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Inspired Traveler...
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Home | Inspiring Places... | My Bio. | My Favorite Links | Blogs I Read | Travel Photos | Items of Interest | Comments & Suggestions
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~ Welcome to Robin's Travel Blog! ~
~ I'm Totally Enjoying My Experience of
Living as a Nature Loving RV'er
& Inspired Jewelry Artist! ~
You have two choices
in life: You can dissolve into the mainstream, or you can be distinct. To be distinct is to be different. To be different,
you must strive to be what no one else but you can be.
Alan Ashley-Pitt
| MountainDreamsJewelry.Com |
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| Click the Picture for My Website |
| I'm Currently Living & Working at Kelly's RV Park |
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| In White Springs, FL 30 miles South of Georgia-check out their Website |
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"Not on one string are all life's
jewels strung."
William Morris
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| checkout this great travel planning resource! |
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| Since 1994 RoadTrip America has been the Web's premier destination for North American road trip info |
| Just a Random RV thought as mentioned @ |
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(A New Newsletter
Every Week)
The single greatest moment on any RV trip is the instant you turn the key on the ignition of your motorhome or tow
vehicle and hear the engine roar to life. You are about to untether yourself from your fixed-based life, and you feel a surge of
energy from deep within your soul. Adventure, excitement and discovery await, and that's a feeling that nearly all RVers experience
at each moment of departure.
(Now, This is What I'm Talking About!!)
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Wednesday, August 30, 2006
$$Cha-Ching$$, continued...
I guess it was inevitable that sooner or later I would be initiated into the rather mysterious
& $costly$ world of RV-Repair/Service, it's been a real eye opener, too. My Rig was in the shop for 2 whole weeks
& 1 Big Ticket item that ended up needing replacing was the Refrigerator (it cost more than my Mom's new
Sears Side by Side)...& had to be shipped in from Atlanta. The pricing seemed rather extreme to me in some instances,
such as charging over $50.00 for installing new windshield wipers--ridiculous, we had new wipers--but, had in-fact purchased
the wrong ones. The end result was a bill of $3,600--which a Handy-type, mechanically inclined person could have
done most of work themselves, reducing the cost substantially, I'm sure.
There were water/plumbing leaks throughout most likely due to #1) Age of the tubing &
#2) the Florida Climate having dried out the various seals & connections etc...a much needed change over of the LP System to
a horizontal system with a much larger Tank, & just fixing a stuck/ misaligned compartment door cost $150.00, the invoice
itself is pages long...so it's all a learning experience & good to know the Axle bearings are O.K. & that my Toyota
engine is running as it should.
Friday, August 11, 2006
$$ Cha-Ching $$
(The color of money) We haven't gotten the final
tally yet--but the bill is already bumping $2,000--You recall that lengthy list I put into the hands of the RV Techs last
week--well I guess it wasn't too far off & they even added a few things of their own to the list of repairs/refurbishing
needed.
When you purchase an older rig, in my case a much older rig-1986, it is inevitable
that there will be parts that wear out & need replacing & basically that is what is being done--a lot of, small but
necessary, things all adding up to make 1 big bill!
The fellow who owned it prior to myself was an avid DIY--Do It Yourself type of guy &
as I've already said--that just ain't me (or anyone in my circle) so now is when that really, really sucks because we have
no alternative other than to pay the piper, so to speak. Of course, with a much older rig there is no warranty so all
of this is out of pocket expense, another thing to keep in mind.
Having had no prior Rving experience, when I purchased mine last year, I didn't want to finance
a newer one on my own--maybe next time. I do prefer to save up & pay for it all at once but that is nearly
impossible, so $5,000 was the best that I could do last year when I bought my Rig--with a new battery & all the added
repairs/ refurbishing up to now & currently, the total is more around $7,500.
This amount doesn't include all the supplies purchased for the actual outfitting of
the rig. When I tally all of those receipts up I'm sure we'll be close to the $10,000 mark, when all is said
& done, but that's really not too bad considering most people automatically think you have to spend a whole lot more
than that amount of $money$ & then go into debt in order to have an RV. Not true!!
Thursday, August 3, 2006
My Quest...
I like to look at things from all angles & I really enjoy reading about other RVer's
Journeys & how they progress--anyhoo I was reading a Blog by a couple of pretty new-to-fulltiming RVers, who've been
on the road for less than 1 year (9 mos.) & interestingly, have come to the conclusion, that for them, Fulltime
RVing may have "been too much of a good thing" that "became mundane & routine when it should have been special".
God, I hope that doesn't happen to me--but, they dealt with it in a really positive way & set up an even better lifestyle
for themselves having been honest about their wants, needs, & desires.
That's gotten me to thinking about what it is that I eventually & ultimately might
hope to accomplish by going out on the Road in my RV, however long that may be for, & if I'm being truly honest I can
say that what I do hope to discover through my road travels--is a place that I would want to "Be".
To set up what I refer to as--"A Rustic Retreat". I don't need fancy
& I don't need big, but what I do need is a Peaceful & Harmonic Environment, hopefully on or near water (Lake, River,
Stream or Ocean) with lots of Trees, Privacy, & Nature--not a Gated Subdivision, where square footage is King, &
Lawns are routinely treated with
Pesticides, & there are Alarms in your car & Alarms in your house--that just ain't my Style...
I've never owned a house, never had a mortgage, never been married or divorced--my views
are my own, & I realized for myself, at a very young age, that during our Lifetime here--we Humans are Sojourners--passing
through, hopefully improving things as we go along, & that "living large" or "Keeping up with the Jones's" doesn't
really appeal to me--I, myself reject having a mentality or lifestyle of striving to accumulate & consume material
goods & possessions.
However, the goals of building a Peaceful & Creative life, connected to
Nature, free from too much tension & stress are more worthy of my attention. I guess I sound sort of like what
used to be called a "Hippy", but I'm a really straight laced one that actually
Votes!
I can be relatively well-adjusted just about anywhere, within reason, as long as it's not
too crowded or too friggin hot & humid--that just kills me & I feel stressed & unwell. Funny though,
how Crowded, Hot & Humid is exactly where & what (Florida) I've been living with now for 18 years--by default (with 2 years away out West).
I've only myself to blame--after all, we are ultimately responsible for knowing
what it is that brings us Joy & to not be passive about that--instead, be willing to do our part in providing
the Courage, Faith & Energy necessary for creating our own Best Life,--which in essence is an active, dynamic
& ongoing process--expanding to accomodate our changing needs.
I have the additional reminder of the need for me to follow my own advice & continue
to create "My Own Best Life" & not give up--each & every time I experience a severe Migraine episode, (I've had a
few lately) it always serves to heighten my awareness & to reinforce my goals & not back down from pursuing this
somewhat unconventional lifestyle in support of improving my Health.
I'll attempt to explain part of what encompasses the missing elements of my present
Life here, & has for quite some time, it's an unfullfilled desire to participate more fully in & to experience
on a much deeper level a true connection with my Surrounding Environment & Community--not just being a detached,
anonymous, Ho-hum Spectator... on the outside looking in, feeling as though I
didn't choose this--I settled for it.
Continuing to ignore this nagging feeling of disconnection & dissatisfaction--would
be wasteful of my time & energy, this in turn would amount to me squandering much of what I value in life,
which I can't in good conscience, allow--additionally, my Creative Juices do not flourish in a perpetually negative
mindset.
No doubt, it is wasteful--in Spirit, to live life in this manner &
if it was going to get better it would have by now. Just trudging through the day to day sameness--is not healthy, nor is constantly putting off into the
future the vague idea of doing something different--someday. Though, I didn't realize just how many
elements need to come together successfully in order for this Lifestyle Change to become Reality.
I still plan to Drive out of here on my way to discovering & implementing how
to live a Healthier, Happier & more fulfilling Lifestyle--being accepting of my foibles & hopefully, not putting myself on a Big Guilt Trip, if part of what I need to do, for my own Health & Happiness, requires me to set up a Home Base outside of a sub-tropical,
Florida-type of Climate & Geography--away from my family, (the Guilt Trip part) then that's what I'll aim for.
Bottom line, not live here year round again--it just doesn't work for me.
Plan on visiting my family during the more pleasant time
of year. Part-time RVing with a separate home base, (like the couple mentioned above concluded) may be more suitable
to my strong nesting instincts.
The only way to actually know what works for me is to get out there & try it.
I wholeheartedly Trust in Nature's
Therapeutic Powers & Believe I'll Truly know it, when I See it, Feel it, Touch it, Breathe it...where
I do Belong.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Road Ready--Not Yet?
Surprisingly, it's been just shy of 6 weeks since I've posted to my Blog & of course--I
know I sound like a broken record, but--thought I'd be on the Road by now. For the next several days
my RV is in the Shop getting some much needed, & much postponed attention, from trained RV Technicians. Face it,
my RV is old (1986 Mini Coachmen) & truth is, it didn't get the best TLC at times & now I've inherited these flaws--either
you pay to fix them or you don't--in my humble opinion it just doesn't make sense, for me, to not fix them.
Maybe, I don't have to have each & every flaw fixed but at least the ones that bother me the most & the
ones that could become potential safety issues. I'd rather know than not know--exactly what I'm dealing with.
I wrote up a list, a rather lengthy list, of the things I wanted checked--for my
own peace of mind. I don't have the technical know-how to even know what I'm looking at, if there were to be a problem
needing attention--other than the obvious leak in the roof. The reality is that ignorance, not being Bliss--in
this instance, is a general lack of technical knowledge & can feel overwhelming at times--I've got a whole
lot to learn!!!
I'm not going to quit & give up my dream just because I feel anxious about that which
I am uninformed about. That's the purpose of education, & I'm now a student of the RVing Lifestyle & all that
encompasses. I didn't know what I was getting involved in when all of this was solely in the Dreamy Idea Stage,
on paper--somehow, it all looked so much easier!! (& way less costly)...
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Remember--All Who
Wander Are Not Lost...
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