RV Living- Lesson 101

We've been on the road about 3 months and when we have visitors they ask how this RV living works. As you can imagine it's a very different life in a home on wheels...
When you pick up your new coach at the dealership they don't do much to familiarize you with your new home. At least that was our experience! Thankfully, Jay is very handy and he attributes this to his many years on boats. There is always something that needs attention! This coach was no different!

There is a strict routine that has to be followed when you arrive at a park and also when you leave with a motor coach. Each person has responsibilities and they have to dovetail in order to have a flawless arrival and departure. This coach has 3 slides, for those that are not familiar with this, it means the coach has extending walls that increase the width of the coach when you are stationary in a park. It becomes very livable and cozy!

RV living was completely foreign to me until we started shopping for this coach, I was very surprised at the level of amenities that many coaches have! ( I made the mistake of calling it a camper once,no!) Full kitchens with top of the line appliances, residential refrigerators, convection ovens (which is a must) and some even have dishwashers, this coach has one, his name is Jay!

Every buyer has to decide what features are important or deal breakers and that's how it goes! Jay and I were in sync where that was concerned. This coach had to have a King size bed and a Washer and Dryer, also a bath and a half would be nice! Based on this we were able to find the perfect coach, and here we are!
We realized right away when we are on the road EVERYTHING has to be secured and put somewhere where it won't break or roll off a counter!
So this is how it goes day of departure... every cabinet in the kitchen gets a bath towel or a small blanket laid over the contents and then the cabinet doors have to be clipped with a small rope bracelet that eliminates the possibility of opening or shifting in transit. The counters are also cleared of small items. The dining chairs are clipped to the floor and then I start at the rear of the coach, by the way this is my list of duties on D day! The rear of the coach is the full bath so I lock the shower door and clear the counters. Next I roll up the area rugs and put those on the bed along with the small table and the ottoman from the living room. The bed is a great spot to store things so anything small goes on top. Next the kitchen trash can and Savannah's food dish goes in the half bath, another great space to store things, BUT, I learned the hard way not to block access to "the throne" because if you have to "go" during the trip you can't reach the rear bathroom once the slides are closed without jumping over the bed which is covered with stuff, awkward! Next, you close the rear slide in the bedroom which moves the bed in close to the opposite wall. The other two slides get closed which makes the living room and kitchen a narrow space about 4 feet wide, a tiny path front to back!

a narrow pass!

You know you did everything correctly when you get on the highway and you don't hear any rattling!
Once we turned into an empty lot and one of the cabinets opened and all the plates fell out and broke into a million pieces on the tile floor, it was like an earthquake, that's when we bought the door bracelet clips and a supply of paper plates! While I am completing this process, Jay is outside emptying the tanks, (I will skip the details on that process) and disconnecting the water and the 50 amp power supply. He attaches the Jeep to the tow bar, making sure the transmission is fully in neutral, if not, tires and transmission will be destroyed ! Next the Jacks have to be brought up, (4 auto Jack stabilize the coach when the slides are out) and a final walk around to be sure all this is completed before you depart. It sounds like a lot, but, its about a 30 minute process. We are ready to roll!

When we arrive at our next destination we basically reverse the process, Jay handles the outside and I gladly reassemble our interior! Savannah always looks at me happily because she knows its time to go outside and investigate her new surroundings!

This, my friends is our RV Life!

Next stop October 1st... Las Vegas baby!