Theater Seats replaced with Modified Futon

Newly installed and modified futon

April 30, 2019

Hello, and thanks again for reading our blog!  As we briefly noted in our last blog (4/9), we purchased a futon to replace our theater seating.  While the theater seats were fine, on occasion like to lay down, and that is impossible with the theater seats.  And the original "couch/bed" wasn't the size needed for me to lay my 6'5" big frame down on, so that wasn't even considered for this spot.

The original couch we were thinking of getting was way out of our price range - a Love Sac Sactional.  This would have been awesome; as the Sactional would have arrived at our door in many smaller boxes.  They takes very little to set up and could have been anchored to the floor.  Great setup, but cost prohibitive.

So we decided for the time being to go the way of a futon, knowing that the problem with futons is that they are very low to the floor and have a steep rake angle to the back.  Since we are not planning to use the futon as a sleeping bed, we decided to lift it up in height and reduce the posterior angle.  After a lot of thought, we decided to try to use PVC pipe of different sizes to both hold the oblong frame that goes to the floor and to elevate it with inserts in the PVC pipe.

We purchased 3" and 2" PVC piping with the 2" being used for the interior of the three inch to perform the "lift".  Additionally, 1 1/2" piping was needed for the center supports.  It was our thought to also use some aerosol foam insulation between the three and two inch piping to make it a more stable platform.  We lived with the setup (without the spray in foam) for a couple of months to see if we liked how it was sitting, after which, we agreed on a slight modification to increase the rake to the back just about one inch.

The night before the finishing work was to be completed, we thought that since we had a hole saw from the desk project, why not use a round piece of wood as the top of the interior stack.  We believed that this would help produce a more stable platform for the futon legs to sit on.  On April 27th, modification work on the PVC started with the cutting of some 5/8" plywood with the 3" hole saw and another test fitting.  

All 6 of the lifts being painted, the two center lifts are being held up by their little brother lifts

With the additional 5/8", the back part of the futon's lift would have to drop a little more.  Once we were happy with the result, we started gluing the PVC parts; spaying the foam insulation between the pieces (not as easy as thought!); installing the wood platforms and painting.

Painted PVC lifts with wood platform and some spray insulation showing

If you notice, the bases are actually PVC toilet flanges with the center parts intact.  These flanges are sturdy and provide holes for mounting screws to help secure everything to the slide out floor.

The final product looks pretty good, not perfect, but definitely workable.  We are still considering whether we should spray foam up to the top of the PVC pipe and paint it the same color.  We may put a cloth bed sham around it in the future.

We are happy with the outcome.  The modifications done too our fifth wheel are not for everyone, but this is our home and the mods make it feel more like "home"

Let us know your thoughts, and until next time, God Bless!

New RV Batteries and Dog lookout post added!

April 9, 2019

Buddy on Watch Duty!

While I apologize for the delay in writing, to be honest, we just have been living life with friends and family for the most part.  In March was filled with rain and storms, one that left us without power for over 16 hours and a visit from Rhonda's daughter and son-in-law, pretty much one right after the other...storm, no power and a few days later, a surprise visit!

The storm and loss of power was a blessing in disguise.  The loss of power showed our unit's strength and weaknesses.  Our GD Reflection fifth wheel did great, no leaks no major issues with the wind gusts of over 25 mph with the slides out.  We learned that the previous owner had installed a 2000 Watt Go Power industrial pure sign wave inverter when we purchased the unit.  What we didn't know is what the inverter powered, until we turned it on.  The previous owner either knew what they were doing, or had the inverter installed professionally, because they also installed a 15 Amp transfer switch.  During our power outage, we found that the inverter, wired thru the transfer switch powers a few outlets in the rig.  This took some thought and knowledge of the unit and it's circuits.  

When the power went out we were able to see if our batteries were indeed "good".  When we purchased the unit, one of our concerns was the batteries.  When we first looked at the fifth wheel, the lights were very dim as it wasn't plugged into shore power.  We had asked Lazy Days to fully check the batteries, which they said they did (2 UltraPower 6 Volt).  Power went out, refrigerator and water heater on their "gas" setting.  We used only the rig's furnace which (we know the blower motor uses a lot of 12 volt power) and minimal 12 volt LED lighting, but the batteries couldn't stand up to the demand and lasted only 2.5 hours.   I maintained the batteries with distilled water every 4-6 weeks to ensure their life would be good, but I do believe Lazy Days didn't even look or test them.

We are thankful for what we have, and that included a hurriedly purchased Champion dual fuel generator (purchased in September 2018 just before 2 hurricanes landed in our area).  We are thankful we had it, as it kept our rig powered up, albeit noisily, until shore power was restored.   Funny how life works, 2 hurricanes, shore power was not affected at all.  Severe winter storm and BAM, loss of power for 16 hours.

When the storm was over and shore power restored; I researched battery replacements.  We wanted more power and maintenance free batteries, but our budget was stretched thin as it was and Lithium batteries were out of the question at $960 each.  We ended up gong with  2 AGM 12 V 100 AH batteries from Amazon.  We also bought 2 new battery boxes as the old ones did not fit the new batteries. The wiring had to change from series to parallel, but that was easy enough to do.  I will say that I don't like how the wiring to the batteries was done, and of course none of the wires are labeled, so that will be a future project.  We want to get everything prepared for a big battery, solar and inverter upgrade, but prices have to come down and our budget has to increase! 

Our visitors arrived when the new battery install was being completed along with more rain.  Tammy and Dale are a great couple and we really enjoy our time with them.  They arrived on Saturday and after we had some local Mexican food, they went off to check into the Hampton Inn on the Reedy River.  We met up with them at their hotel and walked with them along the park up to the Liberty Bridge.  This park is one of our favorite places to take Buddy, our Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix rescue puppy, and we all enjoyed the sunny day.

Left to Right - Dale, Tammy and Rhonda!

We then had an awesome late breakfast/lunch at Passerelle Bistro on the patio overlooking the river and falls.

We also purchased a Futon to replace our theater seats.  We have to make some changes to the Futon which is a work in progress, and we will update the blog when that work is completed!

Then, with the wood scraps left over from the previous "desk project" we build a dog lookout stand which also doubles as our rubber boot storage area.  I am not a great carpenter by any means, but it works and Buddy is enjoying the views!

Buddy on his new Lookout Post!

And finally, our brother Jeff and his fiance Margaret visited us.  We took them to the park and then to Passerelle Bistro too, which we all enjoyed.  Unfortunately, they were at the beginning of a 10 day illness, so we didn't get to see much of them after the Friday visit, but we enjoyed the time we had! 
Until next time, God Bless!

Are we CRAZY? We modified our 2018 5th Wheel!

February 23, 2019

To recap, we purchased a very slightly used 2018 Grand Design Reflection 303 RLS at Lazy Days RV in Sefner, Florida.  We are really enjoying our new home.  It is 34 feet in length and without water, propane or our stuff it weights 9,980 pounds (it's dry weight).

As with any new home, we want to make it "ours".  Rhonda has placed some personal items here and there, and I am trying to organize the exterior storage areas and keep the truly needed stuff and discarding the stuff no longer used or accessed.  

One thing that we have had an issue with, is a work place for both of us.  The rig's dinette table and chairs wete just too small for either one of us to work at comfortably, and we definitely can't both work at the same time there. 

One thing we discussed, is that the rear couch isn't used much.  We have some paperwork, mini-computer and some other things on the end tables, and we store the vacuum and and other things in the end tables.  So we started trying to find what others have done in this area to make it more useful for our purposes.

I had an idea of what to do in the area, but to be honest, I am more of a mechanical guy and not very strong with wood working and electrical installations.  We were looking to install a table in the area that allowed us to work, eat and enjoy the view.  Also, we wanted to "brighten" our home a little.  All of the dark wood, window treatments and tinted windows leave it a little dark even on a sunny day.  I know, we haven't had many sunny days lately, but we did remember it was kind of dark when the sun did shine in Tampa.

We searched IKEA, Amazon, Staples and other stores looking for a desk with storage that is 90 plus inches wide,  but we couldn't find an economic solution.  

We figured out that we had to make a custom desk area.  To be honest, this is our home, and I was very worried that I would screw it up.  We couldn't afford that.  We also needed to buy some power tools and we were on a budget for materials and finishing of $1000 max.  After looking at Lowe's and Home Depot, I found the best price for what seemed to be good (not contractor quality) power tools at Amazon Porter Cable power tool set and for me they worked fine.

Next, we first started looking for a desk top solution with some file cabinets on each side.  A butcher block counter top would be good, or so we thought.  We found this solution at Lowes Butcher Block counter top for $240.  When we went to look at it, it was much more than either one of us could handle, especially since I can't carry more than 15 pounds (recent back surgery).  This counter top is eight feet long and 2 feet wide, and it weighed over 80 lbs, and shipping to our RV would have added another $150.  I would still have to cut it, and it just wasn't what I was looking for.

I made a drawing of what I was looking to do for the area and shared it with my better half, Rhonda.  This would help her envision what I was trying to do so I could get her input and thoughts.  Once I had her thoughts, then I started putting together a list of wood that I needed to make it.  Below is the final drawing with the required wood list, but there were 3 or 4 drawings before it.  As you can see, I am not a draftsman 😕

Shopping list on top of the last sketch of our plan

I love my wife, she is so supportive and understanding.  I then started ordering things, including the file cabinets  Amazon File Cabinets for each side.  Since we were full steam ahead, we found someone local who wanted the couch and the dinette table and chairs, and now we had an empty spot at the back of our home and a pile of things where the dinette used to be.

End table, before it's destruction

Now that the sofa-bed is history, time to start removing the end tables that were built into the unit.  They are assembled well and utilizes many fasteners, brads and 2" wood screws, about 24 screws in each.  Pop off the trim molding, then remove the door and side panels for access to the screws.

End table, molding and side panel removed to expose screws and wiring

There are screws that fasten the unit to the floor and both back and side walls.  Disconnect the electrical outlet so it can be moved out of the way to access the screws.  Please note, there is both 110 VAC and 12 VDC wires in the area.  The 12 VDC wiring is for the trailer lights, stop, brake, etc.

White green and black 12 VAC for rear brake//turn signal on the right, 110 VAC romex coming from floor and going left

We had just enough time for removal of the end tables when our file cabinets arrived.  We started layout of the area, and we always knew that the file cabinets were not high enough for the table and decided that we would put a pedestal with convenience outlets to the front.

Set up of file cabinets, time to start measuring!

We then purchased wood, wire, junction boxes and fasteners that we thought were required for the project.  We started cutting and fastening parts and pieces, checking their fit and finishing them with polyurethane.  

Below are pictures of that process.  We used the original electrical outlets and added additional ones for the front convenience outlets.  I used a 4 x 4 electrical box for wire junctions on each side.  This is all on the same existing 15 amp circuit - this area is for 2 laptops, printer, and USB charging.  Not exactly the circuit size we wanted, 20 Amp would work much better, but we have to work with what we have!  We are both on notice that these outlets are for low-draw items only.

Storage of wood and other items to keep them dry

The great outdoors was our workshop!

Placement of support strips screwed into studding for table top support

Pedestals that fit under the file cabinets

 Table top wood, sanded and 3 coats of polyurethane 

What's not pictured is the 5/8" high grade plywood that is fastened to the bottoms of the file cabinets, which is then fastened to 2 x 2's inside the pedestals.  The pedestals are fastened to the wall and to the floor using "L" brackets.  It took a while for us to figure out how to anchor all of this so it will withstand bumpy highways!

Fit-up time for pedestals and file cabinets

Access panel for both 110 VAC and 12 VDC and original outlet

Pretty close to finished product

I installed the original outlets in an access panel located behind the file cabinets (see pictures above).  We use those outlets to plug in a couple of pop-up power outlets which I purchased at Amazon.  We use the pop-up outlets and USB chargers for items on the desk.  The desktop planks have (2) 1 x 8 stiffeners underneath and are fastened to the one by fours previously anchored to the side walls and back wall.

I wish we had pictures of us moving out the screen from the passenger side rear window as this was the only way to get the desktop wood into our fifth wheel.  Wow, God was definitely on our side, we would have had to cut that butcher block counter in half to get it in our home!

We purchased two chairs at Office Depot that were on sale to finish the look!  Before and after pictures are below.

Budget numbers were close.  We spent about $420 for wood, fasteners, electrical supplies and finishing items (sandpaper, polyurethane, brushes, etc.).  The file cabinets and popup receptacles was about $370.  The chairs that were on sale and Office Depot had a 30% off sale were around $140 each for $280; which brings the project total to $1070.  I have a bit of wood, fasteners, finishing and electrical supplies left over for other little projects in the future.

We have some corner molding to install along the top of the desk.  When that is done, we will perform one more lite sanding and coating of polyurethane.

As you can see, I am not a carpenter or electrician, but for the first project, we are pleased.  I am so blessed with Rhonda.  She was a big help with lifting and moving materials and the file cabinets; her keen eye helped when I missed something; and she was the one who thought of bringing the table top wood in thru the side window!

Please let us know your thoughts and ask questions.  Pass it along so others can learn how their rig may be assembled and how to modify it!  

Until next time, God Bless!

We moved to a different state for work and tire issues...

February 22, 2019

As we stated in the first blog post, we had to move for work.  My work is now in Greenville, SC for the next couple of years.

The trip was a little over 650 miles from Tampa, and we took 2 days to arrive.  After all of the towing, and multiple stops searching for a good RV Park, we ended up an mpg of 9.3.  This is real world figures, not off the trucks computer which is always a little too optimistic.

Our first night was in Brunswick, Georgia at Coastal RV.  We didn't have reservations, and they had some open spots.  Our very quick review for our very quick stay is that the park appeared very nice, the 50 Amp pull through spot had easy access in and out for our fiver and the price was inexpensive, $42.53 including tax.  After we got set up, we drove to get fuel and some grub.  We want to come back in the future, and when we do we will post a much more in depth review.

Getting to work full time was fine, but my back was hurting more and more.  Work was delayed as the project had some minor funding issues, and while it was still on track to start, more work on design and budget had to take place.  So, in October, I had enough and started consulting a neurosurgeon.  In late December I had surgery on my back, S1-L2 laminectimy.  I am feeling better, but not yet 100%.  

With help from some local friends to hook up and due the "grunt work", we were able to go to Charleston for a weekend with the fifth wheel trailer to visit family.  

Just before leaving, my better half made the first go-round to check on things and observed a chunk out of one of our tires.  Thank you sweetheart!

These are original tires that came with our 5th wheel and we were going to replace all of them at a later date (there are many blogs/vlogs that cover the issues with the foreign made tires installed by RV manufacturers).  We found some minor cracking on the other tires, so we figured it is time for our baby to get some new shoes before our trek to Charleston.  

I have to give God praise here.  He had us looking to find this issue,.  The tire would have blown during our short trip and probably tore up our home.  This is our home and we treat her with kindness and respect and we will always be safe and maybe overly cautious.  God rained grace on us and we found 4 Goodyear 10 ply trailer tires at the Greenville Discount Tire shop (unpaid endorsement here). 

So, a little over 3 hours and $850 later, we were on our trip.

We stayed at The Campground at James Island County Park.  Our visit was during off-season, but the campground was still pretty full as they were closing off parts for upgrades and repairs.  This is a park we want to visit again as it has a beautiful area and in a good location.  The weather for our visit was less than great, with only one partial day of sunshine and warm weather.  

The weather in Greenville this winter has been unusually wet, as it has been for most of the states.  We haven't been out much, mostly due to my surgery.

We have been able to make a modification to our home, we will cover that in the next blog issue.

Until next time, take care of yourselves and God Bless!  Let us know if you have any comments or thoughts, and please share this blog out if you like it!

How to be a full time RVer - research, research, research!

February 15, 2019

You want to do what?  Are you crazy?  Well, when I told my better half of my dream, much to my surprise, she was all in...providing we do some research.  I didn't need much research, because I lived in an 1969 Holiday Rambler when I attended Arizona State many moons ago  In the early 90's when I went to work for my brother Don and we lived in a small travel trailer for a couple of months.  That experience did not go so well, but that was in no way due to the living in an RV...

But Rhonda needed some information, some research.  First place we went was the local Camping World to look and walk some different Class A's as we had the Jeep Wrangler which we loved.  We were thinking that we could pull the Jeep behind the motor home.  Then we went to the Tampa RV Show, which is an awesome place to look at sooooo many different units.

Then reality set in.  The payments for both the motor home and Jeep were more than we wanted to take on...dream on hold immediately.  

While the dream was on hold, we started researching RV full time living.  We started watching TV shows such as Going RVon line, and found that there were many people who were doing it already.  Hmm, I needed to take a different tack, change my thought process.  We watched Going RV and RV on TV.  We then discovered that most of our insight and knowledge came from You Tube video logs (vlogs).  

Below is who we started to read and watch on You Tube.  They helped us to learn and understand what our "dream"  could be, what we needed to know and the best way to approach this new life style.  They are all different, helpful and even humorous at times.  It helps to know that even full-time rv "experts" make mistakes, have things break and even have times that leave you scratching your head asking, what the heck?

Love Your RV - a down to earth Canadian couple who have been full time rv'ing for about 5 years!  Lots of solar and do it yourself tips, very helpful for budget conscious rv'ers.  One of our Favorites!
https://www.loveyourrv.com/

Less Junk, More Journey is a small family from Tennessee that travels with their small daughter full time for 3 years...Lots of awesome destinations, family fun and solving RV problems!  One of our Favorites!
https://lessjunkmorejourney.com/

The Nomadic Fanatic is a young man who travels full time in his Class C motor home with his cat all over the states.  Lots of different travel routes and "quirky" side show stops!  One of our Favorites!
https://www.youtube.com/user/nomadicfanatic

Keep Your Daydream is a family of 5 that has been traveling full time for a couple of years with trailer and truck upgrades and beautiful destinations.  One of our Favorites!
http://www.keepyourdaydream.com/

Were the Russo's in a couple that now travel in a Class B motor home, although they started out in a Class A motor home.  Lots of great destinations, pointers and hints!  One of our Favorites!
https://weretherussos.com/

The Motorhome Experiment is a couple who traveled mostly full time while having a business in Las Vegas which they recently sold.  Great name (Paul) who has an older Class A, and they have solar and other repairs to show and experience! One of our Favorites!
https://themotorhomeexperiment.com/

Gone with the Wynn's - who started off in RV's and are navigating waterways in a boat...I am not much into boating, but their older vlogs are great!
https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/

Since I am 6'5" and not a slim man, most travel trailers were not an option as they lacked the room in either the showers or bed areas.  For several years, my parents traveled in a 5th wheel where I easily fit into, so we decided to go to Lazy Days and check them out.  We decided that the Jeep had to go, and bought a truck that would be able to handle a medium sized 5th wheel under 35', with a weight of up to 14,000 pounds.  If you read the previous blog post, you know we bought a 2017 Ford F-350 Lariat with the diesel engine.

We do know one thing about full time RVing, and that is we don't know it all!  We still watch 30 plus vlogs a week, finding them more entertaining and useful than regular TV.  Here are a few more links to vlogs we watch every week!

Big Truck Big RV - The name says it all!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaX2-JkluLd8aG0DXp0L2Xw

Camping with the Kelly's - This is a great married couple that travels and works all over the country in an older Class A motor home, pulling a trailer and enjoying mostly boondocking! 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsYG0BMZagWIo55up2XdZnw

Changing Lanes - A traveling couple in a toy-hauler 5th wheel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2o84Ea1Z-HiiYlbBbKkVqw

Cheap RV Living - One of the pioneer couples who camps in a van, and is the founder of the RTR Burning Van experience that we hope to attend soon!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAj7O3LCDbkIR54hAn6Zz7A

Enjoy the Journey Life - Couple traveling the USA in their 5th wheel with a lead car 
http://enjoythejourney.life/

Fate Unbound - Younger traveling couple in a pickup truck and trailer with a dog, two cats and rabbit!  Lots of solar and do it yourself tips with BLM and National Park/Forest reviews!
https://www.fateunbound.com/

Getaway Couple - Younger traveling couple in a 5th wheel who work on the road and enjoy a beer or two!
https://www.getawaycouple.com/

Mortons on the Move - A couple that have been full time rv'ing for about 4 years.  Tech tips and interesting places!
https://www.mortonsonthemove.com/

RV with Tito DIY - Couple in a Class C motor home.  Featuring Do It Yourself  repair and installation and renovating in helpful and unique ways!
http://www.rvwithtito.com/

The Freedom Theory - A great couple that just had their first baby, traveling in a new 5th wheel while working full time on the road!
https://www.thefreedomtheory.com/

And there are many more, this is just a few!  Please research your dream and start traveling toward it.  Life is what we make of it and how we treat ourselves and others makes a huge difference!  God Bless!  See you again soon...

Our Tow Vehicle and why...

January 30, 2019

Good day.  We wanted to post in a quick update for our blog to cover our tow vehicle.  We were originally going for a small Class A motor home and towing the Jeep, when we found out the both payments would be too large to afford at this time in our lives.  When that little burst of reality hit, we decided that a medium size fifth wheel trailer would be best, as we would trade in the Jeep for a pickup truck to tow the fiver. 

So now we need to figure out what size, type and model of truck to get.  Fortunately, I have owned all three of the American manufacturer’s trucks in the past.  In 2016 I drove a Ram 3500 dually, and I didn’t care for the interior fit (I am 6’5”) and the rear dual tires made it tough to park in our condo’s parking spot.  When looking at 5^th wheel trailers, we found that we needed a truck that could tow between 10,000-15,000 pounds.  Since we dream of going out west, we needed a truck that would not have any issues with mountain passes.  While a gas-fueled truck might be up to both tasks, a diesel-powered truck would be more than enough.  Lastly, because we want to do a lot of boon-docking (camping in an area that is free or almost free, such as BLM areas) in the future that may be miles away from pavement, 4-wheel drive is a must.  Inserted note here: In June/July 2018 We traveled with our 5^th wheel to spend 12 days with family in southern-central Florida.  We drove thru and arrived during a downpour, and I was told that this season was some of the rainiest days experienced in some time.  The 4-wheel drive and locking rear differential came in handy when the RV Park we stayed at had 6-8 inches of grassy muck where the trailer was to be parked!

I rode in a friend’s (thank you Karla!) 2016 F 250 and I was very surprised with the room in the interior and the ride.  After looking at the 2017 Ford HD Brochure and Trailer Life Towing Guide, I found that a Ford F-350 Diesel 4WD Crew Cab truck could tow up to a 20,000 pound 5^th wheel trailer.  The exact weight and towing a pickup truck can safely and in some states legally haul, one must review the door stickers and find the formulas and start figuring.  We figured to get a 5^th wheel that was hopefully 35 feet in length at most and under 15K pounds in total weight (wet).  I have snippets of both aforementioned references below.

  

Ford 2017 HD Truck Brochure

 

2017 Trailer Life Towing Guide

So finally, we ended up with a New 2017 (In February 2018) F-350 SRW 4-Wheel drive diesel Lariat.  While the “bells and whistles” of this truck wasn’t exactly what we were looking for, we traded the Jeep in on it.  We feel truly blessed with this truck, as it has been awesome.  No problems towing, no problems in rain and snow, and the mileage around town is between 14-16 mpg and towing is around 9.5 to 10.5.  Diesel is easy to find, DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) can be purchased at a truck stop, or Walmart (my preferred method) and the truck uses DEF mostly when towing.  We have purchased around 14 gallons in 14K miles. 

This set up is working well for us, and we feel very blessed.  Everyone is different with different wants and needs, so what we do might not work for you.  This blog is just to help those people who are or want to purchase an RV and start traveling.  We will list the good and the bad, but it has all been a blessing, thank you God!

Until next time, Rhonda and Paul wishing you a great week!

Our start to RV life and Starting the Traveling RhoPau Blog

January 25, 2019

Hello, this is the traveling blog for Rhonda and Paul!  We are another of growing couples that have sold their "sticks and bricks" house for an RV.  While Paul is still working "for the man" full time, Rhonda has been working on personalizing our RV and supplying awesome support to Paul.

In February 2018 we traded our Jeep Wrangler (which we absolutely loved) for a 2017 Ford F-350 crew cab to start the process of selling and moving from our 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath condo in Florida to a fifth wheel.  In April, we found the fiver that we thought could be our new home at Lazy Days, and it turned out to be a very slightly used 2018 Grand Design Reflection 303 RLS, but we couldn't pick it up until we had an RV park to place it in!  We continued to sell our big items out of the condo and donate a bunch of other stuff, and there was a bunch!  The downsizing was very difficult and at the same time, it helped free us from things that really didn't matter.  Late in April we did our "shake down" overnight stay at Lazy Days which went well.  We are happy with our experience at Lazy Days, but not over the top happy...more on that in a future blog.

May 2018 was  a huge month for us.  We found an RV park that we could stay at for a few months, as Paul's current job assignment was coming to a close and the new one was not yet finalized.  Then we went to Lazy Days to have them install the 5th wheel hitch and the wireless camera for the back of the rig.  Our first tow was to the new RV park, short but stressful for Paul as it is the first time towing a rig of over 30 feet in over 20 years!  All went well, except for the 45 minutes of maneuvering in and out of the space, which had a lot of pitch but was next to a nice little pond.  At the end of May we finished moving our "stuff" into the fiver and closed on the condo.

We stayed in the Tampa area until the end of July.  Then we moved out of state to our new work location...

Thanks for reading, please comment and pass our blog along as there will be more posts coming soon!