#9: "Life" Logistics

There are “life” logistics that require little-to-no thought when you’re permanently settled in a residence, job, and community. However, these things require more attention when you decide to go “nomad.”

For me, coordinating these logistics consumed me for a while. Maybe it was because I was overwhelmed with so much to figure out at once. Perhaps it was because I still couldn’t believe I was actually doing this. Who knows. Here are some of the “on-the-road” technicalities that you may be curious about.

Residence

Since my dad and stepmom live in Virginia and will not be relocating anytime soon, I changed my residence to their house. They graciously offered to help me out by receiving my mail and sending me anything that I may need (thanks, guys!). Even on the road, I get asked for an address of residence…not only for a billing address, but also for reserving campsites and booking tours/activities.

Car/Airstream Registration

When I decided to buy an Airstream, I knew I would need a new car: something that had the necessary towing capacity. After exploring various options, I decided on an old(er) VW Touareg TDI. The diesel engine makes it a beast (especially for towing), PLUS I have an affinity for VW’s (and the price was right given it would be pre-owned). Since these SUVs are somewhat harder to find, I ended up taking a quick trip from Columbus to Chicago to purchase one.

The Ohio registrations for the car and Airstream were finalized just as I was leaving Ohio. Go figure. I ended up changing over both to Virginia because that is where my “residence” would be. Having everything in one place minimizes complications.

Simple, right? Usually, yes. But…when I purchased both vehicles, I financed them. When you finance, you don’t “own” it outright (a bank does), so you don’t possess the title. As soon as I closed on my house, I paid off both the car and Airstream. This made me the owner of both, qualifying me to possess the title of each. The Ohio titles would be sent to me in the mail. Then, I would take them to the Virginia DMV to get them transferred to Virginia titles. Because my address changed, it added a layer of complication to ensure the Ohio titles got sent to the right address promptly. As you can imagine, when you’re dealing with banks and forwarded addresses, it takes much longer than it should.

Long story short, I spent many hours on the phone, online, filling out paperwork, and at the DMV. Eventually, I landed on the best courses of action to ensure I received and transferred both titles before hitting the road.

Health Insurance

This is the most common question I receive from the practical people when they learn what I’m doing. Rightfully, so. It’s essential. There was no way I WASN’T going to have health insurance for an entire year.

Leaving my company, I had the option to take advantage of COBRA. This basically enables one to keep the insurance he/she had while employed, but pay in full out of pocket. It gets expensive.

The other option is to purchase a monthly plan directly through a health insurance company. There are a LOT of choices out there, and the research got pretty involved. Based on the type of plan I wanted/needed, the costs were comparable to the cost of COBRA.

Partly because of ease, partly because of cost, I went with COBRA. Fortunately, I am healthy and do not require regular doctor visits. I was able to change my plan to a higher deductible, lower premium. Basically, with this plan, I can see a doctor as needed. If anything serious happens to me, my out of pocket expenses will cap out at a certain amount with which I feel comfortable.

Prescriptions

I have a couple simple prescriptions that I renew at Walgreens (locations nationwide). I spoke to my doctors before leaving Columbus and explained that I’d be traveling. I agreed with my doctors that if/when refills are needed, I will make a decision then, as to whether or not I need to refill. Worst case scenario, I go without - these medications are “nice-to-haves.”

Wifi / Staying Connected

Before leaving, I switched my mobile service from Sprint to Verizon. I didn’t want to risk not having coverage from one carrier if I could safely get it from another. I knew Verizon would provide the best coverage.

For internet/wifi on the go, I picked up one of these little guys: Verizon MiFi. It’s pretty incredible. As long as I have a cell signal (two bars is sufficient), I have internet. It’s a separate hotspot from my phone hotspot, which allows me to conveniently talk on my phone and be online on a separate device at the same time. I really love it. I pay an extra $10/month for the service, and the actual MiFi device was $50 at Verizon.

Some campsites have free wifi, but it’s often unreliable. I prefer to do things online on my computer, rather than on my phone, so I use my MiFi a lot. Of course, there are always coffee shops or other places that offer free wifi as well.

Getting Mail (and Amazon deliveries!)

I don't think I realized how heavily I rely on Amazon Prime….especially given this new "RV" lifestyle. I cannot believe the random items I need to make my life easier (for example, a hanging net to store fruit or mini dustpan and broom). To receive any packages in the mail, if I know I'm going to be in one place long enough to get mail, I'll send it there. Otherwise, for Amazon deliveries, there is always the pickup option at Amazon locker locations.

My friend Chris sent me a gift via Amazon and I picked it up at a Whole Foods Amazon locker along my route..

Addie Prescriptions / Medical Records

Addie and I were so sad to leave our veterinarian/doggie daycare/groomer in Columbus (Animal Care Center at Cherry Way). I asked them to email me all of her records, so I now have them digitally. She will be due for a checkup in June, and I will probably take her to Banfield Pet Hospital because they are nationwide. Their computer system is connected to all locations.

I just renewed her flea/tick and heartworm prescriptions through PetCareRx. She is good to go until June when we'll get her next checkup and renew any prescriptions.

Addie Training

I’ll be honest - traveling with Addie poses its challenges. She is an incredible dog, and I love her so much, but like all of us, she has her "things." She can be scared of new people, especially on her own turf ("her" car and "her" Airstream). She barks loudly and excessively if she feels she (or me) is in danger. She is a good watchdog.

To quell her tendencies a bit, she and I went through a training program before leaving. This program through Calm K9 Training in Richmond, VA, educated me and gave me the tools I need to manage her behaviors on the road (shout out to Sarah, our trainer!). So far, she is doing really, really well.

What else are you curious about? Let me know!

#6: Firsts

I have never lived in a trailer. I have never quit my job without having another one lined up. I have never moved out of my home without a new address to move to. So many firsts over here.

This last leg of my journey posed many “new” firsts. These are probably a bit more trivial than the ones I just mentioned, but somewhat monumental for me with this new lifestyle of mine.

1.     Arriving to a campground in the dark.

I had made reservations at a State Park called Tims Ford in Tennessee. Since we (whenever I say, “we” and I don’t mention any that any other person is with me, I’m referring to Addie and me) didn’t leave Mammoth Cave until around 3pm, we didn’t arrive in Tennessee until significantly after dark. From my limited experience, someone is rarely on duty at a campground after dark.

I knew my campsite number, so after entering the park and reading the notes on the empty gate office, I proceeded to my campsite. These campgrounds in the woods are pitch black at night. And this time of year, they are not heavily occupied. Fortunately, I found my site easily. The headlamp I purchased for my Kilimanjaro climb may be the best tool I have. I literally use it every night because once I step outside of the trailer at night, all I see is darkness.

The next morning, I checked in at the visitor center and I was good to go. No big deal to arrive “after hours.”

WHAT I LEARNED: Try to arrive to a campsite before dark. Less stressful for multiple reasons.

2.     Backing in to my campsite.

Not only was it dark when I arrived, but my campsite was a back-in campsite. As far as I know, there are two types of sites: 1) “Pull-through” sites where you just drive your rig in one way, park it, and then when it’s time to go, you just continue driving your rig out in the same direction you drove it in. Or, there is a “back-in” site where you must (eek) back in your trailer.

For those of you who have never towed a trailer (I was one of them), backing up is not easy. The science of it goes against everything we have learned when it comes to reversing a car. Basically, if you want the trailer to go to the right, you turn your wheel to the left. It sounds quite simple, but it’s very counterintuitive. Maybe once you get it it’s like riding a bike…or driving a manual car. I don’t know, because I don’t feel like I’ve “gotten” it yet.

Upon my arrival to this particular campsite, I had no choice. I had to do it. In the dark. No one else was around to help. It took me a little while, but I maneuvered my little Airstream in the designated trailer spot, unhitched and parked my car next to the trailer. Phew. Big hurdle.

WHAT I LEARNED: Practice.

4.     Taking a shower in the Airstream wet bath.

The reason I wanted to stay in this particular area in Tennessee is because I wanted to visit the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg. Going to Lynchburg gave me the opportunity to “get ready” and “go out” in a way. Since I had full electric and water connections at this campsite, I didn’t need to worry about my water supply or my hot water heater, so I decided to give my shower a go.

My wet bath doubles as a storage closet so after emptying my cleaning supplies, Addie’s travel crate and a few other things, I let the water heat up a bit and in I went. Even though I had unlimited incoming water (thanks to my water connection), the run off still goes into the black tank (see #6), which has a limited capacity. I knew I wouldn’t reach that capacity, but I’m still learning so wanted to be cautious.

The shower is small, and my toilet takes up much of the space where you stand, but it wasn’t that bad. The shower head is adjustable, so I just made sure I configured it right so I wasn’t having to lean back too much to get my hair wet.

I ended up running out of hot water before I got to the conditioner stage of my hair washing process, so my shower was cut short anyway. I improvised, and used some leave-in hair oil instead of conditioner and my hair felt fine. I need to learn how to conserve water, so if I can learn in these environments where it really doesn’t matter, then I’ll be way more prepared when it does matter (when I start boondocking).

WHAT I LEARNED: Does the trick when I REALLY need a nice, clean shower, but not the most user-friendly.

5.     Putting on makeup(!).

Not a huge deal, but the day I went to the distillery was the first time I put makeup on for probably a month. I don’t wear a lot of makeup in the first place, but it really felt good to get a little prettied up.

WHAT I LEARNED: Not sure. Hopefully those around me benefited(!).

6.     Emptying the black tank.

This was a biggie. The dreaded “black tank.” My Airstream has two tanks: A fresh water tank and a black tank. Larger RVs have three tanks: Fresh water, grey and black.

Fresh water: The “clean” water that is used for the shower, sink and any other faucets, etc.

Grey: The run-off water from the sink or shower. The “dirty” water, if you will.

Black: The toilet “waste.”

My Airstream has one combined tank that houses grey waste and black waste. So far, I have only used my toilet for #1, so it’s not horrible (buuuuut it still kind-of is).

Most campgrounds have a “dump station.” It’s a hole in the ground, essentially. I have a special hose (slang for this hose is “stinky slinky” - gross) that connects to a pipe opening under my trailer. The other end goes into the hole in the ground. I open a valve on the tank and the contents flow out.

It wasn’t that bad, to be honest. I wore disposable latex gloves to be sanitary and there is a water hose next to the dump hole so I rinsed everything out after the job was done. The “stinky slinky” gets stored in a special compartment under my trailer, which is not exposed to anything else. Gloves get thrown away, hands get washed and anti-bacterial gets applied. Driving away with a full fresh water tank and an empty black tank is a great feeling!

Side note: When you hook up to a water connection at a campsite, you use water directly from that water source/spout/spigot. Therefore, you don’t deplete any water from your fresh tank. If needed, before leaving the site, you can top off your fresh tank with the water from that water source as well. Then you have a full tank for your next stop if it doesn’t have a water connection.

WHAT I LEARNED: Whatever it is, it may not be as bad as you anticipated it would be.

WHAT I LEARNED OVERALL: Take more photos…even photos of those moments that you think you won’t want to document.

Oh! The Jack Daniel’s Distillery is definitely worth a trip. I did a $25 tour which included a sampling of six different JD varieties. Also, Lynchburg is a small town with a lot of character.

#7: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

First, I’d like to recognize that I fully acknowledge I’m behind on writing. :)

My time after Tennessee and before Thanksgiving (South Carolina) was a little up and down, and a little decide-as-I-go. Weather was the main factor, as I ran into some heavy, heavy rain leaving Tennessee.

Long story short, I “lost” a day due to the weather - it POURED for about 24 hours straight. There wasn’t much I could do outside so I hibernated a bit in the Airstream and ran a few late afternoon errands.

The next day I’d get up early and head to Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a morning hike. The tricky bit with this park is that dogs are not allowed on the hiking trails. Although I completely understand why (disruption of the park’s natural habitat and safety), it not only bums me out, but also poses logistical challenges with what to do with Addie (only option is to leave her in the trailer with the heat on - which she is fine with). I just never want to leave her for too long at a time. She is my travel buddy!

The campground I landed on was sub-par (actually, it was worse than that). It was about an hour outside the park and about 20 minutes from Asheville, NC - a place I wanted to explore. I didn’t want a campground too far in the mountains because I was concerned about snow. Good thing, because when I got into the park and found this:

Surprisingly, I was excited to see snow in the mountains. It just provided a different type of beauty that I hadn’t gotten to experience yet on the trip. I was also probably excited because I wasn’t RESIDING in it and worrying about pipes freezing!

GSM NP is stunning. Absolutely stunning. It’s actually named a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) “World Heritage Site” for its natural beauty and global importance. I really wanted to spend more time there and see more sights, but the road that led where I wanted to go was closed due to the snow/ice. Oh well. I guess I’ll just have to return in warmer weather. I got a solid 2-hour moderate hike in, so I was satisfied. I also spent some time around one of the visitor centers where they had a “homestead” set up like it would have been at the turn of the century. I’m a sucker for history.

One thing I noticed in the “homestead” area that I want to mention: Some people have no appreciation for what these parks are here for and what they provide to us. I witnessed kids banging on signs, kicking old wooden structures and nearly vandalizing what the park had put there to educate and preserve. The parents said and did nothing - like they didn’t even notice that their children’s actions were wrong. It was rather disturbing and left me somewhat disgusted. To me, it was representation of the lack of appreciation and respect “we” have for: a) things that aren’t ours (duh), and b) preservation of land and the hard work that people have done to conserve and protect. This was probably what got the gears going in my head about land preservation (more to come on this later).

That afternoon, Addie and I headed into Asheville to check out the city that I’ve heard so much about. It was a really cool town and we both enjoyed it. I found a parking spot and we walked around, popped into some shops (ones that allowed four-legged guests), found a dog-friendly heated patio (it was cold, which is probably why I don’t have too many photos) and enjoyed a gooey grilled cheese, delicious tomato soup and a local beer. I probably could have spent more time there if it were a tad warmer and I didn’t have Addie with me. If you’re wondering, I did not end up checking out the Biltmore - mostly due to time constraints and lack of wanting to leave Addie - although I did consider it.

By the time the next morning rolled around, I was so done with that campground. I really just wanted to get out of there…so I did!