Likely nobody here will care but...

[Hypoxia]

We're about to enter a further phase of life. We bought a new little RV. We've had two before, much like this, all around 25 feet, not buses. We sold the last a few years ago; we'd been traveling mostly across Central America where gringo RVs are cumbersome and gas is costly. An old SUV did best there.

This RV differs from the previous. It's on a diesel Mercedes-Benz Sprinter frame, slim, sophisticated, great fuel mileage (~18 mpg). At current prices, running costs are about 14 cents/mile. That's 70 bucks to haul an apartment (with king bed) 500 miles. 400 bucks for a transcontinental drive with no motels. And it should last a long, long time.

It'll be more than an RV. A guest room for visiting grandkids; shelter and juice when our power goes out; quiet studio space; playroom. But as an RV it's a freedom machine. Wanna get away? Just GO!

And we plan to go far. All around USA and Canada. Maybe convoy down to Guatemala. Definitely do all the scenic bits we've missed for so long.

We won't be full-timers. Our home houses our collections. But we may go on excursions of many months. This will greatly impact my life.

I sneak drinks. That will be harder in the close RV environment, so I'll probably dry out some and drop more weight. I sneak writing LIT stories. That will also be more difficult, and because we camp off-the-grid a lot, away from Wifi and Ethernet, y'all won't see me as much here on LIT forums. I play many musical instruments. RV storage space is limited; I must be selective. And we might need to acquire a travel dog. Travel without pets is lonesome. We used to camp with 3 dogs and a cat. Fun fun fun.

We used to travel with box-loads of books and maps; those are on small discs now. We used to keep a tube TV and VCR stashed under the dinette seat. This baby has a DVD system feeding *3* LCD screens. We should have fun watching pr0n outside on the external 32" screen, sprawled under the electric awning, diddling each other, oh yeah.

Anyway, y'all will see less of me in coming months. Try not to cheer.

 

[Sara_Hawkes]

It sounds like this has been a well thought out plan.

I expect there are a lot of folks who would like to do something similar and never will.

Bon voyage and I hope it is all that you wished and planned for.

 

[Ewobbit]

What will be will be, mon cherie.

Considering I live less than a block off the interstate, I'll give the one finger salute to any RVs just in case that's you passing by.

In seriousness, since one or two people have already figured it out, I'll just admit that yes I'm a reincarnation of someone who hung out here a bit. And you were one of the familiar faces I enjoyed seeing again and I'm a touch disappointed that I will see less now that I've managed to slip Nurse Ratchett and get back.

But, have a little fun, fucker. And take your knee top so you can jot a bit to post when you reach civilization.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

Youre right. Stick to writing.

 

[JackVettriano]

Living the dream

Maybe your post will inspire others who have a longing to travel. Your few words may just change the future for people on Lit in away they never even thought. Good luck, appreciate the view and enjoy the people you meet.

 

[R. Richard]

I hope that you have considered what happens when your RV breaks down just outside Chinga la Puta, with competent mechanics and parts 1,600 kilometers away.

 

[Penuche]

Hypoxia, may your new travels bring you whatever you hope for.

 

[curl4ever]

Wishing you happy and safe travels!

 

[Carnevil9]

Have fun! What you describe sounds like Hell on earth to me, but we all have our kinks. Take care and keep in touch.

 

[NaokoSmith]

But ... I only edited a little bit for you! I could be nicer, say you have to cut out half of the characters in a more roundabout way? Be less sarcastic about mixed metaphors?
*sob*s

 

[jomar]

Enjoy!

 

[Hypoxia]

As mentioned, we've had little RVs before, and we've done extended trips before. Like the year we drove the 25-foot Fleetwood PoS from central California to southern Alaska to southern Arizona and back to Cali. That was after we drove an old SUV from Arizona to Honduras and then central Cali. The worst part of that trip: sloppy Canadian drivers.

Yes, we know about breakdowns in remote locales. We'll probably think twice before venturing to the mouth of the Mackenzie River (Arctic Ocean) or on Yucatan backroads. We didn't get the 4x4 Sprinter chassis. No rough dirt tracks for this baby.

Again, we're not full-timers; we've too much STUFF for that. We'll do bad-weather escapes and shoulder-season excursions to lovely places, and return home with loot and memories. We'll be home during peak seasons to maintain the place and sell stuff on eBay.

And we'll do many short trips. With a housecar we can go somewhere not-quite-local and NOT have to return home or get a room that night. This greatly expands our range of action. We can poke around locales that aren't worth visiting otherwise. We like that.

Ah, but the long trips! Up and down the Rockies in USA and Canada. The Oregon Trail from Missouri to the Pacific. Natchez Trace, and Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, and Erie Canal route, and St Lawrence Seaway, and AlCan Highway. Maybe a drive to Churchill on Hudson Bay to watch polar bears. Stuff like that. We've seen bits and pieces of some of those but never with unlimited time. Now we can just poke around.

"Geez Louise, Hypnoxia, you must be RICH to afford this!"

Nope. We've done our math. Running this won't cost much more than staying home. We learned a trick on our first 5-month run across Mexico on US$50 per day for everything: When the budget is good, drive for a day and stop for a day. When you start to overrun the budget, stop for a week, live on the local economy, wait for the budget to catch up. Park somewhere pretty and watch the scenery for a few days. Take walks; ride bikes; do non-motorized stuff. Keep the bed bouncing.

This is a long way from that old hippy schoolbus or microbus conversion. Or is it?

 

[flint9]

drop a note if you travel thru the old midwest,st louis area, have fun.

 

[TxRad]

A few years back I bought a VTX 1800 Honda. I've added a trike kit and built a 48 cubic foot trailer to go with it. The trunk in the trike holds most of my clothing and personal items and the trailer holds all my camping gear plus. An ice chest mounted on the trailer tongue takes care of food and refreshments.

40 MPG makes it economical. No reverse makes it a little inconvenient unless you plan ahead. I've made four trips on it so far. One to south Florida, one to El Paso, one to Tennessee, and one to Yosemite. Campgrounds sure beat the hell out of motels for price. The views and company are a lot better also.

Other than keeping an eye on the weather, I haven't had any problems and a hell of a lot of fun.

That last part is the best part. Have fun.

 

[LairOfTheCougar]

Best of luck to you!
It sounds like fun, I hope you enjoy it.
Hopefully I'll still see you around from time to time.
Good travels.

 

[Hypoxia]

That last part is the best part. Have fun.

Indeed. Safe fun. Survivable adventures.

As for vehicles -- yes, we've explored many options. No trailer. I hate trailers. I've had bad experiences with trailers. And no pickup+camper. I've done that, and while it can be cost-effective for smaller people, it ain't for us. 'Cycles, well, we're not up to kidney-pounding action. And we're tired of tenting and sleeping on the ground... and creakily crawling from tent and standing upright.

An RV not hooked to landlines (cables, hoses, etc) can go from CAMPED to UNDERWAY very quickly without stepping out into weather, bugs, bears, or peeved locals. Likewise, one may merely STOP in many places -- like when a winery overpours samples and we flake-out under a nearby tree. Zzzz...

Meanwhile, immediate logistics. The shop will have the new RV (Thor Citation Sprinter 24ST) ready for us in a few days; we'll do a couple local shakedown runs before heading down the Pacific coast, then cutting to the desert for the spring wildflower bloom. But we need to build a garage for the beast here. Something cheap but with power and water. Ya, we factored that into the RV budget. Too bad it won't fit under our current carport. And I just may want to hide that big Mercedes star when we're in redneck country -- like here.

I'll shut up for now. Stay tuned.

 

[jomar]

Sweet looking ride.

 

[Handley_Page]

Hypoxia, may your new travels bring you whatever you hope for.

Here Here

 

[Hypoxia]

Hypoxia, may your new travels bring you whatever you hope for.

I try to avoid most expectations. If I've been there before, I look for the changes as well as the familiar. If I haven't, it's all new. I expect:

* Surprises. Like driving through Oregon mountains and encountering masses of itinerant mushroom gatherers or reaching the edge of the vast Abert Rim.

* Wrenched memories. I won't speak of long-ago lovers in places we traverse.

* Impudent border checks. Last time we crossed from Canada our lunchmeat was confiscated. Fucker went straight to the RV fridge and snatched it.

* Respect. People should bow down and worship that Mercedes 3-point star.

* Vivid nights parked on high plateaus or peaks so we can lie back and watch the shimmering Milky Way burn across skies unpolluted by urban lights.

* Relatives. Might drop in on kinfolk we haven't seen for a few decades.

Might get some story ideas too. Not bunnies, just plot gerbils chewing their way into a storyline. Like the guy we saw walking through a desert town with a leashed porcupine. He said he often rode his motorcycle with a porky on his lap. And at home, watching TV, he had one on each knee. I can't invent stuff like this. Reality is weirder than our fevered brains can imagine. Dare I hint at porky sex?

EDIT - More expectations:

* No tan lines. It's fun to wander about skyclad in a remote sunny locale.

* Creativity. We'll haul musical, photographic, and artistic implements along. We'll have time and space to indulge. Get ready for brilliance or whatever.

* A dog? Will we really adopt a dog for travel? Another Doberman maybe?

* Goodies. We tend to accumulate arts and ethnic crafts. I expect we'll ship stuff home during longer trips. Can we fit a totem pole on the RV roof?

* Strange food. I know they eat all sortsa shit in Oklahoma. Can we survive?

 

[Ewobbit]

~.~

Might get some story ideas too. Not bunnies, just plot gerbils chewing their way into a storyline ~.~

Dude! I thought we agreed to let the gerbil die his shitty death a couple years ago and never bring up gerbiling again.

 

[Hypoxia]

Dude! I thought we agreed to let the gerbil die his shitty death a couple years ago and never bring up gerbiling again.

Okay, no gerbils. Lube up the albino hamsters. They'll have to do.

 

[SamScribble]

Let's hear it for the grey nomads everywhere. Far may they travel.

 

[LadyVer]

Wishing you lots of fun. Keep us posted.

 

[sheablue]

Sounds fantastic. Safe travels!

 

[PennLady]

Sounds great, and I hope you enjoy all the travels.

May the sun never be in your eyes, and the rain wait until you are under cover.