Is it really worth it?

[Nut501]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Carl, Your quote is worthy of extended thought, not for the smile it brings bur for the reality of its meaning..

If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else! Yogi Berra

It's certainly good to get the trailer you think you need, unfortunately what you need can changes with time for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it's better to keep and enjoy what you have. Ginny reminds me of that.

Norm,
May, I give you some friendly advise? If it came down to a choice between your trailer and Ginny? I believe you should keep Ginny! ;-)
You are so correct it is better to keep and enjoy what you have! As my old Daddy use to say, sometimes the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence!
Keep Smiling!
Thanks,

[luvrOlife]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Maybe early color this year.

It's been amazingly cool for August, 69 projected high for Wednesday. There has not been a single heat wave this year, (3 days above 90). Of course the weatherman speak about pleasant weather and it is but quite different from prior predictions of warming.

I'm in the SF Bay Area of Northern California. The meteorologists here commented that this is the warmest year on record for California. I've lived here since 1978. (I grew up on the Delaware River in SE PA with four seasons)

This summer has been balmy every single day. It reminds me of late spring early summer back east. Usually the fog rolls in and provides us with natural A/C not this year. Although the coast had it's share of foggy days the wind hasn't been there to move it along. We've had low pressure troughs stuck due to high pressure sitting in the Sierra's.

Much like the Great Lake region, we have the San Francisco Bay that I live a half mile from. The heat has been warming the Bay and Ocean to create steam or a balmy effect. It's highly unusual to be able to sleep with all the windows open or walk outside at night without a jacket. Yet that's what it's been like here...much warmer...very noticeable every single day since March!

I noticed the weather shift here started in 2000. The meteorologists say it ramped up in the 90's. We are expecting an El Nino this winter...usually that will bring rain, but with these unpredictable High Pressure systems that sit along the Sierra's blowing their winds towards the west...it may continue to bring warmer temps to us here in the West, lengthening the Fire Season.

At some point, I think we're going to have to consider collecting all the rain in parts of the country that experience ever increased precipitation and funneling it to the parched areas. A sort of national irrigation system. I do think that water is going to be more valuable than oil sooner than we think.

Just a thin'in ...

The upside is it makes for great camping along the Coast especially further North this summer. I just got back from stuffing myself with local Oysters, Salmon, Tuna and even Abalone prepared by some amazing Chef's in our seaside towns here.

[honda03842]

Ginny is certainly number one with me.

I've always felt we could get back to where we are with things very quickly, particularly now that we're into 'small'.

Ginny has a philosophy, (oops is that an unholy (oops) word), that I am number one over every thing and every one in her life that includes our wonderful children. It's sort of interesting to think about but she has thought about it.

She is fortunate that she grew up with well grounded parents who transferred a lot of good thoughts to their children. I probably loved Ginny's mother before I loved Ginny.
Her father was good to everyone.

I always say and think that if you can't live with Ginny you can't live with anyone. To have a trailer that's easy to travel in requires effort, it's similar with people. Maybe you have to change yourself, or slowly help another change or reach their goals. Working together, become one can be fun. It's not that you have to dissolve who you are.

I'm so glad we travel in a trailer together, we have become closer because of it.

[honda03842]

Vanessa,

Since October of 2013 75% of the country has been below normal by 2 F. The west coast states are the primary exception. Many eastern states are experiencing record cool temperatures though comfortable, For example in North Carolina normally 70% of the days in August exceed 90F, this year it was 3% of the days in August.

Our lawns in NH are usually brown in August, though there's plenty of water here people rarely water their lawns, this year that are a deep green.

For campers I think this may be a cold year. As we traveled across the country last year, hugging the Mexican border we had freezing weather every night, no exceptions. We had friends who were camped near Houston in mid March and had their fifth wheel's water freeze, recognized when he went to flush in the middle of the night.

I would not be surprised for more of last year, sun spot activity is now at historical lows and has been for some time compared to the 90's when it was at historical highs.

As to El Nino they have backed off a little on that prediction but certainly it will return sometime.

Wishing you well

[Raz]

Is it worth it? I didn't used to think so. My inlaws had a trailer. I dismissed the idea as expensive compared to motels. Back then we always had someone to take care of the dog. The year there wasn't someone, we boarded the dog. On our return it was obvious the dog have spent the entire two weeks in a cage. Never again. We got our RV so we could bring the dog along. Now I get it. Dog or not I wouldn't travel any other way. Raz

[Mike Magee]

Unseasonably cool and wet in Tulsa this summer, too.

Is it worth it? Everyone needs something fun to do in their spare time. For folks on this forum, obviously one of those fun things is camping. When something is important to a person, then yes, having the 'tools' to do that important something is definitely worthwhile. To another person with other priorities, the answer will be different.

If all I could have was a tent, the tent would be worth it. But I can have a trailer to camp in, and a trailer is better than a tent, so the trailer is worth it and the gas used is worth it and the campground fees are worth it.

Looking at it another way, everyone must eat food to survive but we could get by on the least expensive foods (beans, rice, etc) and drinks (tap water). However, we all choose to buy more expensive foods for flavor, variety, and perhaps convenience. Is the extra money spent worth it? Of course it is, or we wouldn't be spending it.

[luvrOlife]

Norm,

When I was in school in the late 60's we were told to expect an Ice Age return...after the last couple of winters and now this cooler summer the rest of the country experiences.. My science teacher may well have called it!

I enjoy the cooler temps, and am enjoying what's here now.

Happy Trails! -V

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Fiberglass RV mobile app

[honda03842]

You're right Vanessa there was a cool period that extended for a few decades, big news in the 70s. Many of the same people touting global warming touted a coming ice age.

The reality is that there has been no warming for 18 years and no one knows why. No matter what, hot or cold, we'll still be out there camping. We try to avoid the extremes though we did get snowed on in NL this spring.

Like you everyone's enjoying the cooler summer temperatures.

[blodn1]

I used to have a license plate "J Galt"

Planning to name my trailer "Dagney".

[carlkeigley]

Originally Posted by honda03842

You're right Vanessa there was a cool period that extended for a few decades, big news in the 70s. Many of the same people touting global warming touted a coming ice age.

The reality is that there has been no warming for 18 years and no one knows why. No matter what, hot or cold, we'll still be out there camping. We try to avoid the extremes though we did get snowed on in NL this spring.

Like you everyone's enjoying the cooler summer temperatures.

What people don't seem to realize, no matter what we stupid
humans think or try to make others think, God is in control of
the thermostat................LOL

[Mike Magee]

Yeah, but what I want to know is, who hid the remote???

[CampyTime]

Funny...!

It's under the couch cushions silly.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Funny...!

It's under the couch cushions silly.


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

That explains why wife decided to take a nap on the couch! Keep me from getting the remote. < light bulb moment>

[dondon]

Originally Posted by Sid

I have never stayed in a hotel and heard loons calling to each other in the early morning.
I have never witnessed so many shooting stars from a hotel balcony.
I have never stared across the glow of HD 32 inch flat screen and saw my wife the same way she looks in campfire light.

Sid hit the nail on the head for me! Marilyn and I will be traveling to California's Avenue of the Giants from Knoxville, TN in late Aug to late Sept. About 5400 miles round trip. If we flew to San Francisco and rented a car we could do the trip in a few days and for about the same money as what we will spend on gas over three weeks of RVing. But look at what we would miss traveling and camping through 12 states! Watch for a 2004 Toyota Tacoma pulling a 1983 Burro. Catchusifyoucan!

[luvrOlife]

I'm so excited for you! You'll be in my neck of the woods. The Redwoods and Sequoias are truly something to behold and that journey... Best time of year imho...happy trails!

-Vanessa

"no matter where you go, there you are...;-) "

[melissab]

Huh, guess Florida didn't get the Memo on cooler temps
It's so hot and humid here we haven't done any camping this summer at all. Looking forward to Oct or so when temps will hopefully back off. If not, we will plan a camping trip over Christmas break when the kids are out of school.

Melissa who isn't looking forward to this months electric bill

Originally Posted by honda03842

You're right Vanessa there was a cool period that extended for a few decades, big news in the 70s. Many of the same people touting global warming touted a coming ice age.

The reality is that there has been no warming for 18 years and no one knows why. No matter what, hot or cold, we'll still be out there camping. We try to avoid the extremes though we did get snowed on in NL this spring.

Like you everyone's enjoying the cooler summer temperatures.

[honda03842]

Melissa,

Last winter we took a few month trip to the west and every night was freezing and we stayed as close to the border as possible, all of course before the big cross border immigration.

Ginny kept saying "Time to return to Florida" and we eventually did. It seems Florida stayed relatively warm last winter compared to most of the nation.

Florida has had 8-9 years of pretty good weather, no hurricanes making landfall, the longest period of hurricane free weather ever recorded, significant when over the long run 40% of all hurricanes make a landfall in Florida.

Air conditioning is a big FL cost. Be happy that FL has some of the lowest electric rates in the nation. Hawaii's are 3 times FL's and New England's are 60% higher, local choices at least in part.

Over 14 years we have probably camped in FL for 30 months and probably have not had to run our air conditioning more than 30 days, the winter months are rather pleasant in FL, at least central FL.

Yesterday was September in NH. Actually no one really minds the cooler than normal temperatures as long as it is not cooler than normal during the winter months.

Wishing you well for the remainder of August. Are you going to the Scamp Camp at Highland Hammocks this year?

[rova]

Rob, average of $30k is stunningly high; and $60k is unimaginable to me. We love to camp; we camped a lot when our kids were young but when they hit teenage years, they were no longer interested and got jobs and sports, etc. Now my wife and I want to get back into camping. We bought a Boler for $2,750. Yes, we spent a lot of time and money on a crazy reno that brings us happiness and was a great project for my wife and her dad. So let's say the trailer has cost us $12k, pretty much everything included. For that, in my opinion, we have a brand new trailer. We have not purchased a tow vehicle. We make do with my father-in-law's 1953 Mercury pick-up or their mini-van. We will buy their mini-van when they no longer need it. After that, our Toyota Corolla will go to the kids and we'll buy another 4 cylinder car, but one that can double as a tow vehicle. That is why we have a 13 foot fiberglass trailer. The gas mileage will be pretty good any way you look at it; and I don't think it would be accurate to attribute the tow vehicle expense (once we get our next car) to the trailer; we will be using it as a daily driver. We have 3 kids just entering adult-hood. My wife and I are nearing retirement. We expect the trailer will be used maybe 6 weekends per year (being conservative) until we are retired, then a LOT more use. We also expect it will become an extra bedroom if and when we buy a vacation property. We expect the trailer will be in the family and used by various family members for 25 years. We expect the trailer will result in reduced number of times we would have used more expensive travel options, but we will never know what the "cost avoidance" dollars might have been. The amortization of the $12k over 25 years, even if we only use it 6 times per year, is negligible. In exchange, we can make spur-of-the-moment decisions to go camping any time we want, knowing everything is ready to go, just back up, hook up, and go. And we will get out to national, provincial and state parks that we would not have visited otherwise. Without the trailer, we would likely limit ourselves to visiting cities (which we will still do). What is the price on all of that? As Mastercard would say ... Anyway, for us, the dollars speak strongly to us: yes, it is worth it. (But if I were looking at $60k, I would not do it and I am not at all sure I would do it for $30k either.)

[honda03842]

T&K,

We attended the vintage fiberglass rally in Prince Edward Island in2010(?). The couple across from us had a 'Mercury green" Boler they had restored. They towed it with a 1953 Mercury car that they had bought new. They had gone on their honeymoon with that car and trailer.

In 2010 their daughter married and used that same car and trailer for their honeymoon. Though the mercury was not a 4 cylinder, we towed our Scamp 16 with a four cylinder Honda CRV. We never had an issue. Of course it was more powerful than the Mercury.



Early in the

[TomK]

When my wife and I were in a campground near Backus, an older couple pulled in across from us in a 1972 "Honey" Boler made in Winnepeg. They came from Thunder Bay, Ont. and were dropping the trailer off at the Scamp plant for some minor repairs and mods. We had fun comparing our "State of the Art" 10 hour old Scamp 13 to their Boler. Not much difference, as most of you know. What the man did to the interior was mind blowing. Everything, and I mean everything inside was white! Most of it looked to be painted with a brush. He explained it was so mosquitos had no place to hide. He suggested we do the same. What a character! Practical to the max. Not my taste, but sure interesting. If not for owning and camping in our 'lil Scamp, we never would have met them.

That was day 1 in our new RV lifestyle. Multiply that experience by the thousands for some of you. How can it not be worth it?

Tom