Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The only traveling I did so far was from Arizona to Minnesota, to my brother's house. It was interesting. I did take 4 days as I wanted to make sure there was a Walmart or rest area I could stay for the night. That worked well.
I found out that the cot does not work well in my car and I ended up sleeping in the front seat. I will be building a platform to fit in the car while I'm here. I'll also add a foam mattress.
My cat was a real trooper and traveled well. I think it helped that I made room for her cat tree and kept her Breeze litter box, even though it's larger than some. It also is easy to keep clean and doesn't smell.
When I got here I went into quarantine for two weeks and didn't have much internet. That was tough. Once I was able to go out, I went to Verizon and bought a jetpack and an Android smartphone. So I can now communicate.
I'll be here until September, which will give me the time to do a decent build in my car and build up my funds since my brother refuses to take any money. I am cleaning in exchange though.
In September I plan on heading back to Arizona via Washington, Oregon and Nevada. I have to be back then to renew my license tabs and car insurance. That will give me a year to decide if I want to have a home base somewhere. I have found a lot of people are doing that now as the whole virus situation, and having to stay in one place was difficult. I'm still thinking Cabello Loco Ranch is a good option. I could put a storage shed on a site, possibly invest in a travel trailer and keep that there and still have my little car to travel in. I have the summer to think it through.
I did end up donating my furniture and a lot of household items to the neighborhood group that runs the shelters and helps people with housing. I felt and feel very good about that. Having worked in the nonprofit world for so long, I know how much this helps. I also gave them most of my canned goods and pantry supplies.
The four days traveling, although not much time, did show me some of what I need to do. I look forward to traveling in September and finally using my America the Beautiful senior pass. Hopefully most, if not all, of the national parks will be open by then.
I have a Nissan Cube. It's small but I had the garage take out the back seat and the passenger seat. I took off the top part of the cat tree and put it in the storage unit.
The cot idea didn't work and I ended up sleeping in the front seat. It wasn't the most comfortable. I'm planning on building a platform and adding a foam mattress while I'm here at my brothers. I'll be leaving the cot here.
Both the cat tree and litter box worked great. I was amazed at how well my cat did.
The Cube has more room than you'd imagine, especially with the seats removed.
I have to add that I have seriously downsized. I did rent a storage unit and kept things that will fit into a larger vehicle, which I assume I will buy after I've satisfied my traveling urges.
It's the smallest unit I could rent and doesn't cost much. Less than what it would cost to rebuy the things I'm keeping.
Good for you meo92953. Keep it up! I'm sure you'll enjoy the September trip and continuing to explore. Also good to hear your cat is hanging in there. Mine is 10 years old now and I'm not sure she would do well with traveling but we will see....maybe she'd surprise me!
I retire in just over 3 years from my job here in Minnesota. I originally thought I could do a camper full time but have decided that I do need a home base, but it won't be here in MN due to tax reasons. Still exploring where to move.
Good luck on your continued adventures! Keep us updated!
I will keep you updated. I think my cat did/does well because she was a shelter cat for quite some time before I adopted her and she didn't want to be left behind again. I often wonder what she went through because she's so clingy now.
I wish I'd known this lifestyle was even possible when I decided to leave Minnesota. There were so many different places I was interested in but I thought I had to choose just one, due to finances. Now I can explore those places and check them all out.
I assume I'll settle down again at some point and investigating this way allows me the opportunity to see all the places I was interested in without making a commitment to a years stay.
The family farm is 9 miles from both a tiny town and a larger one. It's situated right in between the two.
I'm always amazed at how beautiful it is out here. The house is surrounded by trees and lake shore is just down the hill. It can get brutal in the winter but it is so nice in the summer.
There has been an amazing number of dragonflies which has kept the mosquito population down. It does get muggy when it's hot but usually there is a nice breeze off the lake.
I should add that my nephew is here visiting and has agreed to help with building a bed. Yes, I plan on paying him. He works on house building so knows his stuff.
IF the cot hadn't been so long it would have worked. So what we'll do is use the dimensions minus the length with the plywood. There's a great video on cheaprvliving on a build like that.
Plans continue for me to leave in September. I'm getting such itchy feet, I want to go now but am waiting for my September check just to be on the safe side.
The build my nephew did needs a bit of tweeking as he built under the cat tree which resulted in the removal of the top - which defeats the whole purpose of keeping it in the first place. That will be fixed this week.
I've also spent more than I planned on but feel comfortable in what I bought. Things I would have gotten eventually but glad to have. A Jackery and solar panel, a car charger, a portable toilet and bags, a fire extinguisher and a carbon monoxide detector, a tri-fold mattress, a hatchet and folding shovel. These I feel were all necessary items. I also invested in some freeze dried food, 6 months worth. These, along with canned goods and packets of tuna and tins of chicken, should see me through for awhile.
It did deplete my resources a bit, which is why I'm waiting until September, even though I long to be on the road now. Well, the heat everywhere, but not here where it's very comfortable, comes into the decision also.
I'm checking on going through the southern states and over to Arizona this time and going through Utah, Oregon, Idaho and Washington in the spring. I have to stop in Sierra Vista for things from my storage , and do my yearly doctor visit (although that may be via a phone call due to covid). I'm not sure how they are going to do that.
I've enjoyed being here and being with family and my brother wants me to come back next year but I'm looking forward to being back in the Southwest. I suppose in the spring I'll look forward to traveling back to Minnesota for awhile.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Still in Minnesota
