New Beginnings

We are a week away from moving from the Clear Creek RV Park in Golden, Colorado, where we have spent the last seven months.  This is our second winter here and it has felt like home.  But something is different this spring.  I have wheels and a motor attached to my mobile residence --instead of just wheels.  When I watch a rig or motorhome pull into or out of the park, a twinge of envy no longer sparks through my heart.  Now, I too can come and go as I please!

About two weeks ago, we traded our Forest River Sierra fifth wheel bunk-house in for a Forest River Sunseeker Class C motorhome.  The decision to trade our rig in for a motorhome happened over a period of several months, but the process only took a week.


 
click for a bigger picture


Here is a link: http://www.rvamericainc.com/rv/aurora+co/forestriver+classc/429/forest+river+sunseeker+3170ds

It boiled down to a few issues.  Namely, the finances are cheaper with a Class C as opposed to a truck and trailer.  For the same monthly payment a decent truck costs, we have both our home and our means of transporting it.  RV America also gave us a good value for our trade-in.

Other reasons for buying a 32' Class C: Ease of parking; with a shorter rig, it is easier to get a spot and park in --especially if we are staying at a state or national park. Flexibility during the drive; the kids and I relish the idea of being able to use the bathroom or stretch out during those long hours on the road. And my husband likes the fact that he can get to where he is going without stopping every couple hours for a "potty break".

Mind you, the difficulty in paring down to a smaller space was much harder than I anticipated.  I've been preparing for the move since January.  Going through boxes full of papers, that you would normally gloss over and toss aside for another day, and purging old picture albums was tedious.  I often find that we fill the space we occupy.  In fifteen months of living in the 40' Sierra, we packed the cabinets to overflowing.  As I slowly and meticulously combed through each nook and cranny, it amazed me to see how many bags went to charity, a friend, or the dumpster.  I pulled at least a hundred bags and boxes out --on top of the items we sold on craigslist or ebay.

Finally, after longs weeks of cold winter weather and the ever-present goal of "preparing, packing, and purging," finished in time for our move (which happened in between heavy spring storms).

We had previously scouted mutiple rigs online and visited at least four different kinds of class C motorhomes with extra bunks.  We settled on the Sunseeker because it had a nice balance of indoor cabinet/counter space with decent storage underneath.  It also had linoleum throughout the rig, except for the bedroom in the back.  I prefer this because it's easier to clean (especially under the table after dinner).


View inventory for this floor plan.


RV America provided us a very smooth transition, between the finances and being sensitive to the fact we were fulltimers.  They parked both rigs side-by-side, with the doors facing each other about six feet apart.  We are expert packers and movers, so had everything emptied from the fifth-wheel to the Class C within an hour. 

I drove our Kia behind the rig (which barely had enough room to sit and maneuver with all the boxes  and bags piled) and called my mom, crying.  My long-awaited birthday/anniversary/Mother's Day/Christmas present finally arrived.

It took us a few days to get settled in and a very depressing fact became apparent.  I had too much stuff.  No matter how much I reshuffled and stuffed, we didn't have enough room.  So I resigned myself to packing up those things that we wanted to keep, but could live without --like the kids' lego sets, expensive camping gear, books and keepsakes.  We stored the excess in the rafters and shelves of my mother-in-law's garage.  After purging anything we didn't absolutely need, we finally fit.

I don't regret this decision because our family wants to taste life through experiences and adventures; not be defined by our stuff.  The rig fits us perfectly, albeit a little snug.

Now that I have means to move my home; I can't wait for the next adventure around the corner!

Winterizing

Now that winter is officially upon us, there are certain things one must address while living in an RV.

Unfortunately, our new rig doesn't include a polar package -though it is a tad warmer then the Jayfeather.  And the fresh water tank had mold.

My temporary solution to the water (since we still hadn't properly winterized the hose), was a 7-gallon water tank from Walmart.  I could attach a hose during the day to wash dishes and cook, then drag it inside at night so it didn't freeze.  This worked for a couple weeks.

Then Bill finally had a couple days where he could look at the hose.  Wouldn't you know it -he got it working.  Now I have running water that doesn't freeze at night.

We open the cabinet doors, under the sinks, at night to keep the pipes warm and set the thermostat to 60 degrees.  Since electricity is at a flat rate, we run a ceramic heater in each bedroom, during the night, and in the main room, during the day.

In doing so, we've managed to stretch a thirty pound tank for two weeks instead of three days.

Bill put bubble wrap over the windows in the living room and then covered them with plastic to cut down on the cold.  We still have to insulate the bedrooms and get a skirt attached.  But at least the we stay toasty warm at night and during the day (have to wear socks and a sweatshirt...) and have running water.  Plus space.

I have had visions of warm apartments and second guessed myself.  But apartments are cold- at times- too and twice as expensive.  My trailer sits twenty feet or so from Clear Creek and I am surrounded by mountains.  I can walk to the rec center, along the creek and to the library.  Bill drives fifteen minutes to work, as opposed to one hour. And we love Golden.  The colors.  The ambiance.  The financial freedom in our budget that we haven't seen in over ten years.  And the hope of a debt-free future.

I no longer take running water, warmth and comfort for granted.  I may be inconvenienced at times (having to use a laundromat for the first time ever) and have to deal with nuisances (like less pantry space), but I also have simplified my life. Pared it down to the essentials.  Cut out the extraneous stuff that somehow collected in the corners. 

And know that come spring, the cold will be a distant memory.

Logistics

Part of the agreement with my DH to purchase the Sierra was moving out of our storage unit.  At $70 a month, it nearly covers the extra monthly increase.

In theory, this works great.  But how do you stuff a household -no matter how pared down- into an RV.  And as much as I love all the cupboards, I do not like the lack of interior shelving.

We committed a full weekend to visiting IKEA; the Container Store; Home Depot; Lowes; Bed, Bath and Beyond; Ace Hardware; Camping World; and even Walmart.  This also included Christmas shopping, but we were desperate for any form of efficient shelving.

My final conclusion: Lowes and Home Depot are great for houses, but not practical for very specific needs.  Ace Hardware is good for some creative solutions --like installing a hanging rod in cabinets that don't have a place to hang them as the walls are too flimsy.  IKEA and the Container Store have some solutions.  IKEA has a great table I'm eyeing to replace the dinette.  I would eventually like to rip it out and put in something more efficient.  Plus, the couch is ugly and has to go.   Bed, Bath and Beyond had some interesting pieces that may work -but they are soo expensive.  

The bottom line:  Besides waiting until our financial reserves are restored -there are no simple solutions (though we found some online -like the double-decker 18" lazy-susan) and each space will have to be tackled one at a time.

Meanwhile, after emptying 75 percent of the storage unit and washing 5 loads of laundry, I am officially moved in!  With all my clothes hanging in the closet...  It's the small victories that count.

The kids love their new room and all the extra space.  We like the privacy of a closed door (mornings are much more fun again) and the luxury of three separate spaces. 

The one thing I miss from the Jayfeather:  Hiding the litter boxes underneath versus in a cupboard.  But like everything else: we'll figure it out.

Cart before the horse

For a few days, I left my husband alone.  After all, this was the new me.  Him in charge of finances. Me trusting God.  But all the while, in the back of my head, the gears turned.

All that lovely space.  And a door on the master bedroom.  And bigger beds for the kids.  Plus space for the other TV.  And a closet to hang all our clothes.  And a pantry in the kitchen. 

I prayed and talked with God for long periods of time.  How could we afford it and how would we haul it?  I asked questions and researched.  Was it possible we could live in the trailer without owning a truck?

I had a talk with Bill, finally.  He was vehemently against the idea, financially. The conversation didn't go well.  But I couldn't let the idea go.

As it turns out, the dealership would transport the trailer for us and help us park it.  A man in our RV park lived without owning a truck.  He simply hired someone to pull it.

Ok.  So what about the financial part of it?  Well, my DH and I made a pact several years ago to never discuss something (to death) unless we had facts.  And this required another trip to the dealership.

DH and I prayerfully discussed it further.  Once he got used to the idea of not being able to haul it and that this was our home --he agreed to talk with the financial manager at Windish.

We looked at the Sierra again.  The dealership gave us a fair trade on the Jayfeather and a reasonable deal.  For only $100 a month and $2500 down ($1K up front and $1500 in 30 days), the new Sierra was ours!

 They delivered her right to the park a few days later and we spent the day moving in.  A quick clean-up of the Jayfeather and we delivered it without a backward glance.

Siren call of the Sierra

Some time around Thanksgiving, we had a rare day off.  Bill was home and we were on our way somewhere.

An RV neighbor had just purchased a beautiful new rig: a 2012 Dutchman Voltage Toy Hauler with all the bells and whistles.  This was our dream trailer.  The top of the line.  The RV with which we compared all others.  And, as you can imagine, our little Jayfeather fell woefully short.

On a whim, I begged him to pull into Windish RV --located across the highway from his work-- and the only lot to carry shiny new Voltages.  We gleefully ran from one floor plan to the next comparing it to our current one.  Because living in an RV is waaay different than looking at them.

To my surprise, the Voltage wasn't all that.  We knew what we needed as opposed to what we wanted.  And I wasn't sure if the extra stuff was worth the money.  Brand new, these trailers can cost over $80K --conservatively.  And if we are living in fantasy land, might as well dream big.  Right?

A salesman came out and opened up a couple of our favorites.  During the process, he showed us a trailer that had just arrived: a 2008 Forest River Sierra bunk house with four slide outs. The price: $30K.  My DH said that when the bunks slid out and he saw the enormous wardrobe covering the back wall --it was like angels singing a chorus in heaven.

All that lovely space and within our price range.  Sigh.  We looked and looked and then left.  If only we could afford it.  And how would we pull it?

Back to my tiny space.  Reminding myself that where we lived was more important that what we lived in...

Water Woes

So the one thing I hadn't done yet was connect the fresh water hose to the city water.  Since most of our camping was either boon docking or just shore power, we used the fresh water tank exclusively. 

But now that we were truly settled, I envisioned running water all winter long...  then the first cold spell hit and all my pipes froze up.  Including the fresh water tank.  Dag-nabit.  What is a girl to do?

We filled up all the empty pitchers and water bottles before bed.  One for the toilet and one for cooking the next day.  This was a fine temporary solution.  But I was determined to get my water straight from the tap.

You can't truly appreciate things like running water until there is none...

A quick look around the campground confirmed that at the very least, I would need insulation.  On further research, I discovered heat tape.

I needed a good hose, heat tape, electric tape, pipe insulation, Teflon tape, some new washers (just in case) and some way to keep the spigots on both sides insulated.

First attempt:  I got the heat tape on the hose, duck-taped the heck out of my insulation and then attached the hose.  It occurred to me, half way through my preparations, that I should have op-tested the hose first.

Shrugging my shoulders, I continued to plow through the winterizing part.

Then I did everything I was told to: wrap Teflon tape around the spigots and make sure there is a tight seal.  Some water leaked around the connection to the RV, but I used some fancy tape and figured it would hold.

After a couple days, I noticed water spurting out of a seam half-way down the hose.  Upon further inspection, I noticed that the whole length of insulation was sopping wet.

I unhooked the hose and refilled the fresh water tank.

I tried again.  With new stuff even.

Nothing.

Will try again later...maybe.

Finally figured out the hose situation.  And then broke the check valve (which is the fresh water connection) because of too much pressure.

Replaced it (ordered part from Windish RV), reconnected hose and also added a pressure regulator (extra hose piece that slows the water pressure down from the spigot).  Also had to cut off the end of the hose and replace it with a sturdier brass end.

So after much trial and error (and several weeks later), I finally had a working hose which lasted through freezing nights and snowy days!

Clear Creek Campground

As much as I enjoyed the Jefferson County Fairgrounds RV park, the Clear Creek Campground has always been our gold standard for Denver RV parks.  Conveniently located in downtown Golden and situated along Clear Creek, this small city-run park is cozy and inviting.

After two weeks at the fairgrounds, we were ready for something a little more permanent --or at least as much as you can be in an RV...  So early on a Friday morning at the beginning of November, we settled our accounts and moved.  At first, they had electric only sites available and I had made sure to empty all the tanks and fill the fresh water before leaving the fairgrounds.

A couple days later, a spot opened up with full hookups.  Fortunately, all we had to do was pull forward and back her in with neighborly RVer guiding Bill.  We connected the shore power and dump hose.  Fresh water was another whole challenge.


Oh, Happy Day!  We are here until May!