PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic MLK had his dream: I have mine

I made a decision over the last couple of weeks that is truly going to be life changing. I don't use that kind of term loosely, so this truly will be life changing for me.

As I have been doing renovations and upgrades to my house, all with an eye on selling next year and moving, I realized that about 45% of my monthly income has been going into the house. 45%!! Mortgage, utilities, cable/internet... throw the car payment in there, and credit cards, and I have no money to do anything other than work on the house. To sell it.

Well, I am 99% sure I am going to get drastic and make a life adjustment. Since I really don't play anymore, I have started selling off my gear. 3 keyboards (of 7) and a rack piece are gone already. Another rack piece will be seen tomorrow. All the money I make on that stuff is going to a separate bank account. That bank account will be earmarked for a Class C motor home, and by a year from now I plan to be living on the road for the rest of my time on earth. It will be a change to live in 160 sq ft, but my life is so full of excesses and repetitions (7 keyboards?) that paring down is a good idea.

I retired 17 days after I turned 62. The idea was that I would travel. I want to walk in both oceans. I want to see the Grand Canyon. I want to walk my dog on the trails of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I want to spend winters in Arizona and summers in the mountains. It is the house and related bills keeping me from doing that. I can either do "the house" or I can do "the travel", but not both. I have been pricing used motor homes, researching solar power, wifi and cellular amplifiers, talking to friends that I never met who have been doing this for 25 years. The concept of solar power for those times I am not near civilization is not really all that difficult to grasp. 2 panels on the roof, feeding 2 pairs of 6v AMG deep cycle golf cart batteries wired in series to become 12v, and a good 1000w pure sine wave inverter will cost me about $1000. That means $1000 for my electric power forever, vs the $75 a month I pay here. With no oceans and mountains. Just a couch. I'll take my 32" flat panel into the motor home, change to unlimited data, and stream TV from my laptop via Chromecast. I also have a Firestick and a Roku (another repetition).

I remember the drive and passion I had when I was working on my CD. I have the same kind of passion for this right now, and I hope it doesn't fade. Winters in Arizona, New Mexico or Florida, summers in TN, SC, NC... sounds like a life I will love. And worst case, if I hate it after a year or so, I can always settle back down somewhere.

So I have a lot to do. Computers I do not use need to be sold, etc. I have a year but some of this stuff can start going right now and the money go into the RV fund. All of you PG people around the country, beware!! I will be pulling into your yard in a couple of years! LOL!!

That sounds like fun, Eddie. Best of success!

Eddie:

All the best in your new adventure.
We have a Class C motorhome and guess where we winter?
Yup, Arizona.
Let me know if you end up there next winter. Perhaps we can Jam a bit.

LLOYD S

I'm gonna go ahead and congratulate you. That's a goal worth working for and following through on. I currently own a tagalong but between my wife and I, we have had a Class A, Class C and three other tag along's. I'm no expert but certainly a been there, done that kind of guy.

For extended time in an RV as you're thinking of, I recommend you also consider a fifth wheel and truck. Since you are considering a used class C, a fifth wheeler will also make sense. With careful shopping, you can find a decent truck at a decent price. You can buy more living space and better home amenities with a fifth wheeler than you can with any other option. Full size refrigerator and Washer/Dryer come to mind as does storage. Plus you have the added benefit of mobility when you are parked somewhere. Yes, you can tow a car with a C class or A class but it costs you in extra fuel pulling the extra load plus possibly another car payment as well as increased insurance.

Over time, I think you'll come to appreciate the added height of a fifth wheeler plus even the mid range models are equipped with washer/dryer hookups. Look at models that have large front storage doors as well. Many models now also are equipped with a desk area set up for computers and they have spacious storage and are quite comfortable. In warm climate areas when the weather is hot, don't underestimate the joy of a ceiling fan... or an outdoor kitchen in warm weather climates.

To me, fifth wheelers are easier to pull than tagalongs and easier to maneuver than a class A or Class C. I believe you and your dog will be more comfortable if you land somewhere and want to stay a month or more. Like in Myrtle Beach....

Plus, if you ever have vehicle trouble, you still have a place to stay that's cheaper than a hotel and safer than a girlfriend's while the vehicle is in the shop. A consideration worth noting when you buy used..... even low mileage.

Just some suggestions to consider. It sounds like a smart move to me.

Charlie

Eddie, you are welcome to visit us in Colorado Springs - but we have no place for a Class C on our street! Are you going to buy a buzz-bomb car to tow behind it? If I recall, you are former military - the campground at the Air Force Academy here in the Springs is top notch. And there's always the Wal-Mart parking lot a mile away (I think they allow some amount of overnighting at this one)

Eddie,

Consolidating, saving and planning to follow your dream next year is admirable. I hope you'll periodically update this thread as how you are proceeding toward reaching your goal.

Good for you Eddie! A minimalistic life style is a dream for me!

Yes! Indeed, with pictures

SO many positive comments!! But then again, look where I am. This forum is filled with nothing BUT positive people, I look back at my time here and remember how many people accepted me when frustration set in and I came off as angry, how many people were supportive, to the point of an anonymous user buying me an expansion pack when I couldn't afford it (but I deduced who it was and thanked him), how many bought my Cd... you guys and gals are the best.

Charlie, I probably won't go 5th wheel because that would be a rather major expense, and I am working on a shoestring here. Tricking out whatever I buy with solar, a cell signal booster system, and all of that... another consideration is size. I want to spend a good deal of time in places where a 5th wheel won't go, either for size or weight. I have seen, and can do, great things with a GMC Savana. I got specs and pictures of one and am already designing my bed in the back over the wheel wells high enough for the dog's cage to go underneath, how and where the TV and sound bar will go, the size of table I can make to house the 2 burner propane stove and stainless steel bowl that will be a sink, water storage... 2 computers under the bed as well, one with movies on it (I have over 500 on there already and another 250 to rip from DVDs), another with the music software... I have really thought a lot of this out already, and I am a year away! I'll buy a Planet Fitness membership for $20 a month to have access to showers (and maybe even ride a bike some!!), and with the Firestick and streaming TV over unlimited cellular, I'll have the entertainment covered. I have such a long list of bookmarks already for things I want to get, like the canvas sided wagon to push the dog around in since she can't walk all that far anymore, the insulated umbrella so she has a place to lay on the beach.... I have spent probably 60 hours already just on youtube videos, taking notes, drawing sketches... I plan to actually upload videos to my youtube channel that is pretty much empty right now. This is truly MY time now, and I am wasting it sitting in a house that is too big for one guy and a dog and is taking almost half my money, while also keeping me grounded here.

As far as the vehicle itself, my thought process is this. I am not building a vehicle to sit in. I am building a vehicle to comfortably get me from place to place. I will live more outside than inside. The whole western half of this country is just gorgeous. Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico (or Nuevo Mehico if you will).. I have never been to Moab. Now I will finally visit. I can be in Austin for SXSW, and take my house with me. And Bonnaroo. And Coachella. And Floydfest. And Merlefest. and Burning Man. And Lollapalooza. Not that I'd go to all of them, but knowing that I CAN go to them.... That is a freedom I have never felt. 4 years after retiring I am still running on the hamster wheel. No more.

And thanks to technology, I can take all of you with me!

Good for you Eddie. What a great ambition. I have no doubt this will be an amazing and rewarding adventure. Go for it.

I understand your point Eddie. No doubt you've put in the necessary thought and know your situation and wishes best. Others just like you have achieved the same dream with no more than a motorcycle and backpack. It's certainly doable.

The important thing is to live out your dream.


Charlie

All I need is room for that double neck when I come through town and steal it....

I feel inspired by your dream, Eddie! If you make this happen within the next year, it will be just in time for Merlefest 2018. Just sayin'.

Wow Eddie! You got me excited man, best to you!

I love your plan.

All that's left is for you to buy my Les Paul 70's Tribute model!

Well, not ALL that's left... still a pile of gear to sell but things are moving. I want to shop for this vehicle and get exactly what I want with plenty of time to work on it and make it my own. Get all this done and start dropping in on my PG peeps!!

On a related note I found that solar equipment and cellular signal amplifiers are expensive.... LOL!

Very cool idea. We just bought a farm last year so we're also in the process of a major life change. We've lived in this house since shortly after we got married back in 83.... raised 2 girls in it, and invested our blood sweat and tears in it. Shortly, we'll be selling it after fixing it up.

The farm is our retirement home, situated on 28+ acres of mostly wooded land with 2 streams and lots of solitude. Our modular home is being delivered on Tuesday, May 9 and we'll be downsizing from this large one we have now. Going from 2400 sqft to 1920 sqft. Hence the reason my studio is a converted shed.

So.... a few years back, I was on a mission trip in Argentina with a married couple from Atlanta area. They said something about traveling in that manner at some future point. About a year after we got back, they made it happen. They sold the house and all the furniture and bought a nice motor coach. Hooked up a custom trailer that carried 2 motorcycles and hit the road. He quit his job but the company didn't want to lose his skills so they set him up to do phone tech support on a P/T basis on his schedule as he wanted to work. Laptop & phone provided by the company, and an internet connection was all he needed. They traveled this way for many years. They settled back down for a time due to some medical issues but just announced on FB that they are back on the road again. They tend to go places and stay for a month or more depending how well they like it. Ocean front cliff on the pacific, mountain view in the Smoky Mts, open praries, whatever they feel like next is where they go.

With a small, bare bones studio rig running from a laptop with a good interface and a mic, you can write music anywhere and still post here and keep in touch and make us all jealous with the view out your front door.

I'll be setting on my back deck, enjoying the sound of the wind in the trees, in the cool shade of the evening with a pair of steaks on the grill, a cold one or two in my hand, and relishing in the solitude of the woods with my wife and my dog as company.


When you hit the road, keep in touch and send pictures.

I plan to be uploading videos to youtube and will somewhere start a shared photo album. Maybe on imagr or one of those. I think I did Picasa last time but I think they are gone. It may be just my Instagram.

Congratulations on your next new life Eddie.

After owning several RVs my wife and I decided we no longer want an RV that has a transmission, radiator, fuel pump, drive shaft, engine, differential, etc... A few years ago we sold off our last money pit and bought a GMC suburban with a 350 engine and a 24 ft Layton pull trailer. Very simple and comfortable set up. Up and down mountains in Southern California with ease. The Suburban trans, cooling system, fuel system, etc.. have had no expense issues at all. It's a 1999 model with 140k miles. The minimal repairs needed to the Suburban and the Trailer were so small I don't even remember what they were. The ability to leave the trailer and take day trips in the 'burb" were fantastic.
We live in Coachella Valley CA where it hits 115 Fahrenheit for a good 3 months straight and spend most of our weekends in the nearby mountains 6500 elevation and above. I'm still working 11 months a year. Two years ago we ended up getting a permanent annual spot at Thousand Trails Idyllwild (Pine Cove) space 334. Sold the trailer for approx. what we had into it. Grabbed a 36 ft 5th wheeler for approx. what we sold the trailer for and put it on out annual spot. We don't have a truck that will pull the 5th wheeler and don't have plans for that just yet. I'm 52. Starting next weekend we will be spending just about every weekend there in Idyllwild until end of August. It's only 55 minutes from our home and 30 degrees cooler. Family and guests come up often. It's a really nice life. We hike a lot and play a lot of music and enjoy many of the events in the campground and nearby town of Idyllwild.
I'm still driving the old Suburban simply because there's next to no cost other than fuel and oil changes and really cheap insurance. Plus, I'll camp in it once in a while or pull a trailer full of quads and dirt bikes.

Enough about me, Eddie, one thing to consider as we get older and start to travel is how to get our prescriptions and medical care. When we did do some traveling that was an issue for us that often hindered schedules and plans. For a time we had doctors in both California and New Mexico.
BTW, I don't recommend you come to Coachella Fest unless you enjoy second hand pot smoke, music that is too loud, poorly mixed and drowned out by too much bass, and dirt and dust sticking to your sweat during the accompanying sand storms that typically occur during March, April and May here in the desert. Every "grown up" I know that has gone has had these and similar complaints. I work at a motorcycle shop. We sell more goggles during Coachella Fest and Stage Coach than the rest of the year. They are perfect for keeping the sand out of your eyes.

Good advice to digest. The vehicle I will buy will be a glorified van rather than a true motorcoach. NOBODY would be safe with me on the road driving a 45 ft vehicle!!! The longest thing I want is an 18 ft van so I can blend in and park overnight on streets. Compiling a list now of places people have reported as good choices. Other than the obvious Walmart, Cabelas, Cracker Barrel types... just give me wifi or good cell signal and I'm good. 400w of solar on the roof should last me if I spend my time in the sunshine. Not necessarily the heat, but teh solar panels don't know if it's hot or not. Just sunny.

My meds would be okay because I can stop into any VA clinic in the country and they will have my records. I'd just need to call my doc and have him put in the refill and I can pick it up anywhere.

And the upside is that if after a year or two I hate it, I can pick a city and settle back down for a few months before wanderlust takes over again. With Direct deposit and Amazon Prime delivering everywhere, it's all good.

Hang in there. 52 will turn into 66 before you know it.

Depending on how handy you are....

Buying a used box truck like U-haul rents and converting the back to living quarters is a possibility too. Vans are small... I was planning to use an old bread truck in that manner but at the time I didn't have the money to do anything. I swapped it to another band for a trailer that had been rolled.

We have a 26' camper. Queen sized bed, table that folds down to sleep more, and bunk beds in the back. Kitchen with double sink, microwave, 4 burner stove and oven, dual power refrigerator (propane and electric) heater and AC, and a bathroom with commode, sink, and shower and a 5 gallon propane hot water heater (enough for a decent shower). It also has a stereo and TV antenna plus cable jack. All the modern conveniences. Nice holding tanks and even a freshwater tank with a pump and a fair amount of storage.

Practically any decent pickup truck can pull it on the highway. I use a Ford F-150. Gas mileage isn't bad and once we're set up, I can run to town to get groceries or down to the lake to go swimming.

You can find these kinds of RV's at bargain prices as people upgrade or get out of the RV lifestyle.