something's about to happen because they've heard about it happening to somebody else.

All he could have known was that he was having one of the peak experiences of a dog's life - getting loose and running as fast as he could wherever he wanted to go! And the next moment he was in heaven, just as though he had run straight there."

That is exactly how I will picture that moment from now on...

Once again.....from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU ALL!!!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna