The fulltime lifestyle is always a good time until something goes wrong. From spent brakes to getting stuck in the mud, if you’re going to make it on the road you need to be comfortable being self-reliant and making decisions on your own.

RVing lifestyle challenges can bring couples closer together if they learn how to navigate these challenges . . . or they will end up killing each other and calling the road trip done.

We have faced our share of road trip calamities. We’ve always survived, but oftentimes at the cost of out of control emotions, expensive repairs and a sad sense of feeling like we were all alone in the world.

At times like that, even this tough chick will admit it’s lonely being out there without friends or family to call and bail you out.

Up here in the mountains, we have neighbors, but they’re not close enough to see from our property. We get the impression that people live up here for a reason . . . they don’t want to have neighbors. They’re hermits. I guess that might make us hermits too, but really, we aren’t. We just like the scenery.

Stranded on the  Mountain

Last week our trusty Dodge died (which Jim will eventually write about). My worst nightmare came true; we were stuck on our mountain without a vehicle (other than Jim’s motorcycle). Although Jim made a valiant effort to fix the problem the previous week, it returned last weekend, leaving us stranded again.

We had two options; either fork out serious cash for the 80 mile tow to the great diesel mechanic we found in town, or call our newly relocated friends, Lisa and Sean Purcell, who just planted roots here in Fort Collins after fulltiming with their kids for nearly two years. Suspecting that we had an electrical drain on our batteries, we knew that their Ford F350 could jump our Dodge 2500.

After a quick text to Lisa, she and Sean and their kids were on their way without hesitation. Instead of enjoying their new life in town on a beautiful sunny day, they drove the 80 miles to get us started and escorted us back to town to make sure we got there safely.

The Purcells saved us the towing fee, but their help was worth so much more than that. They gave us the emotional therapy we needed to get through a stressful situation. They made us laugh, got our truck started, then saved our day from crumbling into catastrophe. The two of them, their great kids and their dog Sophie turned a lousy morning around into a really nice afternoon with friends.

Thanks guys!

Life on the road is fantastic, and we’ll still keep snowbirding, but this proves there really is a lot to be said about a place you can call home.

I know, everyone usually talks about how to winterize an RV. But for snowbirds like us, fortunate enough to have a home in the mountains where we spend the summer months, preparing your rig for the season is different.

For starters, it’s more important to keep the critters out than worry about keeping the water heater from freezing.

To summarize, the summerization of our rig entailed little more than:

• Plugging in, to keep the batteries charged.
• Emptying grey/black tanks and rinsing  them well.
• Removing all food items.
• Cleaning out fridge and turning it off.
• Covering the wheels to shade tires from sun.

After driving around for about a week I looked at the dust gathering on our hitch and decided it wise to summerize that too. After all we weren’t headed anywhere for a few months at least. As a side note, I’d prefer to remove it, but Rene has a point or two. It is heavy. And should we need to evacuate in a hurry, being able to quickly take our second home with us would be a good thing. But there i go digressing.

I love our hitch, enough to take good care of it. To prepare it for not being used, I took the following steps to tuck it in for the summer:

• Cleaned off all dust, grime and grease.
• Re-greased the slide tubes, both the top and inside of shafts.
• Released tension from catch spring.*
• Covered with plastic. (I used an old vinyl BBQ cover Rene had made since we have a shed now!)

*NOTE TO SELF: Remember this before hitching up in the fall!

It dawns on me now, that I never shared just how much I really do love our Pullrite Superglide fifth wheel hitch. And no, that’s not even an affiliate link! One of the biggest determining factors for me when it comes to complete product satisfaction is customer service. Pulliam gets an “A” in my book.

To make an already long story short… After a couple years on the road, we noticed out hitch had a lot of play in it and didn’t sit level. The top plate slanted so René often had to hold flat as I backed it into the trailer kingpin. This got old quick. Then I noticed what looked like piece of a small leaf spring in our truck bed one day.

While searching for our Colorado property last year, we paid a visit to RV America in Loveland. Upon looking at our hitch, the parts manager was very concerned and suggested we call the local Pullrite sales rep.

To make an even longer story a little but shorter… he agreed to meet us at the shop and have a look.

One look was all it took. Though it could have been serviced, he offered to replace the complete top portion of our hitch. Not just the receiver plate, but the whole rocker arm assembly too. No charge. Better yet, the kind folks at RV America agreed to install it free of charge. We left with a brand new hitch and a better understanding about how to disassemble it should the need arise in the future.

Upon inspection of our Superglide’s way tubes, the Pullrite rep asked about how and when I grease them. After explaining, he commended me for the good job, commenting on how they were in good shape for what we’ve put them through. I fully intend to keep it up so this love affair with our hitch lasts a long, long time.

NOTE: We use white lithium grease to lubricate the way tubes on our Superglide hitch, but Pullrite also recommends a graphite spray which we will be trying next season. Buying a can was the least we could do after getting a virtually new hitch from RV America!

It’s been a quiet week up here at Crystal Lakes . . .

Quiet summer is more like it. Usually. Our moutain abode is one hour from anywhere, and other than the times when weekenders come and inhabit their cabins and stupidly leave food out for the bears, there’s not a lot of excitement up here.

Oh wait, there is an occasional moose and rare wildflower sighting. Now that’s excitement!

We go to town once a week for Wyatt’s bad-boy dog schooling and stock up on provisions. The one hour trip to town is an all-day event.

Otherwise summer’s been spent working on projects for our other entrepreneurial endeavors that will bring in millions for us (hey I can always hope!).

And while the rest of the country swelters in blistering August heat, we are wearing sweats in the morning and long sleeves in the afternoon. A touch of fall is in the air and although afternoon temperatures are in the low 70s, there’s a chill in the air every morning. We are at 8,400 feet elevation after all.

It’s amazing to think how quickly summer flies by in the Rockies, but that’s what makes this place so beautiful. Nothing lasts long enough around here for us to take it for granted.

Including my best girlfriend Renee, who moved back to California a few weks ago. I’m so bummed that she left but we’ll see her again when we head to warmer climates in winter.

But, just this week, fellow road tripper friends Lisa and Sean have decided to lay down some roots in Fort Collins for a while, so that’ll be fun.

This is the first summer we’ve had in years that feels peaceful, beautiful and in sync with all that we treasure in this world.

The feeling isn’t so much because we’re staying put and getting into a routine (we are already talking about where we’re going to spend winter). It’s because we feel like we belong here. This is the first place we’ve ever lived where it feels like our hearts are meant to be here.

The Rockies are being very, very good to us and we are grateful. Thank you Jerry.

We all know the truth, yet how many of us avoid seeing it?

Our lives go by too fast, and one day we’re left wondering, “what happened?” All those cool things we dreamed of when we were younger got put on the “someday” list while we we were being “responsible” workers or entrepreneurs, attempting to carve out a reputation (hopefully good), keep our heads above water and stash some money away for that “someday” when we were going to get to do what we really wanted to do.

The trouble with that scenario, as many of you know, is that someday usually arrives when we’re far too old and decrepit, or dead, to enjoy it.

I’m not knocking those pursuits. Hey, if you want to be the fat man in the BMW, that’s your prerogative. But Jim and I always wanted so much more than a status symbol with a balance due.

From 2001 to 2006, a series of events led Jim and I to chuck it all and say “screw it” to the conventional life we were leading. Those events, though tragic and hopeless at the time, turned out to be blessings in disguise.

Because although we thought we had carved out a life that was adventurous, when we finally added up how much time we spent at our desks, versus living life with Jerry doing cool stuff in the woods, work always won.

Even as entrepreneurs, we were robbing ourselves of the very freedom that being self-employed was supposed to bring to us!

Once Jerry got sick, we knew time was of the essence. It was our chance to spend the last of our days together, living a life without routines or obligations or bills. With dogged pursuit and prayers to the universe, we made it happen. It was probably the first time we realized that all things truly are possible, if you truly want it bad enough.

Live Your Dreams, Work Less

Which leads me to the whole point of this post; right now we are listening to a life-changing book by Tim Ferris, called “The 4-Hour Workweek.”

• If you have ever considered shedding your current lifestyle for one that you know will bring you true spiritual happiness, this book is for you.
• If you’re in dire need of a real income, you can’t afford not to get this book.
• If you have ever wanted to live an adventurous life instead of toiling away in your cubicle, this book is for you.
• If you want to know how to keep your life on track without letting things like Facebook, television and the pursuit of money suck the life out of you, you must read this book.

I”m not getting paid to write this, Tim Ferris never even sent me a review copy. I was told about this book by fellow adventure traveler, Sam, who urged Jim and I to check it out. I had always heard about it but the title put me off; it sounded like a cheesy get-rich-quick self-help book. But Sam’s a smart guy, and he’s got a good life with Kim, on the road and at their rancho in New Mexico, so I decided to get the download, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. Thanks Sam!

“Whether you’re an overworked employee or an entrepreneur trapped in your own business, The 4-Hour Workweek is the compass for a new and revolutionary world.

Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan—there is no need to wait and every reason not to.

Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, high-end world travel, monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less, this book is the blueprint.”

We are only into the first hour, but already we’re digging it. Everything Ferris says, we can relate to; we’ve already made the move to live a life that brings us real inner happiness, so we nod in agreement with everything he says, laughing and raising our fists going “Yeah!”

Where we are finding The 4-Hour Workweek more applicable to our lives is in how Ferris demonstrates how to be more efficient at making money, while pursuing the adventures that we want. That’s where Jim and I need the help (especially when it comes to making money!).

Stop shouldding all over yourself. Soon you’ll be dead, or close to it. Will you be able to look at your life and feel content, knowing that your dreams were fulfilled to your heart’s desire?

Or will you have spent the best part of your years as the fat man in the BMW, sitting in traffic, wishing you could be somewhere else?

Thankfully, summer’s not over, but I’m already thinking about what to pack when we hit the road in Fall. As we enter our third year of living in the RV during winter, I believe I’ve got a better grasp of what kind of outdoor clothing to pack.

We’ll be on the road during what are technically the coldest months of the year, but as snowbirds, we’ll try to stay one step ahead of the nasty weather that haunts most of North America from fall to spring.

Unlike snowbirds who just say in one place, Jim and I tend to go off the beaten path to isolated areas with few people and spectacular scenery.

The price we pay for these adventures is that we need to be pack the right type of clothing for our roaming lifestyle, without sacrificing important space for booze and technology.

Here’s what gear will go in the RV this season:

Jim’s outdoor clothing list

• 1 pair La Fuma hiking shoes
• 1 pair Asics running shoes
• 1 pair Nike slip on shower shoes
• 1 Marmot rain jacket / windbreaker
• 1 pair Columbia snow pants
• 1 Button down wool shirt-jac
• 3 pairs of sweats
• 1 set polypropylene long underwear
• Socks: hiking, wool, running, liners
• 1 sweatshirt
• 1 fleece vest
• 1 pair hiking gaiters
• 1 pair convertible hiking pants with zip-off legs
• 3 pairs shorts
• 2 running outfits
• 1 pair bike shorts
• 1 pair swim trunks

Rene’s outdoor clothing list

• 1 pair North Face hiking boots
• 1 pair Nike running shoes
• 1 pair Mizuna running shoes
• 1 pair Teva sandals
• 1 North Face rain jacket / windbreaker
• 1 pair Moonstone rain / snow pants
• 1 zip up fleece sweatshirt
• 3 pairs sweats
• 1 pair polypropylene long underwear
• 1 pair leggings
• Socks: hiking, wool, running, liners
• 1 zip up sweatshirt hoodie
• 1 casual fleece sweatshirt
• 1 pair hiking gaiters
• 1 pair convertible hiking pants with zip-off legs
• 2 pairs jeans
• 3 pairs shorts
• 2 running outfits
• 1 pair bike shorts
• 1 swimsuit

This list isn’t comprehensive but it’s the bulk of of what we build our wardrobe around.

Obviously, we don’t go to too many places that require dressy attire, but we do carry one set of nice clothes for each of us. Last year I made the mistake of thinking I would need lots of clothes while working for Satan, so I took far too much clothing.

Now that I know I’m not cut out to punch a clock anywhere again, I’ll leave the work clothes at home and save that space for something more important; two buck Chuck and Trader Joe’s eats.

In 2007 when we started dreaming about a new place to live, we had grandiose ideas of becoming micro-farmers and living off the land. But then we actually worked on a farm, and scratched that idea. Once we realized that farmers don’t take vacations (ever), we decided that small scale gardening was  more our speed.

As we started looking for property, having space to garden was important. But as reality hit and we saw the disparity between what we could afford versus what we wanted, garden space took a back seat to finding a solid roof over our heads, running water and electricity. Once we found Jerry’s Acres, we thought we had it it all.

Until reality came knocking . . . again. Or rather, the chipmunks, rabbits and deer showed up.

And boy, are they hungry.

I spent fifty bucks on our first garden this year, and this is what I got. Mangled Swiss Chard that some rodent was kind enough to leave behind for me.

Jim helped me put my plants inside of a dog kennel that the previous owners left behind. Thinking this was enough to keep the deer out, I started planting my crops. I kept it simple, and stuck with chard, lettuce, and a couple of herbs planted in recycled containers.

Silly me. I was actually able to grow vegetables at 8,400 feet elevation, and the dog run kept the deer out. But I didn’t consider that chipmunks could fit inside that chain link. And before the chard leaves really had a chance to grow, chipmunks were feasting on my garden every day.

I’ve since raised the plants up off the ground and covered my lettuce beds with chicken wire. So far, the plants seem to be doing better.

I’m hoping we’ll have edible greens by late August. At that point, Fall will be in the air, and it’ll be nearly time to go again. But at least we’ll reap the benefits of our investment.

Next year, we won’t mess around. We’ll spend the money to build a cold frame garden, and I’ll get our hydroponics setup going again. If we’re really lucky, we’ll able to feast more than once next summer.

That is, unless the bears find a way to get inside.

Earlier in that day of the Texas flash flood that nearly swept our trailer away a few months ago, we watched the odometer in our truck turn 77,777 miles. While that evening was full of excitement, normally such an event would be a big deal.

Well, at least for me.

On long stretches of highway, what I used to consider numerical anagrams are always something I look forward to. Then I learned at Google University that the proper term for such a sequence of digits is a palindromic number. These are numbers that read the same forward and back. And when the mileage gets up there like it has on our Dodge, it’s fun to figure out the next palindrome we’ll reach in our travels.

OK. It’s  no exciting, rip roaring, click you heels kinda fun. But it does give a long haul driver something to think about for a few miles. Like what would be the next palindromic number in sequence in our example here? Hint, we passed that over a thousand miles ago.

The first few are easy. Not including single digit numbers, they begin with 11, 22, 33, 44… etc. The fun, however, doesn’t really begin until you get to much larger numbers, like 101,101 for instance. Maybe we’ll hit that one during our next season on the road down south.

I signed up for NüRVers because it has to be the best social networking portal for fulltime RVers who break the stereotypical fulltimer mold. But then again, it must be the only one too. Aside from RVblogz, that is.

We have social sites for every segment of society. René is into her tweets and Facebook. Jerry lives on at Twitter, Dogster and ZooToo. I just keep my LinkedIn profile fresh.

If I have my way, I’ll never have to use my connections to land a job working for somebody else ever again. But LinkedIn is one social business network that makes a nice little safety net, if I ever had to dust of my résumé that is.

Its also a great way to keep in touch with old coworkers and colleagues. And I get a kick out of updating my status with things like “gone fishing” or “Heading South for the Winter” while others talk about provisioning servers or recontextualizing some brand paradigm to maximize market penetration.

Done that thanks. I’ll take my mobile lifestyle and workamping anyday. That’s why I started the LinkedIn Workampers Group. I also stumbled upon the RV Enthusiasts LinkedIn Group. If you’re LinkedIn, check ‘em out. You won’t find me on Facebook.

Forgive me if I rant for a moment, but it’s been a while, and I need to get this off my chest. There’s something about this whole mess in the Gulf that really upsets me every time I hear about it – which is every time I turn on the radio. It’s times like this I’m thankful we have no television!

No, I’m not talking about the economy down south that’s heading even further south. I’m not talking about soiled birds and destroyed estuaries, nor the rising cost of Gulf shrimp. I’m talking about a matter of semantics.

Yes, all of the above is truly upsetting, but it’s what everyone is calling the cause that really turns my stomach.

Call it a disaster, call it a calamity, call it a gaping whole in the earth’s crust. Call it human error with dire circumstances or call it the beginning of the end of the world, but please… stop calling it an oil spill.

A “spill” implies something finite. The Exxon Valdez running aground caused an oil spill. And while that was – for lack of a better term – a lot of oil, it was an amount limited to what the ship could hold. As much damage as that did, it was manageable. What we have in the Gulf now is not a spill. It is a veritable infinite amount of oil gushing from the ocean floor with no stopping it in sight.

Calling the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe a spill seriously downplays its ramifications. Consequences of which we will not know the true nature for years to come. Thank you. We now return to our regular programming now in progress.

[steps off soapbox]

Taking a break from the road means all sorts of advantages for us.

With a full-sized oven, we can make huge batches of Alton Brown’s Homemade Granola.

Revisiting favorite bric-a-brac brings back good memories.

and we eat really, really well because we have a huge fridge, freezer and pantry to store lots of good eats

All this cooking and lounging around is gonna make us fat.

Good thing there’s lot of manual labor to be done around here!