Boise, Idaho

Because we made our decision to buy a motor home and travel for a year in a nanosecond, there are a few (dozen) things we didn’t know about full timing that would have been beneficial to know before hand.

Here are a few of them…

Business Cards ll

Most full timers (those who live in their RV 365 days a year), snow birds (those who go south in the winter) and seasonals (those who go north in the summer) use business cards printed with their various contact information to let others know how to reach them.

Some include their snail mail address, but most just include their cell phone numbers, land line numbers, and email addresses. Those who maintain a blog or Web site usually include that as well.

Then as they receive cards from others, they race back to their RV to make notes about where they met, what they have in common, etc…

This is critical because we’re all getting older and have CRS. 🙂

South Dakota Residents

It’s common to look at RV license plates while traveling and whenever parked in a resort.

There are a disproportionate number of plates from South Dakota. Either there are a lot of RVers from South Dakota or something else is going on…

Turns out that South Dakota has special laws that make it easy for full timers to establish residency in a state with no income tax and other tax friendly reasons to live there.

So when you see a South Dakota plate on an RV, it’s not a guarantee that the driver actually resides there.

It Pays to Talk

It is beneficial, very beneficial, to talk to and with others while RVing.

Most people are ready and willing to share routes, ideas, and knowledge with others.

We’ve visited some amazing places we hadn’t thought to visit based on the recommendations of others.

We’ve learned how to pick RV parks better based on lessons others have learned. (If the main photo is playground equipment, expect kids, kids, and more kids.)

And there’s always equipment talk. Which tire is best? Does your generator run when….? Where is an easy place to get diesel?

What I’ve noticed is that men talk to and with one another much more than women. About 90% to 10%. At first I thought it was just me because I’m not particularly social, but apparently neither are most of the other women in the parks.

Boise, Idaho

Sophie gets lots of petting from random strangers whenever we are at traditional tourist stops. Most tourists don’t take their dogs, and they are in need of a petting fix.

Doesn’t matter if she’s soaking wet, covered with stickers, or jumping into their laps. They just want to pet a dog. Any dog.

That’s perfectly fine for Sophie. She’s more than happy to stand in as a substitute for their dogs. I can almost hear those petting her say, “Aaahhhhh!”, as they think of their dogs at home…

While we were in Yellowstone, we joined a crowd looking for wolves. A young twenty-something who works for the Yellowstone Association came up and asked she if she could pet Sophie.

While everyone else was searching for the wolves, she had made a beeline for us. As she was bending down to pet Sophie,  the young woman asked if she was a Welsh Terrier.

Her parents had just had their Welshie put down at the ripe old age of sixteen.

The minute she laid her hands on Sophie, she said, ” Oh!” Short and forceful, like she had just put her hands into something disgusting in a pitch black Halloween haunted house.

She looked up at me and exclaimed, “She doesn’t feel like Jack!”

I calmly explained that Sophie’s about 10% overweight. We’re working on it, but living in a motor home and traveling through biblical amounts of rain have cut down on her exercise…

The young woman continued to pet Sophie a couple more minutes, but her heart wasn’t in it. She never did let out an, “Aaahhhhh!”

But Sophie did… 🙂

Boise, Idaho

We drove to Boise yesterday.

We haven’t seen Melissa for almost three months. Way too long.

She and I ran towards one another for the perfect hug.

What makes a hug perfect?

While I was searching for the perfect image to use in this post, I came across an article entitled The Eightfold Path to a Truly Great Hug by Bryan Reeves that perfectly explained how to hug, step by step.

Here are the eight steps:

1. Hug like you mean it.
2. Be willing to be vulnerable. Open your arms.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Breathe into the embrace.
5. Lean into the embrace.
6. Squeeze but don’t suffocate.
7. Just be with the person you’re embracing.
8. Let go. Smile. Breathe.

Misslissa and I did everything right except we added something all the way through number three and number eight.

We cried…

Idaho Falls, Idaho

We are staying in Idaho Falls for two nights waiting for my medication to come. Then we will be off to the thriving metropolis of Arco, Idaho.

After looking for pickleball (alas I haven’t been able to play since Sheridan, Wyoming), the next thing I look for is a river walk or running trails in each new place we stay at.

While I love waking and jogging, I hate being around cars while I do it.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the number of communities that have dedicated places to go for a stroll. And even more surprised at how many people use them.

The only problem I’ve had is that each community calls their walking paths something different, so I’ve have to be a bit creative in Googling to find them…

Any way, back to the walking paths:

It goes to show you, “If you build it, they will come.”

PS All path photos are of places I’ve jogged, but photos were hijacked off of the Internet.

Cody, Wyoming

Once we decide where we are going, the first thing I do (when I have Internet connection 🙂 ) is look to see if pickleball is available.

Woohoo! It was available in Sheridan!

So I played yesterday morning at the local YMCA. The Sheridan gang is a lot of fun to play with and against.

Because I get the opportunity to play in multiple locations, I have a chance to compare different playing styles.

While the game of pickleball has the same goal no matter where you play–to get to 11 points–there are a myriad of styles of play.

In Boise, for example, most players play a combination of hard and soft hits. The soft game requires more finesse and analysis.

In Sheridan, the soft game is virtually absent. Their objective is to hit the ball as hard and fast as possible.

Both styles of play are fun, and I reach my pickleball goals of sweating, laughing, and learning easily with either style.

But what fascinates me is how players in different locations think everyone everywhere plays the same way they do.

When I commented yesterday to the Sheridan players, “Wow, you guys play a really fast game,” they were shocked.

That made me realize how important it is to look at things from other perspectives and out of my comfort zone.

Because while I prefer a strategic game that includes soft skills, playing smash ball periodically makes me a better player.

Sheridan, Wyoming

We traveled from Wall, South Dakota, to Sheridan, Wyoming, yesterday.

It’s a 300 mile drive. We initially hadn’t planned to travel that far, but the expected storm stalled a bit so it was better to go farther now.

Normally we don’t go much more than 225 miles,  and Sophie seemed to somehow know that we were traveling a longer distance because she was a pain for most of the day.

I thought I would take today to blog a bit about traveling with pets since we didn’t do much but drive…

On our travels we have seen and met lots of people traveling with their pets.

Some travel with several cats. More and more cat owners walk their cats on a leash. The cats seem to enjoy it. 🙂

Recently we saw a couple with seven West Highland Terriers. I have no idea how they tell them apart! They looked like clones of one another.

And we met a man with a cockatiel that sat on his shoulder for strolls around the RV park several times per day. I think the owner enjoyed the walks more than the bird; the bird continually said, “Night,  night.” That’s what he said when he wanted to go to his cage and have his cover put over his cage.

Traveling with Fido, Fluffy, or Polly can be both a blessing and a curse, often within the same hour.

Sophie has traveled with us constantly. I can count on two hands how seldom Sophie has been left home alone for more than an hour.

She does fine and probably enjoys her alone time. I know I enjoy mine.  🙂

Sophie is a blessing because she is fun. She has a joie de vivre that’s contagious. Everything is exciting and fun.

She often ‘sings’ when she’s super excited. It’s rewarding when she does it as we return to see her.

She’s also very loving and as much of a hugger as a dog can be.

She’s also kept us on a better diet. Her constant presence keeps us from snacking. (If I were a truck driver, I would with 500 pounds because I love to eat as I travel.)

But there are some downsides.

Traveling with a pet can be limiting especially in the summer heat.

Also, their restroom schedule often doesn’t sync with their owners’.

My nickname for Sophie is “Stinky Butt”. It’s a name that fits because she toots a lot!

Sophie’s not the friendliest dog to other dogs, so we constantly have to watch her. She’s a bit of a bully to smaller dogs.  I don’t even try anymore. When another owner says, “My dog’s super friendly!” with a huge smile. I quickly day, “Mine’s not.” They run away quickly unless they are terrier owners; they just giggle because their dogs aren’t that friendly either.

All in all, I’m very happy that Sophie’s along, but I’m also happy we’re heading into cooler weather where she can stay in the Jeep a bit more often…

Spearfish, South Dakota

We’re making friends as we travel. Some just for a day or two. Some for a week. And others that we will keep in touch with for a long time.

It’s interesting to see what questions come up based on the level of friendship anticipated…

The shorter the anticipated friendship length, the more direct the questions are.

So given that most reading this blog are very close friends and/or relatives, my guess is that y’all have questions… 😉

So today, I’ll answer the three questions that most frequently get asked..

1. Do you know where you’re going?

We have a basic outline for the next four months.

During September we hope to travel through northern Wyoming and Yellowstone, weather permitting.

We will be back in Boise for some appointments for the first two weeks in October.

After that we’re heading south. We have booked a spot in Gold Canyon which is east of Phoenix by the Superstition Mountains. Our friends (and former neighbors) Dean + Lil stayed at the resort and recommended it.

We hope to travel through Utah and see some of the National parks on our way down to Phoenx, but it all depends on the weather. So we are not exactly sure when we will get there.

The RV Resort in Gold Canyon had a special promotion so we got October through December for a little more than one month’s rent. Their peak season doesn’t begin until after the holidays, so we have a spot until January 15.

After that we have no clue where we are going. We are staying there to see how we like staying in one place. I’ll be playing pickleball nearly every day, and Rich will be working in their wood shop on some projects to make Homer better.

2. How’s Your Marriage Holding Up?

Surprisingly well. And we’re rather surprised at that.

I’m the type that prefers a bit (well, truthfully a lot) of alone time. I try to take advantage of any opportunity I get to go for a walk, a jog, or a bike ride alone. Sometimes Sophie comes with me, sometimes not. Depends on how hot it is.

Rich is happier now that we’ve activated DISH and he can watch NASCAR and NHRA. I’m thrilled because football has started, and I can watch it. Because football’s on more than racing, Rich wins control of the remote when there’s a conflict.

We do have a bit of trouble sometimes making decisions, but that’s not new for us. I have noticed that we each are getting more comfortable saying what we want to do.  Then we compromise as needed.

3. How Long Are You Going to Live in Homer?

That’s something we haven’t decided. We are committed at least through March of 2015. We don’t want to move into a place during the winter. It would be too hard to live somewhere where we’d be battling frozen pipes.

Occasionally we will play what we call Stupid What If games where we talk about the future and just throw random ideas out. The agreed upon rule is that the other person can’t say, “Well, that’s a stupid idea!” You can think it; you just can’t say it. Hee hee…

We are no closer to deciding what to do after life in Homer than we were three months ago… 

Spearfish, South Dakota

We traveled just a short while today from Hill City to Spearfish which will be our base while touring the northern Black Hills area.

There are lots of state highways to choose from we travel, and today was no exception.

I’m finally figuring out how those highway numbers work. Even numbered roads run east and west; odd numbered roads run north and south. Most drivers know that…

But what I recently read taught me lots about how the numbering system works. And yep… I’m a data geek who is fascinated by sh*t like this! Within the continental US, priamary interstate highways are assigned two digit numbers under 100.

Three digit numbered highways can be decoded by separating their first digit and the last two digits.

The last two digits refer to the primary highway the road is a subroute of. The first digit defines what that subroute does.

If the first digit is even, the route goes through or around the city.

If the first digit is odd, the route is a deadend spur into the city.

In example A above, Route 210 is a subroute of Interstate 10 that goes through the city.

Example B  shows two routes. Route 310 is a spur off of Interstate 10. Route 610 is a subroute of Interstate 10 that circles around the city.

Example C shows a combination of the route in Example A and the spur in Example B.

So now the next time you’re playing Trivial Pursuit, you’ll nail the highway numbering system question.

*Image from Wikipedia.

Hill City, South Dakota

We are very fortunate to be in the position we are in. We have enough money to do this for a while, and our health is as good as it’s going to be.

Rich would like to find a part time job either while we are traveling if it works out or after we are done traveling. I plan on going back to work someday to at least help pay for my health insurance and medications. I would rather not, but reality bites… 🙂

When we first started ‘traveling’ in Homer, we acted more like ‘tourists’. We rushed everywhere and researched in advance so we wouldn’t miss any important sites. We relied on those known tourist patterns of cramming as much as possible into as short a time period as possible.

It has taken almost three months to break those patterns. And it feels nice.

We now usually don’t decide what to do until each morning. Might not sound like much, but for us it’s a huge change.

We are also making decisions about what we want to see rather than what we should see. For example, we decided to not travel 100+ miles to see The Badlands of South Dakota. We saw many similar badland topography in North Dakota, and there are other things we want to see while we are in this area more.

There are still more adjustments to make, but we’re closer to being travelers and father from being tourists as we live on the road .