I’m Getting Ready For Some Major Changes

A Beloved Aunt Left Me Some Money

When it comes to money, I’ve always been a dreamer. I’ve always like to pretend that I just won a lottery and how I’d spend my winnings. In this, I suspect I’m not alone. Hey! We all like to daydream, right?

I just won the lottery!

Ok, ok, ok. So I didn’t really win the lottery, but I might as well have. My favorite aunt recently died at the age of 99! So far, that’s the oldest any of my family has lived.

And she left me some money. Enough that I will be able to pay some bills, get some badly-needed dental work done, and buy a new truck and recreational vehicle.

Oh, and spend 3 months on the road away from home.

Pictured above is the TAB 400, by nuCamprv. It’s the one I’ve decided on, after weeks of study. I’m also adding the Black Canyon package, which will give me extra time to spend Boondocking.

“What’s Boondocking?” you ask.

It’s RVing or camping without the usual hookups: no water, no sewer, no electricity. What you bring with you is whatcha got.

The Black Canyon package adds extra capacity to your water tanks, an extra battery, and an additional solar panel, as well as a couple of other things not worth mentioning.

After all, I’m talking about my trip, not trying to sell you a trailer.

It’s funny how so many RVers make a big deal about Boondocking; for most of my life, Boondocking was camping. Canvas tents that sweated at night from the condensation from your breath. Ice chests with huge blocks of ice.

Our first “RV” wasn’t worthy of the name: it was a Coleman pop-up with pads for sleeping on. That was it. Nothing more than sleeping. Meals were cooked outside on a two-burner stove. A Coleman, of course.

It was great for a weekend trip, but that was it.

Now many RVs, even the smallest, come with ovens. The TAB line even includes a microwave! Still trying to decide on that. I’m leaning towards not getting one; I can always buy an el cheapo from Walmart if I decided it’s truly necessary.

YouTube has been invaluable in my quest for information. In particular, I’m following Kyle and Renee (HappilyEverHanks), two traveling nurses who have been living full-time in their fifth wheel…

…for six years!

They also have a website at HappilyEverHanks.com, “Your One-Stop Guide to Full-Time RV Living.”

Even if you’re not interested in RVing full-time, their weekly YouTube posts are great entertainment.

Right now I’m living in Rochester, New York. My grandparents immigrated (emigrated? I can never remember the difference) here from Newfoundland, and for years I’ve been wanting to see The Rock, as Newfoundlanders call it. I have an Enhanced Driver’s License, which is the only documentation I need to cross the border.

Once I’ve seen Newfoundland, I’ll return to the States and spend the next three months touring this beautiful country of ours. I’ve already sent away to the Tourism agencies of various states. Yesterday I received the first information packet. It was from Oregon, and must have weighed five pounds!

I plan on revisiting places I’ve already been as well as places I’ve ever seen. For example, when I was 7, we traveled through Montana, where in my haste to view a herd of bison, I ran down a hill and promptly fell into the Little Big Horn River which, in that spot, was about a foot wide and a foot deep.

This time I’ll be more interested in the roadside geology of both Montana and Wyoming, and hoping to see fossils of dinosaurs.

Speaking of which, I’ll sign off now. I have to order a copy of The Roadside Geology of Montana!