Dropping Out in the 21st. Century

Hi, my name is Mike, and this blog is going to follow the adventures of my wife Marlene, our dog Ben, and myself as we change our lives and "drop out".

We are a 50 something couple, tired of the rat race, and looking for adventure. 18 months ago we were living in a beautiful big house on over half an acre of land in East Sooke on Vancouver Island. Our 18 year old daughter Miranda was living in our guest cottage, we were running our small service business, and we thought we were settled.Then things changed. Miranda decided to move back to Edmonton, to be near her friends. Suddenly Marlene and I were alone, in a big house, surrounded by lots of "stuff" that we had accumulated. We were not happy.

When Miranda was a baby, we moved to Israel for a while (just in time for the first Gulf War). We had a lot of experiences, both good and bad, and we learned to live by our wits. By the time we returned to Canada we had developed and "edge", and lived our lives by our own rules. Then, over time, we became complacent, we made some money and we started to live like everyone around us: we bought lots of "stuff", we did the accepted things, we followed the rules. Boring.
Well, now that Miranda is set up on her own in Edmonton, we decided to sell our business, sell our home, and "drop out" of society. We are going to try to get back our "edge", and have some real experiences. Our goal is to buy an RV, and find out just how cheap we can live while travelling the U.S. and Mexico.

We invite you to follow along as we pursue our dream. You never know, you might also get the bug to simplify your life and concentrate on having fun too.

Friday, May 8, 2009
Marlene and I have been shopping for an RV. We've decided we like a Class C style motorhome, with slide outs. We saw a very nice Sunseeker motorhome which will suit our purposes nicely. It has the over-cab entertainment centre we like, as well as TONS of storage. All the features we like are there, except for an easy chair. It is a 2007 model with only 18,000 Km on it. A bit on the expensive side at $55,000, but maybe there's a deal to be done.Posted by Mike and Marlene
Wednesday, May 20, 2009Well, our shopping continues! We have seen so many RV's now that they are all looking alike. Having studied many class C units, we think they are just too small to live in, so we have now focused on Class A motorhomes. We've developed a list of requirements:1. At least 32 ft. Long
2. At least 2 slide outs, living room and bedroom
3. Large kitchen counter
4. LOTS of storage inside and in the basement
5. Dual Air conditioners
And a list of "like to haves":
1. Washer/ dryer or set up for them
2. Auto levelling
3. Satellite dish
4. Leather seating
So far we've found one machine in our price range with a lot of the features we need and want. It's a 2001 Georgie Boy Landau with 38,000 miles. Has the V10 Ford chassis. Not sure about that, because I prefer GM. Marlene wants to have another look at it this week.We have also been sorting out our travel plans. We will probably go to Phoenix in July, for a shake down run of our RV, and also to look at properties that we can make money with. We expect to be away for a month at most. This should teach us what we need to add to our RV, and what works and doesn't work for us when on the road.Our next trip will be for the winter, leaving before the end of October, returning to visit our daughter in May or June. We'll travel the lower U.S. states and into Mexico.

Saturday , August 1, 2009

Well, it’s been a long time since we last reported here. Since our last post we purchased the used 2001 Georgie Boy Landau motorhome that we liked. It's 34' long, with a living room/ diner slide-out and a bedroom slide-out. We really like the floorplan, and the tons of storage in this machine. It felt like home when we first saw it.This motorhome has the Ford F53 chassis with V10 engine and 4 speed transmission. I expect it to do about 10 MPG on the highway.

Once we had our motorhome, we had to find a way to take a "dinghy" vehicle with us. We looked at trailers (too big), flat towing (would have to buy another vehicle), and finally decided on a tow dolly to carry Marlene's Toyota Echo. Kind of expensive, but cheaper than another vehicle and flat tow set-up.With our equipment needs met, proceeded to outfit the rig. Not easy to know what you'll need until you have a little experience, but we did our best. We also decided to take the rig to the mountains (Banff) for a few days as a shakedown run.

The trip to Banff was great fun, even though the weather wasn't great. Only got 9 MPG though. Everything seemed to work fine, and we found Georgie Boy very comfortable. Time to start planning our first trip.In the end, we decided to go to Las Vegas to look at foreclosed properties, and perhaps buy one. Then we'd go on to the Grand Canyon, followed by a few days at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah for speed week racing.

July 13th. we hit the road, excited but a bit nervous. Our little dog Ben had suffered the indignities of grooming and vet visits for this, but he seemed to really like travelling in the motorhome. Our goal for the first day was to get to Taber, AB where we'd spend the night at a Walmart parking lot. The drive was fine until shortly before Taber, where we ran into a HUGE windstorm. The rig was barely controllable. We were able to get off the highway, and park alongside a wall for some shelter. As the storm passed we continued into Taber, and found a parking spot at Walmart. Mileage 40873 miles. A couple of other RV's also were there, as well as several semi-trailer trucks. At 9:00 p.m. the security guy went around and chased off the trucks, but left us RV'rs alone.

July 14th. the weather was a bit better as we headed for the border crossing at Coutts. A couple of quick questions and a scan of passports and we were welcomed politely to the USA. Our goal today is Butte, Montana where we have a reservation at a KOA campground. Filled up with gas: 50 gallons for $130. We arrived on schedule in Butte, and found the KOA to be a nice place. Marlene definitely liked the layout, and the cleanliness, and the little stream running through it. Mileage 41115 miles.

July 15th. we got an early start, and headed down the I-15, goal today Springville, Utah. A long drive, but we felt up to it. Gassed up in Pocatello, Idaho: 40 Gallons for $100. Unfortunately, we hit the Salt Lake City area at rush hour, and for miles and miles we fought gridlocked traffic. Had no idea the size of the metropolitan Salt Lake area. By the time we made it to the Walmart in Springville we were beat. Mileage 41603 miles. Marlene wanted to start cooking, but guess what... no onions. So into Walmart we go to buy a few things. Shock... groceries cost as much here as back home! Marlene made one of her usual great dinners, we relaxed with some wine and watched videos, and turned in early. Several other RV's were overnighting here.

July 16th. we decided to make it a short drive, so we headed for Cedar City, Utah. Made a reservation at the KOA there. On the way, we spotted a small sign that said "Historic Fort", so with a short drive for the day we decided to detour a bit and have a look. It turned out to be a restored pioneer way station built in 1867 and lovingly restored by the Mormon church. Had a very interesting guided tour, followed by a nice lunch catered by the McGuiver of the kitchen, Marlene. It was hot there (about 90 degrees) so we fired up the generator and air conditioners for a bit, and they cooled things down. After luch we got back on I-15 and headed toward Cedar City, where we found the KOA (thanks to the GPS). Marlene was not so pleased with this one, but I found it to be clean and well run, just not as picturesque. Mileage 41801 miles.

July 17th. and our last day on the road for a while. We left early and headed to Vegas. Temperature is rising, and the dash air on the rig keeps cutting out. We stop in Mesquite, Nevada for gas and the temp is over 100 degrees. We fire up the generator and air conditioning again. At the gas station there is a tour bus stopped for lunch. All these geezers buying fake coonskin hats and stupid sunglasses at high prices! We continue on, and arrive in Vegas in the late afternoon. Found the Sams Town RV park, but the GPS took us on a stupid route! sometimes a map is better. Mileage 41974 miles. We hook up the rig, and Marlene gets out her ornaments and things to make it "homey" for our extended stay here. We check out Sams Town hotel, and find it quite nice. It is HOT here!

July 18th. we decide to take the free shuttle bus to Harrah's on the strip. Nothing much has changed on the strip, but the prices are rising. The crowds are thick, and the heat is oppressive. We decide to check out the prices in restaurants, looking for any deals. All we find is steaks for $40 to $50, soups for $12, and other ridiculous prices. It amazes us how people are LINING UP to pay those prices. Thought there is a recession! After wandering around and drinking a couple of 99 cent frozen margaritas, we catch the bus back to our gloriously airconditioned rig.July 19th. we stuck close to the RV park, checked out the other hotel next door, and went shopping at the Walmart across the street. We also went to Albertsons grocery store and bought a whole bunch of liquor at ridiculously low prices. Then we drank some...

July 20th. its time to start looking for properties. We contact a realtor, and she tells us they don't show foreclosures, just tell people "like us" to drive by the listings spat out by the computer, and if we see anything we like she'll try to show it. Get this same speech from 3 realtors; 4 others never return our calls. Guess they are making too much money or something. We start driving around town, looking at these properties. We have a list of 31 to start with. It is difficult and frustrating. So many of the places are wrecked, and the others are in terrible neighbourhoods. Also, Marlene's car has NO AIRCONDITIONING!!!We spend several days driving around looking at crappy places, getting very discouraged.

Time for a break, so we take the free shuttle downtown, and have a fun time on Fremont Street. Marlene and I prefer the downtown hotels and atmosphere to the overblown, overpriced and over-hyped places on the strip. Downtown is celebrating "Summer of '69" an era close to our own hearts. Hotel staff are dressed in tie-dyed shirts, and bands on the street are playing music from the '60's. We decide to take a couple of days to relax. Marlene does not like the heat. The airconditioning in the rig works O.K., but the fridge is having a hard time keeping up with the outside temps.