Wannabe's First Steps

Greetings - This is a simple one post only blog of notes written during our 2 week rental RV journey from Portland Oregon to Los Angeles. The rental is not a Lazy Daze, but the blog might be of interest to Wannabe's. The intention is to share initial impressions from a wannabe/newbie perspective, and hopefully receive comments long-timers/full-timers. I felt it would be better to accomplish this in a blog format, rather than overloading the lifewithalazydazerv email newsgroup.

Thanks to all who provide comments, and to those who provided feedback while we were planning this trip: Cliff notes version of this blog: We had a blast!

1.3.07

First Day with our rental! As I have posted in Lazy Daze in preparation for this trip, My wife Sandra, our chocolate lab Emma, and myself (Pete) are Wannabe’s (well, we’re about to find out!) on our first ever RV trip down the Pacific Coast from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles. After a late start we made it to Florence, Oregon, in a bit under 4 hours from Portland. Our rental is a 2006 Winnebago Outlook 29K (Rear Island Bed, no slides). Seemed stable enough, though I don’t have any reference point as this is the first RV I have driven. (it got a 79 on Highway Control from RV Consumers Group – the 29’s with slides being *much* worse) Beats a U-Haul, that’s for sure! Had to slightly steer into the direction of big rigs as they passed, their air deflection pushing us to the side of the road. Heavy rain was no problem – the cab over keeps some of it from hitting the windshield and no hydroplaning issues at 55-60 on the highway.

You do have to stay a bit more focused than when driving a car, at least I do at this point. I let my wife handle the radio and hand me the occasional snack. After a while Sandra retreated to the couch in back where Emma our Dog was already lounging. She started reading a new book and eventually dozed off. Her turn to drive will come soon enough.

First impressions of size: Not too hard to back up, with Sandra’s help at times. Relatively easy to keep in the lane (at least no one was honking at us!) Hanging out inside seems ok. The rig is definitely long enough for us to get some personal space if needed (not yet!) At this point the three of us are all sharing one fold out couch – reading, snoozing, and adjusting to no internet. Sometimes the space looks small when I look around, but as soon as I am busy doing something it is unnoticed. I think being able to utilize outside space as part of the living space would be crucial for fulltimer’s of more than one person. Of course it is premature for me to really assess this topic! Cooking was fine. In general we have tons of unused space – half empty cabinets and “an empty basement.” Of course we’re just vacationing, have left many “necessities” behind, and will be stopping at friends and relatives every 4 days or so…

1.4.07

We spent our first night – and slept great! After a hike in the dunes near Florence the evening before, and a hearty game of Scrabble after dinner, we dozed off to the rhythm of rain drops on the roof. No damp sleeping bags or leaving the tent in the middle of the night when nature calls! After a morning hike we unplugged, pumped out for the first time (thank God it was a piece of cake!), and headed towards Redwoods National Park. We didn’t know how far we’d go today, and made some unexpected stops early on for forgotten provisions and a wi-fi opportunity in Coos Bay. It just kept raining and raining, so I just kept driving and driving, south. Southern Oregon between Brookings and the border is just spectacular. Think Big Sur without crowds – ok, it is January! We thought we’d stay a night along here, but with the rain we decided to push on to where we knew we wanted to spend some time – Humboldt County and Redwoods National Park! We used to live near here, in Arcata, CA, and have returned regularly since we moved to Portland. We had hoped to camp on a stretch of hwy 101 right on the ocean (at Fresh Lagoons). Alas, we learned that camping there is no longer allowed due to pollution/sewage issues with the 30+ RV’s that you would find there on a given summer night. So we stayed in a so-so overpriced touristy RV park. It was dark, and we had had a long driving day. So be it.

1.5.07.

It was well below freezing last night, and we are glad we had electrical hookups! It kept the heater fan going, as well as the tank heaters. No problems. A clear cold night has evolved into a clear high 50’s day in January! We parked at Big Lagoon county park just a few miles south of Redwoods, and hiked for about 6 miles r/t on the spit which creates the lagoon. Emma’s loving the RV life as much as we are at this point, with almost daily hiking adventures and plenty of attention when compared to home. The Big Lagoon campground was closed, so after a sunset parked in the day use area (which felt like an RV brochure – parked on the ocean with the sun setting and almost no one around) we headed south just out of the park to Patrick’s Point state park, and camped for the night.

At Patrick’s Point we learned about leveling, or not leveling, as the case may be. Side to side unevenness is much more uncomfortable than front to back unevenness. As long as your head is higher than your feet, and you are not rolling off the side of the bed, no problem. Otherwise, problem! We’re learning to analyze camp spots a little differently. View does not necessarily trump flat parking once the sun sets (especially in the winter when you spend more time inside) We’ve had all of these great parks almost all to ourselves as it is January – quite a luxury compared to the usual summer hordes…

1.6.07

Went for a great hike in the Redwoods. The air here is incomparable to anywhere else we have been (and we’ve traveled the US and world a fair amount) It is so fresh, so clean, and scented by the Redwood forests, that you can actually taste it! There’s just nothing like hiking down a spongy path, surrounded by the tallest trees on earth, breathing this air, and experiencing the solitude that true Northern California offers. Please – Do not come here! It’s foggy and cold – even in summer!

1.8.07

Stayed parked in front of old college friends homes in Arcata and Mckinleyville. We had not anticipated the convenience of staying in our RV while parked in front of our friends homes. We did not need to haul luggage to and fro. We could shower or use the facilities in the RV or in the house. Perhaps best of all, everyone got some private time as we retired to the RV at the end of the evening, which left us all refreshed for brunch the next morning…

1.9.07

RV’ing in the big city! Today we arrived and my sisters & families home in Emeryville – in between Oakland and Berkeley. They live in a trendy loft style condo in a (once) industrial district. First goal: Find a street to park on that did not have restrictions. Easy enough in this neighborhood, but in many places in the Bay Area, good luck! Next issue: Will we get broken into or ticketed for some unknown violation? We decided to sleep in the RV, but left our valuables – computers – in my sisters place. No problems, although our scouting did not reveal how busy of a street we were on until the 5am commute began! We also slept at a strong angle, with the RV tilted strongly from the driver side to the passenger side. It was all we could do to not roll out of the bed… Emma the super hound kept us safe from hypothetical unfriendlies…Lastly we learned that when parallel parking in the city, try to make sure there is a “guaranteed” space in front or behind you to facilitate in your leaving, such as a driveway or red zone. We got wedged in between two cars that must of assumed we were a Hyundai and would have no problem getting out.

1.10.07

Onward to Big Sur! Beautiful, stunning, and many campgrounds closed! Other’s close the gates at dusk. Didn’t think much about making reservations in January, but didn’t count on closures either. We drove further than we wanted today but ended up in a stellar campsite on the ocean a bit south of Limekiln. Along the way there were tons of spectacular turnouts which we could have perhaps boondocked at. No signs that it was not allowed. We thought we might end up at a campground with hookups, as we seem to really like this set up to keep the heat going in January. Ultimately we were at a campground that had no hookups, it was dark, and we were done driving for the day. We also realized that many state parks limit RV size to 24 feet, a consideration if we are/were to buy. We are having a great time, although my ideas around long term/ full time RVing are not being shared with Sandra – who thinks a cottage located in the right spot is a more desirable plan. Heck, she’s 37 and I’m 41, and our finances dictate that any such decision is still a ways off anyway…

1.12.07

We’ve made it to Jalama County Park! I can see why some of you Lazy Dazers wanted to be here over the Holidays! It’s beautiful, remote, and we’re parked 3 spots down from an actual Lazy Daze! (Please folks, bear with me) I had never actually seen one, only in pictures, after doing research which led me to the Lazy Daze group. I met the owner briefly as we pulled in at sunset, and hopefully will get to strike up a conversation as we stay over the next few nights… Looks like he’s in a 24 mid bath, early ‘90’s.

Later we did talk with the owner, who had been fultiming with his wife for 7 years! They were not familiar with the yahoo Lazy Daze group. He had nothing but good things to say about his Lazy Daze and fultiming. They had scoured the country and had many adventures. However, we detected a bit of weariness or perhaps loneliness in his voice as he shared.... Hmmm... Left us kind of wondering what they left behind or might of otherwise experienced if they had not fultimed. (They seemed to be in their early 70's - what about family, grandkids, etc?)

1.13.07.

Finally we get to slow down for several days and pretend we’re full timing for a bit. Haven’t been this relaxed in a few years. Why are we working so hard at our careers, killing ourselves? We both look and act about 5 years younger. Maybe we should start following the snowbirds (no offense) and start selling grilled cheese sandwiches?

1.15.07

Onward to L.A. Driving the RV on the city freeways not too difficult - now that we have the hang of it. We wanted to spend our last night in Angeles Forest above Glendora, where we drop the RV off. Drove up there and found the campgrounds closed, though some were camped along the roads with state park passess that we did not have and did not know where to get (in short order). We thought about camping anyway, but some of the folks looked a bit desparate, so we decided to drop back down into LA and camp at an open RV park. It made us wonder a bit about Boondocking. Is it riskier than being in designated camping area, or are we just paranoid/uncomfortable city dwellers who haven't adjusted yet?

1.16.07

Dropped off the RV with a touch of sadness - what a great trip! We'll do it again sometime, but probably won't quit our day jobs just yet. Will we buy a rig? - maybe, but not immediately. Boating is also a tempting option to consider, as is living inexpensively in cheaper parts of the world. I'd like to spend a few summers doing long term trips, but I'm not sure about full timing. It's nice to know that if we had to do it for financial reasons, full timing can be a relatively fun way to live economically - or retire way early! Regardless of which approach we take to RVing in the future, hopefully we'll meet some of you good folks farther on down the road!

Pete