I'm already getting fidgety....

[Frizlefrak]

It's January 1.  It's cold outside.....and I'm getting fidgety.

Yes, I live in the great desert Southwest, but folks, it's still cold.  And that's down here in the desert floor....up in the NM high country where we like to go, it's frigid.....with lots of snow and ice.  9000' up....and everything up there with hookups is closed anyway.  Boondocking is out of the question....what passes for roads aren't passable.

We've still got another 10 years, give or take, before we can retire and even consider something like full timing for a couple of years.  So what I've got is a brand new travel trailer that we bought last spring sitting next to the house taunting me.  I love the thing....we got it out 5 times for long weekends last summer, and had a blast with it.  But there it sits.....idle....hibernating....

I even went as far as to crank up the heat, load up the fridge, and overnight it in.  Neat, but not the same......not even room to move the slide out where it's parked.

I'm getting cabin fever....and it's at least 2 months before it can come out and play.....There are a couple of spots that we can go maybe in February that are remote and we can run the gen all night.  But that's still almost 2 months away.....

When I was young, I used to wonder why snowbirds did what they do.  I now understand completely.

 

[SeilerBird]

Hey, I am a snowbird and I am sitting in Phoenix and I am freezing. It got down to 30 last night. All I have been able to do lately is watch DVDs. I am sitting inside my RV just dying to get out and take some photos. The weatherman hates me. :-[

 

[NY_Dutch]

It's a balmy 30?F here in Upstate NY! My wife and I are going to take a drive through the woods this afternoon to check out where the deer are yarding up this winter.

 

[Tom and Margi]

Frizlefrak - We used to call what you're feeling "hitch itch". 

Margi

 

[Stella]

I even went as far as to crank up the heat, load up the fridge, and overnight it in.  Neat, but not the same......not even room to move the slide out where it's parked.

I thought I was the only one enthusiastic enough to camp in my front yard. My husband gave me the most puzzled look when I suggested we forgo the comfort of our bedroom for the RV temporarily parked at the curb.  ;D At least the kids were game.

It has even been cold here in Ventura, California. Last night we had a hard freeze for the third night in a row. On an unrelated thought, there is a homeless man who had a camp up in the hills behind our home. I came across him while Geocaching last week. Last night I laid up worried about him. Today I might go up and be sure he is okay.

 

[Tourmaster]

I am sitting here in Iowa. It is zero degrees with a wind chill factor of minus 12 degrees. I will be leaving in a week for Florida. I have to chip some ice off of the drive before I can get the RV out of the garage  but I am not going to let that stop me. Warmer weather in a week. Yah 

 

[RoyM]

We hear ya brother. Cold here by local standards but at least it's not raining for the moment. Man, I just wanna hook up and head south. A warm beach and tiki bar.

 

[Brother Bear]

At least I got my laugh for the day. Where I live it's T-Shirt weather if it's above 0! Guess it's all in what we get used to.

 

[Frizlefrak]

Frizlefrak - We used to call what you're feeling "hitch itch". 

Margi

I like that.  Very much.  It perfectly describes what I'm feeling. 

This is usually the time of year it hits a bit.....but I think having a new TT this year is making it much worse.  Used to be I would use winter to do projects on the old trailer.  The new one doesn't need anything.

I did find an RV Park in Ruidoso that is open year 'round.....turns out an old friend I went to high school with in the late 70's is managing it too....oh, the wonders of Facebook.  I had no idea they were open...they wrap all of their pipes and the place stays fairly full...but the roads up are still icy.  Can't take the chance of a mishap.  I did drive the F250 to work yesterday just to keep things working on it.  Maybe that's what set off this bit of restlessness I find myself feeling.

Cabin Fever has set in fully. 

 

[JW of Opechee Shores]

In the 30's here in RI with snow on the ground but the good thing is that I have my final post op check up with the doctor who did my knee surgery on the 25th and I will be on the road south the next morning. Now all I have to do is hope there are no storms coming that weekend. Nothing worse than knowing you could be some place warmer but can't quite get there yet

 

[Lou Schneider]

Used to be I would use winter to do projects on the old trailer.  The new one doesn't need anything.

Ha!  That just means you aren't looking hard enough.  I've never seen a new trailer that was exactly like I wanted it. 

 

[Frizlefrak]

Ha!  That just means you aren't looking hard enough.  I've never seen a new trailer that was exactly like I wanted it. 

Well now that you bring it up......    ;D

It has an outside kitchen.  The fridge out there is 110V only, which means the extra beer isn't ice cold when we arrive.  I've thought about wiring in an inverter so it runs in transit.  Of course, that will take me all of 2 hours.....and then we're back to it taunting me again......

 

[Lou Schneider]

You're still not seeing the whole picture.  Why should an inverter only run the fridge?  Wouldn't it be great if it ran the TV and let you charge your laptop and cellphone when you're not connected to power?  Of course, this means at least one more battery, possibly more  .... and a battery monitor like the Tri-Metric ... and .... are you starting to see the light?

 

[Frizlefrak]

You're still not seeing the whole picture.  Why should an inverter only run the fridge?  Wouldn't it be great if it ran the TV and let you charge your laptop and cellphone when you're not connected to power?  Of course, this means at least one more battery, possibly more  .... and a battery monitor like the Tri-Metric ... and .... are you starting to see the light?

Why yes....yes I am!!

.....and a rather slippery slope....you see, I will start all the mods, and won't be finished when it's camping season again....and it will be taunting me all May and half of June to get it wrapped up so we can hit the road.  LOL  ;D

I do want to weld a bracket in the back of the truck where I can leave the generator back there full time with no worries of it walking away, and fabricate some type of rain cover for it.  I just can't seem to get motivated to do anything involving being outdoors right now.  Hopefully we get a warm snap soon. 

 

[JiminDenver]

Now is when you plan.

I search for new places to boondock and we take drives on nice days to look to see where we will want the next spot to be.
Now is also a good time to find the best prices on what it takes to do all the mods we have planned. Who cares if shipping takes a month, it's cold out.
Our trailer is in a lot, so visiting takes a short drive. I like to go out and check for leaks, sit in it and dream, maybe even watch a game. Soon it will be time to get her ready for the spring. 

 

[Frizlefrak]

Well, to tide me over.....I made this my desktop.  Next, I'm going to write a parody of California Dreamin' that revolves around RVing and winter withdrawls.....

 

[Chanda]

I felt the sun on my face on Friday, which just made the "hitch itch" even worse.

 

[ChiefM]

Yesterday was beautiful here in south Georgia, was in the upper 60's and sunny most of the day. Today is cold and rainy and not getting oput of the 50's. Come on summer !!!!

 

[Frizlefrak]

Well, if I didn't have hitch itch bad enough already, it's been snowing in El Paso for 2 days now.  Insult to injury, I tell ya'. 

 

[thomasamski]

It's cold all over the country. We live in Florida and it just barely broke 50 degrees today. It's cold, rainy and reminds me of a typical northeast day. But, alas, it will be back in the low 80s by Wednesday!