For almost four years now, we’ve been living in our home on wheels. No house. No street address. No consistent neighbors. Just us, out on the road, making home wherever we happened to be and finding friends along the way.
At no time has this rootless existence bothered us. We’ve never felt alone or on our own. We figured we could solve whatever problem life sent our way by being flexible, patient, and creative. And, we assumed, if things went really haywire, we could always just jump on a plane, or drive the rig cross country, to get where we needed to be.
Never in a million years did it occur to us – or anyone else – that life as we knew it could stop, and strand us wherever we happened to be.
Until now.
And wouldn’t you know? “Now” happens to be the one time in almost four years that we find ourselves sitting in a real house. With a real address. With regular neighbors. All of whom are nice enough to wave but whom will remain strangers because, well, that’s the way it has to be.
We’ve felt far away before. Disconnected. Aware of our exposure. There have been plenty of times we’ve driven for hours and not seen a soul, or taken a wrong turn and realized we had no cell signal to help us find our way back. Those instances were unquestionably disconcerting, but they were just moments in time.
Alas, here we are in a city full of people, in a neighborhood that has become familiar, in a house that boasts Google Fiber internet, and it is now that we find ourselves isolated and distinctly aware of our vulnerability.
We’re fine, of course. No one’s crying in the corner. There’s just an unmistakable irony to our current situation.
The truth is, as nomads, some version of “social distancing” is a normal part of our life. There’s no expectation that on any given day or week, we’ll have anyone else to interact with, and we realize we will miss out on many important events with our families and friends. However, we’ve found that when we want to be social, we usually can be, and when we need to be somewhere, with enough planning, we can usually make it happen.
Additionally, and importantly, we’ve come to find that many of the people we’ve met on the road are exactly the type of folks you want on your side when you find yourself in a bind. Now, to be clear, I don’t subscribe to the notion that all RVers (or all of any type of group) are some magical breed of people who are better than anyone else. But our experience has shown that, by and large, our fellow fulltime travelers are happy to help. It might simply be that we can all appreciate the unique challenges we face while living on the road and we all know that sooner or later, it will be us who needs a hand.
The point is, in normal times, we are never lonely nor are we worried about being out here by ourselves. Someone is always close by and, chances are, they are awesome.
And, don’t you know, right this very minute, there are people we “know” through social media who are parked in Austin. And if the situation were different, we would reach out and ask if they wanted to grab a beer and I have little doubt we’d all become fast friends. Further, if a week later we found ourselves in need of assistance, or vice versa, I am sure help would be on the way.
But, right now, none of that is happening.
Honestly, the only person we could call on if we found ourselves in a bind is our Air BnB landlord. He happens to be a very nice person and we get along well, but… it would be a little weird to text him and be like “Yo dawg, we’re at the hospital, can you walk and feed Thor?”
I mean, I would totally send him that message, but, objectively, it would be weird.
So, suddenly, we find ourselves feeling like nomads.
Genuinely rootless, homeless, community-less, vagabonds.
Does that concern us? Not really…as long as we don’t let our minds wander too far to the hypothetical.
I think the real issue is that no one has a timeline for how long this is going to go on. Our sense is: quite a while. And that’s what gets a bit unsettling. A month or two of being strangers in a strange town doesn’t seem so problematic. We’ve gone that long without seeing a familiar face plenty of times. Six months of it starts to feel significant.
In the meantime, this crisis has laid bare the downsides of living a nomadic life. We are pretty OK, but a lot of our friends have been cast into the unknown this month.
In my last post, I linked to this Campendium page which contains a running list of all the park and campground closures. If you’d clicked on the link when I first posted it, you would have found a handful of closures. Today, that number has ballooned into the hundreds. In fact, according to the page’s statistics, over 25% of all available campsites are not available right now.
Some states have closed all their state parks, while others have permitted individual parks to decide for themselves whether or not to close. Many national parks and national forests have closed, and, most surprising to us, certain areas of BLM managed land are now off limits to campers. In the meantime, private campgrounds around the country have either closed on their own or been forced to close by their resident localities, and some of the places that have historically welcomed RVers have suddenly rolled up the welcome mat (for a short period of time Pennsylvania even closed its highway rest stops.) For the campgrounds that have remained open, many are only allowing long term stays (they don’t want people coming in for a night or two and then moving on), and many have limited access to their facilities – things like bathrooms, showers, and laundry rooms.
All of this is a disappointing inconvenience for people who vacation in their RVs or travel part time. But for the million of us who have no home base to go back to, it can be much worse.
Folks we know have had to scramble at the last minute while competing with hundreds of other RVers in the same position to find somewhere – anywhere – to go. That problem I talked about a couple months ago – too many RVers, not enough campsites – that problem doesn’t get any better when thousands of campsites are suddenly taken offline.
And now, with each passing day, there is talk of new travel restrictions. Right now, restrictions are mostly focused on residents of New York and Louisiana, but it’s not hard to imagine a situation where travelers originating from other states will also be treated suspiciously, if not downright hostilely, by other states. Just last week, the governor of Rhode Island ordered the state’s law enforcement officers to stop vehicles that displayed New York license plates in order to enforce the state’s quarantine laws, and when those provisions were contested, she extended the rule to all out of state travelers. In the meantime, the governor of Florida ordered checkpoints be set up on I-10 and I-95 to stop drivers coming in from Louisiana and New York, notify them of the quarantine rules, and take their contact information.
In a time when things are, by all objective measures, getting a little crazy, this stuff is seriously jaw dropping.
Not only are nomads facing the deep uncertainty everyone else is facing – jobs, money, health – but they’re doing so while worrying that a sudden knock on the door may mean they’re being evicted from their campsite, or that less than welcoming treatment might be the result of their vehicle’s state registration.
For those of us used to going where we want, when we want, and taking our houses with us, it is alarming, to say the least. Of course, none of this is to say these governors are wrong to take whatever precautions they think are appropriate. Their job is to protect their residents. We get it, and we will respect the rules wherever we are. But we can’t help but be somewhat concerned when, day after day, the things no one thought would ever happen (e.g.: lockdowns, border closings, checkpoints), keep happening.
It’s unnerving, to say the least.
When it comes to these issues, at least for the time being, Kevin and I are lucky. We have a roof over our heads, our neighbors are friendly, and we have what we need. Our most pressing question has been what to do when our current Air BnB reservation ends. Should we try to get closer to friends and family, or should we just stay put? And if we are going to stay put, where should we hunker down?
We spent a good part of last week trying to figure that out.
Our first option was to extend our stay in the rental. Right now, we’re here through April, but we could book this place for the next several months if we wanted to. That certainly held some appeal – we’re comfortable here, we like our landlord, and all our stuff is here. But, along with all the bad health news is a lot of bad economic news, so, suddenly, the idea of spending additional money to live in a house in the city when we’re just sitting inside not taking advantage of the city, doesn’t make much sense. If we’re going to sit around reading and watching TV, we might as well do it in the RV, and if we’re going to sit around in the RV, we might as well park in a cheap monthly site to slash our spending as much as possible.
But how cheap? We could find something really inexpensive – a couple hundred bucks – way out in the country, but then we’d be in the middle of nowhere. There’s a reason campgrounds in the middle of nowhere are cheap… if anything happens, you may be a long way from help. We don’t like being stuck in the middle of nowhere on a good day, and this is not a good day. We need civilization, we need supplies, we need access to good medical care.
Furthermore, with campgrounds closing left and right, we needed a location with multiple campgrounds as well as non-RV options, just in case the local government suddenly ordered all campgrounds to close.
Now, the big question: Should we try to get closer to friends and/or family? Our family is on the east coast, our friends are both east of us and west of us. Should we pack up the rig and head toward familiar faces?
After much discussion, we decided the answer was no.
First, even if we headed elsewhere, we still couldn’t actually spend time with folks because of the social distancing rules. As much as we’d like to be there, it’s just not a good idea right now. Second, the places we’d be looking at going have their own downsides and obstacles – in terms of weather, closures, and the likelihood of other complications related to the pandemic. Third, and particularly concerning, we’d have to drive hundreds of miles when life as we know it is in flux. Would we be able to find campgrounds to stay along the way? Would services be available as usual? What if we needed roadside assistance? Really, should we be driving anywhere at all when individual cities and towns were locking down and asking people to just stay home?
The answer was no.
The safest, smartest, and most responsible thing to do was to stay put in Austin.
So, that’s what we’re going to do.
I found a campground that offers reasonably priced monthly sites that we can stay at for as long as we need to. The campground is part of a big national chain, so we’re reasonably confident it will stay open. And, if it does close, there are plenty of Air BnB’s to choose from in Austin. In the meantime, we’re doing what we can to keep our risks low, we’re remaining close to the city, and we’re staying in the middle of the country – allowing us to drive in any direction that makes sense when necessary or possible. (“Necessary” may come in June when average temps in Texas head into the 90’s, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.)
While it would certainly be nice to get closer to the people and places we know, the nature of this beast means – unfortunately – we are all on our own for a bit. Being flexible and patient has never been more important.
Stay safe, everyone.
Definitely relieved you are in the house now. Crazy times, continue to stay safe! We hope we can still see you in August. Until then, thank God for face time and Zoom….
Thanks. I keep thinking about how different this whole situation would be if not for modern technology. Thank heavens we are living in a time of cell phones and texting and social media and video conferencing and all of it. It really does make it easier.
We are extremely fortunate to be hunkered down in Crystal River, at my dad’s. We have decided not to go to our summer job this year, especially since we normally travel straight up I95. And as you point out, what about safe places to stay on the way? Stopping for fuel? What if we get all the way there, then the campground closes? Too many what-ifs. I’m glad you found a park in Austin where you can ride it out. Stay safe and healthy
Yeah, I know you were struggling with that decision and it’s just such a tough call to make, but the northeast is a tough place to RV in normal times. I can only imagine how bad it is now. I think it’s the right call to just stay put and wait it out. Plus, staying close to family will be a nice benefit. Stay well!
We found staying on the edge of Greenville, SC a good fit. Close to amenities but in the country for a while. It lets us get outside for fresh air. I found less social media and turning off the news helps.
I know you are 100% right about the news and social media… It certainly increases the stress… but all this downtime has me incessantly checking my phone. I might have to lock it in the other room. 🙂
Glad to hear you’re hunkered down and also have a place to go with the RV. We faced the same dilemma just over a week ago, our volunteer position couldn’t take us in early and we wanted to settle down somewhere for a while. Hence why we ended up on the TX Gulf Coast at our home base, that we own. No new RV’s are allowed on the island, the RV park is closed to any incoming renters for at least the month of April. We’re not doing any socializing but we have friends around should we, or they, need help. I just wish we could be closer to my elderly folks. Stay safe.
That sounds like about as perfect a situation as one could hope for. You’re on your home turf, with people you know, and no one is gonna kick you out. That is really great! I hear you on wanting to be closer to parents. That’s exactly how we feel, but, unfortunately, we’re all stuck for the time being. Let’s just hope this is over soon. Stay safe!
When your post came in this morning, my first thought was, “Of course she’s posting on April Fool’s Day!” I wish, I wish, I wish this pandemic was a big April Fool’s joke, a collective nightmare that we could all suddenly wake up from.
You write so well about the unique challenges that we face as full-time RVers. We’re stuck here in north Florida, which is a good place to be stuck, all things considered. But instead of enjoying the sweet little town of Apalachicola, hanging out with the locals and friends who happen to be here, grabbing a beer at the local brewery, and strolling on the beach, we’re staying home on my folks’ property, hunkered down and anxiety-ridden every time we have to make a trip to the local Piggly Wiggly for groceries. Stay well…and if we do a virtual happy hour, can I come in my pj’s? Because I might still be in them at 5:00…
So far, there’s only been one day I spent the whole day in my PJs, but I have to say, I did not regret my choices! In fact, I think I might do it more often. There is value in just surrendering to the suckyness of it all.
The anxiety is certainly the worst part of all this. We’re all just stuck inside getting more and more afraid of what could happen if we go outside… It really does read like some sort of twisted April Fools joke, but alas….
I guess that’s the goal though – some day we’ll get through this and find plenty of reason to laugh again.
Staying in Austin sounds like the best plan right about now. We’re still in Naples and can extend our stay here, just need to determine how long we want to extend it. Traveling is very scary right now with everything closing down right and left. Stay safe!
Naples sounds like a good spot, too. You should have access to everything you need there. It’s especially nice once you have assurances that you can extend as necessary. We did not want to go hopscotching around from park to park. For the time being, I cannot imagine any of us will be going anywhere before mid-summer, but who knows? This thing has been nothing if not unpredictable. Stay well!
Hi Laura (and Kevin and Thor). I’m glad y’all are safely hunkered down in a house here in Austin. Trust me, a house will be much more enjoyable than an RV when those April (and May) thunderstorms start rolling through. Its’ like, “whew, we made it through spring” only to be followed by “crap, here comes summer”. RV living in Austin in the summer ain’t for the faint of heart! My husband and I are full timers from Austin and for various reasons we are off the road for a year living over in E. Austin at Oak Forest RV park. I am glad you had the chance to experience our lovely city in prior years, it would have been a super bummer to show up for the first time only to find all the bars and restaurants were closed. I am thankful that most of our RV friends have found a place to land during this lockdown and I feel for those being forced out on short notice. Perhaps we can meet up for a beer(s) when this is all over. Stay well.
Julie – Long time reader, first time commenter
Hi Julie. Thanks for checking in!
We are definitely glad we visited this area before now because otherwise we would have missed out on all the good stuff. It’s been one of our favorite cities and we were so excited to spend more time here. Alas… that didn’t quite work out the way we expected. 🙁
It’s interesting that you mention the spring storms. We had great weather on our prior visits, but there’s certainly been a lot of rain and clouds this time – and it looks like there are gonna be lots of thunderstorms rolling through this week. Hmmmm. RV life in May could get interesting. Fortunately, Thor does not mind thunderstorms, so at least we don’t have to deal with that, but storms sure are a lot scarier when you’re in an RV than a house.
Anyway, whenever this debacle ends, assuming we’re still in Austin, yes – let’s definitely meet up for a beer… or four. I’m gonna need several when this is all over! Stay safe!
As usual we agree with just about everything you said. Having to cancel plans is sort of a normal hazard of this RV lifestyle — weather, wildfires, and other situations can always come up and wreak havoc on carefully made plans. But the necessity of getting to one place and staying there for an unknown period of time, while being unsure whether campgrounds will even remain open, is a whole other level of difficulty. This is one of the first times that we have really felt the weight of not having a fixed home base and we joke that maybe we should have bought a fixer upper instead of deciding to build on raw land. It would provide us a place to stay AND projects to work on. Bonus! Oh well. We are very glad that you have landed in a good spot that features access to good medical facilities and supplies. From what I’ve been seeing online, RVers are generally being pretty smart about where they are going and not making unnecessary trips or trying to continue their sightseeing. RVers are also particularly good at engaging in activities that don’t involve a lot of socializing with other people. I’d like to think our little community of travelers is doing what we can to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
Ha! Yeah, a fixer upper might have been a bit easier to work with, but, then you’d be heading out to Home Depot every 10 minutes to get whatever tool or product you needed… At least this way, you can just hunker down and let the pros do their thing…. hopefully quickly.
I have definitely been impressed by the RV community in how they’ve handled this. People really do seem to be making responsible decisions and following the local rules. You’re definitely correct, too, that RVers are used to being on their own. I always laugh when I see non-RVers complaining about being stuck home, in their enormous houses, with their families. Meanwhile, we’re all used to being shoved in a tiny box with ours, 24/7/365. 🙂
Another well thought out and expressed post. Virtually all state parks and BLM lands in California are closed, in our little corner of SoCal only essential travel is permitted and all San Diego city parks and beaches are closed. Glad you found a place to hunker down with the camper and can still travel if needed.
Remain Safe!
Thanks, Jeff. I am a tiny bit concerned if they completely lock down our area that we’ll have a problem moving out of the house and back into the RV, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I have a hard time believing Texas is gonna get real tough about any of this any time soon. They certainly have not been as pro-active as California (the cities have taken action much earlier than the state itself). In any case, I’m glad you guys are safe where you’re at. Stay well.
Well, we’d be in Austin right about now had this not happened. Our East Coast trip plans scrapped. All those cool and coveted campsites in the keys cancelled. I guess Tucson is where we’ll ride it out…
Ugh. We feel for ya… It sucks to put in so much time and effort to plan everything out and spend hours to get all these difficult spots, only to have it all go out the window in a matter of days. Perhaps we can all have a big do-over next year??? Let’s hope so. Stay well.
This whole experience has opened our eyes, as well. My mom is traveling with us for a few months and we had definite plans on places to take her. However, we’ve been ‘in place’ in Arizona and we just signed on for another month (possibly two–or three if we don’t bake to death in the coming weeks) in a tiny town outside of Tucson. We’re hesitant to move on with the instability of openings from day to day. We have friends who are also in the area and we’ve been unable to see them thanks to efforts of flattening the curve. We’ll just hunker down and hope for the best while preparing for the worst. I’m glad you found somewhere to stay and hope you guys stay healthy. Mike’s parents and siblings are in Austin, so if push comes to shove I know several dog lovers in the area who would love to help you take care of Thor if the necessity arises. Stay safe and healthy.
Thanks so much, Dawn. We really appreciate it. I’m sure you are all so disappointed to not be able to take your mom to all the interesting and fun places you had planned. On the other hand, I’m sure it’s a relief to be together. And it’s good that you have some friends close by, even if you can’t really hang out right now.
Tucson in late spring / early summer is certainly going to be toasty. I think that’s going to be another ‘not fun’ reality for all of us full-time RVers… we are all getting stuck and stranded in snowbird locations… which are not going to be very hospitable come Summer. 🙁
I feel your pain …as travelers we are explorers so to not be able to get and and explore is like being in a straitjacket. Strange times indeed and there is so much irony in all of it for sure! Glad you are safe and hmm…somewhat sane in Austin. We feel very fortunate to be where we are right now and feel bad for so many other RV’er who have been displaced or trapped somewhere.
Staying put is the wise thing to do as the more people who travel right now the longer we will all be in lockdown. I bet Thor is loving his yard too! HUGS!!!
I have so enjoyed your daily updates and commentary these last couple days! You all are making the best of it, that’s for sure. The weekly deliveries of wine and “social distancing happy hours” are undoubtedly helpful! 🙂 Thor is definitely loving the yard. There are a ton of birds around here and he gets to chase after them and make an ass of himself all day. He is easily entertained. 🙂 Hugs back to you guys. Stay safe!
It’s hard not to “let our minds wander too far into the hypothetical” at this point, isn’t it. This is a great post, Laura, covering our unique situation in this very unique global situation. Patience, care, and flexibility are the words of the day and I work hard on learning how to disconnect my brain! Happy to hear you’re staying put, I know it was a difficult decision to make. None of our options are perfect and we’ve probably had the same conversations about which way to turn. For now, we’re staying still in Boulder City and re-calculating each week. Stay safe and stay in touch. We all need to know our friends are safe
Thanks, Sue. I think part of the process is just accepting that there are no great, or even good, options. We just have to choose the least worst option and go with it. I’m glad you guys are with friends and getting out and enjoying the sunshine. It all helps. The next couple of days, we’ve got a full schedule of video chats with friends. It seems like everyone is now signing on to those services to help feel a bit less isolated. They are just one more way to disconnect from the endless negative feedback loop of the news and social media. Stay well!!
Stay safe Laura! Ed finally sold the RV, and we are hunkering down in my house in Alexandria. It is surreal. But we are fine. There is plenty here to do, and I consider myself lucky, as long as everyone stays healthy. We have groceries delivered and only go out for walks, maintaining 10 feet of distance from other walkers. For us, this is likely to go until at least June 10, which is when the governor’s most recent stay at home order terminates. We have cancelled several international and domestic trips. No regrets, you just do what you have to do. Thank goodness for the Internet. We spend a lot of time with family and friends on Face Time. We will all get through it. Be well.
Don’t know why my comment above says Anonymous. It’s Judy R. from the courthouse (former victims witness advocate volunteer).
Hey Judy,
I’m not sure why it’s refusing toe identify you either, but I’ll take a look and see if I can figure it out. In the meantime, I’m glad to hear you guys are safe and sound. It’s certainly disappointing to have to cancel so much travel, but, for the time being, it’s just the way it has to be. Hopefully, we can all have a big do-over down the line. We, too, are having groceries brought to our car and, otherwise, limiting ourselves to exercise in the neighborhood. Fortunately, everyone in this area is respectful of the social distancing rules and people give lots of space to one another. That’s been nice to see.
Anyway, I hope you all stay healthy and happy. This too shall pass… hopefully soon. Take care!
You have written exactly how we’re feeling as well. After leaving Austin, we headed to Tucson where we are now ‘hunkering down’ with fear of moving to a place we will be kicked out of or finding ourselves without a base to stay put. We will think of moving around the beginning of May once it starts to heat up but won’t be taking too many risks. I don’t see Alaska happening this year 🙁
I’m glad you’re all safe and staying in Austin. This too shall pass. Hopefully sooner than later. Stay safe and well. ~Sonya & John
Yup, we feel the same way. We feel fortunate to be at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas….but for how long? As far back as I can recall Vegas is one hot place to be in the summer! Also, who would have thought we would be bored out of our minds being in Vegas for at least 2 months! Mind boggling for sure! I have family in the area, but we have not been to see them because of the stay in place order. At least I can go to the grocery store every week, and guess what? Today pasta, flour, rice, beans and paper towels were all in stock! Yay!
I’m rereading my post and see that I have lots of exclamation points! That’s life for now. Take care and be healthy.
Haha… the bar for exclamation point worthy content is getting lower and lower these days. 🙂
I think there are gonna be a whole lot of RVers who are complaining about the heat pretty soon. Right now, we’d all be heading north, but we’re all gonna be stuck in the desert or Texas or Florida. That is not gonna be fun. Ughhh… Just one more thing to contend with.
It’s great though that you are in a bigger city and that your stores are finally getting some stock. We found one close by that had just about everything we needed, so we’re hopeful that will remain the case. At this point, we’ll take whatever little victories we can find. Stay well!
I think this is my first comment on your posts. When we joined the SKP Coop we are in 5 years ago we did not plan to use it for more than a regular stopping place in SoCal , certainly not as a long term stop. We have stayed more than we expected already, fortunately we were based here when things started to shut down. Actually we were in Panama touring when we were forced to abort the trip and fly back to the US. We were so grateful to have the coach setup in a space we are familiar with with a loving community surrounding us. No we cannot meet in the middle of the street and hug, but we can meet on opposite sides of the street – social distancing – and share our ups and downs. We also have had zoom happy hours and zoom meetings on a regular basis to keep us connected. You might consider making live video connections with many of your friends, both face to face and virtual. we have even attended a zoom funeral of a beloved in-law and had gatherings each day for 3 days with the family.
It’s funny – just in the last couple days, several of our friends have suggested virtual happy hours, so we are going to be doing several this week. I guess people are accepting that we’re gonna be stuck for a while and really trying to find ways to feel less isolated. Thankfully, these options for staying connected exist. They really do make a difference.
As for a long term space, if we weren’t thinking about it before, we definitely are now. Whether it be a sticks and bricks house or a long term spot at a campground, I think many, many full-timers are going to start considering options going forward. Sounds like you’ve found a perfect landing spot and it’s nice to know you won’t have to worry about them closing it down.
Anyway, thanks for commenting. Stay safe out there!
Corona has certainly created a lot of #coronarefugees.. which takes being nomadic to a new level for sure. We too have had to adjust and adapt and change countries at rapid pace. To your question of no one is sure how long this will last ~ we just signed up for a rental until the end of July and I say this, because we know that two months is too short for this to last, and while it may be eighteen months…. four months seems like a realistic time line to be faced with an entirely different reality by then.
We too are as you say “strangers” having just arrived into a totally new country, new community etc but we as well, are well used to doing this. It actually is a good skill that us nomads have to develop as well as being flexible and adaptable.
Wish you the best of luck in your new Austin location (normal times Austin is such a great city) ~ stay safe and healthy.
Peta & Ben
You all know better than anyone the stress this whole thing can take on folks without a home base. Your recounting of your trip from Vietnam and Sri Lanka to Mexico was harrowing, to say the least. I have seen a number of international travelers who’ve had to abandon their property in other countries and just hope for the best as they tried to get home to the U.S. or Canada. I’m glad to hear you are safe and sound and in a nice place to ride things out. You are certainly right that you’re well prepared to handle these things after many years of living abroad, and I think you’re probably right to assume July will be the earliest that anyone will be doing much of anything. All the best to you two.
Maybe all this hunkering is a good time to practice your Influencer Yoga Poses. It’s spring, so the farm babies are being born, and you should easily be able to locate some goatlings for Goat Yoga. I’m pretty sure that goatlings are expert hunkerers. In a few months, you can transition into Hot Yoga. Heat makes actual hunkering a breeze. Then it’s the trifecta: Influencer Hot Goat Yoga!
You are a woman of great vision, my friend. I will get on this business plan immediately! Now, I just need to figure out how to incorporate the stripper pole…. I’ll let you know what I come up with. I am off to plan!!!!
Talk to you soon!!
You have certainly expressed what all the RVrs are feeling right now, uncertainty, anxiety, and worries. But you are in the front seat because you happen to be in a stick and brick house for a while as the world is going crazy. I certainly hope you can still go out and get some of those BBQs in Austin and able to enjoy the blooms of the bluebonnets and other spring flowers. ( that is of course if you can even drive out 🙂
As for us here in Tucson, AZ we are also hunkering down and thankfully have no plans of traveling with Betsy in the near future or ever. We would have been house hunting in Wickenburg but Corona came along and now a recurrence may be in the system.
So Alaska must now be in the back burner for next year.
Stay well and stay healthy.
Hey ML,
Yeah, Alaska is looking less and less likely. We’re still holding onto a sliver of hope, but it’s not much. Hopefully, like so many other things, it is just on hold and we can go at some point in the future. Same with you and house hunting. It is just crazy to think how many things are going to change because of this situation. It is truly impossible to comprehend. In the meantime, I am happy to know you guys are safe and sound in the U.S. and hunkered down in a good spot. Let’s hope, for all of our sake, that things start to improve before temperatures start heating up!
You are in a good place right now, stick it out through April and maybe longer. You are right about RV’er sticking together. We would have no problem putting up someone who was in need of a place to stay. Great pictures by the way!
Thank you! And be careful what you offer – If word gets out, your front yard will quickly end up looking like Quartzsite in January. 🙂
Timing is everything, right? So glad you’re able to stay put. My heart aches for those RVers that are having a hard time finding sites. Our timing on the house decision couldn’t have been better! You’re all in our thoughts. Stay safe everyone!
You are so right. Timing is everything and we feel very fortunate to have landed here when we did. I know how relieved you guys are, too, to have found a perfect spot to settle down and wait things out. Plus, you’ll have plenty to keep you busy (painting, shopping, furniture arranging) while we’re all “socially distancing.” Stay well!!
All your thoughts and experiences sound so familiar! I assume you are in that campground in Austin now? You’re so right that if all you do is remain inside and watch TV, you might as well do so in a cheaper way than a rental house. Having a big RV comes in handy now! 🙂 We’d be beating our heads against the metal walls if we’d be stuck in our camper van right now.
Good choice about not moving and driving long distances to see family or friends. We are at my in-laws in Massachusetts now (our residency address) in a room with a separate entrance, away from the main part of the house, so we are isolating and safe. But, while we usually come here to be with family, friends, and doctors, none of that is happening. We don’t even hang out with my in-laws to prevent potential infection for them. That makes this entire episode even weirder. We can’t get anything done and we are stuck. Life for nomads is certainly tough these months!
It really does feel like we are all in some sort of “in-between” right now, huh?
We have gotten used to being on our own and are feeling more comfortable with it, but it’s still odd. And I can only imagine how much weirder it is for you to be right there, but not able to spend time with your family. You’re certainly lucky to have a safe, accessible place to set up for a bit. So many people have had to scramble to find anywhere to go – especially our friends in vans and smaller RVs who really need reliable access to fresh water, dump stations, bath houses, laundromats, etc. I’m glad you guys are in a good place.
We are currently at the RV park in Austin and planning to stay a couple more weeks, but then we’re gonna head north. It’s already in the high 90’s here and getting worse every day, so we need to get somewhere cooler. Right now, it looks like things should be open, but we’ll have to keep an eye out and stay flexible.
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