New to full-timing

[horizonbound00@yahoo.com]

Hi, all. Well, we have planned to full-time for about two years now. When it happened you would have thought we never planned at all. We closed Dec. 11 and planned on sitting on a warm beach (were in branson mo. 19-32 deg. ice, snow and COLD weather), out of propane, elect. heaters working full time keeping the temp. at around 58 to 60. plan on going to mississippi to visit our daughter when the snow melts. she said its 40deg there, much better. planning on working our way to florida in a few weeks. we didnt think the house would sell so soon, i had winterized the rig. since its been cold i just left it winterized. we use bottled water and a water jug to flush to toilet. working out better than i thought it would. i guess we havent settled in the fulltime mode, doesnt feel like it , so far its been a real pain, but i see it settleing down soon. If anyone can shoot some good advice this was on a good way to settle in on the fulltime mode im all ears.

Thanks.

Gary

[McGoo]

Once you get this out of the way, things will get much better. You will have a plan and it will not include bad weather. We spend the winter in AZ and travel north in the summer. You have experinced the worst.

[tbutler]

Gary,

Sorry to hear of your predicament. We started our full-time adventure from the St. Louis area over 8 years ago. We left town before our house sold, had Thanksgiving in New Orleans, traveled through Houston and San Antonio finally arriving in the Rio Grande Valley in extreme south Texas on January 1, 2002. As it got later in November we decided we were not prepared to winter in Missouri so left the house behind. We flew back for the closing in December.

We've dealt with cold weather on occasion but try our best to avoid it. You didn't say what kind of rig you have so I can only offer some general advice. Of course you have figured out the best thing is to wait until the snow melts, no fun driving a motor home on slick roads. Mississippi will be warmer and Florida will seem like paradise for you. You could also turn west to Texas and travel down the gulf coast until it is warm enough for you. Right now our temperatures in extreme south Texas are in the 40's at night and into the 50's and 60's during the day. This is about as cold as it gets here. In fact, we'll have days in the 80's occasionally and numerous days in the 70's. By the end of February the weather will be lows in the 60's and highs in the 80's just like clockwork!

If you are thinking that you will be staying in Missouri for the rest of the winter, you can get propane for your rig by attaching a portable bottle rented from a local supplier. Camping World sells a unit called "Stay a While" made specifically for this purpose. You could order it via the internet and have it in a week or so. I don't think it is too difficult to install. Once you have propane heat you could get some Styrofoam insulation and cut it to fit around the bottom of your coach forming an insulating skirt which will also block the wind. Seal it to the coach sides with duct tape or other strong tape. Anchor it to the ground with stakes. This will help your heat situation greatly. Once you get the insulation and propane in place, you should be able to de-winterize your rig so you can have water if water is available in the park where you are staying. When we are in really cold weather, we'll fill the freshwater tank then disconnect the hose immediately. We'll use the freshwater out of the tank until it is near empty and then refill again. This way you don't have to worry about freezing your hose. On really cold nights, leave the cabinets with water pipes open so the heated air in the coach will reach the pipes. You can also leave a faucet dripping if you find you have a problem with a certain pipe. The drip keeps the water moving in the pipe which will retard freezing. Sewer tanks can freeze as can the line if it is left to run. I'd dump the waste tanks every warm day to keep the tanks as near empty as possible.

At the first sign of a break in the weather, I'd get out by heading south. You are a day's drive from significantly warmer weather and two or three days will get you to anywhere you want to be in Mississippi. When you leave town, I'd drive south first and then east to Mississippi. You may want to postpone the trip to Mississippi until later and head for the deep south in Florida or Texas.

Full timing is wonderful when everything is working right. Someday you'll look back and laugh at your predicament. You'll have some great campfire stories to tell to your fellow campers. Keep smiling and remember, the days are getting longer and the sun is higher in the sky every day now!