Now that we knew we could actually drive an RV, our next experiment was how we well would hold up living in one for a longer period. Before we actually buy an RV, I wanted to assure myself that Steve and I would not pull our hair out being around each other 24/7 in a small space. Also, our Las Vegas experience was not a typical RV event given the unseasonable cold & snow, so we really wanted another experience living amongst other RVers. We chose to return to the Redmond, Oregon RV Rally, but rather than staying in a hotel this time we would stay on site in an RV. For full emersion, we took it a step further and volunteered to work at the rally in return for free camping… more on that later.
After our experience with the Admiral it was apparent we needed a new source for RV rentals so I returned to my most favorite source of reliable information, the internet. Since our goal this round was to experience living vs. driving an RV, I broadened my search to renting anywhere between Sacramento and Redmond. We ended up with two options, a 34’ from Placerville, CA or a 30’ from Bend, Oregon. Renting closer to our destination eliminated paying additional mileage charges (most rentals limit mileage from 75 to 100 miles a day) and obviously reduces gas costs, so we picked Bend and drove up in our 2007 mustang convertible :)
As it turned out Rick, the owner of the RV, met us at the Rally site in Redmond… a win/win as Rick did all the setup and in return no doubt slept better collecting rent $$ without the renter driving his RV. The RV was a 30’ Ambassador with dual slides. It also had solar panels that allowed us to run everything but the AC and microwave without turning on the generator, a feature we've since added to our "must have" list. We were assigned an end spot on the fairgrounds concrete parking, one of the perks of being a volunteer was getting closer parking, and as we learned later in the week parking on concrete kept the RV substantially cleaner after a rain than those parked on lawn.
After our experience with the Admiral it was apparent we needed a new source for RV rentals so I returned to my most favorite source of reliable information, the internet. Since our goal this round was to experience living vs. driving an RV, I broadened my search to renting anywhere between Sacramento and Redmond. We ended up with two options, a 34’ from Placerville, CA or a 30’ from Bend, Oregon. Renting closer to our destination eliminated paying additional mileage charges (most rentals limit mileage from 75 to 100 miles a day) and obviously reduces gas costs, so we picked Bend and drove up in our 2007 mustang convertible :)
As it turned out Rick, the owner of the RV, met us at the Rally site in Redmond… a win/win as Rick did all the setup and in return no doubt slept better collecting rent $$ without the renter driving his RV. The RV was a 30’ Ambassador with dual slides. It also had solar panels that allowed us to run everything but the AC and microwave without turning on the generator, a feature we've since added to our "must have" list. We were assigned an end spot on the fairgrounds concrete parking, one of the perks of being a volunteer was getting closer parking, and as we learned later in the week parking on concrete kept the RV substantially cleaner after a rain than those parked on lawn.
As volunteers we arrived at the site 2 days before the Rally began so our rental experience was for a total of 9 days. Our volunteer assignments were for a total of 20 hours, and some volunteer assignments such as RV parking or registration knocked out most of their time before the rally actually began and allowed the volunteers to fully enjoy the events. Unfortunately Steve & I selected “Security”; our volunteer hours did not begin until the 1st day of the rally and consisted of Steve parking cars while I stood guard a dusty gate at the rear of the fairgrounds. We were assigned afternoons, which were not only hot but prevented us from attending 90% of the rally events & seminars compared to the morning shifts. While volunteering gave us better parking, the lack of organization of volunteer coordinators combined with the large percent of the rally we missed as a result of the schedules we were assigned will no doubt prevent us from volunteering again.
Without a doubt the best part of the entire rally was the wonderful neighbors we had in the volunteer lot. Next door was Ron and Pauline in a class A. Ron was an awesome story teller and Pauline was an excellent cook. Kitty corner from us was Don from Tennessee. Don had a 5th wheel and was RVing single, Don was a wealth of knowledge and experience at RVing. Finishing up the foursome was Art and Gerri from St Louis with their Artic Fox trailer. Art and Gerri aren’t yet full timers but are spending several months a year on the road. They had nothing but praise for the Artic Fox brand (too bad they don’t make a class A diesel!) and were very patient with my incessant questions about the RV lifestyle. Our foursome quickly grew close and spent evenings sipping wine and telling stories. In the week we were there we got much closer with our RV neighbors than we have in 5 years in our stick and brick home.
Walking through the RV parking lot was a true adventure also. An informal survey showed that more RVers travel with pets than don't, and the pets ranged from the expected mini poodle to full size great danes, cats, ducks, a parrot, even snakes. There were also a variety of styles of "bling"... almost all RVers posted some sort of outdoor decorations including signs, carpets, campfire pits, lights, flagpoles, plastic flower pots and lawn dwarfs. Most all RVers sat outside in the evenings socializing, playing cards, telling stories and just plain relaxing and enjoying life.
Overall we had no problems spending a week in such close quarters. Having a popout in the living room allowed much better walkway space than the Flair we previously rented. We learned that we could ration our water supply for the entire week, and rationing was not that much of an inconvenience. What Rally events we were able to attend were educational and without exception the RV crowd was warm, friendly and caring, further solidifying our decision that this was the lifestyle for us.
