The last few weeks have been very busy and a lot has been accomplished.  We bought a truck and completed the purchase of the RV.  We got insurance for both.  We sent off a check to pay for our summer campsite in NH. I finished the planning for the trip west. New carpets in two bedrooms and the enclosed porch.  I even finished (finally) the painting of the old office and turned it into our new master bedroom.

Now it feels like there isn’t much to do.  That is a mirage, of course.  I am still WAY behind on the renovation tasks needed to get the house ready for rental (renovation of the old master bedroom is next).  And though we have had a couple of nibbles on our Craigslist ad, no one has yet been serious enough to come see the place.  We have time – we really would prefer to lease it starting in September, though August would work – but I will feel a lot better when we get someone to sign a lease.  Not finding suitable tenants is really the only true obstacle to retiring at the end of August and hitting the road in September.

Speaking of hitting the road, I am enjoying my new status as a member of the Escapees “Class of 2012” – those who are planning to enter the full-time RV lifestyle this year.  We have our own forum on the Escapees web site and I am struck by just how much work is involved in leaving it all behind.  One couple was planning on hitting the road March 9 but now have delayed it until at least the 14th because they just have too many tasks remaining.  Cleaning out a house is a LOT of work.  Jett has spent much of the last month going through the attic and has done a great job clearing out that space.  The basement is next.  She has also stacked up a few boxes and drawers for me to go through.  There was a time when I thought that we were premature in starting preparations nine months before our escape date, but I no longer feel that way.  Now I think we should have started sooner.

Anyway, I will come up for air today, take a few breaths, then dive into those boxes and drawers.

We completed the purchase of the Open Range fifth wheel today, along with the used hitch.  I did the walk-through, learned how to install the hitch in the bed of the truck and actually hooked the truck up to the RV!  I wish I had taken a picture of that – the first coupling of those two vehicles that, hopefully, will provide many happy memories next year and beyond.  They seemed to be happy together.

First coupling, bed, taking the weight, happy together… hmmm… sounds familiar.

Anyway, I did get one picture of me in front of our new baby, snapped by the seller.  Notice the snow.  Hopefully the last snow that this coach will see for a long time.

Sparky and His New Baby

I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about next winter.  Specifically: where to be and what to do?  We plan on staying in one place January to March next year.  Possibly until April.  During that time we both want to work.  Well, “want” may be too strong, but our budget demands that we work much of next year, to delay dipping into Social Security.  So we need to find a place that allows long-term camping and is near jobs.  It probably has to be near public transportation too as we will have only one car /monster truck.  Or one of us needs to telecommute.

Actually telecommuting would solve one other problem: what to do with the dogs.  Most RV parks prohibit leaving dogs alone in the RV.  Perhaps the rule can be bent if the dogs are quiet (and I don’t know yet if ours will be), but for planning purposes it is best to arrange a work schedule which allows one of us to be in the RV.

This is going to be difficult, if not impossible.

Ideally we would have these jobs arranged before we even hit the road.  But that, too, will be difficult if not impossible.

One thing is certain: we can’t stay four months in the boonies.  We have to be near jobs.  So that pretty much limits us to (in order of preference): San Diego, San Francisco / San Jose or LA.  For purposes of planning the last segment of the Trip West, I will assume San Diego.

But it is time to clean up those resumes and start contacting the employment agencies.

I have to go to the bank today to get a cashier’s check that is needed to complete the purchase of the fifth wheel.  The insurance guy finally called me back and is all set to issue the binder.  And the seller has agreed to sell me his hitch.  All of which means that it is now almost 100% certain that Jett and I will be owners of a complete rig in less than a week!

But to counterbalance all that good news, my sister called last night with news that my mother is in the hospital with heart problems. I have tickets to go see her in April, thanks to Jett’s urging – she felt that I couldn’t wait to November to go see my 88-year-old mother.  I sometimes think she is more in tune with my mother than I am.  Maybe it’s a “maternal telepathy” thing?

Now I just have to convince my mother to stay well for 6 weeks.

We are expecting to complete the purchase of the 399 next week.  The two things that are needed to close are financing and insurance.  I have commitments for both.  But the financing requires an inspection and the insurance comes in the form of a binder.  We had a tentative agreement to get the inspection done tomorrow, March 2.  But the financing company was having trouble reaching the owner, and so was I.  I started having visions of him slipping away in the middle of the night, like the Colts from Baltimore, with the 399 and my $2K deposit.  Then, unexpectedly, I received an email from him on Tuesday, two days ago, informing me that the inspector had already been there.  I was surprised, of course, as I had expected to combine the inspection with the walk-through.  But now we will have to do the walk-through on the day of the close.  No big deal, just unexpected.

The other problem is the insurance.  I have a coverage sheet and a price, both of which are acceptable.  But the coverage sheet has a couple of minor errors that need to be corrected.  I have dealt with a local agent to this point, but the coverage sheet arrived with the business card of a guy from North Carolina.  Same agency name, same last name, same 800 number.  Father / son? I don’t know and don’t really care.  I just need insurance.  But I have called that 800 number twice this week and have gotten only voicemail.  No return call.  I am starting to get nervous.

The good news is that the owner has agreed to sell me his hitch for $150, so as of the day of closing I will have a complete rig.  Woo hoo!

A lot of stuff is happening this week.  The main event is getting the fifth wheel inspected (required for financing), but we are also getting the truck inspected (make sure it is sound while still under warranty), getting a couple of contractors in to give estimates for construction of a second bath (not likely, but we would like to consider the option), clean up the yard, repair the damage from the weekend windstorm (a strip of aluminum wrap ripped off the fascia) and refurbish the kitchen cabinets.  We have already gotten an estimate for new counter tops (over $5000? No thanks).

And remember that painting that I wanted to do over the Christmas holiday that got deferred due to the addition of the electrical outlet in the bathroom?  I finally finished it, so that room is now ready for the new carpeting.

Yes, we have also contracted for $2,500 of new carpeting for two bedrooms, the stairs to the third floor and the enclosed front porch.

How could anyone pass on renting a house that will look that nice?  But I have had only a few nibbles on the Craiglist ad that I have posted several times over the past month.  It is early yet – ideally we would rent it starting in September.  And a lot of people who will need a place in September may not even know it yet.  Still, a failure to rent the house is the single greatest threat to our planned escape, so it makes me a little nervous.  But, like I said, it is early yet.

The other threat is health.  We need to stay well.  There is only so much I can do to control that and I am taking my vitamins (which totally failed to keep colds away this winter). I just have to keep my fingers crossed. And be careful not to fall off a ladder or step in front of a bus.

I have now driven the GMC 3500 about 10 miles.  Yes, I am easing into it.  It will take some time to get used to driving it after 7 years behind the wheel of a compact car.  This is very much NOT a compact car.  Compact whale maybe.  More like driving the Enterprise, really.  Every time I turn into the driveway I feel like I am easing it up to a pier.  I am tempted to tie it down when I exit the cab.

I went to the gym today.  The gym has a parking garage with relatively low (6′ 10″) ceilings.  I had to measure the truck to convince myself that it would fit (plenty of room – it is only about 6′ 2″).  But even then I wasn’t sure I could navigate it into a spot without help from those guys with orange flashlights who dock the 757’s.  I found a space in the corner that I could fit into, so this particular trip was a success.  But this will be an ongoing concern.  Every time I enter a new parking garage I will have to reconnoiter first.

Here is the first photo of the Beast in my driveway:

The Beast, Docked

I was worried, driving it home from the dealership, that it wouldn’t fit in the driveway. Well, it fits, but it is close. I think we now have about a foot of wiggle room. It had better be fully grown because if it has another growth spurt we will have a tailgate in the street.

We have a tow vehicle.  We didn’t expect to get one this early, but we saw one we liked and we jumped.  It is a 2005 GMC Sierra HD3500 dually, cranberry red, with 76,000 miles on its 6.6L 300hp diesel engine.  It is bigger than I would have liked as it has an 8-foot bed, but duallies with short beds basically don’t exist.  Even when I broadened my search to include long-bed duallies I didn’t find more than a few dozen available within 100 miles for under $25,000.  When I saw one being advertised by a Chevy dealer just a few miles away, we hopped in the car and went to take a look.

It was in great shape, had a nice Bose sound system, leather seats, rear seating with fold-down seats that will give the dogs a flat platform to relax on while we drive, and a variety of features which convinced us that we could be comfortable driving it across the country (like adjustable seats with lumbar support). A test drive proved that the engine ran smoothly, the steering was tight and bumps were handled gracefully with no rattling.

A little dickering with the sales guy brought the price – which was already reduced by $2,000 because we had seen it on-line – down another $1,000.  We traded in the 2005 Mazda 3 (thanks for the years of service, buddy), got 5.73% financing from a local bank and signed on the dotted line.  We pick it up on Tuesday after I run to the bank to retrieve the Mazda’s title.

All that we need now to complete the rig that will carry us west (or will need once the purchase of the coach is completed) is the hitch that will connect the coach to the truck.  The rails for the hitch are already in the truck, so this is just a simple matter of acquiring a hitch and installing it.  The towing electronics are already in place.

Here is the new (to us) tow vehicle:

Yes, we are back from Cozumel.  The temperature in Boston when we arrived was 24 and both Jett and I now seem to be coming down with another cold.  It just isn’t fair.  San Diego next winter is sounding better and better.

I am pushing hard to get the old office repainted.  Jett is going to find a carpet company to put new carpet in 2 or 3 of the bedrooms and I want this bedroom ready when they come.  It will become our bedroom so that I can then turn my attention to refurbishing the old one.

I am feeling a lot of time pressure right now – we will be on the road 7 months from now and there is still a lot to do to prepare.  The closing on the 399 is just 3 weeks away and we are now actively searching for a tow vehicle.

Momentum is picking up and I don’t have time to be sick again.