Snowbirds Leap : Wheels of Fortune (and fear)

Welcome to RV There Yet Tuesday, where I discuss everything, RV and Full Time RV life related, whether it's some DIY, our beginnings of the journey or just random tidbits on this wild ride. This category is everything RV related. I hope I've helped you join the fold of the RV life, or have inspired you to chase your dreams. Please read on, and leave comments below if you have some additional experiences to share we'd love to hear them...

We realized that even during uncertain times of a pandemic we could still lead a good life from the comfort of our Class A. 2019-2020

We were planning the leap, the snowbirds leap and then encounter wheels of fortune and fear.

After NYC vacay, 2019 I was convinced, Maria and I, were convinced, of the possibilities and scenery that awaited us in the United States. I had recently "semi-retired" from my career at Target, had been debt free, (free from all debt including a mortgage) and decided to winter down in Florida, to see how I could survive out in the wilderness of a job market.

This was a big risk. We had only been on a long trip to New York, Rhode Island and back to Michigan in our Class A, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I jumped on Indeed, revamped my resume to reflect my skills, and performed a search on some of the job opportunities that were in the general area where I'd be living.

In prior years my dad had installed a 30amp plug (power for an RV or shore power) next to their winter home in Florida. I asked if I could driveway surf with the motorhome while I found work. Both mom and dad gave me permission and the first experiment was on. January 2020, as the Michigan winter's wind blew, I hooked the Hyundai up to the motorhome and jumped on I-75 for our first southern "snowbird" trip.

Once situated I had to find work, I didn't want the nest egg to crack. I found a job as a home health aide, and this was not a good fit, as it was only about six hours a week, and that just wouldn't help me avoid tapping into the inevitable. I found work at Lemongrass, a warehouse that specialized in natural spa products. With my seven or so years as a logistics Team Member during my Target stint, this was a good fit. I was basically picking orders from sheets of paper, management, of course, were impressed with my stealth and capabilities. A couple months later, as I was working overtime and making bank, Covid shocked the world. I had to separate the job due to the unknown, a decision I couldn't make lightly, or even wanted to make, but risks were at play, those risks were my family, who I didn't want to get sick. We were okay, we had a cushion of funds, our little Dark Nest was still winterized and ready to receive us, and we had the Mothership, a self-contained beast that would keep us sustained when needed.

May had arrived and we travelled north, towards Michigan. I always drive slowly when operating the Class A, because, why race when I'm trying to enjoy the scenery, the ride, and the company. The Smokey Mountains surrounded us on the stretch of I-75. Sparse amounts of traffic, made the trip uncanny, and the depth of the unknown virus made things strange. We stopped for nights at campgrounds that would book us over the phone completely contact free, boondocked, something that RV'ers do where they completely live self-contained in the RV, in rest stops that were cordoned off with tape and shut down. We travelled in uncertain times, wore masks, used more hand sanitizer than we needed and we made it safely back to Dark Nest where we could self isolate. We navigated together, like everyone else, and the trip was without a hitch. Our survival was important and we did it. We survived, were still not quite thinking of diving into the full time RV life, but edged a little closer to making that commitment. We planned on Part Two down in the Florida sunshine. Maybe, just maybe, that heat would encourage us to continue?

Stay tuned next Tuesday for more...

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Tim Eagle

Tim Eagle is an author of the novellas Stolen Seed, Life Ship, and the Vasectomus Collection. He lives full time, on the road, with his wife, Maria and their dog, Cocoa. He grew up in Michigan and is inspired by the dysfunction of America. His books are available on Amazon, godless and this site timeaglefiction.com 

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