Prescriptions while on the road

prescriptions while on the road can be confusing. It will be about two years before Medicare kicks in so until then we are down to one health care system/insure VA system.  Which means while at our home clinic or at a VA Medical Center all costs are covered.  While on the road with no near by VA we will use civilian clinics using our HSA to cover cost.  Prescriptions away from a VA we will cover with our HSA fund and drug discount cards we have saved between 20 and 70%.

Identification of our vehicles

Identification of our vehicles in-case of theft.  Our RV and Auto have numerous ID's on them, but our Dolly is not required to be licensed.  So, I have a photo of its ID plate and added other identifiers to help the police it it is ever taken.  I will also be adding identifiers from the air as well soon. 

I have also added bicycle locks to the ramps on the dolly and other locks on our other RV electrical equipment.

Range Mate Cooking

Range Mate Cooking On The Go!
The mix in a regular oven makes six and prep tome is about four minutes and cook time sixteen  minutes.

Add water berry muffin mix.

 Mixed with water added.

 Cup of water in range mate base.

 Steamer and muffin insert.

 In the Microwave.

 After 10 minute cook.

 Little more oil next time to avoid any stick.

They tasted fine and with 2 minutes prep and 10 minutes cook time not a bad option at all:)

I have also cooked my breakfast potatoes, sausage and eggs in this as well as several pork chops and steaks, all came out great.

Daily Drive Distance

Our daily drive distance right now is limited to 200-250 a day max to avoid overdoing it.  This means we take our time starting out every day and we are stopping early to enjoy the camp sites.  When not going cross country on a set trip we hope to do even less miles and to stay longer at each stop.

We like using two of these microwave steamer cups for quick soups while doing daily driving (200-250)
.

For our driving day breakfasts we use our egg cooker and toaster often with a sliced tomato and shelf stable bacon as well

Weight is always a concern

Weight is always a concern with our gas class c motor home.  It does not have a very large cargo/tow capacity so we need to be very selective on what we bring on board.  It comes with a 3500 lb hitch package.  So we have a 350 lb tow dolly and a 2400lb Chevy Spark this helps keep our tow  under weight and our overall weight safe as well.

Retirement has started:)

Retirement has started and is going well.  My brother who is two years older told me I would lose track of the days some times in retirement because they do not matter as much in retirement.  He was right:)  Not having to be at work set days and or times allows this to happen.

We are enjoying free or low cost casino camping and breaking even (gaming) so far, here we have electric for 15 a day.  They have a dump site just 200 yards away so I can take off my blue boy (seen here tied down on the ladder) and dump our gray water daily if needed.  I also have a six gallon water jug we keep in our basement storage if we need a water refill.  It takes several jugs to refill the water completely which I have only done once.  Note! We do not dump our black water with the blue boy if we need to dump black we will drive over to the dump site, which would be about once a week fo black.

We still prefer full hookups (to sewer, water, electric and trash) currently averaging under 40 a day we plan to lower this average with a thousand trails zone pass  membership after the first of the year along with a few days a month casino camping and or boon-docking a night or two each month.  We will also be looking to stay a month or two (lower camping cost by half or more) in areas we really want to explore for a while as we travel.

Dignity Statue in South Dakota

In 2016 this statue was put up as a gift to South Dakota along the Missouri River.  Here Kathy is looking on the statue at a road side rest area.  It honors Native Americans.

Here is Kathy looking at information on the river and the river beyond the statue is now behind her.

Our new home on the road

Our new home on the road is a lot smaller then our past homes over the years, each is is unique and different.

Above we are at a campsite still hooked up to our tow vehicle.  For just overnight stops we decided to not unhook our tow vehicle in most cases. 

Here is a snap shot of our 8X8X8 storage unit just before we hit the road, not much room left.

We have done it!

We have done it and moved out of our home.  Our kids were given what they wanted from the home, we put some in storage.  Had four days of garage sales.  Gave to Goodwill and also filled two 6 yard dumpsters.  Our home now is on wheels and towing a small car.  We cannot say enough good things about how our son and daughter have assisted us in getting to this point.

We are entering another great phase of our life.  Hope to see you all on the road in the future.

Re-doing our vanity area

Re-doing our vanity area by turning it into our personal business/finance file area.

Tension bars and on-command Velcro can do wonders in holding things together.  This leaves us room for a fan, back-up camera re-charger and smart phone cleaning station.

How we will keep food warm

How we will keep food warm without using our oven.  Kathy will be cooking a lot of slow cooker and or pressure cooker meals along with soup salads and sandwiches. I do the driving, most of the camp set-up and most outside cooking.

So for me I use a Colman multi fuel stove and mostly cast iron skillet's and at times campers dutch ovens.  Hear are my two best warmers an 8 inch skillet with 10 inch DO lid which I cook the potatoes and meat and set it aside to stay warm.  The two handled 8 inch pan is great to hold the buttered toast.

 My final cook is the individuals eggs either in a aluminum skillet like here or in a small cast iron skillet I use both on a regular basis.

The above is just one example.  Setting cast iron asside off heat will keep its contents warm for 15 minutes or so depending many things.

Down Sizing

Down Sizing is painful, but we are doing it!  We have given our kids what they want and they have been helping us with the downsizing.  We did end up renting an 8x8x8 environmental controlled storage unit.  We will re-evaluate when we come back in a year (probably in May) for our annual check ups.The garage is on the left and we are just starting to pull out stuff.  On the road full time by the end of this month.

Learned that not everything can be stored in a storage unit so we gave to our kids or will sell.  Also we are selling one of our cars (looks like at a loss) bottom line it will be off our books.  No more car payments here or auto insurance for it as well, saving us hundreds a month.

Sun Screens Over Main Windows

Temp hit 100 degrees F the other day so I went to Home Depo and got a 2x10 roll of solar bubble wrap.  Our biggest window is over the dinette with the second biggest our escape window in the bedroom. Please note our RV windshield does not count here we have a cover and solar shield for it already.

 The above window is at our Dinette and measures 31 inches by 20 inches and the solar screen rolls up quickly when needed.

 Above here is our bedroom escape window and also where we mount our rear camera to watch our car on a dolly when traveling hooked up.  You can just see our escape handle tied to the ladder to assist us exiting in an emergency.

 Above you can see one of our bedroom windows with the day and night shade pulled down, still a lot of light/heat can enter through the bottom. I am coming up with an idea to atleast cut down on the light leakage.

Here is another window in our bedroom with only the day shade pulled down.  So without the night shade down a lot of light gets in. I am debating on if I want to add solar shades\ to these last two smaller windows as well.

The Old 2 qt Pressure Cooker

The old 2 qt pressure cooker is making a come back and today it is often called a ins ta-pot.

We brought our 6 qt along on the road and debated on this 2 qt. It is fine for one but no left overs very often for two folks.  It does not have a browning button but if we leave the lid off and push chicken we can brown just fine.

Pre Full Time Shake Down

June is our final down sizing month and test runs with our current set up.  While we have been RVing since the early 90's for a few weeks to a months each year this will be our first time doing it full time.  We hope to be full time by the end of July.

Just got back from a weeks shake down and found many things to get rid of and several to add.  While camping two nearby RV's got hit by a quick 1 minute wind gust taking out two of our neighbors awnings.  We avoid using our attached awning as much as possible. We use a  42 dollar stand a lone awning we bought at WalMart it has been blown around 3 times in the past two years.  When it breaks we can pay less then $50 to replace it at any WalMart, you can see it over the table.

We also tried out adding the silver bubble wrap outside the refrigerator to reduce the heat to the refrigerator.  The bubble wrap worked by reducing the refrigerator inside temp by 5 degrees:)

Gorge Camp

Refrigerator Heat Shade

Health Insurance While On The Road

Health insurance while on the road is covered for us through the VA between the age of 62 and 65 our Medicare kicks in once we are 65.  Both of us served in the Air Force on active duty when younger and we have Honorable Discharges, because of this we earned Veterans Benefits for life which include basic medical coverage.

We have been using the VA as our primary provider since moving to Rock Springs they have a clinic be side the College and Hospital we worked at.  While on the road we have been studying up on how to utilize the VA while on the road.  They have an office called VA Travel that will handle us while on the road.  We will let you know how that goes as we use it.  As for our VA clinic providers and staff it has been great.  We even had some major surgery during our time here with few issues.

While on the road we will try to plan our routine check ups with our home provider and if we can not be in the area for these we will work with VA Travel to have it done at a VA medical facility near our current location.  We also have an HSA that we paid into through my employers for years now and will use these tax free funds for any non emergency needs while on the road and away from any VA facility.

Other related notes

• Dental Insurance does not come with us in retirement so we signed up for one of the two VA approved dental plans at a monthly cost to us of around $80.00
• The VA provides us with our eye check ups and glasses
• In the March 2018 American Legion Magazine (page 20) there is a nice article called " VA to pay partial non-VA emergency claims by Tom Philpott". It talks about some court cases that the VA is now complying with, which improves our medical coverage and reduces our medical costs by using the VA service we have earned.
• In talking with VA Travel and our Provider we will try and do our winter check-up via Tele-a Health.  This will mean we will have to have our lab work drawn at a different VA location.  For our summer check-up we plan to return to our home clinic for our lab and check-ups.
• My canned O2 refills will be set up through VA Travel while on the road with local O2 providers in the area.

We Are Now Both Retired

We have started receiving some of our retirement income and will receive the rest starting in July.  We hope to be on the road some time in July. 

We sold our last home in 2013 and have been renters these past few years so we would not have to worry about what to do with our home.  One problem is we still have a lot of our stuff from our last house in our rental so we need to speed up our downsizing.

I hear the number one cause of fires in an RV us using propane while driving

I hear the number one cause of fires in an RV us using propane while driving.  I remember a fire at a gas station years ago that burned down be cause of a generator running while fueling up.  I also have read/heard several cases over the years of fires and people dying from driving down the road with their propane turned on while driving down the road.  WE have had 3 motor homes over the years and before we new better we had done both but have not done either for many years.  We will continue not to have either on while driving down the road,  

Also everyone needs to remember all newer RV's with propane usually have a propane alarm remember these expire after several years and needs to be replaced.  Check with a RV dealer or RV technician for details on your unit.  I will replace mine in another year or two, if you pay attention to yout alarm it will tell you when it is time to be changed out for a new one.

Bedroom slide out

When we got our RV we saw the slide-out motor  under the RV and were briefed on how to manually do the one hidden under the bed.  The problem is I have never actually manually gone through the steps.  So this spring I want to go through the motions on both.

Above is looking to the head of the bed and below is at the foot of the beed showing the electric motor.

I also found I have not picked up an extra slide out fuse so I will do that over the next month.  I have two slides so I should pick up two.

Tweaking our dolly

Tweaking our dolly should be a big aid on my back when moving it around on a camp ground when unhooked. Below you can see the extra wheel to hold up the tong to make it easier to move around without the auto on it.  Over time I am sure I will move it up and back as I use it more.

 Under the cloth and wood are my spares to the dolly and tow car.  I have yet to decide on what location they will be when all hocked up.

More on preping for full timeing

Organizing the RV and refining our cooking for the RV is our current mission.

Here I can buy a 10 pound piece of choice meat and cut it up into small roasts, brown and freeze so all we need to do is pop it in the oven or DO and ready to eat:)  So when we stay a few weeks to a month or so we can pre-cook for our next movement when all we need to do is re-heat.  We will also do one pot meals with our pressure cooker.  We also both like soup, salads and sandwiches so all should go well.

 Below we decided we do not need cookie cutters when a tin can will do with the top and bottom removed.

What do we take and leave.  We have tons of tools for the house kitchen we can only take a few and put the rest in storage.

 Limited space under our dinette seats for heaver or little used kitchen tools which do we take and which go to storage.  Also had to cut out a piece under one seat to get the air fryer in.

 We would like to have one spare propane tank on board as a backup.  We added an extend a stay connection to the RV a year ago.  By using a standard BBQ bottle it will be easier to do an exchange then find a propane station in some areas.

Prepping for full time RVing

Prepping for full time RVing.

Several things have have been happening starting in March.

Kathy and I have both tendered our resignations for retirement to start early summer 2018.  We want to travel by RV our first few years of retirement.  Altitude is not my friend I have been on O2 for years and on a CPAP.  When I am below about 4500 feet my breathing improves and at or near sea level it is great compared to 6000 feet and above.  So much of our travel will be below 4500 feet.  During these travels we will be looking at where we will end up retiring to a home or condo.

Our current  RV insurance expires the start of May so we are going back to Good Sam to find a replacement that is set up for full time (365 days a year)  RV'ers. Our current policy only covers us for part time use. Most RV'ers are occasional users so their coverage is only geared to cover them for 60 to 90 days a year. So we will switch by the end of April to the full time option, looks like cost will be around 3 times the part time coverage.

Since Kathy and I are both veterans our primary providers are VA so for the 2.5 years before Medicare the VA will be our primary coverage backed up by our HSA that we funded over the past 10 years.  Once on Medicare the VA will become our secondary coverage.  The VA also provides us our eye classes and we have taken out one of the 2 VA approved group Dental Plans that we do pay a monthly fee.

We have a joint appointment with the social security administration to sign up for retirement starting this summer.  Kathy  has already signed up for her state retirement should start by June.  I can not sign up till the end of April to have mine start by June,  Both states advise if they have not started our retirements by our planned date they will pay us back to our planned date once they complete set-up.  We plan on leaving Kathy's TSA alone for now, may take it in a few years to give ourselves a raise.  I had a small IRA and that has been added to our emergency/future home fund.  Finally I note that Kathy and I have also been receiving early retirement from two previous employers.

We did not buy a home here at my final college, because we did not want to be tire down till it sells so we rented these last 5 years,  We plan to be out by end of summer with some items in storage at our daughters and the rest sold off or donated.

Finally for this post I have dropped off the RV at our mechanics to do a detailed going over and for new tires.  Our tires are 5 to 6 years old so we want to start out with new tires as well.  If they replace any parts do to looking weak I asked them to hold them for us, we will hold most for emergency spares.

Even our overhead bunk is being converted for storage as you can see below.  Chairs and a walker with seat if needed on a long walking tour can also carry my spare O2 tanks.

 

Health Insurance for Veterans as we do it

Health Insurance for veterans as we do it, remember Kathy and I are both veterans.

Medical

As we go into retirement in our early sixties before medicare, and with no employer health insurance for retirees.  The VA will be our primary provider (per VA) once our employer insurance stops.

The VA Medical Centers are easy to locate on line but I also marked them on a new paper atlas as well.  So if we need any scheduled work we can work with VA Travel and go to local location for any scheduled treatment.

If we have a illness we have an H.S.A. to cover any Doc in a Box (urgent cares) costs if not near a VA Center.  If it is an emergency we will go to the nearest E.R. as the V.A. suggests, if not a V.A. we need to notify the V.A as soon as possible.  Check the V.A. web site for specific time frames for this.

We do have a hospital indemnity policy we pay for to cover the cost of an RV park while one of us is in a hospital should it happen.

Eye Glasses

Since we have glasses we can be seen by the V.A. every 2 years for an eye check up and new glasses.  If our vision changes we can be seen before the two years.

Dental

For Dental we use a V.A. approved plan that we pay for and use any public Dentists that is on the VA approved list which is huge.

This is how we are doing it and this is my opinion your situation may very.

Final note when we left the service in the 80's we rarely used the V.A. because we often felt customer service was very poor.  Over the past 20 years they have rebuilt their customer service and  are on par with any hospital chain.  Have there been issues for the V.A.?  Yes!  However, we have only had good service overall and are happy with it.

Veterans Dental approved through the VA

We signed up for one.  The VA re-approved Delta Dental and Met Life Dental as dental plans that all veterans can sign up for.  The plan and cost options are similar to what my state college currently charges us.  Since there is a year waiting period for full benefits to take effect we joined now since we will be retired this summer.

The benefits for year one are good enough for us since we are having all known needed dental work done now while also under the states plan.  We think the VA approved plan will be a good fill in for retirement.  Our son has had it for a few years and has had now problems.  This will let us continue to have free teeth cleanings every year as well.

Here is the link to the VA Fact Sheet https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/VADIP/vadip_ext_fact_sheet_2017.pdf

Hope this is helpful to all.

Totes and Storage while on the road

Prepping for storage we are buying clear 40 and 70 qrt totes and arranging in our garage so we can see how much room they will take up.

Once we have them all filled we can easily see if we can cut back even more and if not once in storage it will be much easier to find items when we stop in to drop off and pick out/up new items. These totes we hope will also help us keep critters and dust out.

Happy March

Happy March 2018

Was watching a YouTube and saw a big No-No.  A husband and wife were on a hike and the wife was not going as fast as the husband wanted to so he went a head and waited back at the car.  A big rule in hiking is to go the speed of the slowest hiker as well as keep everyone in site.

From the Utah Division of Wildlife

Playing in cougar country

If you recreate in cougar country, here are a few guidelines to make your experience safer:

• Hike with other people and make noise. Cougars usually will not bother groups of people.
• Keep a clean camp and store food and garbage in your vehicle or hang it between two trees where cougars (and bears) cannot reach it.
• When hiking with small children, keep the children in the group or in sight ahead of the group. Remember, cougars ambush from behind, so keeping a child in front of the main group will lessen the possibility of attack.
• Keep away from dead animals, especially deer or elk. This could be a kill that a cougar is guarding or will be returning to. A cougar will defend its food.

• If hiking with pets, keep them close to the group. Roaming pets will be open to cougar attacks or could irritate a cougar that is trying to avoid the group.

 U.S. National Forest Hiking Rules  Only a part

• Stay on marked trails.
• Don’t hike alone. Let the slowest person in your party set the pace. This is especially important when children are a part of your group.
• Leave your itinerary with a friend or family member and check in with them upon your return.

It only takes one slip, fall or taking the wrong trail fork to change a simple walk into a real emergency so please make sure you always stay together while hiking.

Here is a link on attacks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America

Here is on on rattle snake attacks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_snake_bites_in_the_United_States

Here is a list of bear attacks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America

Christmas Time Alt Heating Test

At Christmas time alternate heat source.  It was in the 30's and 40's outside and the inside got up to 69 degrees.  I know we can run our propane heater for one night before the house battery needs recharged.  We know we can use the propane with an electric hook up or generator, but what happens when the propane runs out?

I put a Comfort Zone on our vanity at the foot of our bed so it would warm the bedroom area and it worked well.

I set up our second Comfort Zone on the floor in the dining area which worked very well.  Last summer I had filled in the air cracks around our door to cut down on drafts.

In our toilet and sink area I put a small 250 watt heater so when I closed off this small area with the door it heated up nicely.

Here is a photo of our small RV Tree on the table for Christmas 2017.  This time next year we will be full time RVing and retired:)

The VA has extended the Delta Dental and Met Life Dental Insurance Plans to Veterans

The VA has extended the Delta Dental and Met Life Dental Insurance Plans to Veterans.  Through 2021 for those that did not retire from the service it may be an option to pick up a basic dental plan for your self.

https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/VADIP/vadip_ext_fact_sheet_2017.pdf

Some photos from past RV adventures