Wow, we still cannot believe an entire year has gone by since Rick retired, we sold the house and everything in it and hit the road! We are now a month into our second year and we can both confidently and passionately say that we love it and have no regrets!!
Has every day been rainbows and unicorns? Hello no, but what lifestyle is? Life is a rollercoaster and we take the ups with the downs but we love this full time RV rollercoaster. Cruisin down the road in our rolling earthquake!
We always are checking the truck and RV to ensure we are staying on top of any issues and fixing them as they come up. Thank goodness Rick is very handy and we are not left to waste away at a RV dealership while we wait for them to fix something. So let's start there...
What have we fixed or updated this year?? Upgrades --We have replaced the micro/conv oven...twice. We had internal circuits and fuses blow. The first time Grand Design shipped us a new one to where we were workamping and the second time we went and bought a nicer Samsung residential unit that fit in our space with an extended warranty. We are currently working with Grand Design on a possible reimbursement. --We replaced our TV's with all Samsung Smart TV's. We also installed a TV in our front bay so we can watch sports and movies outside. The Samsung's also give us the ability to mirror off of our Samsung phones. We have an AT&T unlimited plan and with that, we got a mini Directv Now package that gives us some cable channels and we download channel and sports apps to mirror shows onto our TV screen. That has worked really well and we don't pay for any satellite or other TV packages.
--As you can see in the picture, we also installed Snap Pads on our jacks. They are made from recycled materials and really give a nice big foot pad and in parks that require something under your jacks, these fit the bill. Super easy to put on!
--Early on we were faced with no cell or internet service so we needed to solve for that one quickly. We had no Verizon or AT&T...ohh the horror! LOL We invested in a WeBoost cell booster were able to boost the almost non existent signal we had to something we could use. This baby is not cheap but saved our bacon several times and since I now do some online work as we travel, it is really now a necessity to have a good connection.
--Decorating...or shall we say lack of. I have not done much of anything in this area. I am not sure I want a bunch of stuff that I need to put away and set up again every time we move. We have come to like the simplicity and the quick cleaning around the RV, so we may not do too much decorating. One thing I did want were some pictures. We found a great solution for a family picture wall. We use WallPops frames. Think of them like FatHead stick on/peel off which hold pictures and you can easily switch out pictures. We also then ordered a cute custom family name wall decal on to complete the grouping.
--In the area of comfort, we decided to take the leap and upgrade our RV mattress. We did a good bit of research and went with a Tuft & Needle mattress. We really liked that it had cooling features and a 100 day sleep guarantee. Another plus was that we bought it while in Mesa and it just so happened they had a storefront where you can go and try out the mattresses, hassle free. Super duper bonus, they offered a military discount! After 6 months, we can confidently say that it provides the needed support and for me with my joint replacements, it cradles my hip and shoulder nicely.
--One thing we loved from our previous camper that we immediately did in our new home was to upgrade our showerhead with an Oxygenix showerhead. It really does give you the feel of more water pressure with less water!
Finally, we added an On the Go portable water softener as we find ourself in areas with hard water often. It really is a nice unit that is easy to regen and set up.
Whew...that's alot of stuff, not to mention several are pricey investments, but in the end, that is what they are, investments for our home on wheels. And first year ones at that. The first year is always the most expensive. So from here, we should hopefully have less upgrades...well umm, except for the big one we just had done in Elkhart, but more to come on that in another post coming soon! Repairs We would be lying if we said the rig was perfect and had no issues. However, as rolling earthquakes go, we have been fortunate to have had some minor things that we could repair, besides our one ooops. --While at our first workamping gig at Peninsula State Park in WI, we had a stuck gray dump valve. You can read about how Rick fixed it here. --As we left our first workamping gig , we bent the back left jack and foot. Fortunately we were on our way to the Grand Design rally in Elkhart, IN and they replaced that free of charge for us! They also fixed a couple other minor things for us as well. Read about the repairs and our first rally here.
--When we arrived at our second workamping job in S. IN, we noticed that the living room AC was not operating as well anymore. Rick found the issue with the divider baffle and then tapes all the vents, greatly improving the output. Read about that here.
--During our stay here we also found the electric side of the hot water heater was not working. Rick talked with one of the GD techs online and was able to fix it by replacing the electric side thermostat. --For the rest of 2018 into 2019 we were doing well with just regular maintenance such as servicing the generator for the first time, flushing the water heater and replacing water filters. We even made it across the country on the very bumpy I-10 to AZ without any issues. --March 1st, as we got ready to move from one RV park to another down the street, we uncovered the RV tires to find a flat tire that we must have picked up a nail in AZ somewhere. This was our first time changing a tire on the RV and working with the spare. Read about it here.
--While we wandered around northern AZ, we picked up a stone that cracked the windshield on the truck and had to have that replaced while we were visiting the Grand Canyon.
Looking back over the year and recounting our repairs, we really did not have that many issues. Nothing we couldn't take care of. Thankfully!!! I think some of that comes with the anal vigilance we have in checking everything on every move and throughout our travels. Here's hoping our future years are as good as our year one shakedown!!
Up next, our first year numbers, where we've been, what we saw and where we worked. Thanks for stopping by!!!
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