It never ends......

There are a few motorhomes parked here that have so many accessories added on, and we found a great website that sells all these products - even "rooms" that you can ad. Check this out. Wish we could win the lottery right now and just buy all these things (toys). Our 'wish list' is getting longer each day.

http://www.shadepro.net/product/RV_Screen_Rooms/villa.html

System Overload

Along with the appliances that came with the RV (fridge, freezer, gas stove, micro / convection oven, we also brought our other kitchen appliances that we couldn't do without (rice maker, convection / toaster oven). We debated on selling the convection oven, but are currently using it for toasting as well as a convection oven for dinners. We bring it outside so it won't create extra heat inside the RV. We have rice on an almost daily basis, so it goes outside as well. It wasn't long before it tripped a breaker. Finding the fuse box was quite a challenge The directions from the manual are vague at best as to where to find the fuse boxes.

Ok - so we can't plug 2 kitchen appliances outside, so one goes out and one stays in. That works for a short while until it trips another circuit breaker. This time it was the power bar that we used outside.

Just when you think you've got it all figured out, it happens again. There are 2 outlets outside the RV in one of the storage areas; one is attached to the Xantrax power supply, and the other is on its own. The power bar had been plugged into the power supply outlet and it had tripped. So now the power bar is plugged into the other outlet. No more circuit breaker trip outs.

This is one of those things that they don't teach you - you learn as you go.

Items to buy in the near future

We've made a list of things that we (eventually) need / want to buy for the RV:

BBQ (so that we don't heat up the inside of the RV on those warm days)
Hot Spot (sort of like a router for the computer so that we can have our own internet wherever we go, can be shared amongst our 3 devices, even while on the road; this works through a cellphone carrier's signal)
Clothes dryer - you remember these, right?

Awning screen & straps - the morning sun can be quite strong and heats up the RV quickly. With this installed, it would help deflect some of that sunlight.

Beach chairs that you can carry as a pack sack

Scooter - an alternative to bicycles

Since we're on a tight budget, these items will not be bought for some time as they can be expensive.

You know you're retired when........

You know you're retired when you sit and wait through the wash and dry cycle  of laundry.

Friday March 8th 2013 - we finally made it after all!!!!

Friday March 8th - On the road by 7am; we cut across I-10 to Jacksonville, then I-95 southbound to Fort Lauderdale. We finally feel warmth from the sun while we drive. As we pull onto the exit ramp to Oakland Park Blvd, I roll the window down and hear a rattling noise from the back wheel.

There is a missing nut from the rim that fell off at some point in our travels. This is not the same rim that was on the tire with the impaled bolt.
We arrive at the camp resort by 1pm and start putting our stuff on the cement pad so that we can decide if things are going inside or outside the RV.

This was taken after the boxes were emptied out.

Thursday March 7th 2013

Thursday March 7th - On the road all day, trying to make arrangements to have the heater fixed, but no luck as we don't want to delay our arrival at our Florida site.
The route we had chosen is I69; I65 to Montgomery AL, then diagonally to I75 (Tifton, GA). This last stretch of road was a mistake as the roads are narrow and single lanes for most of the way to GA.
We try to make it half way into Florida, but it's late at night, getting very tired and have to pull over at an unknown exit. There's an empty lot where there are already 3 rigs parked for the night.

Wednesday March 6th 2013

Wednesday March 6th - we leave very early in the morning as the cold keeps us from sleeping in. The highways are still snow-packed and/or icy. We witness several accidents - more delays we hadn't anticipated.
We decide to camp out at a KOA in Bowling Green KY in order to get (electric) hookup and proper heat instead of relying on the propane and generator. A KOA employee notices that one of our tires is low. We dispatch a tire repair guy who removes the tire and produces a large bolt that had pierced the tire.

This tire is not repairable and will need to be replaced at a cost of $500.00 USD - and it's only 2 days into our travels.

Tuesday March 5th 2013 - Fort Lauderdale or bust

Tuesday March 5th - we get dropped off at the dealership by our friend, Tim. We re-arrange the boxes we dropped off last night. Next comes the one-hour training, which seemed like it was sufficient, as we don't really know what to ask. This is our first RV, after all.
I had anticipated a lengthy inspection at the border, but we were only asked the following questions:

Where are you from? (Toronto)

Where are you going? (Fort Lauderdale)

Is there a campsite there? (Yes)

Do you have any money over $10,000.00? (No)

Do you have any meats? pork / lamb (No)

Do you have any fruits and vegetables? (No)

How long are you planning to be away? (Until April 30th)

What do you do for a living? (retired)

What did you do at your last job? 

We stop at a Rest Area in Angola IN for the night as it started snowing.

We experienced problems with the propane powered heater, then the generator powered heater, so we nearly froze.

Moving Day - a very long day.

Monday March 4th was a day of being behind schedule all day long; from renting the U-Haul truck, to running overtime with the elevator, delivering the mirror in Kitchener, loading the RV (at the dealership) after hours, delivering the rest of our stuff that didn't sell at our friend's place, and crashing at our other friend's place for the night. We left the car behind at the Woodstock campsite so that we could leave from the RV dealership on Tuesday, after the training.

The apartment looks quite empty now as stuff has been sold, boxed up, or put in storage. This is the living room with the wall unit (still not sold at $300.00), but the dresser just sold for $260.00 to a neighbour on the 5th floor, and the tv has also been sold and will be delivered in London on Monday.

A lonely chair is all we have to use as a dining area. The mirror has been sold and will be delivered n Kitchener on Monday as well.

The spare bedroom is now a storage area for boxes (and my bike) that will go in the RV.

The walk-in storage closet is practically empty. There used to be a shelving unit packed with stuff. No more. The racking is now at our friend's storage locker in the lower level of his condo.

The Toronto International RV Show http://www.torontointernationalrvshow.ca/ - today we went there (near the airport) to check it out. There was a fairly good selection of campers, trailers, fifth wheel, but not very many motorhomes. The ones that were there were too big, but it was nice to compare. Rick was somewhat disappointed with the number of motorhomes, but I thought it was a good time, regardless. The entry fee for yesterday and today was $6.00 (half price). We made the right choice with the RV that we bought - size, make, model, price. We're happy and can't wait to load it up on Monday and leave for Florida on Tuesday.

Up until this morning, we still had 4 pieces of (large) furniture that we hadn't sold yet and would have dropped off in London at Rick's friend (Harry's) place for him to sell for us. This would have meant the 10' U-Haul would have been pretty tight with our stuff. As of this afternoon, someone bought Rick's old dresser for $50.00.

A neighbour in our building had seen my dresser a few weeks back and was interested in buying it, but the price was too high for her. I texted her this afternoon and asked her how much she was able to afford, and we settled on a price. She also expressed interest in looking at the sofa and wall unit. Boy, talk about last minute sales!!