Our son Jeff and wife Carol have been staying here in southern Nevada for the past month and will be leaving for Bullhead City, Arizona in a few days.
Jeff and Carol and their dog Chongo are full-time RVers (starting about 8 months ago) in their vintage 1999 Damon Daybreak motorhome. They are in their mid-50’s, retired, and looking for adventure. They’ve had a few already and have handled the hiccups well while simultaneously learning everything they can about RV living as fast as they can.
While here in Mesquite, Jeff and Carol have camped at Valley of Fire State Park (between Las Vegas and Mesquite) and Cedar Pocket State Park (in the Virgin Valley Gorge, Utah), “boondocked” on some BLM land between Mesquite and Littlefield, Arizona, availed themselves of free camping opportunities at Virgin River Casino and Hotel and at Walmart, and “moochdocked” in our guest bedroom for a few weeks.
A highlight of their visit was the arrival of our grandson Dakota (Jeff and Carol’s son) and girlfriend Steff (who works for veterinarian Dr. Black, one of Charlie’s bookkeeping clients) for a 3-day visit. Dakota and Steff stayed in the parents’ RV up in Cedar Pocket while visiting. It so happened to be a several-day period of cold and overcast weather, so they didn’t get to fully appreciate the stunning beauty of the Virgin River Gorge area. However, they had a nice last evening, when we gave them some Christmas money to blow gambling at the local Eureka Casino.
It’s been great to see them and have them here in the holiday season.
The next phase of Jeff and Carol’s adventure begins on January 4th, when they will mosey down to Bullhead City to visit Carol’s mother for a spell. While there, they plan to go to a local gun range to learn how to shoot the .45 cal semi-automatic pistol that I’m giving them for protection out in the boonies where they will be boondocking. There’s a lot of scary people out there in the world, particularly in remote rural areas. One can never be too safe.
After visiting Carol’s mom, the adventurers plan to head south to Quartzite, Arizona and then to Yuma. Both places are popular “wintering” spots for full-time RV nomads because of the mild weather. They also want to check out RV models and prices so that they will have an idea of what to buy when their 1999 RV relic gives up the ghost. That may be awhile, as the Damon Daybreak appears to be pretty sound and is meeting their immediate needs.
Jeff and Carol are currently thinking about heading east in the Spring, maybe going to South Dakota to obtain driver’s licenses, vehicle registration, and a mail drop box. Longer term plans are to head up to Montana and visit relatives in the Summer.
After that, who knows?
The dynamic duo seems to be enjoying the challenge of full-time living in an old tin can on wheels. The two of them have been best friends for the past 30 years, work well together, are smart, and enjoy challenges. I think they can make this kind of living work.
Hopefully, we will see them down the road when our RV paths intersect. Otherwise, we may have to wait until the next holiday season to share adult beverages and tall tales.
Happy Trails to you, Jeff, Carol and Chongo!