Jim | Live Work Dream

Remember Sunshine Valley

August 18, 2007 by Jim

We’ve been thinking of various new business ideas for ourselves when we complete this journey. If at that time I am still interested in starting an RV park, somebody please remind me about Sunshine Valley.

On our corn-stealing morning run when staying near Eau Claire, WI we just had to check out the campground down the road from its dilapidated sign. The first thing we noticed was the For Sale sign at the edge of the property. Then we noticed the “Closed” sign at the campground entrance. Then we noticed how much work someone had put into this little campground and how long it had been since anyone had obviously even parked a tent there, not to mention an RV.

Long live the urban refugee. Damn the urban refugee.

August 18, 2007 by Jim

I have to share this New York Times article I just got from the Redwood Technology Consortium mailing list about location-neutral rural transplants since it focuses on urban refugees transplanting themselves to Steamboat Springs, CO – in Routt County where we really enjoyed our stay at Seedhouse Campground. We were considered urban refugees ourselves when we moved from San Francisco to rural Eureka, CA ten …

Tracking the Twilight Honker

August 15, 2007 by Jim

In campgrounds across the nation, at dusk when the light is just right, if one listens carefully, the chirp of the Twilight Honker can be heard announcing nightfall and the paranoia of fellow campers. With a scientific name like Honkalarmus Paranoiac, one can imagine frail little birds taking flight at the slightest hint of danger. The truth is, these annoying beasts are the result of discourteous, mistrustful campers everywhere.

It is inevitable that you will hear someone setting their car alarm as night falls in any campground. What’s funny is to hear the next few car alarms being set by others who heard the call. What’s not so funny is when someone sets off their alarm disrupting the relative peace and quiet of evenings and mornings in the great outdoors.

Tornado Warning Lullaby

September 4, 2023August 15, 2007 by Jim

As a child, I was terribly frightened by the movie the Wizard of Oz. It wasn’t the witch, the trees, or even the monkeys. The idea of a tornado coming and tearing up my house and carrying me away from the comforts of my home and family was really quite traumatizing. 😥 With age and a little therapy, I’ve been mostly able to overcome …

Please report any technical difficulties.

December 2, 2007August 12, 2007 by Jim

I’ve just finished upgrading this blog to the latest version of WordPress (v. 2.2.2). So if you were encountering any odd issues while reading Sunday night, that’s why. Coincidentally, Google seems to be having trouble right now with the satellite imagery for all Google Maps – not just our site.

If you ever experience any other unexpected glitches while enjoying this site, please post a comment here or send us an email through the contact form on our About page. Thank you for your support.

We’ve still got a lot to learn…

August 13, 2007August 12, 2007 by Jim

… not about this full-time RVing lifestyle, we seem to be getting that down pretty good. But René thinks she wants to be a farmer, and this morning we discovered that we can’t even tell a field of sweet corn from feed corn.

On our morning run down the rural county roads near our home (this week) at Harstad Park, we couldn’t help but be tempted by all the corn in the fields alongside the road, just ripe for the picking. What we got serves us right for taking two and dashing home.

Beware the Bean Juice!

August 12, 2007 by Jim

beanwater biohazard Another quick tip, before I forget … though I don’t know how I could. They say the sense of smell is the strongest trigger for recollection.

The biggest stink we ever smelled coming out of our RV holding tanks was not from the black water. Our kitchen grey water tank started expressing itself with a very pungent sulfur smell when we were staying at Lindenwood City Park back in Fargo, ND.

The lower campground had recently been re-opened after major flooding from the Red River, and a couple fellow campers said they wouldn’t be surprised if it was the water so we left it at that. When we dumped the tanks, however, we knew it had to be something more.

Never run out of propane again.

August 11, 2007 by Jim

Here’s another quick tip for RVers with dual LP tanks for their rig. This was another little chore from my RV maintenance day back in Duluth. I wrote the word “use” on a small piece of magnetic sheeting to help us remember which tank we’ve been running off of since we like to use one tank up completely and keep the other one full as …

The christening of our rig.

September 10, 2009August 11, 2007 by Jim

Our good friend Eric, The Man of Auck, has been thinking of names for our RV. Why? I’m not too sure. But, he has recommended the following names for our new home on wheels – the first six are his – and suggests that we give the rig a moniker suitable of it’s maiden journey … just think of such great names as Titanic and …

Grandma’s Got Good Tea

August 9, 2007August 9, 2007 by Jim

Before I forget, here’s a quick review of a watering hole to hit for any budget-minded drunkard. Grandma’s Sports Garden in Duluth has $4.00 pitchers of Long Island Iced Tea! I think this may be a Happy Hour special, though I’m not certain. I do know the hour we spent there was pretty happy. We got four decent sized drinks out of one pitcher, along with a decent buzz. They weren’t too sweet and not too strong. Just right. A long way from the Square Cow Fun Bar drinks of so many years ago.

Upon arriving at the Lake Head Boat Basin Marina, we drove by the Garden and didn’t think twice about hitting the sports bar scene. But after hearing about this bargain, we were more than happy to follow advice from a couple fun loving locals down on the docks. What we didn’t care so much for was the particular racial epitaph one of these very blonde guys used multiple times to describe certain people in parts of town we shouldn’t visit.

Full-Timing Q&A Vol. 1

December 2, 2007August 9, 2007 by Jim

OK class, though I still often feel like the student myself, quite a few folks have been asking questions lately through our fulltime RVer contact form. Here’s the rundown of a few recent e-interviews…

Honey Do Day

August 9, 2007 by Jim

I laughed when our friend Spoonie once referred to us as homeless without jobs. We are not homeless! Just houseless. But one thing is certain, home repair days don’t last nearly as long in the trailer as they didback in our 3,800 sq. ft. stick house.

And I don’t recall where Rene heard this, but another thing is certain about living full-time in an RV. Everything comes loose. Oh, how true that is. But with a little routine maintenance and thoughtful repairs, taking care of chores around your home on wheels can be quick and easy.

And now for the fun part…

September 4, 2023August 6, 2007 by Jim

Aside from the few scratches and small dents we’ve put in the trailer and truck, we have been fortunate to have not experienced any major RV catastrophes … yet. Though we came very close when dumping our tanks after the recent stay at Lum Park in Brainerd, MN. Anyone who has seen the Robin Williams movie RV, and remembers the dump station scene, may think …

Minnesota Milk Shake Goodness

October 30, 2007August 4, 2007 by Jim

I know what you’re thinking … This long on the road and you haven’t reviewed any ice cream joints! So that may not actually be what’s on your mind, but for the record, no parlour has yet been worthy. OK, the real truth is, we haven’t gone out for ice cream since we’ve been keeping some on hand in our RV fridge. After long days on the road the soft serve treatment is delicious!

There was that pretty good milk shake in Bridgeport at the roadside burger joint of which I can’t remember the name. And then there was the fast food “milkshake” we just had to get at a drive thru in Spearfish, ND because we were starving and it was nearly 100 degrees out. Then there was the cone we shared like two teenagers in love as we watched the drunks stumble around downtown Deadwood. But none can compare to the real thing directly from the source.

During our visit to the Crow Wing County Fair in Brainerd, MN we enjoyed one of the best chocolate milkshakes ever – sold by actual local farmers outside the cattle barn. But the farmers must have been busy milking because their kids were doing the serving. And yes they had a variety of flavors to choose from, but for the purpose of this review we chose the favorite old standby.

The Grass Is Getting Greener

August 4, 2007August 3, 2007 by Jim

I’ve been trying to remember the last time I wore long pants. I don’t think I’ve donned blue jeans since we said goodbye to friends back in Eureka over two months ago. I certainly do like my new uniform of shorts and a tank top, but we’ve finally made it to a climate where a short sleeve shirt is actually bearable.

We even slept with the blanket our first night at Joe’s Lodge. And the cool evening was quite a relief. One tip for new full-timers getting ready to hit the road: don’t over-pack, take only what you think you will need.