Beginning
50
So I just turned 50. Wow, how did that happen so fast? For several years I've dreamed and planned of selling everything, buying an RV, and traveling the country. I'm finally living my dream, and this blog will chronicle my journey. Please feel free to share it with anyone who may be interested. It may be a bit slow at first, but the adventure will begin soon enough, along with the great stories I'll have to tell. Please feel free to post comments or ask questions.
The Past
A year ago, I retired from the Air Force after 28 years. It was a great experience; I lived all over the world and met some awesome people, many of which I'm still in touch with today. After retirement I got a job as a defense contractor. While I absolutely loved the work, the leadership left much to be desired, especially in light of the awesome supervisors of my last few jobs. For the last few months, the balance between loving the job and not loving the work environment had more and more tipped toward the latter. Last week I came to the conclusion it's just not worth it to be this frustrated so I actually did it! I turned in my letter of resignation and left the rat race behind. Now is the time to live my dream...
The Flood
Hurricane Irene roared up the east coast the last few days of August 2011, leaving extensive flood and wind damage. A few days later we were treated to Tropical Storm Lee. The National Weather Service reported 7.03 inches of rain in 3 hours at Ft. Belvoir, 5.47 inches in the Franconia area, and 6.57 inches in Reston. The resulting flooding in Northern Virginia led to four deaths. In Fairfax County, Virginia, VDOT estimated up to $10 million of damage to roads and bridges. Two storms, so close together, left us with just too much water.
I lived downhill from Ft. Belvoir, so guess where all that water went? My neighbors and I were standing in the hallway watching the storm. It was almost a party atmosphere, we were all laughing and joking around. As the water rose in the parking lot, some tenants moved their car to higher ground. It seemed like everyone was outside watching the storm. When the mattress floated by, we stopped laughing and wondered just how high it would get. When the water level hit the door jam we realized we were in big trouble. As I was rushing to put towels in front of the door to keep the water from seeping in, I noticed it was flowing in like a river, from the two sliding glass doors. The water level on my back porch was about 8 inches above floor level. When it began seeping in through the walls, I gave up trying to keep it out and moved to trying to save my stuff. In the end, I lost all of my furniture but saved the vast majority of my belongings. The water in the parking lot was waist deep, so also lost my car. My apartment complex had 30 flooded apartments, mine being lucky enough to be one of the worst. I don't know how many cars were lost, but there were tow trucks in the parking lot for a week after. One car had been moved up against a neighbors porch, taking out an AC unit in the process.
As I was sitting on a hotel trying to decide what to do next, my thoughts kept turning to the RV. My original plan was to work for another 2 years and save the money to buy a 5th wheel and truck. But now I thought, there will never be a better opportunity. Why buy new furniture and a new vehicle only to get rid of it in 2 years. By getting the RV and truck now, I could save a fortune by living in it and shorten the amount of time till I could begin traveling. So I bought a 2011 Dodge Ram 2500 and a 2012 Forest River Wildcat 313RE and absolutely LOVE IT.
I moved to an RV park and couldn't be happier. The residents all have the same wanderlust in their eyes, and most have actually traveled quite a bit. They have been wonderful and have given me many tips on RVing. Most I would have learned on my own, but how nice to learn from their mistakes and not have to make them myself. They have proven to be much friendlier the neighbors in my apartment complex. I lived there for 6 years and it wasn't until the last 6 months that I made any friends there.
Reality
OK, plan A was to work for another 18 months to pay off the truck and camper. That didn't happen, so on to plan B. (I also have a plan C, D...) I'll have to work my way across country instead of just traveling. This is the PBJ version until I can get the truck paid off. Did I mention its a fully loaded work truck bought specifically to be able to tow the 5th wheel anywhere? That sure doesn't come cheap, but I do love my truck!
Right now, (and it could change), I plan to leave Virginia on 13 February. I want to hang out in Florida, visiting family, diving, and sitting on a beach for a month or so. During that time, I'll look for a work kamp job. Let me explain, work kamp is where you work in a park or resort. You can work part time and get your site free, or full time for an added pay check. Granted it's not much money, but I don't need much since my retirement check covers most of my expenses. The thought of spending the summer working in Yellowstone or Yosemite, or Alaska just makes me tingle all over! I'll likely end up in Reno, at least for the winter. I have excellent friends there, my brother is in Utah , my best friend is in Texas, and I have numerous friends and family in Oregon.
So, that is my blog entry for the day. I promise they will get more entertaining, this one just sets the stage!
So I just turned 50. Wow, how did that happen so fast? For several years I've dreamed and planned of selling everything, buying an RV, and traveling the country. I'm finally living my dream, and this blog will chronicle my journey. Please feel free to share it with anyone who may be interested. It may be a bit slow at first, but the adventure will begin soon enough, along with the great stories I'll have to tell. Please feel free to post comments or ask questions.
The Past
A year ago, I retired from the Air Force after 28 years. It was a great experience; I lived all over the world and met some awesome people, many of which I'm still in touch with today. After retirement I got a job as a defense contractor. While I absolutely loved the work, the leadership left much to be desired, especially in light of the awesome supervisors of my last few jobs. For the last few months, the balance between loving the job and not loving the work environment had more and more tipped toward the latter. Last week I came to the conclusion it's just not worth it to be this frustrated so I actually did it! I turned in my letter of resignation and left the rat race behind. Now is the time to live my dream...
The Flood
Hurricane Irene roared up the east coast the last few days of August 2011, leaving extensive flood and wind damage. A few days later we were treated to Tropical Storm Lee. The National Weather Service reported 7.03 inches of rain in 3 hours at Ft. Belvoir, 5.47 inches in the Franconia area, and 6.57 inches in Reston. The resulting flooding in Northern Virginia led to four deaths. In Fairfax County, Virginia, VDOT estimated up to $10 million of damage to roads and bridges. Two storms, so close together, left us with just too much water.
I lived downhill from Ft. Belvoir, so guess where all that water went? My neighbors and I were standing in the hallway watching the storm. It was almost a party atmosphere, we were all laughing and joking around. As the water rose in the parking lot, some tenants moved their car to higher ground. It seemed like everyone was outside watching the storm. When the mattress floated by, we stopped laughing and wondered just how high it would get. When the water level hit the door jam we realized we were in big trouble. As I was rushing to put towels in front of the door to keep the water from seeping in, I noticed it was flowing in like a river, from the two sliding glass doors. The water level on my back porch was about 8 inches above floor level. When it began seeping in through the walls, I gave up trying to keep it out and moved to trying to save my stuff. In the end, I lost all of my furniture but saved the vast majority of my belongings. The water in the parking lot was waist deep, so also lost my car. My apartment complex had 30 flooded apartments, mine being lucky enough to be one of the worst. I don't know how many cars were lost, but there were tow trucks in the parking lot for a week after. One car had been moved up against a neighbors porch, taking out an AC unit in the process.
As I was sitting on a hotel trying to decide what to do next, my thoughts kept turning to the RV. My original plan was to work for another 2 years and save the money to buy a 5th wheel and truck. But now I thought, there will never be a better opportunity. Why buy new furniture and a new vehicle only to get rid of it in 2 years. By getting the RV and truck now, I could save a fortune by living in it and shorten the amount of time till I could begin traveling. So I bought a 2011 Dodge Ram 2500 and a 2012 Forest River Wildcat 313RE and absolutely LOVE IT.
I moved to an RV park and couldn't be happier. The residents all have the same wanderlust in their eyes, and most have actually traveled quite a bit. They have been wonderful and have given me many tips on RVing. Most I would have learned on my own, but how nice to learn from their mistakes and not have to make them myself. They have proven to be much friendlier the neighbors in my apartment complex. I lived there for 6 years and it wasn't until the last 6 months that I made any friends there.
Reality
OK, plan A was to work for another 18 months to pay off the truck and camper. That didn't happen, so on to plan B. (I also have a plan C, D...) I'll have to work my way across country instead of just traveling. This is the PBJ version until I can get the truck paid off. Did I mention its a fully loaded work truck bought specifically to be able to tow the 5th wheel anywhere? That sure doesn't come cheap, but I do love my truck!
Right now, (and it could change), I plan to leave Virginia on 13 February. I want to hang out in Florida, visiting family, diving, and sitting on a beach for a month or so. During that time, I'll look for a work kamp job. Let me explain, work kamp is where you work in a park or resort. You can work part time and get your site free, or full time for an added pay check. Granted it's not much money, but I don't need much since my retirement check covers most of my expenses. The thought of spending the summer working in Yellowstone or Yosemite, or Alaska just makes me tingle all over! I'll likely end up in Reno, at least for the winter. I have excellent friends there, my brother is in Utah , my best friend is in Texas, and I have numerous friends and family in Oregon.
So, that is my blog entry for the day. I promise they will get more entertaining, this one just sets the stage!
Congratulations! You are living my dream, hopefully I will someday, but in the meantime thanks for sharing. Good luck and you are awesome.
ReplyDeleteS.
I cant wait to read more:!!! Good luck!!!!
ReplyDelete