Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: truck camper life (page 3 of 4)

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad – September 2022

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups and extensive care, we return to the East Coast.

A lot has been going on the last few weeks (again), which means I barely have time to breathe, let alone keep up with my diaries, answer emails, practice Spanish, read a book or blog posts, write, research products and destinations, or work on my own blogs. This one has been ten days in the making, half an hour each time I make an attempt, not my usual approach.

It’s been busy on the road – driving huge distances, dealing with logistics to get us all to South America, returning wrong Amazon packages, fixing items that shouldn’t break, maintenance on the car, dealing with failing equipment, disappointments, and limited customer support, and keeping up with our current life – finding free camping spots, locating stores to buy specific items, picking up packages (which require an address), finding the resources we need, and hopping from store to store and campsite to campsite and fuel station to fuel station.

I’m due for an update here on Roaming About, but first we have to find a decent (and free) location to sit for a while. This proves to be hard in the Houston area. Maybe next week. Back to our expenses of last month…

In September, Mark and I drove a lot – from the middle of Oregon through Idaho, Utah, a tiny piece of  Colorado, and New Mexico to the Houston area in Texas. And then a bunch more in this state as well. With our crappy fuel economy (10.5 miles to the gallon), it is no surprise we spent $900 on gasoline to drive 2,000 miles.  The idea was to sit still somewhere, once we arrived in our last US state, but the weather has not been cooperative. High heat and humidity, nasty bugs, and heavy wind have kept us moving about.

We did another oil change and bought spare parts for our engine.  Our grocery expenditure was relatively low. One of the reasons for that was needing to empty our fridge, because we had to “swap it out” and staying for a few days at a decent beach without shopping for food beforehand. I really enjoy getting rid of things – whether it is by eating food or donating material belongings.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we keep on buying and buying for this upcoming South America trip – mostly on Amazon. Mark and I purchased new KEEN hiking shoes (you can find Mark’s here and mine here), ZEEPORTE snorkel gear (Mark picked grey ones here and I chose blue ones here), and a new CUISINART grill (which you find here). We are still considering replacing our 5-year-old COLEMAN camping chairs before leaving.

The advantage of this particular CUISINART grill is that the regulator is easily removed and it allows you to use the low-pressure propane from your RV tank. As always, we researched these products, checked their reviews, and bought them at a great price (at half their original price or heavily discounted), because they are Amazon warehouse deals – the perfect way to save lots of money. To see if there is a warehouse deal on the product you are interested in, click on the “New & Used” box at the right side of the purchase page. The same Amazon rules and conditions apply.

Finally we own a grill again – this has been since 2015 on Irie as well

Side note: My parents usually give us Amazon gift cards as New Year and birthday presents and I asked these in advance this year, because we won’t be able to order stuff down south. The money is to be used for “fun stuff”, not camper parts or necessary items to sustain ourselves. Yet, based on the timeline and returns and refunds for wrong parts, the categories of these might change over time. Our end-of-the-year expense report is therefore more accurate in terms of categories and amounts. The personal goods in this report are supposed to come off the gift cards, which are currently used for spare parts, car maintenance items, and household necessities as well.

The alcohol and gifts (dessert goodies) last month came with us when visiting friends and family, and we paid the annual fees for one of four website domains. The total for our hosting fees is around $200 a year. I hereby want to thank everyone who has donated to this cause, so far.

This truck passed us at a 75mph and – no doubt – scratched the driver side of our camper. It was hard to catch up with him to take this photo. Luckily, the damage was negligible but we did chew through extra gas as it took twenty minutes, before we caught up!

Accommodation last month was free again, thanks to friends inviting us to camp on their property or offering a guest room and us boondocking everywhere else.

We also never paid for sightseeing – once because our friend Christine has a National Park pass; other times because the destinations and activities didn’t cost anything.

September wasn’t a cheap month, but it brought us to Texas (prematurely, but more about that another time) and we are now biding time in the Galveston area, which is where we will ship Thirsty Bella from. Plus, we stayed under $2,000. Maybe that should become our goal, instead of the usual average of $1,300. It is certainly more realistic. For now.

(PS: We did have $1,711 of Lance camper expenses in September as well – mostly to buy a new fridge – as preparation for our upcoming multiple-year South America trip, but since we budgeted for that, it becomes part of our purchase price. I plan to write a separate post about those projects and costs in the future.)

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases without extra cost to you.

September 2022 Overview:

Car (fuel: $913; maintenance & parts: $294):

Groceries:

Clothing (new hiking shoes):

Household (grill, oven pans, filters,…):

Entertainment (snorkel gear):

Utilities (internet: $35; propane: $14):

Alcohol:

Computer (hosting site):

Gifts:

Dog:

Accommodation:

 

TOTAL:

 

$1,217

$267

$141

$130

$72

$49

$41

$20

$17

$1

$0

———

$ 1,955

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend each month, check out the blogs of our vanlife friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Donate to Roaming About to help maintain this website.

Welcome Aboard Our Home on Wheels, “Thirsty Bella” – Video Tour & Introduction of Our Lance 830/Ford F-350 4X4 Truck Camper

Even though Mark and I have been nomads for almost twenty years and traveled in a handful of mobile tiny homes, I have never shown anyone around virtually (except when trying to sell our campers or when Skyping with my family). Yet, witnessing where and how we live provides a better understanding of our lifestyle, our passion, and our challenges.

I planned to post a video of Zesty, our amazing 19ft Sprinter Westfalia campervan, once Bob Wells (yes, of the movie Nomadland fame) – who spent two days filming us, our special van, and our lifestyle in Quartzsite, Arizona, one winter- published his features about us, but he “lost” the footage and none of this exposure (or a movie) happened. We didn’t own our previous truck camper, Temp, a Cirrus 820, long enough to focus on a tour or video.

So here it is, my first tour and full-length, non-edited video, of our current home on wheels. Bear with me these 17 minutes as I don’t find some of my words and forget to mention a bunch of features. 🙂

To that extent, I’d like to point out that our vehicle is a 2016 Ford F-350 pickup truck that is 4WD (4X4), SRW (single rear wheel, not a dually), and has a short bed and gasoline engine. Our truck camper is a Lance 830 model from 2008, which was the first year these were built.

Us and Bella in Austin, Texas

The main reasons we opted for this kind of rig are its affordability, durability, unique and roomier floorplan, and small footprint (compared to most RVs) – because of our shorter wheelbase, making U-turns and parking are easier and we tried to keep an as low as possible profile by not having an air conditioner or rack on the roof (we even cut off the top part of the ladder) and adding thin, flexible solar panels. We don’t own a generator either. Not possessing an AC unit also provides tall Mark with enough headspace inside.

As always, I happily address – and appreciate and encourage – any questions you might have in the comment section. Welcome aboard Thirsty Bella!

Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics, check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:

Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary

Available on Amazon and elsewhere

eBook: US$ 5.99

Paperback: US$ 13.99

Introducing our New Home on Wheels – Meet Bella, the Truck Camper

Our home on wheels has a name: Bella

This whole cow theme is Mark’s idea. I had nothing to do with it. But I am on board now. Our friend Ellen hit the nail on the head: “Mark is getting whimsical in his old age.” It’s not only Amazon “Delivering Smiles” around the world anymore. Yep, that’s why we Mark opted for a dotted camper, to spread joy along our travels. It worked with me – and we have seen the surprised looks on stranger’s faces turn into broad smiles. It works!

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

I will write a post about how to produce cow spots (or other adhesive vinyl creations) and attach them to a vehicle later, but here is a bit more of the inside scoop. It is meaningful to both of us that this work-in-progress (you can’t call this one an important or urgent camper improvement, of which we had many) came to completion while we were surrounded by friends, three sets of them, in three different locations.

Adding cow spots on all sides was a work in progress!

Continue reading

Preparing for an RV Adventure to South America – Why Did We Switch Truck Campers?

In April 2021, Mark and I sold our 19ft campervan Zesty, because we wanted something more robust and less “valuable” to travel in South America, our next major destination. While 15 years old, the van was unique and in immaculate shape; it was a good time to sell it.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Based on experience and preference, we decided to switch gears to a 4X4 Ford pick-up truck (because of its off-road capabilities and the higher clearance) and a truck camper, also called cabover camper or slide-in camper.

Some of you might remember the extensive research, time commitment, and cost this transition entailed, last summer, in Massachusetts. In a Covid market, trucks were hard to find and plenty overpriced. But our patience paid off and we eventually found a fantastic F350 for “only” a few thousand dollars over the usual, pre-Covid market price. The truck barely had 28,000 miles on the odometer and other than its color (black), we had no complaints.

Continue reading

Overwhelmed by Life (as Nomads)– A Personal Note from Oregon

May was an insanely busy month for Mark and me. I usually post blogs about experiences we had or things we did/saw, so this one is a bit different; more personal, emotional, and recent.

Since I am so far behind with just about everything – diary entries, emails, blog posts, social media, reading, articles, administrative tasks, chores, promises, projects… – I figured I would write a “quick” update to let everyone know how we are doing and what’s been going on. And, most importantly, how nothing ever works according to plan, how life throws its punches, and how priorities shift. Several of the following events will probably turn into a longer post one of these weeks or months.

Before we left our peaceful life on the Baja peninsula in Mexico (which seems like a lifetime ago), the end of April, we had a truck camper purchase lined up. We never intended to keep the “fancy” Cirrus 820 we took across the border, hence its name Temp (T&TThirsty & Temp), but you never know with us. I’ll get into that train of thought; the reasons and the differences, another time. The truck – which is awesome – we’d keep.

Over the months, we narrowed our preferred camper down to a Lance 830. We searched for it online for about three months, and even spotted this model in Mexico for a closer look, before we made a deal on one in British Columbia, Canada, and set a route and plan in motion. Our base for the transition would become Boise, Idaho. A deposit had been sent to BC by check and a pick-up date arranged, once we crossed the border into the US.

The Lance 830 we spotted – and visited – in Cabo Pulmo, Baja, Mexico

Our first stop for a few days was a friend’s property in Julian, California, where we cleaned the Baja dust off our truck and camper, finished a couple of projects, wiped the interior down, and took indoor and outdoor photo shoots to list the Cirrus for sale.

That’s where we learned the deal in Canada was not going to happen, due to unexpected circumstances on the seller’s part…

Continue reading

Swapping Truck Campers – #WordlessWednesday

Before (Cirrus 820)

After (Lance 830)

Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics, check out the travel/adventure/personal memoir I wrote:

Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary

Available on Amazon and elsewhere

eBook: US$ 5.99

Paperback: US$ 13.99

Off the Beaten Path in Baja California Sur, Mexico – Cabo Este or the East Cape

While any visit to the Agua Verde area by vehicle can only happen after taking a 30-kilometer/20-mile slow, steep, uncomfortable, and extremely bumpy ride (after another 10 kilometers/7 miles of pavement), exploring the East Cape by its access road Camino Cabo Este is even tougher and more demanding. No wonder this stretch is called one of the worst roads in Baja.

Camino Cabo Este

Luckily, you don’t have to drive the entire 100 kilometers (60 miles) of washboard and potholed dirt track in one go! As a matter of fact, it took us twelve fabulous days to complete this one-way adventure.

(As always, hover over or click on the photos in galleries to read their captions.)

La Paz

But first, Mark, Maya, our friends Duwan and Greg, and I spent a few days in La Paz, where we found a decent parking spot for three nights. Mark and I remember the capital of Baja California Sur as a pleasant town with a good vibe and historic charm. In the last sixteen years, it hasn’t changed much.

Continue reading

Extremes in Baja California, Mexico – From Peaceful Paradise to Ferocious Flames

I invite you to come along for a particular 24-hour time period in Mark and my life, last week, in an area south of Todos Santos, on Baja’s west coast.

Mark, Maya, and I are driving north along the southwest coast of Baja California in Mexico. We’ve picked a free camping spot for the night at Jimi Beach, which we read about in iOverlander. Tomorrow morning, we will try to access a different place by a waterfall, which promises to be peaceful yet adventurous to reach. That’s why we opt for an early start and not push our luck today.

“I’m not sure camping at Playa Jimi is such a good idea,” I mention as our truck camper T&T (Temp & Thirsty) bridges the gap to our destination’s turnoff on the GPS.

“Why is that?” Mark asks.

“Well, you also read that people were robbed at gunpoint just south of there, two weeks ago. We want to be able to sleep at night and not worry about intruders.”

So far, we have never felt unsafe on the Baja peninsula, but it appears that the southern tip is more crowded, touristy, and potentially dangerous.

“I guess we can go to the waterfall spot instead. Better safe than sorry. It is getting late, though,” Mark says, as he focuses on the road ahead.

We usually aim to be settled by 5pm. It is 4pm and we have no idea what to expect. We change the waypoint on the GPS to the turnoff for this new location. Mark had scrutinized that area on satellite images ahead of time.

“I read the turnoff is very tricky, so look for it carefully. It is situated just past the second bridge,” he says. These “bridges” span arroyos (washes or dry river beds), which are often used as roads.

We slow down and pull over, off the main road. The turnoff is behind us, an extremely sharp bend that double-backs parallel to the highway. The only way to get there is by making a U-turn over four lanes. Luckily, this section of the pavement does not have a divider.

The access road to the fence and arroyo runs parallel to the highway and requires an approach from the north.

We wait until no cars are seen and make a quick loop on the asphalt to reach the dirt road, which leads to a barbed wire fence. I drag it open and close it again after Mark passes. That would keep the riffraff out, we both think.

The highway, seen from the dirt road after the turn-off

“Well, that was the worst part,” Mark sighs.

We follow the dirt track and turn left. Based on Google Earth, this is a short and easy stretch to join the wide arroyo Mark had spotted. Except, now, years later, pointy bushes and plants with needles have grown and the access route is very narrow.

Google Earth image of the area

Not again, I think, remembering our hours of cutting and sawing trees and brush to reach a lovely pebble beach last month. All in an attempt to prevent scratching up our truck camper.

Mark grabs our handsaw, which now lives in the cab of the truck, and jumps out. “You drive, while I cut branches,” he instructs.

For the next forty minutes, he labors and sweats, while I inch our camper forward, trying to avoid the remainder of overhanging branches. There is no room to turn around and we have no idea how much further it is to a less narrow part of “road.”

Mark saws branches while I slowly inch the truck forward

The sun is setting fast. Eventually, we reach a wider stretch – we have arrived in the arroyo, where soft gravel and sand await us. Mark takes over the wheel and stops again after a few yards (meters).

Continue reading

Snowy Encounter in Mystic, SD – An Artist’s Sanctuary in the Black Hills

When Mark and I met Jon and Gail on a remote, gorgeous beach in Baja California, Mexico, this past spring, we hit it off immediately. Jon Crane is a renowned, accomplished, and outstanding painter and his lovely wife, Gail, had just published her book Mystic Travelers around the same time I released Plunge. The four of us had a lot to share – stories, food, drinks, and art.

The couple spends half a year on the Baja peninsula in their truck camper and the other six months in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where they built an incredible home based on Jon’s vision and skills. Ever since I read about their place in Mystic and saw a photo of their unique house in Gail’s book, I’ve wanted to visit. So, when we found ourselves in the Badlands, two hours east of the Black Hills, we got in touch with our friends. Would they still be home mid-October or had they already left for Baja?

We were in luck. Jon and Gail were still around for a couple of weeks and more than happy to see and host us. But there was one problem… They live in the middle of nowhere, deep into the black hills, and the first snowfall of the season had arrived when it rained in our neck of the woods. No worries. We’d amuse ourselves for a couple more days and assumed the snow would be melted when we ventured into the hills.

We stopped in Rapid City to do some shopping and say hi to a bunch of presidents.

(As always, hover over or click on images in galleries to read the captions.)

Then, we left civilization and were greeted by this. Yikes.

Mark and I are warm-blooded humans. We don’t do well in cold weather and we certainly didn’t plan on seeing any of that white stuff when driving across the country, except, maybe, if and when crossing the mountain passes in Colorado!

The road condition deteriorated the further we drove.

Continue reading

Five Days in the Badlands of South Dakota – A Photo Story of Spectacular Scenery & Wandering Wildlife (& a Daring Dog)

Day One

We approach Badlands National Park mid-afternoon, after crossing the width of South Dakota. The burning question: do we buy the $80 annual National Park pass (what we usually have) or a 7-day ticket for $30? We’ve been doing without a pass for over a year. We are leaving the country soon. It’s nice to be covered “everywhere” and sometimes get discounts on camping, though. But, we usually camp for free anyway. If we have to spend another summer in the US (instead of heading to South America in 2022), we will need and use the pass… “We either lose $50 or we lose $30,” Mark says, “Your choice.” Life has become very expensive on the road. Eighty dollars is a lot of money. We buy the week-long entrance ticket.

That’s when we realize we didn’t even check the pet rules… A quick search online reveals that dogs are not allowed on ANY trails. As a matter of fact, they aren’t even allowed at the look-outs. Pets are only welcome to walk around in campgrounds and parking lots. Great! Did we just waste $30?

I go for a short walk. Mark is annoyed and takes Maya around the parking lot. We drive through a small part of the park to our first free campsite for the night, in Buffalo Gaps National Grassland. Much more dog-friendly!

We crest a little hill and pick a flat spot among smaller badland humps. Because of the underground (sticky clay and sand), you don’t want to park here during rain. Many cars and campers have gotten stuck here, doing just that. But, there is no rain in the forecast, so we should be fine!

We take Maya for a walk and then this happens…

Continue reading
Older posts Newer posts

© 2024 Roaming About

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑