status on thought process . . .

Well, on Monday on the way back from Baton Rouge, I went to Jackson, Mississippi to look at an ALiner Classic so I could see one up close & personal for myself - I LOVED IT!!! of course!!

but since I still have another year or so before I can actually buy one (and once you've seen an ALiner, any ol' pop up camper won't do!) I will have to wait patiently and consider other ways of turning my little truck into a MOBILE MOTEL ROOM so I can go hither & dither around the ArkLaMissTex seeing sights without having to pay an arm & a leg for a place to stay.

Here is one possible option: check out getting a camper shell for my little truck and just outfit the inside of the truck bed kinda like what the VanDwellers are doing. I already have a Coleman Kitchen setup from my earlier tent camping days with my kids and I can use that outside the truck for an easy access cooking area. If I carry an easy set-up screen room, that would make my outside living area as nice as can be. The camper shell would allow me to have my "bedroom" up off the ground and be a little more secure than just a tent . . . then I could just stow everything and go.

This would certainly be a viable way for me to to go within a day's drive of some of the attractions in LA, Ark, Tx & Ms that I want to see and be able to semi-tent camp in semi-comfort (ha!) in a State Park or RV park.

One of my RVbuddies had this to say about the screen room idea: "having a screen room adds losts of living space i cover mine with large clear4 mil plastic (i put in gromet holes)that goes down the sides so if it rains or is chilly, the screen room is very comfortable. i use adjustable poles so the end sides afford a small awning affect and keepthe sides from the ground. chris santa fe NM"

So here is the to-do list: No. 1 will be the hardest: find a used camper shell for a reasonably affordable price; No. 2 assembly an assortment of camping stuff to make myself as comfortable as possible on my jaunts.

No. 3 Narrow down what I want to do and in what season/order: The Natchez Azalea Antibellum Home Pilgramage; Tyler, Texas Rose Festival; Hot Springs Spas & Baths; Cajun Country; Wild Seed Farms in Fredericksburg, Texas; Daylily Farm in southern Missouri (those last two would be a week long excursion); oh and go see my friend Monica in Taos, NM AND up in Nashville - also longer extended time involved.

That's like 2 years worth of very interesting sightseeing!!!!
gotta do it, gotta do it, gotta do it.

Some links to look at re: ALiner Classics

http://www.rvusa.com/rvinventory_item.asp?id=531608

https://www.rvt.com/rvdetail4132331.htm

http://www.rvusa.com/rvinventory_item.asp?id=526567

different prices, different locations, variety of options - all have GREAT PHOTOS for comparing and considering!

Thanks Sandy in Miami for these links!

Saved a bundle . . .

Just lowered my monthly insurance payment by dropping the comprehensive on my Celica down to liability. I'm not particularly jeopardizing myself as I still have comprehensive on the little truck and this will better help me balance my budget to include the truck payment and whatever payment I may end up having when I get that towable.

Oh, and I looked into the possibility of trading this Ford in on a Toyota Tacoma through the same dealership that we got the Ford from, and they said it was do-able but it would make my payment go up an additional $250!!!!! more a month. Which makes it NOT do-able in my book. It is a shame because that would have increased my towing capacity to at least 3500 lbs - maybe even up to 5000 lbs. Rats! Sooo.... I gotta stay small with my first towable - no more than 2000 lbs. Oh well . . . that will ensure that I can handle such and then just work up as time goes by. Gotta walk before you can run.

Convert all adversaries and defeats into assets.

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.

Oh yeah, one more site to check out. If you are serious about looking into fulltime RVing on a budget, check out the website: cheaprvliving. com It has some absolutely great articles written by people who fulltime it in everything from a VW campervan to a home-built truck camper. Covers some very good topics like electrical power needs, bathroom possibilities, etc. Even if you end up with a camper that isn't quite so rustic, the articles on electricity, repairs, jobs, etc. are invaluable planning tools.

Going on a look-see!!

This weekend, I'm going to Baton Rouge to help my son celebrate his 21st birthday at the Baton Rouge Mardi Gras parade - Yay!!! I got off work for the following Monday to give me time to go home, stopping at RV dealerships along the way. This past weekend, I submitted an info request to the ALiner dealership in Richland, Mississippi - just north of Hattiesburg. Well, the man just called me and told me about the Classic ALiner they have on the lot - goes for $17,500, but he's not going to carry them anymore for awhile because of the economy and is selling it for $10,500. Well, of course, this is more than likely out of my range . . . but once he sells it, there goes my chance to actually see one in person - to sit in it, walk around in it - you know get a feel for what it would be like to live in it. Soooooo . . . guess on next Monday, I'm gonna make a detour from Baton Rouge over to Mississippi to take a gander at the lil' Classic ALiner. Here is the link of the dealership and that particular model: http://www.rvcenteronline.com/newrv.cfm?id=183 and here is the link to the company that makes ALiners: http://www.aliner.com/design/homepage5.php?se ctid=1.

Introducing: My New Tow Vehicle!!!!!

Ok, two weeks later, with no takers on the sale of the '03 Ford Ranger, I have figured out how to make the monthly payment and even out the insurance payment in my budget, which means I am now very excited at the thought of actually owning a TOW VEHICLE!!! Ok, Ok, I know . . . it's not the ideal tow vehicle, but it is still a tow vehicle. And so I have spent this past weekend figuring out such things as GVWR and dry weight and cargo carrying capacity, etc. - important numbers that pertain to the towing capacity of The Baby Truck.
During my Google search trail, I ran across some exciting ideas!!! One is the ALiner pop up camper, which led me to a YahooGroup of women solo RVers, with a lot of the members owning an ALiner. Jackpot!!!!
So now my online search has splintered into checking out all the various links that the RVBuddies have generously shared with me and planning an upcoming trip to the nearest ALiner dearlership to check out one of these cute little towables. Got some other ideas as well brewing in my head, but those are for another post at another time.
For now, I leave you with an image from the RVBuddies homepage, complete with an ALiner popup camper: