We are getting ready to move from Willis, TX (Thousand Trails Lake Conroe) to Columbus, TX (Thousand Trails Colorado River [not in Colorado, right? I know.]) for another 3 weeks. This has been a BIZARRE stay. Except for an occasional grocery run and a daily trip to the gym, we only left the park to drive to Houston to car shop…
New Family Member
We spent about 2 of our 3 weeks here car shopping. You’ve never truly lived till you’ve gone through car shopping with me. I treat it like a psychological warfare experiment that has gone horribly wrong. Of course, I wouldn’t have to do that if the car dealerships and salesmen were honest and up front, but such is life. If you want an eye-opening experience, check out a few of the Youtube videos from CarEdge. The older guy there was a car salesmen for 40 years and explains all the tricks and hidden markups. It’s amazing. It may be my upbringing, but anytime I have to write a big check or commit to a large-ish purchase, I throw up in the back of my throat a little bit. My car-shopping is why they invented Prozac. Melinda didn’t want to divorce me, but I had to lock up the steak knives at night.
Buy American! (via Korea)
We bought a Chevy Trax – new to us, but definitely not new. A good little car. We looked at dozens and I researched the living crap out of hundreds. (I live for a good Excel spreadsheet… who am I kidding? There are no BAD Excel spreadsheets!) My keyboard keys have friction marks on them. But, we finally decided after a few close calls. Had a mechanic check the finalists and it looks all good. My main considerations were: A.) Does it have Apple Carplay? B.) Does it have good AC? C.) does it have four walls and four wheels? This is going to be a glorified grocery-getter. We may keep it the 7 months we are in Texas and then sell it to recoup some of the cost or store it and come back and get it in a few months. Depends on how the wind blows.
The Beginning of the End?
I won’t go that far, but Melinda and I have had “The Conversation.” (Not THAT one!) The one that opens the discussion of our RV Lifestyle Exit Strategy. We love our RV lifestyle, but I do miss a garage, a big bathroom, and a permanent address. The problem is (still): we don’t want to be in snow in the winter and don’t want to boil in the summer. I am even considering a coastal town in Mexico. We may have to do 6-7 months in the South and then travel north for the summer, but not ricocheting around – destination to destination. Our criteria (no particular order):
A.) Can-Am dealership/service – the girl will NOT give up her bike.
B.) Reasonable weather – the boy will NOT freeze his ass off
C.) Reasonable Cost of Living
D.) Relatively close to big box stores (if we ever need to buy… [how do you say?…] ANYTHING)
E.) Not too far from adventures: rodeos, activities (Grand Canyon, or Vegas, or water, or scenic, etc.)
F.) Not too far from casinos. I mean seriously….
G.) Planet Fitness nearby.
H.) No homeowners association (okay, this one might be a tad tougher to avoid)
We don’t need a big place (we’ve been living in a 400 sq ft box for 8 years for Heaven’s sake!) but I want AT LEAST a 2 car garage. If it’s some place hot, a pool has been demanded (I won’t say by whom, but she has never taken care of a pool in her whole life!)
Decisions, Decisions
There are a LOT of variables that are as yet unanswered. Sell the RV? Sell the trailer? Rent or Own or Build? Timeline? Well, we have reservations until April 2027, so not till then at least. We sort of prefer Out West. (We have like 8 cowboy hats between us. We can’t waste those!) I miss the ocean, but we can’t afford the Keys or Hawaii (plus the whole hurricane thing). The west coast is out because… you know… California. We don’t want to be IN a city, but to get most of the list above, we will need to be close. We’ll keep you informed. Nothing is happening anytime soon, but the Discussion has begun. The good news is: it changes direction every ten minutes.
RVonTheRoadYet.com is a blog to keep our friends and family informed of our latest adventures or misadventures. We are NOT RV professionals, doctors, lawyers, fitness gurus, or travel guides. We are a couple of people who have decided to embrace the full-time RV lifestyle of idiots and gypsies. There will be occasional hobby articles on here: technology, fitness, quilting, sewing, writing,videos, painting, etc. because after eight years you can start to run out of adventures.