Shopping for Others

Several times today I was tempted to update my Facebook status to say: Shopping for RVs. But, I didn't have the energy to explain it all. You see, I wasn't shopping for us. I was shopping for friends.

Yep. We have some friends who are shopping for the fulltiming motorhome of their dreams. It's a future thing, so we're looking at current new models in hopes of scouting out some great used deals in the future. They asked us to provide a bit of help, and we happily obliged. It's sure been fun.

I love to shop when I don't have to worry about spending any money. It's great!

And, just a note to all you future fulltimers out there. If you just so happen to have some friends who are newbie fulltimers and recovering workaholics, are you lucky! Those are exactly the people you want to ask to help you find the rig of your dreams. All you have to do is ask for help and they'll be on it like white on rice.

In that spirit, our wise friends asked me over the weekend to check out five or six models for them. I was so happy. I had a project! I carefully went about the task of compiling and evaluating specs and floor plans. I even started a spreadsheet. What a way to spend a Monday!

Now, I'm the first to admit that I am not an expert. That said, however, I have lived in a motorhome fulltime for 8 months, and part time for a year or so before that. I know a thing or two about how motorhomes live. Don't ask me about trailers, because I don't have a clue. But, it feels good to put this body of research I've created and conducted about motorhomes to good use.

These days I can look at floor plans and specs like GVWR and black water capacity and give a hopefully helpful assessment of how such a place would live and drive as a fulltimer. Oh, such is the value of experience.

I haven't made a penny at any of this, of course. At this point, I'm just happy to be providing a wee bit of help.

At least, I hope it's helpful.

The Last Spot

We're out of here in 11 days, 12 hours and 15 minutes. But, who's counting? Meanwhile, I'm pleased to report that our Spring and Summer travel plans are taking shape. With a mere 10 weeks to get from Mission to Idaho, we have places to go, people to see and many things to do.

Chief among them, we need to think about the holidays.

Our Memorial Day plans will take us back to one of our favorite spots along the California coast, in Fort Bragg. Knowing that's an area that's in high demand on holiday weekends, I decided to make a reservation today. With no online reservation capabilities, a phone call was required to make the deal. After sharing all of the pertinent information, I heard a familiar line.

"I'm putting you in the last spot we have," said the cheery voice on the coast.

Really?

In our newbie fulltiming career we've learned a few things. One thing is that, when it comes to holiday weekends and wintering in Texas, reservations are a must. And, the earlier the better. The other is that when you're heading to a popular part of the country, you can just about bet that when you call to make said reservation you'll be told you're getting the last spot.

It happened last summer when I made reservations for a month this winter in Port Aransas. Arriving at that park, the place was maybe two-thirds full. And, turns out, lots of our fellow campers were told they were getting the last spot, too. We all felt so fortunate!

And, it happened again last summer when I made reservations for our spot here in Mission. Then I was told something just a bit different. I was nabbing "one of the last spots" in the park. And, again, upon arrival we quickly discovered that wasn't really so.

Do they teach this stuff in Campground Owner School? I can hear the teacher now: "Make the customer feel oh so fortunate to be staying in your park by telling him/her that he/she is getting the last spot."

Well, that might work. But, let me tell you. After you've heard it once or twice, it gets old. Fast.

But, still, come Memorial Day weekend, we will be oh so glad to have a reservation!

We've Lost a Fulltiming Friend

This afternoon we received an email that immediately brought tears to our eyes. Our dear friends da Godfadda and Juanita wrote to tell us that Bodie, their furry travel companion, crossed the rainbow bridge this afternoon.

We read about Bodie, the fulltiming wonder dog, for more than a year before we had the great pleasure of meeting him in Port Orford last summer. And, while we are - truth be told - cat people, Bodie was our kind of dog. And, he was well-traveled! How many beagles can say they've been to Alaska?

Our hearts are heavy as we think of our friends Gordon and Juanita in their time of sorrow. Losing a beloved pet leaves a hole in your heart. It's a hole so big you can physically feel. While it does heal in time, it takes time to recover from such a loss. Our hope is that our dear friends take care of themselves and each other during this difficult time.

Bodie was one lucky dog. First of all, he was blessed with the best parents ever. And, after growing up in a place where it's never too warm or too cold, he got to travel all over the western United States, meeting all kinds of people. Known on the internet through his family's travel journal, Bodie had fans. Yep! He was special.

Godspeed, Bodie.

And, take good care, dear Godfadda and Juanita.

Spanish Lesson

"Buenas tardes," said the greeter. "Bienvenido a Wal-Mart."

"Buenas tardes," we replied in unison.

"Que producir necesitamos?" I asked Paul after we stepped inside the store.

"Como se dice brussel sprouts?" he replied.

We went looking for the answer.

"Coles de Bruselas!" we discovered together.

Que bueno!

After we had found the cebolla, limon y pez we were looking for, we went in search of one more item.

"Donde esta?" I started to ask, then stumbled.

"Como se dice salad dressing?" was my interim question.

We followed the signs and learned together.

"Ah! Aderezo de Ensalada," we read together.

Repita.

"Aderezo de Ensalada."

With that it was committed to memory.

Salad dressing in hand we headed for the checkout. The place was packed. So, with less than ten items we opted for the Pedido Rapido. Within minutes we had made our purchases and were headed out the door.

"Muchas gracias," said the greeter. "Buenas tardes."

Marveling at how quickly our high school equivalent Spanish has improved since our arrival in Mission, I asked Paul how we'd respond to anybody who asked where we learned to speak Spanish.

"That's easy," he replied. "Walmart!"

Eureka!

I have figured it out. It took me a few weeks, but I think I've got it.

Let me explain.

In case you couldn’t tell, we’ve been in a “mood” lately. As the resident “feeler” at our house, I’ve spent considerable time trying to figure out why. Today, I have a theory.

A year ago our pre-fulltiming angst was at a peak. Work sucked for us both. Really sucked. And, our desire to chuck it all and hit the road was high. Really high. And, there was a bunch of stuff in our way. Really in our way. Despite our best efforts, we were behind in purging our belongings and getting the house ready to sell. We worried that once it was ready to sell, it wouldn’t.

Get the picture?

On those dark winter days we searched for a lifeline. And, we found one in the blogs of the good folks who were already out there on the road. Reading about the daily lives of fulltimers helped us keep our eyes on the prize.

Many of those fulltimers were parked in the Rio Grande Valley. As we read every day about these people living the life we were oh so ready to move toward, we formed a mental picture of the RGV. Like Dorothy’s Oz, it became a dreamy, mythical place. From our overworked, bloodshot eyes, the RGV looked like heaven. Nobody worked. Everybody smiled. People sat and soaked up the sun. They bicycled to Mexico. They had happy hour every day. Yep, there was nothing but peace in the valley!

The bloggers didn’t do this, mind you. We did. It was us who glorified the place. The bloggers told us about the wind and the traffic and the tight, gravely RV parks, too. We simply stuffed those facts to the back of our minds. Plus, we understood the whole “Winter Texans” concept: a tsunami-size wave of trailer-pulling and motorhome-driving snowbirds who flood the barren valley for several months each year. But, there was little room for that reality in our growing fantasy. We looked forward to our stay there the next year. Parked in the RGV enjoying the warm version of winter, it would be official: We’d be wannabes no longer; We'd be fulltimers.

Fast forward a year. With some 8,000 miles between us and that very dark place where were last winter, we know that this heavenly lifestyle has its good days and not-so-good days. While many days have been filled with sunshine, bicycles and happy hours, others are about mechanical problems, detours and nasty weather, especially in an El Nino year.

With a much more realistic view of fulltiming, we headed south to just north of the border nearly three weeks ago. Shortly after we landed, we knew it. We don’t like the RGV. We even got all whiny about it.

Really, that’s not like us. In our first eight months on the road we’ve gotten pretty good at seeing the good in any situation. But, here we were nagging about a place we’d just paid to call home for five weeks.

So, what gives?

Somewhere between all of the packing and purging we did to prepare for this lifestyle, seems we packed that fantasy view of the RGV away deep in our subconscious minds. And, once we got here, we were wrestling with it.

Turns out the RGV isn’t the Utopia we created in our heads when we most needed one. Nope. It’s actually just a place in the southernmost part of the country that retirees in RVs head for in hopes of staying warm for the winter. Makes sense. Because of that, it’s crowded. Because it’s south Texas it’s windy, and it ain’t exactly what you’d call “purdy”. Because it’s an El Nino year, the weather ain’t been all that good for sitting outside. Besides, you’ve seen the half-naked guy across the street. He makes El Nino a blessing!

Are we sorry we came? No.

We had to! We simply had to see for ourselves the place that helped us keep our fulltiming dream alive during some of our darkest days. For that, we are truly grateful. And, though it isn't what we're looking for, the place really isn’t that bad. We’ve reconnected with friends here and met some nice people. And, even in an El Nino year, the weather is better here than most places in the rest of the country, if you don’t count the wind. We're paid up for another couple of weeks. So, we'll quit our bitchin' and actually enjoy the rest of our stay. We promise.

Will we come back? Don’t bet on it.

Travel Updates

Check Bullwinkle's Travels for recaps of our time in Port Aransas, Rockport and Whataburger. We also have a recap of our first weeks in the RGV and yesterday's trip to South Padre Island.

More when I feel inspired.

Misfits

"You're not in the RGV are you?" a friend questioned in a recent email. "I wouldn't be caught dead there."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Until I read this in an RV forum recently: "Florida is the place for 'nearly deads' and newlyweds. And, the Rio Grande Valley is a lot like Florida. Except, nobody honeymoons in the RGV."

Ain't that the truth?

Of course, we really have nothing to complain about. It's early March. And, we're warm, dry and not working. It can't be that bad.

So, bring out your little violins. Pour a glass. I'm gonna whine.

We don't belong here.

We had friends close by for the first week or so. Now, we're pretty much on our own. Remember that holiday favorite TV special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"? We're feeling like we're hanging out on the Island of Misfit Toys. Why so?

First of all, the weather ain't really all that great. Of course, this winter has been one for the record books. And, the RGV has not been spared. We've had rain since we've been here, and just a day or two when the temps have soared above 70. And, have we mentioned the wind?

Second, we're not snowbirds. At the risk of making a sweeping generalization, here's the deal. Most of these people come from somewhere north to avoid cold, freezing weather. For them, the RGV fits the bill. Yes, it is warmer here than Minnesota and Ontario! They come down here and "camp" for three or four months. They have their friends and don't need any more, thank you. Besides, we're fulltimers. And, they just can't get their arms around that concept. In their avoid-cold-at-all-costs eyes, we are aliens, plain and simple.

Third, we must confess we were warned about this. The RGV is lacking any, and we mean ANY, geographic beauty. We drove nearly 200 miles round trip today to see a beach. It was a treat.

Fourth, there are something like 500 RV parks here in the RGV. I'm gonna go way out on a limb and say that something like 498 of them are on the dumpy side. We've seen the two that are nice and spacious. And, you pay a pretty penny to hang out at those. For a lot less you can call a very little, dusty, gravely, windy slice of Texas your own. Getting your RV in and out of it safely will all be part of the adventure.

Fifth, we're not really 55!

Sixth, as such, we don't play shuffleboard, bingo, hand and foot or euchre. What the heck is a euchre, any way?

Seventh, we don't eat dinner before 5:00!

Eighth, we do eat dinner around 8:00!

Ninth, because we haven't mentioned it in awhile, it's windy here.

Tenth, we're the only people around here who are here for the first time ever. And, something tells me we might be the only people who aren't planning to come back any time soon.

Yep, it'll be awhile before we're back in these parts. But, despite our misfit situation, we're determined to make the most of our time here. After all, we have a rig to wash, taxes to do, books to read, travels to plan, exercise to do and quilts to work on. Here we'll do our best to catch up.

But, before I go, I'll break with tradition and post a picture. THIS is Reason #382 why we don't think we belong in the RGV.

Yep, this guy lives across the way from us. And, this was the view out our Imax window while we enjoyed our morning coffee earlier today. Nobody should have to look at that everyday. Nobody!

With this as our scenic view, we're praying for clouds, cool temperatures and - better yet - rain here in the land of barely-clothed nearly deads.