Life.....On Life's Terms!

It will soon be 4 months since I started my new life on the road. I would love to report 3+ months of trouble free living. I would love to honestly say that everything has just fallen into place and worked perfectly. I feel like a green-bean newcomer, sometimes. The truth is, not everything has gone as planned. When you last heard from me, I had just arrived in Daytona Beach. What I didn't tell you was the problem I had towing the toy-hauler. Look at this...

That is a brand new air shock because the other one had a hole worn into the side of it. See the big ol' tire? It was the one who did the wearing out job. Why? It appears the inside dual tire only had 30lbs of air. Not Good! The other five tires had 40 lbs of air. Really not good! I trusted my tire shop to check my tires. Never again. I am now in charge of air!(no pun intended)  It was a lesson learned and won't be forgotten. I was even thinking about a different truck. ( I had no idea new trucks are so expensive now) The ol' white truck drives like a new one now.

I had a great time during Daytona Bike Week. For those of you who don't know, Bike Week is a great gathering of the tribes in the Harley world. 500,000+ motorcycles. It makes for a crazy and diverse 10 days. Here are some assorted pictures...

I have made some small additions to my rolling home. Most of these things were needed...

I have had some items decide they didn't like camping. For instance, this is being written on my new laptop. I don't think I am all that crazy about Windows 8. Any opinions?

I will try to stay better in touch. I do appreciate and love you all.

Sincerely,

Michael Ultra

We're Not in Texas Anymore Toby!

Driving, driving, driving……that’s all I did this week. That is the least favorite part of this new lifestyle I have chosen. I have arrived in Daytona.(well, actually Bunnell.) I will show the campground to you later. I think I have found a home for the next 2 months. This is a wonderful place!! The weather is perfect and most everyone has their Harley parked outside their RV.

I really enjoyed my 3 weeks in Livingston. The SKP’s are a great group of people. Everyone is a full-timer. What a treasure trove of information. I look forward to my next visit there.

So, here was my week…….

Love to one and all…

Michael Ultra

Living my Dream!(so blessed)

I sometimes think I am living a dream and don’t want to wake up. It is like a long trip and I have to turn around and go back home. Wait….this IS home now. I am awake and I have reached my goal of becoming a full-timer. I don’t have to bust camp on the last day of vacation and worry about Monday. I just have to say, it is very satisfying to have achieved my dream. After two plus years of working towards this scenario, I still am amazed that I have arrived. My ship did come in after all those dark days of wishing and hoping.

I am still changing my mail and titles on the truck and Harley and the Raptor. I just got off the phone with my bank. It really is a process. I did go to the driver’s license place and that was not so pleasant. I filled out all the paper work and let them take my prints and photo when the dl lady said “Oh-oh. We have a problem.” It turns out that this years renewal uses the new 50 State check system. She asked if I had been to New Mexico. And that they had put a hold on my license. What? I haven’t lived there in over 30 years. She said that that sounded about right because it was a traffic ticket from 1982. I called NM and was told I had a $15 ticket fron ’82 and I had to pay them $41.25 to have it cleared up. I paid them and was told I could get my license next Wednesday. I noticed the money was taken out of my account immediately, but I had to wait until next Wednesday…WTH!!

I have met so many people and here at the SKP camp, everyone is full-time. I love this place. I have met several men in their upper 80’s who still full-time. How very cool I think that is. Believe it or not, I really am learning some things about my new lifestyle. This is a wonderful place for a green-bean like me to pick up valuable tips.

In about a week, I will start my journey to Daytona Beach and hook-up with my Brother and his family. Soon, it will be Bike Week. Daytona turns into a land of Harleys and all sorts of amusement. Just right for me! I am looking forward to everything but the drive. I guess I need the practice, so, on with the show.

Love to everyone,

Michael Ultra

Today Really is the First Day of the Rest of your Life!

How true those words are. I have finally emerged from my self made cocoon into the type of life I have dreamed of. This is not just an everyday type of daydream. I got my fist camper way back in 1971. It was a homemade cabover camper on a 1957 Chevy P/U body. I wish I had a picture of it. I moved from Central California to Ruidoso, New Mexico. I was very young and still naive. Even then, I enjoyed many of the same things I love now, (some 40 years later) Here is my very first night out on the road….

                                        


We left Lubbock about noon and made it all the way to Weatherford. That is about 300 miles. I was having fun driving the new rig so I went longer than I had planned. I stopped at a chain restaurant and noticed a police car had pulled up behind me. I walked back and talked to a very pretty female officer. I asked about parking where I was to go eat. She said '”No problem”. I then asked about overnight parking and was told that was just fine. So cool, I had 39 on air tv stations and free internet from Lowe’s. What a great country this is!

The next morning, I made the last leg of the journey to Livingston, Texas. Here is my second camp..


                         


It’s hard to tell, but we are at Walmart in Livingston. I had the opportunity to drive in my fist rainstorm. No problem. I really enjoying driving my train.(most of the time) I got into some construction and side road detours in Ft Worth. I hated that. Never again!! I will be very careful where I turn off from now on. Here is my home for the next week or so..



                



The weather has been wonderful! Almost 80 yesterday. What a great way to spend the Winter. I have met a lot of new people. My favorite so far is Ray. He told me he was a ray of sunshine. He was walking his doggie and stopped and chatted. He and his wife had originally came to the Escapee’s C.A.R.E. facility because she had gotten very sick. He was left a widower met another women when he was volunteering. They married 12 years ago and are still fulltimers. I ask him how old he was and found out he is 87 YEARS OLD! Wow!!

                                                      


I guess I will go and do some laundry. See….. no rest up, no rust up!


Michael Ultra

Getting Ready to Ramble!

The pile is shrinking...as the trash pile grows!

I have stayed rather busy today. First off, I went to Wal-Mart and got some essentials. I need RV sewer line stuff. I have already shortened the sewer clean-out. It stuck up about 18” and would not be good for flow. My hose is slightly short so I bought the ‘L’ to attach it to the sewer trap.

I also bought more plastic eating ware and some paper bowls. I think I am going portable, all the way. I take my trash in and use wally’s receptacles. I also put $75 in my truck.(Whitey) I might change his name to Thirsty Beast. So fitting.

Video…hot rod heart

Just put this 900ib Beast
in the back!!

Oh yeah, that looks
easy.

I also started work on the garage on the toy hauler. I have taken measurements and put the Harley into its official wheel holder. I will look and measure some more before I get the drill out. So far, so good. This full timer’s life agrees with me. I guess it’s time to make my way South. I have a few pesky last things to get done. Maybe Wednesday! I am getting a little rambunctious.…..

Rambunctious Boy!

We seem to be getting our groove on. As they say, we are just taking it one day at a time, and durn sure glad to be where I am!!

Love to all,

Michael Ultra

Home Sweet Home aka The Party Never Ends

I have had a pretty good day as a full-timer. I did some upgrades. First, I think my couch is not comfortable, at all. I had one of those Walmart plastic steps and was using it as a foot prop. Not a relaxing situation. Plus, I have been cold. Today, I bought an extra propane bottle, and ottoman, found my Pendelton blanky, and really upgraded my living room. Life is sweet and cold!

                                            ottoman


I have has a collapsible bar stool for my kitchen. I am not sure who's posterior it is supposed to fit, but it was very uncomfortable and made my sitting an unenjoyable time. I found this one on sale and love it.

  Bar Stool                                 

My ottoman not only acts as a couch extender, it is also a coffee table. I have found the perfect place to keep paper towels and such. The lid opens to much need storage.

As I sit here at the dinette, life is still sweet. And warm. And comfortable. It's starting to feel like home. It's the little things, you know? (and the lightweight things)

Now, how do I get Internet? I upgraded to Verizon and subscribed to a data plan. Where I am now has no Internet. No problem. I tether to my phone and gobble band width. I signed up for 6 gigs a month and have used about a gig this first week. It's kind of expensive, but I love my Galaxy s3 phone. Time will only tell on this.

Suggestions are always welcome. Good advise is always appreciated. Criticism is sometimes tolerated.

Love and Peace to you all,

Michael Ultra

 The Party Never

    Ends

Teenage Temperatures!

I know I am in the center of a learning curve. This is not my first RV. It is my first 40 ft 5th wheel toy hauler. This new home of mine is huge! When I picked it up last week, I drove around the local loop and could actually see the fuel gauge move on my fuel gauge  I commented to my buddy, TR, that it took 1/4 tank. He replied,"Be glad you didn't have a head wind or it would have taken 1/2 a tank." He has a very similar Raptor and has a digital mileage gauge on his dash. "Sometimes gets 12, sometimes 4, and sometimes I just turn it off." Oh boy!

Learning the Game

It looks like I will leave at the end of this week, or maybe the start of next. I have decided to go to Livingston, Texas and check out the SKP's. My dl is about to expire and I do need a registered domain. I plan to establish my home base in South Dakota, but not this time of year. Livingston is 8 or 9 hours South, so the direction is perfect. I plan to stay a couple of weeks and hang around other full-timers and see how they do things. I really want to do some upgrades, but I want to do them the right way.

I have not finished loading my stuff. The temp want be above freezing until the end of the week.(all my junk is in an unheated barn) I have started to seperate that massive pile of junk and learn what I really need and want. Funny how your perspective changes. I am sure from reading other RV blogs that I will continue to pare down.

My little home on the plains!
Behind TR's Toy Barn

The Harley is still at the shop. I had some electrical repairs and then let them give it a good going over. Even though it is finished and I have already paid, She will have to stay there for a few more days. I have ridden in weather this cold, but it has been a long time!

I am going to clean out the truck today and replace the backseat dog blanket.(if it warms up a little)

Late afternoon is here and I didn't do anything. Except tied to keep warm, checked my propane several times, found a new bottle for a spare, cooked breakfast, walked the dogs, loaded a little bit of stuff, took a short nap etc. I saw the weather report.......in the teens again and not above freezing tomorrow. I don't like winter camping!!

Thank you so mucho for your comments. I hope you are in a warm place.

Digging the RV life,

Michael Ultra

Treading Water (More like Ice)

The toy-hauler was cool. Really cool, when I got up yesterday. What? I ran out of propane? It has been really cold here in deep West Texas. I figured out how to remove the propane bottles and loaded them up in my truck. I found the place for propane, out on the highway, and spent $44 to fill the two bottles. It lasted one week. I stopped at Walmart and bought a couple of small electric heaters. When I got gas all hooked-up, I shut off one bottle so it wouldn't auto switch. I don’t want to end up out of propane, again. The heaters seem to keep the place reasonably warm.(58-60ish). Okay, when it’s 29 outside, 58 feels great! How much propane did I use in the last 24 hours? I lit the stove once to see if it worked. I also set the water heater on electric. I’m learning. As I sit here watching football and writing, I have one of the heaters pointed right at me. Nice!!

                                     (propane)

We are getting a little bit of a routine going. It’s hard on the dogs because we are around a lot of sticker-burrs and all of our feet have suffered. Soon we will be leaving for better weather and softer scenery.

                            

 I plan to work out a few defects and finish packing. I have my hopes set on Daytona Beach by the middle of February. It will be good to visit my Brother and his family. The weather report there today was 79 and clear.

I love the mental images for this song. Neil Young has always come through for us, right?

                                               (desert hi way)

I am taking the dogs to the vet in the morning. I am sure they will not like it, but hey, they have been hinting for a change of scenery.

Winding down in Lubbock,

Michael Ultra

Live Forever!(or it will seem that way)

high tech center

I just had my shower, and you know, it was all right. I wasn’t too sure how I would like the navy shower stuff, but it is really all right. I had several things to do today, so I kinda skimped this morning. I took a spoonge type bath because I was out of water. I had also filled up the gray water tank. So, my day was busy getting the right fittings for my gray drain. I also had to get 50 extra feet of water hose because of where the spigot is. I am here at my high tech writing station. (please notice the dollar store light connected to my laptop)

I fixed two lights and the bathroom fan today. Who has the time and fuel to tow for service? The rv place did give me the bulbs. It was nice getting the fruits of the day. I ate pretty well today, but will admit I ate my very first McRib at Walmart.(not impressed)

I suppose I will keep on camping and learning about my rig. I am anxious to hit the trail, but, I am also a little apprehensive about it, too. My biggest fear is fuel consumption. I appreciate all the comments, they do keep me going.

Love to all!

Michael Ultra

Key To The Highway!

I have a bunch of junk. Even though it treasure to me, I don't know what to do with it, here-in lies the dilemma. Here is what I am dealing with....

See what I mean?

I treasure most of that stuff, although not all of it. There is going to be some major culling around here. The dogs seem to be adjusting well enough. 

Doing a part of what they do best

I really appreciate my buddy here in the country. I don't mind the pigeons much, but the sticker-burrs have to go!

Morning music from nature

 I made a WalMart run this morning. I discovered that I am not longer interested in heavy, long lasting items. I bought a $.99 paper-towel holder and installed it. Just perfect. I do understand about full time Rv'ers and compromise. I get it. I am not ready for van-dwelling and peeing in a bottle and all that malarkey. I don't know why I got  a rig with 2 bathrooms when I only need one.

I have really enjoyed this time to learn my rig and MAN, I have been sleeping so good. It is a wonder what a big release of stress does for a person.

Rolling along the path,

Michael Ultra

                               Key to the Highway!!