Our Fulltime RV Story started in an involuntary way.
A little back story…
Ever since I got into horses, I had a yearning to get out into the backcountry, volunteering with my local Back Country Horseman’s association doing trail maintenance and group rides.
We had a truck camper at the time and all was well until a little boy graced our life!
We upgraded to a Class C who I liked to call Catalina.
She would haul us. and either the horses to trail rides and functions or with the 20′ Bayliner runabout to do some fishing.
These trips were usually no more than a couple weeks at a time or whatever vacation time I could get off from work.
Jesse had already retired by this time. He would handle all the hitching and outside chores while I took care of the inside and cooking.
We also bought a piece of land in eastern Arizona, we would come and camp for a while every other year or so.
Jesse is quite a bit older than me, so I could see him starting to slow down.
Fast forward to 2008.
I was in enormous pain from a torn rotator cuff due to what I had to do at work, and for whatever reason, the workers comp department thought that surgery wasn’t necessary. This went on for months. I was put on limited duty at work and that about killed me. I am used to going full out. I was bored out of my mind. Just show up on time is all I had to do..
So, the pain kept me from getting any rest, and I was missing work.
Not good.
One day, after I had been told one more infraction would be the end, I overslept. I swear, my little car couldn’t go any faster!
That was it. March of 2009 was my last day at a job that I had spent 30 years at.
I eventually got the surgery approval a year later.
But, unemployment doesn’t pay the mortgage. I couldn’t work with a disability either.
I was 49 years old. Jesses’ pension was just not enough to feed us and the horses. I quit paying the mortgage. Found homes for the horses eventually.
But the time was ticking.
We took a loss on the sale of the house.
Jesse was suffering from dementia and it was getting to a point where I couldn’t get anything to make sense to him.
Clearing all our stuff was so hard and painful. If he saw anything in the trash he would take it back out. He was a hoarder and it was so hard getting the house cleared out.
I put a few furniture items in storage and sold or donated the rest.
Our son was 19 or 20 by this time and was living in a rental house we had.
There was not place for us to go.
There was Catalina. The boat and horse trailer were gone.
She would be our home for over a month until another rental house became vacant.
We boondocked on our Arizona property for the longest time in her history.
I learned how to do everything from going to town to get water, to making sure the one 12v battery did not die. The generator got a good workout.
So, back in California, we were able to stay in a older house that was a previous rental of ours. Thought we would fix it up and then sell it.
That took 2 years.
We had a F350 that was previously used to haul the horse trailer or to go for feed, so she was unused and nearly 8 years old. Catalina was showing her age of 18 years and I wanted to get the heck out of Cali.
So I made an executive decision to sell Catalina and get a fifth wheel.
I had NO CLUE what that would put into motion.
I believe it was Devine inspiration.
Late 2013 we had our Cougar fifth wheel. I got a pair of Honda gennys, and loaded my kayak on top of King and away we went.
I am currently chief cook, trail boss and wagon master in our current Fuzion toy hauler fifth wheel. I cook, clean, dump, fill and change the oil.
We have been to lots of places. In the beginning it was mostly campground to RV parks. Wherever we could hook up.
But now we are outfitted with a great solar system and can boondock and dry camp anywhere we find a spot.
Do I have any regrets?
Nope.
When Jesse cant get around anymore, I may hang up the keys for a while. But for now we are Renegade Gypsys!