We have been out of touch for several days. No internet in the western half of Texas. Now we are in Deming, New Mexico at an Escapee’s Park.
We have done several nifty things like walking over from Larado Texas to Nuevo Larado Mexico for a two hour visit. This was our second visit to Old Mexico. The first time was a 15 minute bike ride across the border from Arizona at Naco Mexico. We were not very impressed on the first visit. Our second visit did nothing to improve our opinion of Mexican border towns. The walk over was easy and took five minutes. The border guards motioned us right through. The return trip was another matter. We stood in line for 45 minutes. There was no hastle, we had our passports. It was just that there were thousands of people walking across the same bridge all at the same time.
The most impressive visit we made was to Seminole Canyon State Park near Del Rio Texas. This is part of the Big Bend Country. The feature of this park is the cave paintings by aboriginal peoples as far back as 4,000 years ago. You must walk down in this narrow canyon, guided by a tour guide. The caves are high on the canyon wall, and the paintings are all along the back of the caves. The sad thing is the paintings have weathered poorly during the last 100 years. As the surface of the rock spalls off, the paintings are lost forever. The setting was serene and we felt like we could connect back through the years to those people, hunter-gatherers, as they eked out a living in this harsh environment.
Photos are below.
This is the end of our first calendar year of Full Timing. I thought I would include a few statistics from the year. It’s the Engineer factor, you understand.
Distance driven in 2005 – 18,738 miles.
Fuel purchased in 2005 – 2,253.715 gallons.
Average cost of fuel in 2005 – $2.72 per gallon.
Average economy in 2005 – 8.31 MPG
Average cost for camping – $12.63 per night
Number of times we moved – 170 times.
Average distance each time – 108 miles
Number of times I filled the water tank – 88 times
Amount of water into water tank – 2,706 gallons
Distance we bicycled in 2005 – 1,318 miles
Don’t you feel sorry for Judy, being married to an Engineer.
General interest information for those of you contemplating Full Timing. Our grocery bill is very similar to our costs before we retired $5,700 vs $5,200. Heating expense is lower, $395 vs $1,567; this is for gas and electric. Insurance is higher $14,400 vs $4,300. The RV insurance is three times Home Owners, but medical insurance is out of sight. The medical, however, would be the same on the road or sitting in Scappoose. Total transportation costs are higher, $9,000 compared to 2,000. That includes all licencing, fuel and service. Note that two tires for the Honda cost $117: Two new tires for Arcturus cost $918. In all fairness those tires should last five years. Our tax burden is only a third of previous figures, and again that would be the same on the road or sitting in Scappoose.
All in all, you can Full Time in an RV without breaking the budget. The RV cost and upkeep is similar to a home. You don’t have to drive 20,000 miles a year. Many people travel to and from their winter camp and simply stay put. We are just not there yet.
We are off to a New Years party here at the Escapee’s park. We wish everyone a Happy New Year.
Love to all, Gary and Judy
