310 weeks remaining....

Who would have thought the hardest part of going fulltime in an RV would be the purging of all the "stuff" we have. We are just a week into the "purge" and it's rough. Trying to decide what we need for the next year and who to give our most prized items to. I have take about 25 coffee mugs to the office with a sign "Free Mugs" and they have been snatched up. Other things of more value are going up on ebay, some will go to friends and family, and the rest is being donated. We are just starting, so stay tuned for the drama to come.

We also started to think about moving into a small apartment as a transition to an RV. This will allow us more time to adjust to small spaces. We were thinking if we moved into an RV now but stayed in an RV park for 5 year it might ruin it for us, since it would be the worst of both worlds. Cramped quarters, a rather grim trailer park, but still having to go to work every day - no thrill of freedom on the open road to mitigate giving up a nice comfy house. So we are mulling over our options.

More soon as the dream get closer....

311 weeks remaining.... Maybe?

So I have some news.

Since housing prices are starting to lag and I don't think we can make nearly the same on the house as if we sold now and just moved in to an RV park for the next 4 or 5 years, we decided to look at selling the house now and fulltiming for the next 5 years until we have enough money saved to retire.

I think we can buy a used 5th wheel now and then buy the one we want to travel in before we leave. And since it will just sit in the one place for 5 years, it doesn't have to be all that great -- just good enough to live in.

This also provides us one more benefit: testing out the fulltime lifestyle without quitting our jobs. If in 4 years we decide living in a trailer is not doable we can just buy another house and continue on our merry life....

So now we just need to purge our stuff and prep the house for selling.

:-)

317 week remaining....

DEBT FREE!!!!

Finally made our first milestone of getting debt free, well except for the house. Now we can start to save. Only six more years to wait. We are well on track and so happy. Not much else to report, but being debt free is a biggie.  [Note from Cait: Working like crazy to get there - no time to blog!]

327 Weeks remaining....

Wow, it has been a long time since I have had a chance to blog. Remember I got that promotion at work, well that has been keeping me busy until all hours of the night.

Not much to say but we are paying off that last credit card, finished paying off a car and now to start socking the loot into the bank.

Next trip is to Desert hot Springs in the Palm Springs area for a week of vacation without a lot of driving. That last trip to Canada about killed me.

Well I have to get back to work now.. Blog soon..

Bill

341 weeks remaining....

Back to the grind. We're back at work for the next 341 weeks. Sounds like a long time but I started this blog at 432 weeks, so it does go by fast. We visited with a nice couple in Yellowstone a few weeks ago with a fabulous 5th wheel. Their set-up made it really look like we could pull off fulltiming in one.  A big shout out to the Pratts.

Since we are back at work, time really slows down. Still saving and on track. Housing prices are starting to go up again. A 900 sq ft house on my block is going for $500k. So in a few years I should be ready to sell.

I need to take the trailer in for some repairs after our 4500 mile trip. The shackles are about shot and the door to the bedroom has fallen off.  (All those rough gravel and dirt roads really take their toll on the rig!)  I also want to get our 30amp cord changed due to fraying at the edges.  I'm hoping this rig will last us for another couple of years.

Well, back to the grind!

Old habits die hard....

Woke up this morning and headed over to the cafeteria for some biscuits and gravy, once that was taken care of the dude needed a photo with me by the lake.

 

After breakfast we drove out the Hayden Valley then to Lamar Valley. Not much to see except about a thousand BISON! Then to Cooke City, MT for laundry day. Yes even on vacation there are chores. Then, as usual we ate lunch the Beartooth Cafe. Always great food and better cookies. On our way back to camp (3 hour drive) I took a few pictures along the way.

Me and the Dude at Soda Butte

Back in Hayden Valley getting sleepy from the drive we ran into a bear jam. A Grizzly Bear JAM! This is one of the best jams to be in.. If you have to get in one.

With a 300mm Lens he was still a ways off. Check it out. It's about as close as you wanna get. A Grizzly killed a guy 3 weeks ago near where we are camped. I always have bear spray on me while in the park  even if I think I don't need it.

This exact adventure plays out every time we are in Yellowstone. It's an old habit now. Tomorrow is a relax day, I am tired of driving and just need to chill. I hope I can resist the call of the wild.

Good night!

and south to jellystone....

So after waking up extra early, we headed to Wyoming saw this sign and the dude had to have his picture taken with it. Can you see him?  I think Wyoming is one of the most beautiful states in the Union.

 

 When we arrived at the gate of the park the dude jumped out and  greeted the ranger at the gate. The dude was so happy to be in the jellystone for the first time.

Our first stop was to get water in our holding tanks, enough to last 3 days at Bridge Bay campground. Well, as it turns out we had a busted valve and all the water I put in promptly drained. So we switch plans again and stay at Fishing Bridge RV park. As you all know I don't like this park very much due to everyone being crammed in like sardines.  But at least we have water and power. After being hooked up the dude wanted to see the famous Hayden Valley. So off we went.

Here is the dude taking a selfie with some bison. He was so excited.

After all that excitement we went back to the trailer and  blogged some and got some needed rest. Good night all.