MORE THOUGHTS ON FULL TIMING!

I've spent most of today reading a blog about volunteering and living in housing provided by NWR.  This is very interesting to me.  If I did something like this, instead of buying an rv, I could buy a van for traveling and stay in the housing provided.  This way I wouldn't have to sell my house to buy an rv.  The idea of selling my house and spending all of the money on a rv does bother me.
While I love to travel I haven't really spent much time in an rv.  I like to hike but my hiking is limited to 1 or 2 mile trails with company.  I haven't done any alone  hiking or climbing hilly areas or dry desert area hiking.   When at the Valley of the Gods a few years ago I enjoyed walking around but I tend to stay in shady areas.  I burn very easily and have a family history of skin cancer.  I know this should not stop me from doing something I might enjoy,  just use lots of sun screen and wear hats.
I like the nice a/c and heat in my house.  How would I feel about leaving the rv if it was hot and humid or cold outside?  I don't know the answer so it's very hard to make the commitment.
One fear is spending all the money I have on an rv then not liking it.  There would be nothing to fall back on.  Another fear is not being able to make enough money to travel.  Many fulltimer's that I follow have retirement money coming in, and earn money on the road.
A paying or volunteering job that would provide housing while I travel sounds like the ideal situation to try out this new life style for six month to a year.  I am going to do some research in this area.
I hope this post is not too hard to read, my thoughts are jumping all over the place.
Have a great day!

STILL NO VACATION PICTURES

When on vacation I'm usually the first one up.  I make coffee and go for a walk or sit by the water and enjoy nature and my morning coffee.  When in parks we don't usually hike very far but I enjoy the short walks and if my daughter is with me (she likes hiking) we take longer hikes which I enjoy.  I dream of waking up every morning in the woods or near water (a lake, river, ocean) or viewing the snow cap mountains in the distance.

I can't find the cd for my camera so I cannot download the pictures from my trip to Michigan.  Even with no pictures I can tell you it was a great trip.  We saw all the lighthouses from Cheboygan to Port Huron, MI that could be seen from land.  It was a very relaxing trip, no rushing around and very little getting lost.  Sometimes getting lost is part of the fun as long as you're on back roads and enjoying the views.

While staying in hotels we watched a lot of HGTV which only makes me want to do some remodeling to my house.  Since being home I've revisited some of the numbers for keeping my house and I always come back to the same problem.  NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO KEEP THE HOUSE AND TRAVEL!  I'm not particularly attached to my house but I'm not thrilled about living in a trailer the rest of my life either.  I feel that when the time comes to get off the road I'll be forced into an apartment community that I may not want, or worse yet I'll be a burden on one of my children.

I've been reading a lot of blogs and information about the lifestyle.  I'm not sure I want to be alone 24/7 with nothing to do for weeks on end.  I enjoy going for short hikes, walking in the woods, sitting on the beach and exploring new places but I'm not a great outdoors person.  Right now I work 5 days and have 2 days off.  I have no trouble doing nothing on those days but when I get day 3 off I need to go somewhere and do something.

From what I have learned most full timers fall into 2 categories.  Group 1 stay in the wilderness most of the year enjoying nature and  their survival skills, often joining up at campgrounds for the winter months.  Group 2 stay in camp grounds and socialize on a regular basis. Obviously this is simplifying things quite a bit and I'm sure there is also a large group that do a combination.   I don't see myself falling into either of these groups so how well will the full time life style fit my personality.

I think of myself as a loner but I've come to realize since I've owned this store I've made a lot of friends who would be missed very much if the store closes.  Maybe this indicates the work camping or volunteering plan might work out for me.  Working in an environment that requires some interaction with campers but allows me the freedom to visit and explore on my own may be the right answer.