Boondocking

A couple of years ago, when we were holidaying in Nevada and Arizona, I often noticed one or maybe two RVs parked down a dirt road with no visible utilities, etc. way out in the desert. My goodness I thought, how poor these people must be to live that way.

Then one day we were driving to the Valley of Fire in Nevada when we noticed some strange shapes on top of a mesa in the distance. What is it we wondered? Trees all the same height? Very large rocks? We decided to take a look. As we got closer we realized it was people with RVs parked there:

Arch decided to find out what was going on and approached a man working outside his RV and asked why they were there. "Oh" he said "This is Poverty Flats and we are boondocking here while we visit Las Vegas"

They didn't look very poor to me but we had no idea what boondocking was and the man was not very chatty so we left. These are pretty fancy RVs for poor people don't you think?

Their view of the surrounding area was spectacular. And you can see the sun shining on the Valley of Fire in the distance.

We drove on and spent the day enjoying The Valley of Fire. A truly beautiful spot and well worth the visit if you are in the Las Vegas area:

Right click on the pictures for a larger view.

I now know that boondocking generally means camping in remote locations without the electrical, water and other services we have come to expect. That is what the people we saw scattered around the Arizona Desert we doing. Many of them are very well equipped to do this with solar panels, propane refrigerators, etc. They save a lot of money on camp sites and enjoy the independence and freedom boondocking offers. 

I follow the blogs of several people who boondock on occasion including The Bayfield Bunch from Bayfield, Ontario, RV Sue and Nina and Paul at Wheeling It. They all seem to enjoy it a lot. 

There is also a website that RVers can join where people can book boondocking sites on other RVers property and in exchange offer space on their property to boondockers. We thought that would be a great way to meet other RVers and learn a bit from their experience so I joined the site and we offered a space at Bay Hammocks. So far three boondockers stayed with us and their advice and tips have been most helpful. 

Will we boondock? I am not sure. Maybe not this year but we may be forced into it when we have the RV painted and at Woodstock, NB before we cross the border into the US. All the campgrounds in that area are closed in October so we may end up at WalMart. 

Something to make you smile:

Success

The outing today for the Adventure Bus with car on dolly attached was a bit of a production to start but a great success:

Arch made some makeshift ramps to get the car to the dolly ramps. The car has a very low under carriage so getting the ramps placed just right and loading the car was very tricky.

It doesn't look like much to be hauling a car but we cannot tow the car with all 4 wheels down and a trailer was too big for Arch and I to manipulate, so this is it.

Once on, the car is held in place with these yellow straps. Sure hope they are good and strong.

It wasn't long before the straps were securely in place and all was ready to go.

Our grand nephew. 9 year old Jonah,(also John's grandson) was also along for the ride. So all three plus Tara (our dog) hopped in, buckled up and off they went.

All went very well. Towing the car actually made the Adventure Bus much more stable to drive. The lights are now hooked up (they go on the dolly) and the whole thing is very easy for Arch and I to manage. This was a very big step because, if it did not work, we would have to buy a vehicle that we could tow and we did not want to do that. It is a dream to buy a new jeep before we go to Arizona and points west next year, but we want to be sure we like the lifestyle before we invest too much money in it.

Next step is to have the awning installed and the front of the motorhome painted. We are not even sure how we are going to get the awning to the business to have it installed, It is 16 feet long. And, if it takes more than one day to paint the front, where are we going to sleep. If it was just us, no problem. But we also have Princess and Tara. Challenges for another day.

A Big Day

Well, tomorrow is a big day. The dolly to pull Arch's car has arrived and Arch and brother-in-law, John are going to hook the dolly to the Adventure Bus, load on the car and head out for a test drive. The ultimate goal is to arrive at Canadian Tire to have the lights installed. I am not sure what on - not my department.

It is also a test of our ability to prepare the Adventure Bus to move. After living here for two month we are pretty spread out with stuff that will fly around and/or break when we drive. I spent most of today reorganizing closets and cupboards, figuring out ways to secure things, etc. Once more I did a lot of de-stuffing. About the tenth time I moved something out of the way, I got rid of it. Even a bottle of champagne, left over from last New Year's Eve, has moved to the refrigerator at Bay Hammocks. I did not throw that out. Those of you who live in houses will not believe how little stuff you really need.

So now Arch, John and Tara are set to go. Princess and I will stay behind to mind the store.

We also got the licence plates for the Adventure Bus this week. Up until now we got a temporary permit whenever we wanted to move it. The licence is expensive here in Nova Scotia - $500. So we wanted to time it so the renewal comes in August when our other expenses are fairly low. When Arch got to the Motor Vehicle Department the person serving him insisted that we only needed a camper permit costing $120. Arch thought that was a great deal, got his plates and off he went. Then he started thinking - what if we had an accident and we had the wrong licence? That would make our insurance invalid. Not a good situation. So back he went. Much discussion. Several supervisors consulted. New $500 licence issued. They did not want to refund the $130. Huh?? More supervisors. More discussion. Finally the money was refunded and Arch was on his way. Arch is not good at dealing with red tape so you can just imagine how happy he was when he got home.

I will let you know how tomorrow goes.

Wallpapering Buddies

In late May of every year, up until now, Arch and I threw a "bring your own lobster" party for the neighbours. The lobster season ends in our area on May 30 so a season ending feast seemed appropriate. Everyone arrived with their lobster and the "experts" argue about how to cook them. About 25 to 30 people attend and a great time is had by all.

Is this watched pot going to boil?

Cooked and ready to eat

Arch makes it easy for everyone by chopping the claws

About 5 years ago one neighbour emailed to say he met a couple new to the neighbourhood and could they be his guests at the party. Of course, I said, everyone is welcome. Then, on the night of the party, the neighbour who issued the invitation was unable to attend and did not notify the people he had invited. So they showed up, lobsters in hand, to a party where they knew no one and were horrified that their host was not here. Needless to say we invited them in and they have been great friends ever since - although they must tolerate being called "the party crashers" at subsequent parties.

In 2009 we went to California with them for a golfing, hiking and exploring holiday

That couple was Norman and Susan and they are our volunteer wallpaperers. (I don't think that is a word, but, you get my drift.) They came last Sunday for the first round of wallpapering and spent all day working away in the "Adventure Bus".

They work well together, don't you think? Norman called it a bonding experience. And the wallpaper looks great. Really freshens everything up. You can see it on the wall behind Susan, below. Left click on the pictures for a larger view.

 I sure am glad we invited them in that day 5 years ago. Thanks guys.

They ran out of wallpaper. More has been ordered and I will post more pictures when to job is finished.

Tara's Story

Several people have asked about Tara. (We find it encouraging that rvers all seem to be dog lovers). Tara's story is a long one.

She came to live with us from the SPCA in March 2004 when she was 4 months old. The people there told us that she and her brother were found abandoned in a field. Likely discarded by a puppy mill because they were not perfect.

At the SPCA her name was Eve.  Our grand niece immediately changed that to Tara, her favourite name. The first year went very well, Tara is a loving dog who gets along with everyone, especially children. She does a great job as the greeter at Bay Hammocks.

She loves to sleep on the bed

Then the first accident. Tara is a country dog, accustomed to running free around our almost 2 acre property. One day Arch was walking her on a leash in a small town when she saw another dog across the street. In her excitement she broke her leash and raced across the road to say hello. And was hit by a van driven by a woman with three children on board. Tara received a cut on her leg, was a bit banged up but otherwise OK. The children were very upset. After calming the kids they and their mom drove Arch and Tara back to his sister's home where we cared for her leg. All was well that ended well. We thought.

Checking Princess out

Then Princess came to live with us. Tara was fine with this addition to the family, Princess would have preferred a family where she was queen and king of the castle. One night we were away at different events and Tara and Princess were home alone. Arch got home first and discovered that Tara had found a large bottle of Anicin and eaten the whole thing. As we had already learned that Tara will eat anything that fits into her mouth we scoured the house before we went out & thought it was free of any problems. The only thing we can think of is that Princess found the bottle of pills under the bed and in playing with it rolled them out where Tara could get them. Or maybe she was deliberately trying to get rid of Tara. Who knows? With Princess, anything is possible. A trip to the emergency vet (how lucky we are to have such a service) where they induced vomiting and fed her charcoal (apparently the charcoal absorbs the foreign matter in her stomach before the body does) and all was well.

Then we were awakened one night by Tara having a seizure. Panic set in and we called the emergency vet service. A few questions later it was diagnosed that it was likely epilepsy. Which was confirmed by our vet the next day. After a long period of experimentation with medication, and some very scary seizures, her epilepsy is now somewhat controlled and she only has seizures once every 3 or 4 weeks and we have learned to live with them and accept them as being a part of what makes Tara, Tara.

Then the next accident. Again, we were out. The house had been scoured for anything Tara could get into and I thought all was well. There were 3 - 300 gram bags of chocolate chips on the kitchen counter. I put them up high where I thought she could not reach them. Wrong! We arrived home 2 hours later to discover she had eaten them all. How she got to them we do not know - did Princess have a hand in this one too?? Another trip to the emergency vet. By now we are calling them the "Midnight Vets". Stomach pumped, more charcoal, an overnight stay and all is well again.

Then the worst of all. Tara was swimming in the ocean in late May. When the water in the north Atlantic is really cold. But she loved it and went swimming often. This time she was out over her, and Arch's, head when she had a seizure and went under the water, head first. Arch, who is not a swimmer, took off his shoes and went to get her. He managed to grab her tail and haul her in to shore. Where he gave her artificial respiration until she started to breath, then got her in the car, brought her home to get me and off we went to the Midnight Vet. There they put her in an oxygen kennel where she stayed overnight. We picked her up the next morning and delivered her to our vet and she spent that day in the oxygen kennel. Then we brought her home where she quickly returned to normal. Now she only swims in lakes, attached to her leash. She is very cautious and does not go out very far.

This lake is shallow so she doesn't need her leash

After this all was well for about a year. Then she started to limp. After several trips to the vet it was determined that she had a torn ACL in her right back leg. TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy) surgery was required. Following the surgery was a 3 month recovery period. As Tara sleeps in our bedroom we had to carry her - all 85 lbs. - up and down stairs until she was able to manage them as she would not consider sleeping down stairs alone. This was difficult but we managed by using a harness on her front end - Arch lifted her here  and I balanced her with a towel under her hind end.

One month after she recovered from this she was running for a stick when she fell. Arch knew immediately what had happened and loaded her in the car to go to the vet where it was confirmed. The ACL in her left hind leg had torn. More surgery, more carrying her up and down stairs, but, she recovered well and was fine for a few months.

Tara came home immediately after surgery because of her epilepsy

Now she is favouring her right front leg. We are not sure that we understand the problem but her spine is degenerating and the condition is progressive and not curable. She takes pain medication and, while she limps, she is happy and loves to go for short walks and accompanies Arch everywhere he goes. And she still delivers the paper each day.

So now we just go day by day, accept her as she is, and hope she will be joining us on our great adventure.

Some Adjustments are Easy

Some Not so Much

Arch and I grew up in Nova Scotia, went to university in Quebec and lived and worked in Ontario for 39 years. Montreal still feels like a second home and we loved living in Ontario. We made great friends - whom we miss.  But, we never quite felt like we belonged there.

So when we "retired" in 2003 we moved back to Nova Scotia, built our retirement home and plunged into life in Nova Scotia.

Some adjustments were easy. We love being with our families, living in a neighbourhood where we made great friends and running a business in such a business-friendly environment.

We rapidly learned to chat with people whether we knew them or not. To look people in the eye and say hello when we get on elevators. To be more polite and gracious when driving (Arch still finds this a bit of a challenge). To stop for jaywalkers, no matter where they step off the curb. We love the fact that when you call a business you still get a person on the phone - unless it's a bank, of course. We were amazed when we went to get our Nova Scotia driving credentials and, when we did not have all the papers we needed, the woman serving us said " don't worry about that - I will call the company and get the information I need later" and gave us our plates. And then, the person issuing our drivers licence asked us to smile for our photos and offered to take a second one of me when the first wasn't very flattering! We quickly changed back into Nova Scotians.

Except for one thing. We have still difficulty with is how long it takes to get things done. All this sociability is a time killer. I cannot head for downtown Halifax, make four stops on the way, and still get there in the amount of time I expected to. You cannot quickly run into a store here, purchase something and get out quickly. You must wait while the cashier chats with the person in front of you - there always seems to be time to admire a new baby, chat with a child, discuss the weather, etc. etc. Or, the product you want must be ordered.

So that is where we are with the motorhome renos. The floor is done. The wallpaper is ordered and will arrive in 10 days. The upholstery is being done - I have been told this could take up to 2 months. TWO MONTHS!! To upholster two dining chairs and recover 6 valences! The same with the side curtains. So we are in waiting mode.

One really good thing. Great friends have volunteered to do the wallpapering for us. Can you believe it? They volunteered! Needless to say, we are taking them up on their offer.

Oh My! Its a Big Motor Home!

Our motor home is on its way to Nova Scotia. Chris, the person we bought it from, sent some pictures and we are thrilled to see that it is in excellent condition and very clean. I think he sent this one of it being filled with gas so Arch will know what is in his future :)

Oh my! It is very large! It is all well and good to talk about 36 feet but it is something else to see it in perspective to the person filling the tank. Arch is busy measuring outside, trying to find a space to park it. In front of the garage I guess. That will mean we can't use the garage any more this year so lets hope winter is nearly over.

Anxiously Waiting

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new-to-us motorhome. It is a 2001 Damon Intruder with two slides. We purchased it sight unseen so we are, needless to say, a little anxious to see it. We expect it to be mechanically fit but a fixer-upper on the inside and we have lots of plans to personalize our living space.

She will need a name - any suggestions?

She (why are vehicles always “she”?) is from North Carolina. The person we purchased it from specializes in purchasing vehicles and boats in the US and importing them into Canada for resale, usually in Newfoundland. We checked his references and are confident he knows what he is doing and is honest and knowledgeable – as he says “If he ever screwed a Newfoundlander he would never do business in that province again”. We told him what we are looking for, OKed the selection and made a substantial deposit. He is flying down this morning to pick it up and expects to have it ready for delivery in Halifax this Friday. It will be “Canadianized” (daytime running lights, etc.”) and receive its MVI sticker (a Nova Scotia safety certification) before we take possession of it and the seller will stay in NS for the weekend to familiarize us with it. He has a brother in Bedford. Then he is off to Newfoundland and we are on our own.

In the meantime we are anxiously waiting with fingers and toes crossed. Wish us luck!

Welcome to new followers Deborah and Phil of Seemed Like a Good Idea. I see you are fairly new to full-time RVing as well so we will follow your adventures with interest.