A new beginning?

We've been thinking about it for a while, Machelle more than me. The "right time" was never going to come, we decided that now is as right of a time as it's going to get! My son and daughter in law have been house shopping for the last six months with no success, so it's a win-win situation for all of us. If it all falls apart we can do like our kids have done to us...move back in with them!:rolleyes:
 
Thanks for the well wishes on this endeavor guys. We've started thinking about all of the little things in life that are going to change. For example, we currently have a dog door, the dogs can come and go at their leisure. I pointed that one out to Machelle yesterday, it was an issue she had not even considered.

I'm already shopping for screen rooms to attach to the awning, they aren't as expensive as I had thought they would be. Screen room will increase the usable space that we have. One downside is the outside kitchen is not covered by the awning, so it won't be protected by the screen room. I think I'm going to look at putting another awning on that will cover the outside kitchen area.

Any other innovative ideas that you guys have seen to make the full time RV life more comfortable, throw it out there!
 
I joined a full time RV Forum yesterday. Full time campground campers sure have a distorted view of what adventure travelers do, and what we consider boondocking. Skimming the Boondocking threads, there are numerous threads regarding parking lots at Walmart, Costco, Cabelas, etc.

I also discovered that some pay campgrounds don't allow campers with porta potti's/cassette toilets. What the hell kind of rule is that? I've obviously got some homework to do before we start traveling. The trailer is obviously not a problem, but if we take the truck to go exploring, campgrounds may become less of an option for us. I would always prefer to be primitive camped somewhere, so it's not a huge issue.

I found some other fine print that may restrict me, such as my dogs. It seems that both Boxer's and Boston Terrier's can be found on some parks "bully breed" of dogs!
 
Bob it's just a new set of reply's and shrugs: oh we are only 24 foot, those are poodles, fake sewer pipe holders etc. If all else fails throw down the AARP card and mumble as you walk off? Pleading the fifth on any prior use by yours truly. :D
 
No way...Machelle considered it...I squashed the idea in seconds...I don't have the temperament to listen to people come to me with nothing but complaints about what someone else is or isn't doing, not to mention inevitably dealing with a bunch of drunks that have no intention of cooperating.:drama I understand that 90% of the campers would be trouble free, they would be happy not knowing that a camp host existed, it's the other 10% that are the problem. I suppose I fall into that 10% now and again!:rolleyes: I do usually cooperate once shown the error of my ways.

Machelle is looking at volunteering at Santee Lakes. Initial research is 25 hours a week volunteering gets you free space rental. She's going to the park on Monday to make reservations etc for us to move in at the beginning of July.

I know we have plenty of boondocking options (although somewhat limited by the sheer size of the trailer), I just found it interesting that I was so ignorant in the ways of pay to play campground camping.
 
bob91yj said:
No way...Machelle considered it...I squashed the idea in seconds...I don't have the temperament to listen to people come to me with nothing but complaints about what someone else is or isn't doing, not to mention inevitably dealing with a bunch of drunks that have no intention of cooperating.:drama I understand that 90% of the campers would be trouble free, they would be happy not knowing that a camp host existed, it's the other 10% that are the problem. I suppose I fall into that 10% now and again!:rolleyes: I do usually cooperate once shown the error of my ways.

Machelle is looking at volunteering at Santee Lakes. Initial research is 25 hours a week volunteering gets you free space rental. She's going to the park on Monday to make reservations etc for us to move in at the beginning of July.

I know we have plenty of boondocking options (although somewhat limited by the sheer size of the trailer), I just found it interesting that I was so ignorant in the ways of pay to play campground camping.
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You are so right on with this. It is not 90% though, it is 98%... that 2% of your "customers" are enough to avoid it if you can!
 
I should have known this was going way too smooth. Machelle went to Santee Lakes yesterday to make reservations, etc for us to move in there around the 1st of July. Apparently the person that she got the first round of information was full of misinformation! Their next available long term space that would fit our trailer isn't until March of 2018! That wasn't going to work!

Machelle spent the last two days calling around San Diego trying to find us a spot somewhere...anywhere. After coming up empty yesterday, mild panic was starting to set in. We both did some digging today, found a couple of alternate locations that are possibly going to work out better for us. I work in Escondido, CA, about 30 miles from where I live. We found a couple of parks within 10 miles of my work!

In the pictures, they both appear to be comparable, possibly nicer than what we were looking at!

This is our first choice...

http://lilacoaksrv.com/

...the dog thing is all that may keep us out of that location, Mac, our 12 year old Boxer, is on the bully breed list for being similar to a Pit Bull!:rolleyes: Machelle sent them some pics, told them that all he does is eat, sleep and poop. His full speed is a fast walk these days, occasionally gets up to a trot for a few steps. It's under management review, should have an answer tomorrow.

Our second choice...

www.allseasonscamping.com

...we would be on a waiting list there, but they said it moves fast, estimate availability is the second week of July.

I had no idea that a 38' trailer would be such a limiting factor either. Fifth wheel toy boxes in excess of 40' are a dime a dozen around here. Most of them are desert rats, dry camp in the desert where there are no length restrictions!

In the end, we had planned to hop around the San Diego area anyway, just not this soon. The biggest downside is now we won't be as close to our kids/grandkids.
 
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My mentor in the off road world was a character we called "Bud". Sadly Bud passed a few years back. Bud actually knew Granville King, between the two of them they probably collaborated on a few stories over the years. Bud posted some of his "observations" on the state of the world as well as the offroading world on a website/e-mail forum that is now dead...boy what I would give to be able to dig up some of his old posts. Bud had a way with word's, was a master story teller, and most of all, didn't give a rats ass about being politically correct. I suspect that a little of Bud just "might" have rubbed off on me. I was accused of having a crappy attitude when I was in Uncle Sam's Canoe Club (US Navy) on more than one occasion before I met Bud, so I can't blame him for everything!
 
Our new house will be here Monday! It'll probably be a week or two before we take actual delivery. We'll do the walk through Monday/Tuesday, waiting for my end of the financing to go through, etc.

It blows my mind that the bank wants to hold a check for 7-10 business days (check is from Transamerica) before the funds become available. Machelle won't let me go to the bank and talk to them about it...I'm convinced that I can show them the shiny thing on their desk with assorted buttons on it...if rich people can send huge amounts of $$$ around the world in a few seconds, I feel sure I can show them the ENTER button that will accomplish the same thing once they input their end of the deal and I'm border line STUPID on a computer.

We're going to go check out the two campgrounds that are on our shortlist tomorrow. All Season's is a sure thing, Lilac Oaks is still a definite maybe based on the owners opinion of our Boxer dog, Mac. (both campgrounds linked a few posts ago)

This evolution has certainly been a learning evolution for us, I hope I'm preventing some headaches for anyone else considering a similar option.
 
bob91yj said:
Our new house will be here Monday! It'll probably be a week or two before we take actual delivery. We'll do the walk through Monday/Tuesday, waiting for my end of the financing to go through, etc.

It blows my mind that the bank wants to hold a check for 7-10 business days (check is from Transamerica) before the funds become available. Machelle won't let me go to the bank and talk to them about it...I'm convinced that I can show them the shiny thing on their desk with assorted buttons on it...if rich people can send huge amounts of $$$ around the world in a few seconds, I feel sure I can show them the ENTER button that will accomplish the same thing once they input their end of the deal and I'm border line STUPID on a computer.

We're going to go check out the two campgrounds that are on our shortlist tomorrow. All Season's is a sure thing, Lilac Oaks is still a definite maybe based on the owners opinion of our Boxer dog, Mac. (both campgrounds linked a few posts ago)

This evolution has certainly been a learning evolution for us, I hope I'm preventing some headaches for anyone else considering a similar option.
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Can you do a wire transfer? That should be only a day.
 
It's not that big of a deal, our campsite (seems odd to say that, not REALLY a "camp" site by our definition) tentative site reservation is for the second week of July.

Nest question...I have towed my 5000# Jeep in my 4999# trailer on numerous occasions with a conventional drop hitch with no issues. ( trailer tag says it's good for 9999#'s right on the hitch, if it fits, it must be OK right:rolleyes:, using CORE math, couldn't be over 12,500#'s when loaded with tools/parts/gear using real math) That trailer is 28" long including the hitch. SoCaler's will vouch for me that the crosswind on Hwy62 off of I-10 is BRUTAL, there a few hundred wind turbines in that pass the wind is so constant and strong. My truck, with the camper in it pulls that trailer with no issues. Trailer tracks true even in the fiercest of wind gusts.

The new trailer has a sticker weight of 9000#'s.

Anyone here have any experience pulling a LONG bumper dragger trailer without using a weight distribution hitch?
 
Why take a chance? As you know from your off road experience it's always good till it's not and with something that big it can go South in a big and final hurry. Kinda like the tail wagging the dog. For a couple of hundred vs thousands and safety?
 
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Recommendations for a brand? I have no knowledge regarding the subject. I use the Escapees RV forum as another resource...those cats are OLD on that forum.:cool:

Having never used a weight distributing hitch, I don't know the difference.

For whatever reason GM 2500/3500 SRW's don't come with a rear sway bar. I'm considering adding one. My truck has an RCD 6" lift (accomplished via drop down brackets for the front, and lift blocks in the rear). As a rock crawler/desert racer lift blocks terrify me. Somehow I have NEVER seen a broken lift block on the numerous trucks of my trucks generation that my dealership sold with that lift. (Hindsight being 20/20, I wouldn't have a lifted truck...looks nice, virtually everything else about it is mall crawler/virtually useless and more expensive.) My first Dmax had that lift, got a smoking deal on my current truck that already had the same lift on it.

Once the money tree drops its leaves and I see what's left, I want to get some custom springs for the rear end and get rid of the blocks. I'm also considering anti-wrap/traction bars as well as a regear to 4.10's. The regear will get me back to roughly stock on final drive when the tires are added to the equation (metric 35's on the truck).
 
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