Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.


We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!

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RV-Dreams.com Home -> RV-Dreams Community Forum -> Introduce Yourself! -> Preparing for a change in life
Post Info TOPIC: Preparing for a change in life
MarkS


RV-Dreams Family Member

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Preparing for a change in life
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This appears to be a valuable resource as we prepare for the rest of our lives. Jackie and I have been married so long our DNA is the same. We spent twenty three years as an Air Force family. Worked in a couple of industries following my retirement and now find ourselves preparing for the second greatest adventure of our lives. In 2010 I bought a class 8 truck and spent the next two years behind the wheel hauling mostly produce. I learned that most of the money in trucking goes to people other than the truck owner and driving leaves no time for family. I'm in the process of closing that business now and work for a manufacturer to make ends meet. We are shopping for a good deal on a 39 foot or bigger fifth wheel and planning the modifications to the truck. We recently purchased a Smartcar to carry on the truck. I guess the trailer is the long pole in the tent at this point. Our goal is to start our adventure as close to debt free as possible. I can easily accomplish that with the sale of a house in Mesa Arizona and the financial security of my son being able to take the payments on the house here. Translate that to, "do any of you have a magic wand?" We envision our RV lifestyle to be lazy slow travel around the country, finding places where we will stay for weeks at a time. Maybe work camping to fight off boredom, hitting many of the military famcamps, boon docking for quiet times and commercial camping to be with new found friends. We enjoy geneology and long walks on the beach, (oops wrong introduction) I would like to get involved in the technical aspects of RVs and the lifestyle and possibly do some writing about DIY projects, repairs and maintenance and blog about what we do and learn about the lifestyle. At this point we will just wait and see what shakes out. I am certainly looking forward to learning all that I can by sharing with you folks and listening intently to your stories. One thing I have found is that boards like this are the encyclopedia to our future. Thanks to you all for sharing.

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MarkS & Jackie
MSgt, USAF, Ret
2004 Volvo 780 530 HP Cummins 13 speed
2014 Trilogy 3650RE
fulltime since Oct 8, 2016
Dog Folks


RV-Dreams Family Member

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This lifestyle is what you want it to be. We have found that over the past 6 years the lifestyle and what we want to do with it, changes.

The best advice I can offer, besides being debt free, is stay flexible and embrace change.

Is it perfect and trouble free? Of course not.

But as we sip a cup of coffee under the awning, at some gorgeuos location, my wife will compare this to our working lives and say quietly: "This is better."

Welcome to the lifestyle and enjoy.

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RIG:
2005 Dodge 3500 - Dually- Cummins
2006 Outback 27 RSDS
Two rescue dogs: A Catahoula Mix & a Chihuahua mix.
Full Time since June 2006
Lucky Mike


RV-Dreams Family Member

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Well said..Joe & debbie.





Welcome to the forum ....Mark and Jackie!!! I hope your journey begins smoothly , There is plenty of help here , and new friendships abound!!

Hope to see you out there.......

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 1998 ...Harney Renegade DP  class A

rers1@mail.com

 

My Service dog and life partner " Nikki"......Klee Kia Miniature Husky....(she Runs the ship!!)

We are not lost in the Woods.....Just Extreme boondocking!!!!!!
Terry and Jo


RV-Dreams Family Member

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Mark and Jackie,

First of all, thank you for your service to our country.  As a veteran myself, I am fully aware of the sacrifices made by both the one in the military and the one married to that person.

Second, welcome to the RV Dreams forums.  You will find it to be a valuable source of knowledge and encouragement in your new-found endeavor.  For instance, Jack Mayer is one who also has an HDT for towing his trailer.  You can check out his website for all kind of knowledge about all kinds of topics, including solar if you want to have a more "natural" means of getting electricity when boondocking.

Jo and I are of the same mind as you in that we also want to go to an area and stay anywhere from 1 to 6 months or so until we've seen all we want to see in each stop.  Then move on to the next place and start looking again.

Good luck with all your research, planning, and modifying of your truck and getting a fifth wheel.

Terry



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Terry and Jo

2010 Mobile Suites 38TKSB3
2008 Ford F450
2019 Ford Expedition Max as Tag-along or Scout

Our photos on Smugmug
Alie and Jims Carrilite


RV-Dreams Family Member

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Welcome to the site!
This site and its followers are a wealth of information. If there is anything you can't find out about, it probably hasn't happened.
There are many that tow with a HDT. Another group of fulltimers that may help is Escapees. They are the fulltime guru's.

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Carrilite Home

Volvo Pickup

Alie & Jim

Morgan- DD

Sallie- 4 legged lab

Tabitha & Brooke -other furballs

FullTiming since March 2013
MarkS


RV-Dreams Family Member

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I appreciate all the kind words. It is great to know that there is a whole corps of people who share the same basic interest. The decision to go full-time was easy for us. We have never really settled down in one place since I entered the Air Force. So I was sitting on the patio the other night after work wondering if I would miss the yard and pool and hot tub when it came to me. If I retired tomorrow I would come home from work and sit on this patio until I died. I wouldn't do anything. Rigor would set in and I wouldn't move. We don't have a lot of friends here so there are no ties. The kids are scattered across the country, friends are too. This full-time thing was designed with us in mind. I can't wait. I also can't seem to make this thing skip lines so I can make paragraphs!

__________________

MarkS & Jackie
MSgt, USAF, Ret
2004 Volvo 780 530 HP Cummins 13 speed
2014 Trilogy 3650RE
fulltime since Oct 8, 2016
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