After all the fun we had at last year’s Rubber Tramp Rendevous (RTR) in Quartzsite, it was an easy decision for us to attend the 2018 RTR as well. This year’s event was another huge success, despite the many challenges for the organizers that go along with the growing popularity of the gathering. We reconnected with friends we made last year and enjoyed making new […]
Getting unstuck in Sun Valley in preparation for the Solar Eclipse!
No better location to watch the Great Solar Eclipse than a place called Sun Valley! Right? Actually, we did have other plans, but you know what they say about best laid plans and such… We were going to head up to the Redfish Lake area of the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, where we would have enjoyed well over 2 min of totality, pretty close to the maximum possible in […]
One year of FIRE in NUMBERS!
Today is my one year FIRE anniversary. WOW, one year! The first of many, hopefully! A few days ago I wrote about my experience and some of my observations during this first year. Today I want to follow up with some good ole quantitative measurements. Yeah for numbers. Fire ONE year in: National Parks / National Monuments visited: 26 When we started full time RVing, visiting […]
FIRE almost one year in: Spoiler Alert: It’s not a sabbatical!
On August 19th 2016, I sent an email to all work related contacts, informing them I was taking a yearlong sabbatical. After changing my out of office reply and voice mail along the same lines, I handed over my company cell phone, laptop computer, passwords and a bunch of other work related stuff to my colleagues later that day and said goodbye. No farewell party, […]
Finding financial advice in unexpected places!
Today TDA and I visited Mount Rushmore National Memorial. It has been on my places-I-want-to-visit-list for a very long time. We leisurely strolled along the trail that took us to the artist studio via various viewing platforms and made it back to the visitor centre just in time when a major hailstorm came in. We usually enjoy looking at exhibits thoroughly and learning about the history […]
Slab City, the last free place on earth? Go with an open mind or don’t bother going!
Last year in October we spent a few days in Slab City. I have been wanting to see it in person ever since I read about it many years ago. It has also been featured in “Into the Wild” and a bunch of other stories, so yes, I was curious and it was on my bucket list. But I wanted to stay there for a longer […]
How to save money on gas! My favorite savings hack to get 20% off at the gas station!
Let’s face it, at 7 miles per gallon Harry, our Holiday Rambler Vacationer, is not exactly a fuel saving miracle. With his 75 gallon gas tank he always seems to be thirsty. This is something you have to come to terms with, driving an RV. The guy who sold us Harry, claimed he was getting 12 miles a gallon. Yeah, wishful thinking. Not even downhill […]
Socializing in the middle of nowhere – Making friends on the road
When we started out on our nomad life, I was a bit worried I’d miss my friends while on the road. I don’t make new connections that easily and when you are nomadic, it’s even harder to do. Most of my close friends I have known for a long time and even though we are spread over different parts of the world and don’t see […]
RV travelling with Cats!
My cats and I have recently downsized from a 4 bedroom house into an RV with my DH (who actually upgraded from a much smaller 19ft RV into our new-to-us joint 32 ft home). My biggest concern was not the downsizing itself, but how my cats would adapt to the change. Before moving, I did some research on the topic. There are a lot of people out […]
Saving money on groceries while RVing full time
As I previously mentioned, I used to be a enthusiastic coupon shopper. I would get great deals even on fruits and veggies through strategic shopping, although most people think coupons are mostly for processed stuff. Since the recent changes in store policies (many stores stopped doubling coupons or accepting competitor coupons) plus my recent changes in lifestyle (RV living = reduced space, no more fixed address […]