Hello all RV Dreamers.  I am Adam of Adam and Karen.  Along with our Doberman Pinscher, Freyja, we are getting ready to begin our full-time RV dream in the spring of 2015.  The eight months will pass faster than I realize, se we have a lot of work to do.

Our dream to RV full-time began in April, 2008.  That month, I learned the auto dealership I had worked at for eleven years was being sold to a competitor in town and, since the other dealership already had a finance manger, I would no longer have a job.  I also learned my vision had reached the point that I was legally blind.  We were down to one child left at home, and she was a senior in high school, so the thoughts of hitting the highway crossed our minds.

I eventually went back to work on a part-time basis, but decided to pursue a dream of writing a novel.  The result is "Barely Retired", the story of Carter and Connie Sykes, a small city detective and a nurse, who, upon retiring, embark on a risque adventure, in their 5th wheel, of course, and unearth a murder.  From there, their adventure really begins.

As much of "Barely Retired" was written while Karen and I were camping, I realized I can write from anywhere; and realized our camping adventures will give me more fodder to dream up new characters and situations; not that my warped imagination needs any help.

Karen is our driver.  She is the world's greatest "backer-upper".  One of my favorite things is to pull into a campground and watch a;; the ultra-macho men flock over to help "that girl" park that camper.  I try to tell them she is the best there is, but they don't listen.  Before long, their wives are laughing at them, asking them why they can't park their rig as good as "that woman" parks hers. 

Karen and I have camped throughout our married life.  Our first "house" was an Lakota tipi, which we lived in while I was in college.  We tent camped, then moved to pop-ups for 10 years, then to a couple of 24 foot travel trailers, and now to the 32 foot Dutchmen 30RL we plan to call home.  Our tow vehicle is a 2011 Chevrolet 2500HD extended cab with the 6.0 liter gas engine.  From an economic standpoint, I just couldn't justify the additional cost of a diesel, with the higher price of diesel fuel negating its increased efficency.  Our setup won't ever be the fanciest on the road, but then, we ain't (word chosen carefully) the fanciest people on the road either

We travel with our Doberman, Freyja, who I have trained to be my guide dog.  Freyja's worst trait is that she is too friendly.  She truly believes it is the role of each human being to show the goddess all the attention she wants and deserves.  But I know if we walk a campground a couple of times, she will learn her way around and get me back to our camper safely.  I would be lost without her.

We have a lot to do over the next eight months; get solar on the camper, rig up a couple of jacks for ham radio antennas, make a few repairs to the house so it is ready to rent, wind up our jobs, oh, and finish my second novel, "Barely Home: Back to the Hills".  But this past weekend, while relaxing and reading in the Dutchmen, Karen said, "I am so ready to do this."  That makes two of us.  Hope to see y'all on the road.

Welcome Adam and Karen - and Freyja too!

Good to see another "class of 2015" couple so excited to hit the road. Your story is a great one!

Always fun to see another woman primary driver out there too .

Join our Dreamers Class of 2015 thread (Search above) when you get a minute.

Jodee

 Yes I believe you have enough knowledge to be a afiacondo!  This Forum and the members are great people. I am off the road now living in a fiver. May search for a teardrop to pull behind my Ranger truck for some 3-5 day camping/fishing excursions.