Fearless Retired Woman Living in a Lance Truck Camper

welcome back fellow nomads today we're going to be the new friend of mine well not new friend we've known each other for almost two years now better you know yeah Joe and Joe say hello to everyone hello everyone they're really out there it doesn't look like it there's a bus seat out there yeah because I didn't one of them oh good yeah thank you uh and we are just gonna talked about your life as a nomad okay now you've been doing it for how long now just a year and a half year and a half that tiny bit over a year and a half uh-huh yeah and why in the world did you decide to live like a nomad it surprised me did it yeah I was not really satisfied with the living condition I had in Santa Fe and I was looking another place to live I was renting and suddenly I thought I'm not going to pay one more time to have this furniture moved in fact I think I'm done with this furniture you know some lovely big pieces but then I was influenced by a friend who really wants to do this she hasn't yet and I started going online I found your blog some other blogs and then I started looking at units that I liked thinking they were not affordable and I was obsessing on that and I turned off the computer and I said to myself I'll see one and that day that afternoon I really did I I spotted in a parking lot this little sprinter with German tags I went inside the place and ended up spending about an hour talking to this German couple so there wasn't for sale you just saw it there that's right right but that's that was the Primo one I've been looking at online so they introduced me to it they hooked me up on their private Facebook group that they had going because they were traveling all over the country they've sent their sprinter from Stuttgart I guess from Germany to Baltimore and then I was just on a roll then I just started going and looking at them and it's it was interesting to me because it just wasn't like a conscious decision I'm going to do this I never RV dine ever can but I was I was going in the flow and I said I'm going to move and I'm going to move on the road so I have to move in a house ever again yeah take your wee house with you where you don't play so I sold almost everything I have one relatively small bin in a friend's garage and one painting and another friend's house mm-hmm so virtually everything you own in the world except for those two things is right here that's right right and have you missed your stuff you mean you hit probably got rid of a lot of stuff not at all no and I keep shedding more stuff yeah yes I think that's nearly always true oh I don't really need this and the way it goes right yeah yeah so a year ago I guess at the first RTR I had a I had a different rig than this yes and I had emptied out all this stuff I had piles and piles of questionable items and I've really I really narrowed down since then I'm glad right right do can you tell in the way difference in the way you feel with your stuff gone do you so you don't miss it you don't think oh I kind of wish I had that where do you feel better or lighter or worse or I recognise the difference being at hunt being in a house or an apartment and all the things that I felt like I need to do that I need to go in there and do that I need to go so the space is smaller and there isn't as much that I feel like I need to do that seems superfluous anyway right of course there's a maintenance of this which is all new yeah um but you had a vehicle at home you got a goddamn gun I did that tell you the truth other than checking the oil I'd know nothing about what's under the hood I still don't know a lot more but I know more than I did right so uh this is not the vehicle you ride at the first time you came into my camp so what were you in then I was in a 2007 leisure travel than a sprinter a sprinter class little motorhome yeah yeah and I sold that I never heard the story on that why did it because it seemed perfect yeah a lot of people ask me they think it seemed perfect first of all um with this I have more clearance I can go other places I can go places that I couldn't really with that I had to be too concerned about scraping the bottom the surface of the land also I was in Oregon last summer it was like the hottest ever there was so little ventilation in that vehicle that it was surprising and it was becoming not very affordable every repair had a lot of repairs and everyone seemed costly and funny but I never liked the graphics on the outside of it well that's important yeah it is I mean I like an Airstream that kind of just solid so um I was traveling with a friend and he kind of talked with me about what options were and did I said I think I want to sell it and I won't get something else but I was pretty clear I didn't want to toast something I may do that sometime my life and realize oh god there was not much to that but up to now anyway I didn't want to tell anything and I said maybe one of those on top of the truck truck and a camper yeah so he knows someone who was selling this was for sale and that's then it all started going I sold my my Sprinter for more than I paid Wow that's how I really put that up here right yeah that was really Pleasant and I bought the camper and then found a truck that would accommodate it oh so you didn't buy them together you got separate yeah and your friend kind of helped you guide you through all that completely no I know nothing about any of these and in fact this truck when he said when we went to look at it and he said it's a cherry truck I thought he meant the color Oh which it is cherry but that's not what he missed I call it my cherry truck yeah um but and then since then I realized this is a truck that a lot of people who know Trucks covet yes I've had a lot of offers oh it's a comment so this was the last year that this and that I don't know those specifics but it's a desired automobile apparently so folks she has an older model dodge cummins 97 97 you didn't know that you didn't know that you'd want to talk about numbers but Louis in 97 and 97 was a good year before emissions have gotten really involved in diesel engines and made their life really difficult and so that is pretty much pre really bad emissions it's a good it's a good model year and do you know much about the condition of your camper yeah it's a no for oh it's a fairly new can what's the Lance uh-huh and you know that don't know the model number I don't know it go I know the people I bought it from yeah and you know your friend recommended checked it out it's a good one yeah he and a friend put the solar I have 300 solar on top and 300 already done yet that is plenty you found out more than plenty yeah more than enough you don't have to worry about running out all the time yeah this is a very good model year of the dodge cummins before they became much more complicated so which is one of the problems you probably found with a sprinter was every repair was so expensive they are just tremendously complicated vehicles it was also finding a place right there aren't many sprinter Mercedes dealers well I was told that that dodge would do it but the Dodge dealers I went they said no we used to but we're not anymore right now they're not don't sell them was that right yeah they sprinter no longer sold through the Dodge now I want your Mercedes didn't a few others okay yeah yeah but so but dodge of course has doesn't have that problem there's comes dealers everywhere there's dodge dealers everywhere with your Dodge Cummins diesel yeah now yeah it is legendary is one of the world's best engines for four trucks don't what you answer I understand and I like it and we're well you know we can we kind of think of campers as a man thing you're a lady and you you've been very happy with it yeah I am I'm real happy with it I still have a lot of questions and the system get them answered as I can on the systems is that what you learn the systems on how how these things work how tight they're supposed to be and so you've never had the camper off the truck I have again the same friend no okay took it off because I had to have a repair of the truck and then so I watched it I know what to do I have wrenches in order to remove these things loosen them and take it off I know how to do it and I hope I never have to write I didn't think that was going to be the I thought I was going to be oh I can just let that go and drive the truck somewhere right we're gonna sissy about it I don't I don't want to do it when these things are way up in the air it is spooky and you drive away and it's just hanging there that's spooky yeah it was a little weird yeah I know I understand why you would be reluctant and I'll tell you what was spooky I made the ultimate error and I put gasoline in my diesel tank oh that is an error No how did that work out well in the end you know it was as one friend said it's an adventure remember and it's just mechanical and that helped me but I spent two nights in a lot of a diesel place in Tucson while they made the repair and cost me a fair amount and I won't do it again I went back to the gas station to make sure that's what I did because I was certain you know that I pulled up to a diesel pump I did but the left far left pump and that one was premium gas Oh so it started running like crap right away no it didn't I drove away in fact I went ten miles I was just heading across really the reservation from Tucson Tahoe and I feel like this was a gift that I said I need half and half before I leave and I stopped at a circle K got the half and half came out and it wouldn't start right so from there I was towed we didn't take it off the tow truck had a flatbed oh and that was a trip because we had he got out of the driver the Triple A driver you know got out a couple times on the interstate to see if we were going to clear the overpass oh right well you were up on the flat it was very tall and I don't think I'll do that again no no what hopefully that's a lesson learned yeah so it's a trip every time like yesterday I arrived here every time I arrived a destination and I'm just like okay I like my spot I'm so happy I'm doing this you are happy you're doing this how we run the happiest Oh I mean there are other times I think I have to do that and I have to do that and I'm kind of a wuss about some of the things but I think I'm getting better so you have tanks and you depth a drunk dump your tanks is that one of the things you don't like I tell you I moderated that some water I should not monitor not a moderate but I've changed it somewhat in that I don't use the back tank anymore right so that's freed me up a bit right and but you're still using the great water for showers and dishes exactly huh and so that's actually a fairly common story yeah I understand it's so much more pleasant to handle the gray water than the black water yeah it's a much easier yeah it's not as urgent that you empty it as well so that works out just the propane and I have a 5 gallon propane container and it there's no way to tell when it's right yesterday I went because I thought oh definitely I'm almost out you know right she said it was gallon and a half that we added their little little little tips you can use but I haven't been successful in that so just keep learning ya know there's a lot of learning curve and you'll get more comfortable eventually it will be second nature and it won't those little problems will go away I would assume I think a lot of it has and you know that's what I have to sort of remember one you know when people friends I know who don't do this who have questions I realize how much I've learned mmm cuz you're some of them you can answer yeah it's repulsive oh that's good why do you do this and I know why it just feels good I love changing environments I love I love always parking where I can see out this window to just nature I don't want to see any other RVs right if possible right or any metal I just want to see beauty right surrounding yourself with beauty is enough reason is all the justification anyone needs to do to use to do this to be a boon docker as far as I'm concerned yeah yeah just not I don't want to be in the city ever it's my goal to be out here all the time you got to go in to do some stuff but boy I want to come right home right away yeah I think okay that's a last stop now I'm getting out of here right that's me too that the exact same urgency to get out of the city yeah so no regrets really yeah you're really glad you're doing in your plan to keep doing it I do I do um yeah I guess there been a couple times maybe two times where I thought I don't know if I want to continue this this is because I was originally traveling with someone well not originally but soon after I had begun right and a lot of the you got it turning yeah and a lot of the coordinate gatherings and all the other logistical things were being done but then I found myself in a follow mode and that's not what I normally do but I was grateful for it at the same time I I was wondering how can I do can I do this alone so now I am doing it alone and that's when there been a few times where I think this may be too much but then I you know I overcome that and buck up and exactly I think just breathe just do that step by step well he helped me a lot with that just one thing at a time and you get over that that learning curve that discomfort curve and it'll become a normal natural man just takes time yeah and so you haven't had problems making friends and being lonely no it's been pretty amazing I think the people that I meet when I'm somewhere or the people now I'm connected with and learning the Thera tough spot returning to some places I was last year where I feel real comfortable and I even I like to go to some of those places by myself and just have that quiet time mm-hmm so lonely that's not an issue no it isn't never especially internet and phone I mean if you have that stay connected to everybody yeah and boredom have you found boredom to be an issue never never no Wow well boredom frankly with some other people sometimes I'm not me in my life right you know I I know Aaron wants me yeah yeah I'm uh I'm finding a need to express more about what what I like about this and some of that is um I like to go in here at night I've been doing a few fires lately and because there's music and I'm dancing and I love that but for the most part I like to when the Sun Goes Down I like to come in I like to be up when the Sun comes up and I'm not a real night owl and a lot of activity seems to happen after dark but I'm not into that so it's just my letting people know that and I also I like to hike by myself sometimes and have quiet time so you've gone to balance here you can be as long as much as you want or together as much as you want and isn't that the beauty of it that is the beauty of this yeah and so I have found that when I am with people I am more deeply connected because it's always my choice that's a nice way to I'm not you're not you I'm not stuck with you as a neighbor you don't turn the key and drive away I'm here because I want to be around you yeah all right so I've really found better connections when I do make connections that's good to hear yeah just reinforces yeah well great why don't we go inside and see your rig it's not huge you know cameras aren't big but it's all you need it is okay there's also the back of my truck there is a back seat um and it is my basement I call it right and I was the last thing I was doing professionally I guess it's making felt so as have all my materials in there I've only done it one time since it been on the road but that's what mostly is there and some other things that's piled up to the top but it's my basement storage lots of storage in the back of a super cache yeah okay let's uh take a look around it tells us it looks like you have a really nice setup here on the back of your camper I know this also well this was already here the former owner had installed this and he had wooden lifts for under it you know levels and I got rid of those and got smaller ones but then my friend put this shelf on here for me so I can have an outside kitchen leftover doughnut oh and I love this I love old tap yeah straight up and down and and really really nice and easy yeah yeah I like that a lot and this is just a box that he's attached to the ladder is that correct um I guess it is I think it is right attached to the ladder yeah exactly and I have I do go on top we do clean the solar panels and I've gone up outside once but I feel more comfortable going up the hatch over the bed right most campers have a escape hatch yeah I understand yes and so you can just go right up and pop out yeah that's my trash of course an attractive thing the fact is we generate trash out here we have to find a way to disposal yeah yeah just like everyone else very nice oh let's take a look inside okay now when I bought it of course there was a little stool here I got rid of that because it was just one more thing and I don't mind one big stepping up high oh very pleasant isn't it it is you the colors are make it so nice well this was um the people I bought her from had just had this reupholstered mm-hmm they also had changed this whole configuration apparently this nice tabletop my batteries for my solar are under this I just have to lift this to check them and so I kind of played with this purple as a theme she find it yeah for my decoration for my decor which is nice having a decor makes it more comfy and homey you feel better it's important to me it is real important it is to me and they just don't know it they just don't know it they just don't know it yeah they would they would be happier if T they got a decor oh good time I just don't know and this okay this little shelf is an extra bit again the former owner how thank you how I made and it really is to be stored here but I found this too much I want to make it easiest but so I have I keep it here and I devised a way that I can crawl up and down from the bed carefully a foot here a foot here a foot here and then up of course I have my loop growing on you so I leave this up all the time now uh-huh it's a great extra space and what are you blocking under there just more storage yeah this is just a step no but what this so this is your fridge it is and what's underneath the fridge well there is a there isn't one storage unit there okay and then way under there you know the wheel well access on both sides and store things in there and I have some things stored back here there's just a window here that might screw to the truck hmm that's all that's all I'm blocking right that's all you bought I but I can I have some things stored back here mm-hmm and you have an actual oven I do do you all do you usually have really absolutely I make pizza some people miss them yeah and some people curse them and then just using for storage I have one of those little Road pros oh and I haven't used it at all since I've yeah well you gonna use this I have a three burner stove uh-huh stovetop well in the winter uh you could make baked something and probably go a long ways on the residual heat that comes out of it I even the other morning it was cold and I thought I'm gonna make some soup instead of using my heater and I did that and this came with a you know it's heater that was already installed the furnace and so forth 300 flash has been changed I covered up the thermostat that's what I do my decorations I cover up things and what was sort of using like an Olympian or mr. buddy yeah oh you have a Wimpy catalytic and that works really nice on the wall I'm covered so the sand doesn't care there's caps I bought what a good idea that is very very good idea very creative by the Olympian cover it's like 20 bucks sure you could buy a million of these shower gas for another I know I even bought him I think at the dollar store like five for $1 yeah yeah that's not a good idea funny thing is they even have lavender ones that match the purple there's nothing to be embarrassed about that no of course not and this is my monitor my solar business all this my I have an inverter that I can I have a sewing machine up in the front I bring that in here and so sometimes really yeah so you keep some of your hobbies in and are practical thing to do too so just yeah fixing things like I'm not always sure what these things mean why that says default whatever but I'm not ready to use it so I don't need to have it all right I think I know it just takes some time I'll come back to it this was apparently I guess in these campers was a bunk oh yeah this was altered also so this is just my more cupboard space very nice yeah remember space down here well I'm standing in front of the bathroom yes you can go around if you want and open it just press them so uh you shower yeah you use the shower I do but you don't use the toilet anymore because you don't want to mess with a black water thing and I certainly don't blame after that oh you must not be metal sweets very large shower for a camper I would say really I think so it's not some of them are really tiny I mean it's not huge or anything it's a wet shower so you have to empty it out to shower right yeah but you know it's just moving a little rub which I think that here's my Batman I didn't think I wanted a wet shower when I first started this I you know I was using I had a dry shower in this Sprinter but it became less important so you don't mind them watch are you just think you can do it no it's okay I just take a few things out of there right it doesn't matter and then I found this wonderful piece I thought at a Big Lots and it's just more storage yeah organization and that's key too yeah is to not just to have a place for things but easily get to them so for five small drawers is really hmm so it's you know for a single person if you really like it I do I love it actually yeah I love it you know to gum crawled out from the bathroom from the bed to go to the bathroom it's not a favorite thing but it's okay yeah yeah and one of the things you mentioned was that these the Sprinter class-b was so low to the ground you couldn't go all the places you want to go and now with it with a Dodge 3/4 ton truck you got clearance galore yeah you go wherever you want to go I have so far yeah it's not formal drive it is oh it is four-wheel drive I guess that yet right but it is so yeah even if you go ran into some problems well you could get yourself right out just throw the toys down yeah putting gear well it's a wonderful home nice more I was a song is just more storage over here wardrobe mm-hmm and then I have up here another little plastic bin with drawers and some clothes along there and overhead over red cabinets oh really yes uh-huh no and then there's your emergency exit right very nice very nice there's something about going upstairs I feel safe up there and my bed as opposed to being down here and bulking your head I mean it's there for I knew it all the time I'm just my just part of the life yeah yes I do it let's freak what then I used to but if I still bang it yeah yeah oh well changing the bed is a challenge yes laundry day can be could be a chore so so how do you do laundry you just go to a laundromat I do but like when I pulled up here and I have a couple little trees next to me I may do some hand laundry uh-huh bring out my line hang it up mm-hmm otherwise yeah then I'll also go to a laundromat but I don't go through clothing as quickly as I did initially right right die but most of us finally wear the same clothes more often yeah we really wash them too much right now for their good yeah yeah well Joe thank you so so much for sharing your life with us the audience and I think you have really got a wonderful thank you wonderful why you it's a it's really sweet I think my home is on my back and that's cool know where you go whenever you want nope no moving or packing or just hope you go I keep trying to make my arrival at a place and a departure fewer and fewer tasks right with bringing my mat my chair anything I just try to make it easier right so it's easier to travel as you want just make it happen you don't feel like a burden to pack up and go that's right it's getting less and less like that like exactly what you mean yeah I wanted to mention trip pulling a towing something and I have a trailer in the winter right with camp in and it's a huge burden moving camp is a huge burden and I'm really getting tired of it I love the comfort it gives me but it's a burden yeah really is when I see people with hit the hitches and they have problems with his hitches and right and I don't have a hitch right right well thank you so much and we'll talk to you later okay okay maybe you'll join us over here yes me [Music] [Music]

Channel: CheapRVliving

Views: 1,978,299

Rating: 4.8318148 out of 5

Keywords: live, living, fearless, RV, car, van, adventure, single, woman, RVer, full-time, full, time, Lance, Truck, Dodge, Cummins, camper, Sprinter, boondock, camping, retired, vandweller, tiny, home

Id: 93LxXFnEFZY

Length: 27min 39sec (1659 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 26 2016