What made you start RVing?

[Echo]

I've been waiting to post to this! Of course I'm not RV'ing yet but the closest thing to it that I can get for right now.

I guess that it all kinda started when I was little? My parents had a camp at a small lake that while the official name was Odessa Lake we all called it "Little Lake" kind of a over large pond really. But it was a small tt with a room built onto it. The 5 of us slept in the tiny tt and the room was what passed as kitchen dining room. Believe me it was a tight fit for all five of us when it rained and we were all stuck inside. OMG how I use to love going up there. I ran wild but dang if I did something wrong or bad everyone was after my butt. Back then if you were did something bad and broke the rules there was no telling who the first whooping would come from and then get one from Mom too. We had a nightly community campfire at the campsite on the corner that would have 30 or more people at it, ate more stolen field corn than you could shake a stick at. To this day I prefer field corn that still has white kernels before it goes ripe and turns yellow over sweet corn. I wonder now how many cows we deprived of their ears of corn?? I forget how old I was when they sold the camp? Mom said she got sick and tired of friends, neighbors and extended family members showing up weekends dumping their kids on her, while they fished or went across the lake and drank and/or expected to be fed without bringing anything of their own pass and share.

In my early teens they bought a pickup and truck camper what awesome adventures we had. By then it was just the 3 of us Mom, Dad and I. We traveled all over the New England states up and down the coast. Dad said he knew it was time to go home when Mom and I got tired of eating fried clams. My second husband and I even used the truck camper on my pickup in '78'. They finally sold it and got a TT.

After that life, marriage, kids and jobs really took over and camping for the most part went out the window. We went a few times but nothing like we use to. When David was about 4 or so I was at the laundromat I came across a book called Full Timers. Holy smokes my imagination took off. Stole the book and took it home to show the husband. That's when the idea to do the full time thing when we retired. Hmmmm? We did manage a couple of motorcycle camping trips while the kids were younger tho.

No husband now, kids are grown and haven't retired or anything like that yet, but...........

One kid and I are getting a start on it. No truck no TT but here we go!!!

I do have names picked out for the truck and TT when we can finally get them. The truck will be named George and the TT will be Gypsy.

[bluepinecones]

You ladies continue to amaze me. Such wonderful, interesting and inspiring stories of how you got started at RVing.

[MsBHaven]

My parents took me camping in a travel trailer when I was 3 years old. We left our TT at a State Park and went there every weekend in the summer and also a 2-week vacation. It was a fun way to grow up.

My first husband and I camped in a converted van for awhile (hippie era) - it was purple. Later we camped in a TT.

Husband #2 and I have camped in a tent, a motorcycle trailer, 2 TT's, a Class A, currently a Class B and soon to sell it and get another Class A and become fulltime RVers.

Camping has always been fun and I enjoy traveling too. Life is terrific.

[asirimarco]

What made us start RVing? Well many long years ago in the early 70s we took a short vacation. Me, DH, 5 kids and my mother. We were driving a big Ford Country Squire station wagon. Enough room so there wasn't too much - "He's touching me." "I want the window" or "MAKE HIM STOP" But there were potty stops, the fun of going into a restaurant with 5 kids who never wanted the same thing to eat. But any way. Come evening we got to Calixico, CA and it was time to stop for the night. We found the only motel in town with a vacancy sign and went in to register. Imagine our horror when they refused to rent us a room cause we "Had too many kids."
Had to continue driving to another town and another motel. It was our last trip in the wagon. Bought a 1972 24 foot Pace Arrow soon afterwards. Room for everyone including Grandma. Had lots of fun camping out in the desert and taking trips in it.
It is the motorhome we drove to South America in in 1978. Sold it there and flew home.
Since then we've had several others and one 5th wheel. Now for just the two of us we have a 40 footer.

[Gentleladybear]

Interesting thread. My first husband and I camped a lot when we were first married and we both loved it. Kids came along we bought a little homemade trailer and the kids learned to love the camping. As they grew older we bought a pop up trailer camper and camped for years in it. We bought another tent when that pop up camper wore out and kept right on camping. My son was home on leave from the air force and he got with his dad and I and we all went camping at Ft. Wilderness in Disney world.

When my husband died and I remarried, he did not camp, wouldn't hear of it, so camping went away. After my divorce I began dreaming again about having a small motorhome so I could travel and camp. Saw an ad one day about an RV Show in town, asked my son to go down with me, and 6 hours later I was driving off the lot in my little Lexington. Two weeks later I was on the road heading to Michigan, scared to death but oh so excited. The bug bit me and won't take anything for it.

Right now planning that next 4 day trip, and excited about where I am going and what I am going to do.

Nan

[Gentleladybear]

Interesting thread. My first husband and I camped a lot when we were first married and we both loved it. Kids came along we bought a little homemade trailer and the kids learned to love the camping. As they grew older we bought a pop up trailer camper and camped for years in it. We bought another tent when that pop up camper wore out and kept right on camping. My son was home on leave from the air force and he got with his dad and I and we all went camping at Ft. Wilderness in Disney world.

When my husband died and I remarried, he did not camp, wouldn't hear of it, so camping went away. After my divorce I began dreaming again about having a small motorhome so I could travel and camp. Saw an ad one day about an RV Show in town, asked my son to go down with me, and 6 hours later I was driving off the lot in my little Lexington. Two weeks later I was on the road heading to Michigan, scared to death but oh so excited. The bug bit me and won't take anything for it.

Right now planning that next 4 day trip, and excited about where I am going and what I am going to do.

Nan

[dpf]

I always enjoyed camping, but then after I was married it went along the wayside because my husband was farming with his father who was a complete tyrant. It was FIL's opinion that anything "fun" was a waste of time and expected DH to be at the farm every minute. On Christmas Eve of 1988 my DH had a stroke at the age of 38. Our sons were 1 and 3. DH made an almost miraculous complete recovery after two months in an intensive rehab unit and came home...he still had to go to speech and physical therapy. Every test that was run after the fact indicated the stroke was pretty much stress related and the doctors told me that he had to slow down. When DH was released from the hospital, my FIL pretty much expected that he should jump back to following "his" schedule. That's when my in-laws and I locked horns. Then, I told my DH that he had a choice...if he was going to jump everytime his dad hollared that the boys and I were going to be gone, so he'd better decide what was more important to him. He decided to stand up to his dad. Late that Spring some friends friends were going through a nasty divorce and they had a camper that was for sale. I bought it...then came home and told DH what I had done and that we were going to take some time as a family to get away....also told my FIL that if he didn't like it he could stick it where the sun don't shine. We've been camping for 21 years, we're on our 4th rig...never get very far from home but we have made wonderful family memories.

[Cedar518]

I always enjoyed camping, but then after I was married it went along the wayside because my husband was farming with his father who was a complete tyrant. It was FIL's opinion that anything "fun" was a waste of time and expected DH to be at the farm every minute.

Hmmmm...... perhaps a realitive of my first husband? (Also a farmer.) His famous line was "Life is NOT fun!"

Now, before I'm accused of bashing farmers .. I am NOT. Very hard working folks. I'm only commenting on the attitude of my X.

[jemek]

Well I grew up in a camping family. I know we had one of those big heavy canvas tents. Then my grandparents had an old smaller TT. When I was around 8 or so dad bought a camper for the truck. The "family" includes extended family bought property up in the mountains about 2 hours outside Boise. Near Cougar Mountain lodge. We would go up there many a summer. We would take other trips, to the hot springs, etc. we would take trips down to Southern California and Nevada. My family did that, because that is what they could afford. I would have never know it. We had million dollar vacation's as far as I was concerned. We did a lot of boondocking on longer trips. I know we would pull into a town and dad would sometimes just ask the local police where a good place to pull off the road and park was. There was one trip my mom was telling me about..we were going down to see her side of the family in San Diego. They pulled into Las Vegas, we the kids were all hungry. They had enough money left once dad topped the tank off in the truck. To buy 3 milkshakes split between 6 kids. I do not recall that at all...I recall the trip. It was a blast, grandpa took us all to Disneyland. I sure don't recall being that hungry. I do remember the time spent. I loved camping with my dad, we took several trips were it would just be my brother's and I. We lost our dad, when I was a teen, he had a heart attack at the age of 47.
Then camping was done at that point. My parent's had been separated for almost a year at that time. Then when I was 18 and with some of the college $$, I bought a tent and would go with friend's on campouts. Finished college, and then joined the military, as my mom had remarried a real jerk at that point and I was not about to move back home. Spent that summer living in friend shed in their back yard. Then when winter came, I was off to basic training. Then off to Alaska..camped all over Kodiak Island with friends. Transferred to Oregon and again continued to Tent camp with friends. Met and married DH and we continued to camp. A year later DS #1 joined us and he went on his first camp out at 4 weeks old. That next October we transferred from Oregon to Delaware. We bought a new larger tent and we camped across the country..with the dog and 2 cats. Tented every night except one...we arrived late at night and it was pouring down rain. They had one site left, and it was a puddle the CG owner was like...I just can't put you guys there. He handed us a key to a lodge room instead and say enjoy. We did some camping in Delaware, but not too much. Then DS #2 arrived. When we moved back to the west coast and California, we bought an new 3 room tent. We camped in that off and on 3 more kids arrived during those years.

We made the change from tent to pop up...when I spent a very very wet weekend in a now very very leaky tent with a girlfriend and her 3 kids who had never camped. I came home and told DH I was done with the tent camping. So that next spring we bought a tent basic used tent trailer. had a small fridge, a small sink....no potty. It was very much like tent camping but we were off the ground and if it rained we had a nice shelter. Then we made the upgrade March of 2007 to our 31 ft TT. This will be our third season. We love it.

Now we broke in on our first trip out...and I mean we broke it in. Less just say we already had our awning incident. Nothing like returning to the trailer late at night to discover..the awning was on top of the TT. Needless to say...we are over protective of the new one. We leave it get's rolled back up. I have to say I love the RV life. I love having our own bath and shower etc. The kids like having their own bunk house.

We have been to Southern California, Oregon Coast, Washington (Duh we live here..LOL). This year we will be off to Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Arizona.

[kelpie]

love this topic. I loved camping as a kid, girl scout tent type, even primitive ; the summer I graduated HS I worked as a counselor at a GSCamp favorite job of all time. Gotmmarried and DH and I bought tent etc and camped a few times. Marriage broke up, met second DH and he said he wanted to try camping so we went a few times. Got married several years later and somehow all that faded away. always had the dream of traveling the country in an RV but he thought "roughing it" was a motel without cable. After almost 25 years we also divorced and I decided it is time to follow my dreams, without the sleeping on the ground part . Bought the rig last year and LOVE it. Traveled from Oh to TX and NM this winter - 5012 miles and 67 days and can't wait to go again.l