Truck with box 5-26-07: 7780
Soon thereafter we added a fifth wheel hitch, and box which we filled up with tools.

That brought our total weight to 7,780 pounds.

Full Load* 08-23-07: S 4520 / D 5020 / T 7280 / G 16820
After we hit the road with or 24′ Arctic Fox trailer, we hit the scales with a gross weight 16,820 pounds.

Full Load* 10-06-08: S 4520 / D 5080 / T 7300 / G 16880
Over a year and a half later we were worried about being overweight. Had we overloaded the truck brakes? No. Were we still safely within our GVWR? Yes.

* Certified CAT Scale Weights: Steer Axle / Drive Axle / Trailer Axle(s) / Gross

All these miles and we’ve gained only 60 pounds. (In cargo weight, that is.) Probably even lost weight considering our water tank was empty when we first weighed in. Either way, I consider that pretty good load weight management after a year on the road.

Especially considering all those free clothes we picked up after the big charity yard sale in Silverton!

Here’s why I ask: Interesting thing really … eleven of the first dozen survey responses we received have all come from total strangers. How many other stalkers do we have out there? What do our regular readers think? This is why we did a survey. Thank you in advance for your feedback.

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Simply complete our blog survey below to help us make LiveWorkDream better for you. Random winners will be chosen from all who reply to receive a free copy of this great guide to the most spectacular cities, natural wonders, and road trips in the USA.

We’ve been meaning to do this survey since our first state of the blog address. But so many questions … what a pain, for us and you! This new Essential USA travel guide from Fodor’s is the perfect incentive. We have a few copies we need to get rid of – and not that many readers – so your chances of winning are pretty good!

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Call me silly, but I’ve always wanted to see a bald eagle close enough to take a photograph. And yes, it did take this long. But I never said it had to be a good picture.

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The same can be said for fulltime RVing, at least among the cool online RVers.

Recently we’ve hooked up with various road trip bloggers who we’ve grown to know via the internet.

After getting to know these folks through their travel blogs, twitter tweets, and forums, it’s been great to put some faces to the names.

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From Portland where we picked up our trailer so many moons ago, down the damp Oregon coast, on to Eureka – just a couple hours away now – it’s feeling more and more like we have come home every day. But then again, home is wherever we park for the night. And I kinda like it that way.

Mountains, caverns, monuments, characters, Maine, Floriduh, Texas … “Momma, Momma, many worlds I’ve come since I first left home …” Here’s to many more.

A couple of weeks ago, I made myself stop, take a deep breath, and get to know a fellow camper, after having a meltdown when our trailer brakes started acting up. Little did I know how therapeutic this little act would be.

We had just reached the bottom of a steep hill on our way out of Idaho, when the stench of brake smoke wafted from the truck, and squealy noises sounded from the trailer. Jim stayed calm, as usual, but I started flipping out, as I thought about spending more money on our rig. That snowballed into a freak out about money, living on the road with no real income, and our future in general. I jumped into a pool of fear, and was drowning.

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I am awestruck that we’ve proven to the world that American democracy isn’t entirely dead, that we can think for ourselves, and that we will not roll over and play dead for the neocon fascists who have beaten us down, robbed and stolen from us for far too long. We’ve finally gotten off our butts, and are ready to take this country back.

Thank you President Obama, for having the courage to show us the way.

We discovered the hard way that a good digital controller can make all the difference in the world, compared to the cheap pendulum based controllers most RV dealers will install upon purchase of a trailer and hitch. Why they don’t try to upsell unsuspecting fulltimers – like they do with the special toilet paper, levels, wheel chocks, fridge fans and all the other “necessities” – is simply beyond me. But buyer beware, a good brake controller is well worth the money!

After we replaced the brakes on our truck, and discovered we had cooked them, I adjusted our trailer brakes tighter thinking they might be worn out. The opposite was true … we hadn’t been using them!

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At least I can finally say my age is now the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything