Mobility and Community

I've been following the adventures of Sean and Louise, fulltiming in Odyssey, a 40' Neoplan bus, for quite a long time now.

I remember reading their blog for the first time and thinking "Wow, I'd love to do that... but there's absolutely no way I could." I credit Louise for indirectly getting me out of that mentality. I had so many excuses for not getting on the road, one of which was that my cats would simply tear up the motorhome with their claws. She presented a solution, Softpaws, and helped me realise that there was a solution to all my excuses. Flash forward many months, and here I am, a month and a half before my own fulltiming dream begins!

Sean and Louise are presently volunteering for the Red Cross. Their current blog entries have chronicled their mad dash from Wyoming to Texas, and they're about to be on the move again.

I cannot wait to have this sort of mobility.

When my father was ill, I wanted to move to be closer to him. That wasn't feasible in the amount of time he had left. How nice it would have been to have the freedom to drop my job for a few months, something I could have done had I necessary mobility, to be with him full time!

Or how about those interesting temporary job postings for which I can't apply because moving house wouldn't make financial sense and staff housing wouldn't work because of the catkids?

How about volunteer opportunities during times of disaster?

Or even cases like this week where I realised just how unsafe is the area in which I'm living?

Most of the people I know in the 'real' world are extremely sedentary. They would look at this post and say "Yeah, mobility has its advantages, but you have to give up having a community."

I couldn't disagree more. In just a few short months, I've learned that RVers form a community unto themselves, partly 'real' and partly virtual. I can't wait to compare that sense of community to that which I've experienced in the various places I've lived.

Put It on the View Screen, Lieutenant

Miranda's only fault is that she doesn't come with a back up/rearview camera system. I can barely back up with a car and I won't have any help in guiding me into tight spots. So, I couldn't imagine hitting the road without this device.

Finding one to purchase was quite tough. The electronics stores I visited sold components for the systems, but not whole ones, and the staff wasn't very knowledgeable about these things. I don't have much experience or knowledge of electronic systems, so I didn't want to go the piecemeal route. Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire have complete systems, but they are cheap and not well rated, as well as wireless, which wouldn't work on a 31'+ rig.

Googling, I found some sites offering systems for prices ranging from 350$ to several thousand dollars.

Finally, I went to the Escapees forum I belong to (and where people have been inordinately patient with all my questions!). Someone recommended an eBay seller he's personally dealt with and who has excellent feedback. The cheapest system was 250$ (plus 30$ shipping to Quebec) and seemed very good--weatherproof camera and cable, all the hardware needed, colour monitor, and more. So, I added one more 'officialism' to my list and purchased the system.

The seller also offers side cameras. Since the monitor I purchased can be hooked up to three cameras total, I had a flash of my adding two side cameras to give me a 360 degree view around my coach... not unlike the view screen on the Enterprise!

Installing the camera seems easy enough, all things considered, except, of course, for the part that involves climbing up onto the roof. :-)

Eureka!

Andy Baird is a full-time RVer with a lifestyle that really compares to mine. It was by perusing his site that I became convinced that a class C with rear twin beds is the best layout for me. He's also provided me with great advice on shopping for a class C and how to safely travel with an iMac. Through his site, I could see that he has a lot of really good ideas on how to get organized in a small space. So, when I saw that he offers a CD/download called Eureka! filled with his best RVing tips, I didn't hesitate to purchase it. I wasn't disappointed.

Eureka! is a treasure trove of RVing hints that is basically a full compendium of what this man has found to make RVing life more practical, pleasant, and safe. I've referred to it several times a day since purchase as I build up my 'to buy' list. Like me, Andy doesn't like 'idiot lights' (ie. gauges that tell you something is wrong before you can do anything about it) and has tips for adding information gauges for your engine, fridge, and solar panels, as well as how to upgrade the standard RV tank gauges. Other great advice includes an alternate solution to a doorbell which will make RVing safer, plans for adding many extra linear feet of storage space, and an explanation of electricity in such plain English that I actually understand now what volts, amps, and watts are!

No, this has not been a paid advertisement for Eureka! but Andy has been so much help that I felt he deserved a shout out. Thanks, Andy!