The first 3 weeks

Our first 3 weeks on the road were quite an adventure. Mother Nature threw everything at us except ice and snow and severe storms (luckily!).  We had temps in the 90s with high humidity and nights below freezing. Now, we know that our heating and air conditioning systems all work - so that is good.  We also had day after day of rain, and we used our foul weather gear more in 3 weeks than we did in the 12 years we had our sailboat.

First stop was picking up our new DRV 38RSSA from the dealer in Muskegon Michigan:

Terry did an excellent job of hooking up for the first time, and pulling it out of the dealer's service bay -- a process which I found quite daunting:

We camped near the dealer for the first 2 nights, and we had our first visitors:

Our next stop was Goshen Indiana for the Escapees RV Boot Camp and Escapade.  We learned that parking 'rally style' means being parked 2 deep and packed in very closely.  It was a bit like living in a parking lot, but were were rarely in our fifth wheel, and we made a lot of new friends -- so it turned out great.

The RV Boot Camp was invaluable. They taught us about driving, safety and maintaining our rigs. After non-stop classes for 3 days, we had 1/2 day off before the Escapade started so we drove over to nearly Howe, IN and toured the DRV factory.  We passed quite a few Amish buggies on the way.

Many of the workers in the DRV factory were Amish. During the tour we saw how they build all of the custom cabinets and insulate every nook and cranny of the rig. We had a few questions about our new rig. For each question, Jason took us to the employee who built or installed that item. Terry's question about our entertainment system was answered by their electronics expert -- who happened to be  Amish!

1,000 RVs attended the Escapade in Goshen.  The Opening Ceremonies kick off a week of educational seminars, vendor booths and social events.

During the Opening Ceremonies (we were sitting in the back), a fellow Escapeee complimented me on my french braid, so I offered to braid  her hair too:

A lot more happened in the first 3 weeks, but I haven't had time to post!

 - Amanda

Beginning our new adventure

Like most baby boomers nearing retirement, we've been thinking about what we'll do once we're retired, and where we'll live.  With children and grandchildren all over the USA, that is not an easy decision.  After much discussion and research, we've decided to follow in our friends Carole and Dick's footsteps and take to the road. Carole and Dick started full time RV living 12 years ago and they love every minute of it.  So, the house is for sale and we're moving into a new fifth wheel!

Our house in central Pennsylvania:

Our new traveling home:

The books I've read about full time RV living suggest that you live full time in an RV for at least 3 weeks before committing to that lifestyle.  Well, we made the commitment by buying the truck and the fifth wheel -- and putting the house up for sale -- before taking our first trip.  Luckly, we survived our first 3 week trip and we're eager to get back out on the road.

- Amanda