WARNING!!! - I am a Senior Member. . .

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi All,

I noticed today that my status changed from junior member to senior member. Hmmm, I would like to make the following disclaimer:

Despite making over 100 posts on FGRV, I have yet to spend one night in an FG rig!!! I would highly recommend and caution anyone reading my posts to keep in mind that I am still a newbie, not a senior member!

Actually, I am teasing a bit. I wanted to make this post to thank everyone for your support the last few months. I joined FGRV.com on 8/1/15. I made my first post in early September, 2015. I caught the RV Bug in mid-September of 2014 by accident. My brother-in-law texted a few of us a picture of a custom RV. It was a cool rig, but I did not recognize who made it, so I researched it. It was made by Host (truck campers). In the process of researching the picture, I discovered the whole world of RVs, the lifestyle, the culture, camping, traveling, etc.

I grew up in a rural environment with blue collar parents on a small farm. My dad logged, so I spent lots of time in the woods around heavy equipment and machinery. As I grew up, went to college, graduate school, etc., got married, had two daughters, and worked very hard as a college professor, my outdoor roots became memories.

We will be empty nesters by the Fall, 2016. So the RV Bug and research became a retirement plan in 10 years as well as a short-term diversion from the stress from work. Nice! As I researched RVs and the lifestyle, I decided that 10 years to get an RV was too long. I shortened it to 5 years when my youngest would graduate from college, but then decided that was too long. This summer, I shifted from motor homes to small travel trailers in an attempt to break into RVing in a couple of years, maybe. By the end of July, I discovered FG rigs!

When I joined FGRV.com in August, I had no idea I would be typing this in December. Through the support, passion, expertise, and cajoling from many members on these FGRV forums, we said forget two years, we want a used rig now! In fact, there were a few of you that pushed me to "stop overthinking it" (in other words, Just Do It!!!). We did.

We bought our '05 Casita 17' FD in early November. This necessitated a new tug. We bought an '09 Kia Borrego Limited V8 2WD about 8 days ago.

The Casita and the Borrego are the result of my DW and I wanting to begin to travel, explore, decompress together, etc. after 30 years of work and 20 plus years of raising two beautiful daughters. All of this energy and my research led us to FGRV.com.

In the last 15 months, I have watched thousands of RV related videos, listened to 100s of RV related podcasts, and generated an Excel spreadsheet with over 350 RV related websites. We have attended part of one Egg Rally (LBL Fall Rally) and attended one RV Show. Whenever traveling, I would track down dealerships and check out rigs.

One of my first threads I pondered the $25,000 Question. I wondered if one could buy a used rig and tug for less than $25,000 given our parameters. To be honest, it was more of a rhetorical question than a real one when I posted it. I had no idea at the time that I would actually answer my own question. My answer was guided by great folks here on FGRV.com. The answer is YES, you can by a really cool FGRV and TV for $25,000 or less. I don't mind sharing that it was about $23,000.

I am well aware that there are Casita forums. I have surfed them a bit. I think I have even joined one. I am sure I will get more involved and post on those forums as well. But, in my 15 months of research, FGRV.com has become my community over the last few months. I like it here. Great folks. Great expertise. Great passion. The occasional feud. Kinda like family.

In any case, I wanted to give my disclaimer regarding my "senior member" status. We have not even driveway camped yet!!! But, we will. We will also have our first "shakedown weekends" as we move into Spring, 2016

From this Newbie with "Senior Member" status, I wanted to say THANK YOU!

I am currently studying the physics of weight distribution hitches.

WARNING - Just don't ask this senior member advice on your black tank!

THANK YOU!

Dean

[Mary F]

Hey, Dean. FGRV was founded by a Casita owner, and about half of the founding moderators had Casitas. You should NEVER feel unwelcome here with your new-to-you Casita!

Happy trails...

[Borrego Dave]

Good post Dean and I do remember your first one. Kind of funny how things change with future plans but then it's easy for us to spend someone else's money .

[Donna D.]

Good for you Dean and great you found us here on FiberglassRV. I've never owned a Casita... although I could and thought I would! Fun and interesting stuff to be found here.


Trust me, Senior Member status is just a label

[BillE]

Well...I guess I need to post about 4 more and I will be there also..see you on the other side

[DeanCHS1980]

Bill,

LOL!

Just walk into the light for the sweet tranquility of The Other Side.

Take care,

Dean

[BillE]

WOW!!!!

I made it..whew

[Glenn Baglo]

Careful. Keep it up and you may end up as site manager.

[Mike Magee]

Just let us know if you're about to have any 'senior moments'...

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by DeanCHS1980

Bill,

LOL!

Just walk into the light for the sweet tranquility of The Other Side.

Take care,

Dean

Hi: DeanCHS1980... Living with the "Fiberglass flu" is doable. Take 2 aspirins and call us in the morning!!!
Congrats.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Raz]

Great post. Where will you go for your first outing? Time to do more research. And remember, we like pictures! Raz

[Jon in AZ]

Dean, welcome to the dubious distinction of "senior" status.

One post or a thousand and one, we are here to keep learning. Hope you soon get to enjoy your new rig beyond the driveway!

[Carol and Mike]

Dean, congratulations on reaching the senior level. Although you haven't camped yet (we haven't either) I'll bet your level of knowledge since joining has increased by leaps and bounds. I'm assuming that actually camping will kick it to a new level....

We spent an enjoyable day in Rice, TX at the Casita factory this past summer. Nice folks with a really good trailer.

Happy camping!

[Jerrymcs]

Dean- thanks for your post. I too am a newbie and your story was strangely familiar to mine as I grew up on a small farm, spent almost all my time in the woods, went away to college, earned multiple degrees and completed post graduate projects.

My degree in Natural Resource Management was suppose to put me back in the woods of my youth and initially it did. Then the tempting promotions came along and they were made sweeter by the accompanying increase in income, til one day I found myself in an sterile office attending endless meetings for the remainder of my career.

In 2015, now retired have have returned to my roots and this summer as I drove into many of the western NP's I literally had tears in my eyes. I observed the young rangers and interpreters who most likely are just getting by and wondered if they really know how blessed they are. There is so much I haven't seen.

At any rate, I too am tankful for all who post and share their wealth of practical info. They probably will never know how helpful and what a blessing they are to so many.

Best of luck as you return to your roots. I hope every experience is rich and renewing and I look forward to the good reports!

[Tom Cantrell]

Dean,
I too am a retired higher ed type person who is buying a 17 FD and returning to camping after a 15 yr. hiatus. However, we were "pop uppers" before that but many years ago. We decided to explore our camping roots and take our border collie who could not put in a kennel so we could enjoy ourselves. Fortunately I had bought a 2005 Toyota Tundra when I retired so I have plenty of "tugging" power. Oh, I grew up on a farm in Minnesota.

Best of luck to you and may be see you in the campground! ;]
tom

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi Tom,

Thanks! When are you getting your Casita '17 FD? I hope our camping trails and travels will cross!!!

Take care,

Dean

[stude]

Originally Posted by DeanCHS1980

Hi All,

I noticed today that my status changed from junior member to senior member. Hmmm, I would like to make the following disclaimer:

Despite making over 100 posts on FGRV, I have yet to spend one night in an FG rig!!! I would highly recommend and caution anyone reading my posts to keep in mind that I am still a newbie, not a senior member!

Actually, I am teasing a bit. I wanted to make this post to thank everyone for your support the last few months. I joined FGRV.com on 8/1/15. I made my first post in early September, 2015. I caught the RV Bug in mid-September of 2014 by accident. My brother-in-law texted a few of us a picture of a custom RV. It was a cool rig, but I did not recognize who made it, so I researched it. It was made by Host (truck campers). In the process of researching the picture, I discovered the whole world of RVs, the lifestyle, the culture, camping, traveling, etc.

I grew up in a rural environment with blue collar parents on a small farm. My dad logged, so I spent lots of time in the woods around heavy equipment and machinery. As I grew up, went to college, graduate school, etc., got married, had two daughters, and worked very hard as a college professor, my outdoor roots became memories.

We will be empty nesters by the Fall, 2016. So the RV Bug and research became a retirement plan in 10 years as well as a short-term diversion from the stress from work. Nice! As I researched RVs and the lifestyle, I decided that 10 years to get an RV was too long. I shortened it to 5 years when my youngest would graduate from college, but then decided that was too long. This summer, I shifted from motor homes to small travel trailers in an attempt to break into RVing in a couple of years, maybe. By the end of July, I discovered FG rigs!

When I joined FGRV.com in August, I had no idea I would be typing this in December. Through the support, passion, expertise, and cajoling from many members on these FGRV forums, we said forget two years, we want a used rig now! In fact, there were a few of you that pushed me to "stop overthinking it" (in other words, Just Do It!!!). We did.

We bought our '05 Casita 17' FD in early November. This necessitated a new tug. We bought an '09 Kia Borrego Limited V8 2WD about 8 days ago.

The Casita and the Borrego are the result of my DW and I wanting to begin to travel, explore, decompress together, etc. after 30 years of work and 20 plus years of raising two beautiful daughters. All of this energy and my research led us to FGRV.com.

In the last 15 months, I have watched thousands of RV related videos, listened to 100s of RV related podcasts, and generated an Excel spreadsheet with over 350 RV related websites. We have attended part of one Egg Rally (LBL Fall Rally) and attended one RV Show. Whenever traveling, I would track down dealerships and check out rigs.

One of my first threads I pondered the $25,000 Question. I wondered if one could buy a used rig and tug for less than $25,000 given our parameters. To be honest, it was more of a rhetorical question than a real one when I posted it. I had no idea at the time that I would actually answer my own question. My answer was guided by great folks here on FGRV.com. The answer is YES, you can by a really cool FGRV and TV for $25,000 or less. I don't mind sharing that it was about $23,000.

I am well aware that there are Casita forums. I have surfed them a bit. I think I have even joined one. I am sure I will get more involved and post on those forums as well. But, in my 15 months of research, FGRV.com has become my community over the last few months. I like it here. Great folks. Great expertise. Great passion. The occasional feud. Kinda like family.

In any case, I wanted to give my disclaimer regarding my "senior member" status. We have not even driveway camped yet!!! But, we will. We will also have our first "shakedown weekends" as we move into Spring, 2016

From this Newbie with "Senior Member" status, I wanted to say THANK YOU!

I am currently studying the physics of weight distribution hitches.

WARNING - Just don't ask this senior member advice on your black tank!

THANK YOU!

Dean

is soapy wash water in the grey and crap in the black. My wife does the dumping when we need to do it and I assist. That is about it. I fill the water tank and she tells me when to stop. I used to do all the driving until she caught me taking a nap on hwy 24 in Utah after I had just woken up 25min. earlier. If I'm driving she has installed a dog color set up that if I nod off it buzzes me awake so quickly that u would never know I slept. I now only drive when she needs a break. Somedays I'm okay but the other days the dog collar does it's work. Man I can see why dogs don't like that thing. They should use these things on unruly and mean kids it's smarten them up real quick.
Stude

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by stude

is soapy wash water in the grey and crap in the black. My wife does the dumping when we need to do it and I assist. That is about it. I fill the water tank and she tells me when to stop. I used to do all the driving until she caught me taking a nap on hwy 24 in Utah after I had just woken up 25min. earlier. If I'm driving she has installed a dog color set up that if I nod off it buzzes me awake so quickly that u would never know I slept. I now only drive when she needs a break. Somedays I'm okay but the other days the dog collar does it's work. Man I can see why dogs don't like that thing. They should use these things on unruly and mean kids it's smarten them up real quick.
Stude

Hi: stude... Reminds me of a song from my youth.
Black is black,
I want my baby back.
Its grey its grey,
Since she went away.
The only thing I know for sure is not to pull the black tank lever full on...dumping into a pail. You can't jump backwards from a crouched down position!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[stude]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: stude... Reminds me of a song from my youth.
Black is black,
I want my baby back.
Its grey its grey,
Since she went away.
The only thing I know for sure is not to pull the black tank lever full on...dumping into a pail. You can't jump backwards from a crouched down position!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

something to keep you awake to. Got snow yet and if not it is coming soon as the lakes all cool down then the ice forms and the snow comes ay! are u anywhere near Dunnville, ON? I know a Studebaker guy who lives out there.
I was watching the news tonight where a Photographer made Lake Erie come alive in the winter months, would like to buy some of his pictures but have no idea who he is. They were just beautiful pictures. I take some good ones now and again but not like those as he puts a wet suit on and walks out into the lake waiting, waiting for the right waves or wave.
Stude

[Roger H]

Originally Posted by DeanCHS1980

Hi All,

I noticed today that my status changed from junior member to senior member.

I am SO bummed... here I thought I was going to get to hear what it is like to be a "senior citizen!"... *sigh*

Originally Posted by DeanCHS1980

I am currently studying the physics of weight distribution hitches.

Dean

Dean, you're not "over-thinking" this too, are you? <grin>

I'll give you a couple of words of advice that you've already apparently had about the whole trailering thing... just do it. Think about the weather conditions you'll be going to and take ten minutes to plan for that. Think about the provisions you'll need and take another ten minutes to figure that out... do a walk-around inspection to make sure your trailer and tug are safe, and then load up and go. Go for a weekend. Go for a month... go on short notice... plan if you must... but GO.

There's an old saying that "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." You don't get to meet anyone new, see anything new, or experience anything new if you're sitting in your living room making plans.

Things are going to go wrong. Things are going to fail and break. Some of my most memorable trips over the years are the ones where things didn't even go close to how I expected... like the Thanksgiving trip to Yosemite that got us thrown out of the park... or when the faucet hose under the sink blew off in my first Scamp in a campground in Lake Havasu City spewing cold water all over the trailer (and my wife) like a runaway fire hose... or when I had to change a water pump on the Ford 400 in the middle of nowhere Montana with just a 3/8" socket set... and after nearly thirty years of camping, I'm no worse for the wear, but much richer for the experiences. Despite that they were a nuisance at the time, they're all really fun tales in the re-telling.

So... you get the gist here... go make new memories... just do it.

Roger

p.s. I have been retired for five years... and we've been empty-nesters for over 10 years. I can tell you from first-hand experience that life after children is AWESOME!!! Ha ha ha!!!