New Blogger Friends & RV Socializing
Beyond my various philosophical musings (of which I’ve admittedly had many this past month), both Paul and I have also indulged in some regular ‘ol social RV-style partying.
What I didn’t expect was that we would meet people on the road who would actually become our friends, and what I expected even less was to become part of a community of people who regularly meet, re-connect, socialize and even (on occasion) caravan together. RVing folks are, for the most part, a really social lot.
I was a bit nervous meeting them because it was a windy day. You see Nick has a kite-flying obsession and he was just (that very morning) moaning on his blog about how it has not been windy enough to fly his kite for almost a week. Well, at least not until he was scheduled to meet us. Our lunch date at The Lost Roo was on a gusty perfect-for-kite-flying kind of day, and here we were ripping them both away from their only day of good flying. Oooops. Of course we didn’t really have much to worry about in the end. As with most RVers they are an easy-going couple and we had ourselves a good couple hour chat before we even noticed the time pass (plus they DID get to fly later that day…phew!). A very typical RV-style meet-up. Thanks for the lovely lunch, both of you!
All this this just goes to show that even when we’re not particularly trying to be social, RV life just tends to be that way. Who knows what the next few weeks will bring?
Post-Post Note/ For those of you interested I’ve just refreshed my most popular blog-post EVER “10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Fulltime RVing“. Despite being written in 2011, this post still gets over 500 views/day! Do we still feel the same way about all those things today?? Click the link to find out.
thank you my dear….we have enjoyed the friendship too….
Hi Nina,
Like you, I was totally comfortable with the idea of camping in the boonies all by my lonesome. But all that went out the window soon after I first touched down in the Imperial Dam LTVA back in ’03. Since then I have RVer friends coming out the wazoo! Thank goodness I can escape from them all during the summer 🙂
Except this summer. I don’t know what got into me, but I just spent the last two months volunteering atop Mount Constitution! Not nearly the same experience you had, because there were no newts, no Kokanee, just a single intern, and even Michel was a no-show, mostly. Still, lots of nice socializing with visitors and the other camp hosts.
Those winter boondocking get-togethers can be pretty intense. Last winter, after 5 solid weeks of non-stop socializing we actually drove away and “hid out” for a few weeks just to be by ourselves for a while LOL. It was a blast!!
Sorry to hear the Mt.Constitution job was different from our experience. There were a lot of interns last year, but I guess that all fell off this year? bummer. I’m glad you had a good time with visitors and the other camp hosts though. Hopefully you’ll get enough rest before you go back to your crazy party winter boondocking spot.
Nina
We start our full time rving in 10 days!
We still are not sure of how to hook up TV???
What do we use for Internet for our iPad and laptop??? (No phones)
I’ve enjoyed your old blogs and just found out about your mom. I am so sorry for your loss. She must have been a wonderful soul. I lost my mom at 30 ( I’m 64 now). And I enjoy the comfort of knowing I will see her again when our souls reunite.
I am looking forward to meeting on the road someday.
Thank you for reinvigorating my soul. My honey and I are scared sh**less but 100% excited about our new adventure with our 2 4-legged doggies.
Don’t worry. You’ll figure it ALL out in time.
Regarding internet, in the beginning you can just connect to campground WiFi, or go to a local coffee shop or library if you don’t have any campground WiFi. If you don’t need alot of internet and/or don’t need it all the time that’ll probably work fine and you may even find you can travel everywhere like that. However, if you want more reliable connectivity you’ll need to sign-up to a plan with a MiFi device from either Verizon or ATT. But you can figure this out along the way. For reference, you can see our set-up HERE.
Good luck with everything!!!
Nina
I think for someone just starting out rv’ing you might also want to check out the Escapees Organization…it was the one we joined when we first started rv’ing (after not owning a car for 20 years) the purpose of the organization is to help people in many many ways…
Good point Jil. Escapees also offers beginner “boot camp” programs that are perfect for newbies who want to learn all about their RVs:
https://www.escapees.com/knowledge/boot-camp
Nina
Carin, are you really planning to hit the road without a cellphone? If so, please reconsider. It could be an essential lifeline to assistance in the event of a breakdown or accident / illness. Nina’s great post contains tons of useful information and resources for finding a good setup to meet your individual needs.
Good point Jennifer. I would also recommend traveling with a phone, even if just for safety reasons. You don’t need to spend much if you don’t want to. A cheap pre-paid Tracfone plan running on Verizon or ATT will cost you less than $5/mo and there are many other options (e.g. Ting, Straight Talk) that are very inexpensive too. Even if you decide not to sign up for a data plan just yet, consider bringing a cheap mobile phone with you on the road.
Nina
Nina
Having a valuable resource/social blog like yours (and having something to say and saying it so well) also helps to grow a circle of Rv friends. Readers can get to “know you,” your interests, hobbies, and Rv “style,” not to mention the things they might have in common with you (food, beer, boondocking, beer, brewery hopping… more beer). And, vice versa, of course. Our “Gang” formed quite naturally due to a common interest in hiking… and beer :). Mountain biking, too, on occasion, and we really enjoy our get togethers as you seem to do too. I would bet that without “Wheeling It” your social circle would be smaller, at least our would be.
Cheers,
Box Canyon Mark
This is very true. Having the blog has definitely helped enlarge our social circle, and many of the folks we’ve met over the years have been because we read their blog, or they read mine or both. There’s no doubt blogging has been a big part of this.
Nina
Thanks for another spot-on post! We’ve discussed an RV for years, I wasn’t ready. Now we are planning, looking, and living vicariously through you!
We are ready, and happy to know there’s a group of great folks out there to share our passions.
Cannot wait.
Donna
Very exciting! I wish you the best of luck in all your plans.
Nina
We are ready to full time it next year and wondered about the social thing. I wonder if you meet folks because you write a blog. We read blogs, but will not be writing one.
I definitely meet folks through the blog, but we’ve also met many without it (or rather we’ve met folks who knew nothing about my blog). Jil&Tom were like that (we met them very early on), and many of the folks we’ve met boondocking have been like that. We’ve also met a ton of folks through our lighthouse hosting jobs.
So, although my blog has most certainly expanded our social circle, I do feel we would have met many folks regardless. You’ll have no problem meeting folks even if you don’t blog. RVers are truly a social bunch.
Nina
I thought I would chime in as well! We rely heavily on Instagram and Facebook stay in touch with RVer’s we haven’t met and those that we have. I just am a horrible blogger, but I found Instagram to be very quick and easy. We have met some amazing people through the format.
Good point Todd! We just started using Instagram earlier this year and we’ve already connected to a whole new group of people (especially younger RVers) that we never really knew before. It’s a great format and so incredibly easy to use.
Nina
As our daughter says, you have more friends now then you ever had. Something to be said about having some time in retirement for us. But, we all have that one common thread…life on the road:)
How great that finally met Nick and Miss Terry:)
Yeah we definitely have more friends now (and see them more often) than we ever did living in a regular stix & brix house. It was fun to finally meet these two. Been reading his blog (and books) for ages.
Nina
How exciting the full-timing life style is, we are working towards it and who knows we might be one of the ones who meets up someday.
Hope your travels continue to be on the wings of God’s Angels,
Cyndi
http://newbeginningswiththebudhis.blogspot.com/
You express these sentiments well. I consider myself a loner and was surprised to find that one of the greatest joys of this life is having met interesting substantive like-minded folks.
I love how different types of RVers mix together. I’m a social (outgoing) person, but with a deep need for regular alone time. I’ve found a good fit in this lifestyle.
Nina
Has the toxic spill in CO altered any of your travel plans?
No, we won’t be anywhere close to that area. Very sad incident that is.
Nina
Tx for your kind reply. I have been researching your blog since hubby and I started looking at RVs (again) over the last year. Seriously this spring. We settled on a new to us Born Free, last month.
We belong to a group called “warm showers” which offers tandem bikers and other travelling bicyclists a safe overnight camp w a warm shower. We live on a farm about 2 hours SE of Sioux Falls, SD. Be sure to contact me if you are ever in need of green space, electric & water. I will give you phone numbers when needed.
I have traveled overseas and quite a bit in middle America on a tandem bicycle and know how much hospitlaity can refresh a weary traveller. It is the least I can do to repay a modicum of the good advice Wheeling it & friends have rendered.
The beauty of rving is you can be as social as you choose. If you want to socialize simply stand outside your rig for a short time. Someone will engage you in conversation before too long. If you are having a private day, no one is offended with just returning a friendly hello.
Very true. When I’m out walking doggie I’ll often engage in chats with folks sitting outside, but when I’m looking for alone time I’m able to find that too.
Nina
Awesum. You Guys are looking Healthy and Happy.
Rock On.
Sounds/looks like great fun! Don’t know how Nick finds time to drive the rig 🙂 Great pic of Jill.
I think he’s helped by the fact that Miss Terry is a woman-of-all-trades who not only bakes, but also drives, fixes and wrangles mechanical issues. My kinda woman!
Nina
I was reluctant to leave our friends behind when we took off on our full timing journey two years ago, but our lives are now even richer with friends than before. We’ve made some delightful friendships on the road, have had friends from our hometown meet up with us in our journeys, and caravanned with close friends from home for a couple of months last winter. Right now we’re co-camp hosting with friends that we met on the road. I agree with you, the social aspect of RV’ing been a delightful surprise!
This has been exactly our experience too. I’m so happy you are enjoying your time with Lu and Terry on Lopez. I knew they’d love it up there.
Nina
We were camped in Long Beach earlier this week and went to North Head on Tuesday hoping to meet you. Unfortunately you weren’t on duty that day, and the next day we moved on North. We wanted to thank you for your fab blog and also for that almond flour chocolate chip cookie recipe. It is my go-to cookie recipe now….in the RV or at home. Hope to hook up with you two when we are close again some time. Loved your lighthouse….but oh that wind!
Sorry we missed you! And glad to hear the cookie recipe has bought you joy. It’s a regular “hubby request” here in the beast.
Nina
Great Post. For sure the social aspect of this lifestyle has been the most surprising to us too. I would say not a week goes by when we don’t meet up with someone; old friends or new friends. And I think the nomadic nature of our lives means you can’t postpone socializing like we did in our sticks and bricks life; “I’ll give you a call” or “we must catch up some time” just doesn’t cut it when you are constantly moving. I read this quote today from Travel Write Tim Cahill. It seems appropriate. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”
I totally agree. The nomadic nature of our lifestyle means we don’t waste time meeting or getting to know people. Friendships form fast on the road, at least faster than they did when we lived in a fixed abode.
Nina
Hi Nina,
Wow, we are honored to make the blog!!! We had a great time meeting you and Paul and enjoying some good brew and a crazy parade – haha!. We are back to the chaos of our work schedule, but as somebody said in a post above, we too will be living vicariously through you and Paul for the next year and a half until we can hit the road. Thanks again for your wonderful blog, we hope to meet up with you in the future! Wishing you lovely sunsets and peaceful moments.
Safe travels,
Lisa and Mike
It was great to meet you too! Always fun to share a brew with other beer lovers. Good luck with the fulltime RV plans and hope to see you down the road!
Nina
We are SO looking forward to full-timing and we welcome whatever “social” opportunities that may come our way. I for one am not a social animal and DO favor my privacy. Nevertheless, RVing establishes that you have at least one thing in common…that being RVing…and travel…and nature…and…
As for blogging, it’s not something I was doing previously. But I find I enjoy writing. And there certainly is a community of blogorinos to tap into…or not.
Jill does make a very pretty picture at sunset. Like you we have met some wonderful people, mostly through our early RV Dreams rally and my blog. I’d love to get together with them more often as you seem to be able to do out there in the west. I’d also love to caravan with a couple or two maybe and see if I like that. Might have to be out west to do that too. Out west is where we’d like to be but we haven’t figured out how to manage cancer care there.
Developing friendships on the road has been my biggest surprise and best part of this nomadic lifestyle. I believe you and Paul were the second couple we met while on the road and am pleased that are paths continue to cross and our friendship has remained.
For some reason I totally forgot we were your “second” LOL. I’m certainly thrilled to have meet you and spent the many hours we have together. You guys are RV pros now and definitely part of the tribe.
Nina
Hi Nina and Paul,
We enjoy your writing and feel we are vicarious travel companions. Your wonderful writing is complimented by your outstanding photography. You’ve probably answered this question before, but can you share with us what camera equipment you use to capture your beautiful images?
Thanks!
John and Catherine
Sure! Most of my pics are taken with a very simple (and somewhat older) point and shoot Cannon S100. It’s a pocket camera that I take absolutely everywhere with me. A select few of my nicer pics are taken with my fancier Nikon D7000 (and 18-200mm lens) which is a larger SLR-type camera. I love the bigger camera, but don’t always have it on me due to size. As they say in photography, ” the best camera is the one you have on you”.
Nina
I will check out your updated article. I have never dreamed of full time RVing but you sure make it sound great. I guess because we are Canadain and can only head south for 6 months it makes living in an RV challenging. It would be tough to find 6 month of decent weather up here.
I do know a few Canadian’s who fulltime, but admittedly not that many. My Canadian buddy Ivan and his cat are fulltimers, as are Love Your RV and is Sassy On Da Road (although she’s blogging less these days). It takes a little extra planning, but it can be done. Part-time RVing is also fun too and of course I know LOTS of Canadians who do exactly that.
Nina
We are planning on full-time soon,and can’t wait to meet all the full-time celebs we’ve been following for years. We are currently in Kansas City, unfortunately very few folks pass this way even though it’s actually is a cool town.
I’ve heard it’s a wonderful town. In fact Paul was very tempted to pursue a PhD there with one of his favorite economics professors. Didn’t happen in the end, but I would like to visit sometime.
Nina