Elepent

The summer tourist season wound down, and the temperatures in the Black Hills dropped steadily.  We got ready to leave the Big Pine with the last of the summer campers, and seemed to run right into the real world as we left.  An early snowstorm sprinkled flakes over Custer as we headed south.  The snow and cold weather didn’t affect us much, but the accompanying windstorm certainly did!  As we rolled south past Hot Springs and into Wyoming, vicious winds ripping across the plains broadsided the Incorrigible, making it difficult to keep the vehicle in its lane.  This was merely annoying, until a particularly powerful gust tore our awning open. Continue reading

The Incorrigible’s our house, and who leaves their house alone?  Constant redecoration and upgrading are a part of having your own place.

After the mud of Michigan and Nashville followed by the dust of Austin and the sand of Baker (not to mention who knows how much dreck before we owned it), our Dolphin’s carpet was starting to look like it’d be more appropriate in a crackhouse than our house.

So, in a fit of pique one weekend, we ripped it out.  This was not an easy task, but this was no small fit of pique, either.  Removing an RV’s carpet requires, in addition to the usual carpet-pulling exertions, unbolting the furniture from the floor.  Our couch was held in place by eleven large bolts that go into the under-storage.  A lot of crawling around outside was required to negotiate them loose, but we were rewarded with a bare wood floor.

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As we contemplate our second winter in the RV, we’re naturally looking back to last winter, and considering all of the things we learned from that experience.  Full-timing presents a special challenge, especially if you’re not planning to hie yourself immediately to the bottom of Florida or Arizona on the first of October.  We spent most of last winter closer to the middle of the country (you know, where they have weather) and it’s looking like this winter’s going to be the same.  With that in mind, I thought I’d throw together a few Things They Might Not Have Told You about staying in your RV in cold climates: Continue reading