RV LIVE - The Fulltime RV Adventures of Bob & Lissi Little

It sits on 5 wooded acres and is secluded.  Near the San Jacinto river, it is less than 10 miles from Cleveland, Texas, a city of 8,000 residents.  There we can do our banking and shopping, find restaurants and even a movie theatre, “The Texan”.  In many ways it is comparable to our former home town of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.  The weather, though is decidedly different!  In the winter, a really hard freeze is 28 degrees Fahrenheit.  Most low temperatures are above freezing, even in January, and the motorhome will not have to be winterized when we are there.  Our plans  are to winter here and travel north during the warmer months.

The real attraction is the fact that it is rural and private, but within an hour and a half of our son Lance, his wife Teri and our grandchildren Robert and Lauren.  We can also scoot back and forth on special occasions – we are going to visit next weekend for Teri’s graduation from the community college.

The home was very inexpensive, but needs a lot of restoration and remodeling.  We spent yesterday, in the comfort of a window air conditioner, cleaning up the great room and kitchen.  As soon as we can get the hookups installed, we will take the motorhome there and park it next to the cabin.  Right now, we are staying at the Escapees national headquarters campground known as Rainbow’s End, near Livingston, Texas.

Parting shots!….  $1.88 for unleaded and $2.08 for diesel.

I don’t believe we will see these prices again.  Mark my words!

Copyright 2009.  Robert O. Little.  All Rights Reserved.

The weather outside is nowhere near frightful!  We have been running the AC daily as the high temperatures are in the mid 80's.  The motorhome is in the shop for routine maintenance and we are staying at my father's house.  I thought you might enjoy this picture of large cactus under the palms.  The neighbor-owner decorates the cactus with extra large Christmas  Tree ornaments each year. 

It has been a season of contrasts.  The joy of seeing our family has been countered by the sadness of seeing my father hospitalized with a debilitating illness.  The Christmas cards did not go out this year as we were completely distracted by the events of life.

Lissi and I hope you enjoyed a very Merry Christmas and wish you the very best of health and prosperity (I'll emphasize health) for 2009.

From Bradenton, Florida.

Bob & Lissi Little, and Millie too!

"When you can change your environment with the twist of a key, there is absolutely not a reason to ever be stressed again," - Michael Dautel

As we finish out our first year "on the road", I can take a few minutes to ruminate on the very conscious decision to become "fulltimers".  What started me thinking was an article, which appeared in the St. Petersburg Times newspaper, you can read it by clicking on the following:

"Full-time RVers view the entire country as their home"

The story features the Gypsy life of Michael Dautel, a former fiber optics executive who lived in an expensive Atlanta suburban neighborhood.  He tired of his life style in airplanes and hotels as he traveled for his job.  Nine years ago he quit his job, sold his house, bought a trailer and hit the road.  He is still enjoying the fruits of that decision.  He says, "The funniest thing was, I didn't miss a bit of it."

As I write this post, we am watching, on television, the continued meltdown of the U.S. financial markets as we once again test the lows set in early October.  No one knows whether the lows will hold or will become a historic reference point only.  At one time, we thought that selling our house, which we considered (perhaps incorrectly), an appreciating asset might be a mistake as we moved into our motorhome, which is (correctly), a depreciating asset.  Little did we know that many people would see their homes, their 401K's, and their IRA's as depreciating assets too.  Not only do we feel fortunate to avoid sinking real estate values, we have also abandoned all forms of school and property taxes associated with home ownership.  Another prevalent fear is loss of job and income.  As retired persons, that particular fear holds absolutely no threat for us.

I am surprised to read that there are an estimated 1 million persons who live full time in their RV, whether trailer or motorhome.  That number may, in fact grow in the coming years as Boomers punch out for retirement.  We are happy to be among them right now.

Copyright 2008.  Robert O. Little.  All Rights Reserved.

For days on end, relentless heavy rain turned the roads to bottomless muck.  The artillery and heavy wagons sliced deep ruts in the road.  Wet, cold and covered with mud, 44,000 men of General Albert Johnston's Army of the Mississippi were finally ready for battle, four miles south west of Pittsburgh Landing.  On Sunday, April 6, 1862, the black sky of night  was reluctantly yielding to the gray of dawn.  The Confederates stormed out of the woods and assailed the Federal camps around Shiloh Church.  General Ulysses S. Grant and his complement of 44,000 troops were surprised by the onslaught.  Slowly, throughout the morning, Confederate brigades gained ground.  Grant's troops were forced to give way in a series of defensive stands, ending in an impenetrable oak thicket across from a "sunken road".  That final stand earned a nickname, "The Hornets Nest".   

That afternoon, a bullet whizzed through the air and sliced through General Johnston's right leg while he was horseback.  He bled to death under a nearby tree before medical aid could arrive.  The fighting ended at nightfall.

Overnight Union reinforcements arrived.  In the pre-dawn murk,  Gen. Grant's 54,500 men struck back at the Confederate positions.  General P.G.T. Beauregard, who took charge of the Confederate Army, skillfully withdrew and returned to Corinth.  The battered Federal force did not vigorously pursuit the retreating Confederates. 

The Battle of Shiloh was over.  in two days of fighting it had cost both sides a combined total of 23, 746 men killed, wounded, or missing.  This was more than America had ever suffered in previous wars.  Union soldiers dug several trenches to bury the Confederates killed in the fighting.  Union dead were buried in what has become the U.S. National Cemetery.

Copyright 2008.  Robert O. Little.  All Rights Reserved.

Centuries ago, it is said that bison wore the trail that became the Natchez Trace.  Later came the Native Americans and nomadic tribes who trod the Trace (meaning "road"), eroding it further down into the ground.  In the 1790's, Andrew Jackson courted Rachel  Donelson.  She was in her late teens and in the midst of a nasty divorce from her first husband, the flashy and wealthy Captain Robards.  There are still rumors and gossip about the legal status of her marriage to the up and coming Andrew Jackson, but no one doubts the validity and the passion of their love story.  The Jacksons later settled into Nashville and built a mansion, The Hermitage, (complete with a guitar shaped driveway) on a large plantation there.

The Natchez Trace was heavily traveled by the "Kaintucks", boat men who disposed of their river barge-boat and freight at the end of the Mississippi River.  They then walking or riding a mule or horse northward on the old Trace, they traveled north to Fort Nashborough (now Nashville).  In 1938, the Daughters of the American Revolution had a vision to preserve the historic Trace and its deep history of the old south.  Today the Natchez Trace National Parkway runs unbroken for 444 miles through deciduous forest, tobacco country, cotton fields and swamps.  We began our drive south from Nashville and stopped to see many of the historic sites along the route.  The modern parkway is a beautifully maintained and manicured two-lane road that is open to non-commercial traffic only.  The 55 mph speed limit is pleasant for viewing, yet speedy enough for efficient travel. There are many historic pull-offs and markers along the way, but no commercial services are available.  If you need lodging, food or fuel, you will leave the Parkway and visit the nearby local establishments.

Here is a photograph of the Pharr Mounds, the largest most important archeological site in northern Mississippi.  There are eight large, dome-shaped burial mounds scattered over an area of 90 acres.  According to markers at the site, the mounds were built and used until about 200 A.D. by a tribe of nomadic Indian hunters and gatherers who returned to the site at times to bury their dead, along with their possessions.  

The Natchez Trace National Parkway is RV friendly, too!  Most of the pull-offs are marked for RV parking, and the few that are NOT are clearly marked for "No Turn-Around".  We stopped at  one point on the southern portion to walk the "Old Trace" which parallels (and at some points crosses), the modern parkway.  We walked the historic, sunken, Old Trace for about a half mile to visit the graves of 13 unknown confederate soldiers who were buried there.  The sun was bright, the trail was silent, the feeling of history was deep and palpable. 

 Copyright 2008.  Robert O. Little.  All Rights Reserved.

The photo below, originally taken on March 31, 2008 in the Black Rock Campground of Joshua Tree National Park, has been selected as the Photo of the Week for Week-4 of the Discover America Through Postcards Photo Contest. 

Lissi's photo submission is in consideration for the Grand Prize announcement on January 1, 2009.  The original Blog post can be viewed at:

 http://littlervadventures.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!AFFB47745419708E!295.entry

We received the following email today!  Please visit the contest web page at:

http://www.postcardsfrom.com/contest/2008/finalist-4.html

"Hi Lissi-
Congratulations! Your photo of "Joshua Tree National Park" California was
chosen as the fourth finalist in our 2008 DISCOVER AMERICA THROUGH POSTCARDS
Photo Contest.

The photo was made into a postcard and is displayed on the contest website
at: http://www.postcardsfrom.com/contest/2008/finalist-4.html
As a finalist, you'll receive an autographed copy of the book, Discover
America Diaries, Volume 1, which will arrive in 2-3 weeks. Furthermore, your
photo will be considered among the other three finalists for the Grand Prize
of $100, to be announced on our website on January 1, 2009.

Thank You and Congratulations!
--Ken & Priscilla
The Postcard People (r)
Postcards from America (r)
http://www.postcardsfrom.com
"Discover America through Postcards" (r)"

Copyright 2008.  Robert O. Little.  All Rights Reserved.

"The best of friends,  inseparable, they were  blood brothers in their youth." 

Two boys, from vastly different backgrounds, became the closest of friends in tropical Miami.  John was a devout Catholic from New York, he went to parochial schools.  Robert, was from Fort Worth, Texas, and was raised a Methodist, he was a product of the public schools.  His family ties traced back to Northern Ireland.  These two lads had little intrinsic commonality, but they became the best of friends during their high school years.  Then graduation for Robert separated them.  First Robert joined the U.S. Army and was sent to S. Korea.  John enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a helicopter pilot and was sent to Viet Nam.  They then lost contact with each other for the next 43 years until a Google search brought them together once again.

We took our motorhome to Nashville, to spend a few days with John and Betty Horn at their beautiful, secluded log home in the Tennessee woods.  Their driveway is 400 feet long and offered a perfect campsite near the entrance.  John's wife, Betty is from Australia.  We had a great time enjoying Betty's gourmet cooking, playing cards and catching up on lost time.  I put together a list of things that John and I have in common.  It is surprising that two different life paths can exhibit this degree of commonality.  Here are the points: 

• Worked as side-rider in an ambulance
• Served their country in the U.S. Army
• Have never been treated for a broken bone
• Married foreign born women
• Held prominent positions in higher education
• Have been employed as professional mechanics
• Like to play cards
• Like good food and drink
• Worked in funeral homes
• Owned and operated private aircraft
• Owned and operated motorcycles
• Love cars and speed
• Were blood brothers in their youth
• Like to watch movies

Copyright 2008.  Robert O. Little.  All Rights Reserved.

Gaylord Maxwell is famous among RV'ers.  He founded the Life On Wheels program, now offered at multiple locations around the country.  He also wrote columns for Motorhome Magazine and others.  I just read his last article, "Shakedown Cruise", in Motorhome Magazine's October issue, which was published after his death on September 20, 2008.

He was a force, a prophet, and an evangelist.  Lissi and I attended the Life On Wheels conference in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 2005.  Without an RV of our own, we stayed at the local motel and were pleasantly surprised to be asked to join Gaylord and his wife, Margie for breakfast.  They spoke of their "fixed base" in Idaho and their love of travel by RV.

His philosophy was succinct.  Please PLEASE WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO and you will understand.  (Photo and video courtesy of RVtravel.com)

The following provided by RVtravel.com host Chuck Woodbury.  "

"He passed away at age 83. Maxwell was the beloved founder, director and guiding light of the Life On Wheels conferences, held annually at colleges in Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Maxwell and his wife Margie had recently moved out of their spacious home near Moscow, Idaho, where for years they had hosted popular parties for Life on Wheels instructors.

The former history teacher turned RV dealer started writing articles for TL Enterprises (Trailer Life, MotorHome, RV Business, Woodalls Campground Management) in 1972. His column in MotorHome magazine has been a feature for more than 25 years. The author of two books -- Fulltiming: An Introduction to Fulltime RVing and Home, Sweet Motorhome -- he and Margie had spent their winters in Yuma, Arizona. Among Gaylord's many honors in the RV industry was his induction into the RV Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame in 1997."

Copyright 2008.  Robert O. Little.  All Rights Reserved.

Photos courtesy of National Park Service

We stayed at a very nice RV park in Cave City, Kentucky.  The Cave Country Campground, a Good Sam park, is located just a few blocks from I-65.  It has 51 sites that are perfectly level, long and wide enough for big rigs, and every site has a full 50 amp hookup.  The owner/managers are extremely friendly and helpful.  They even pick up your trash from your campsite.  A fenced-in pet exercise area got "two paws up"  by Millie, our traveling mutt.

We signed up for one of the many tours of Mammoth Cave offered by the National Park Service.  They preserve the cave system and a part of the Green River valley and hilly country of south central Kentucky. This is the world's longest cave system, with more than 365 miles explored. According to NPS materials "Early guide Stephen Bishop called the cave a "grand, gloomy and peculiar place," but its vast chambers and complex labyrinths have earned its name: Mammoth."

I called the reservation center and scheduled the two of us for the Frozen Niagara Tour, with a 50% discount for Golden Age holders ($5).  We parked at the visitor center and departed by bus.  Our journey took us over the top of the cave to the Frozen Niagara Entrance. This entrance, created in 1924, makes it possible to see this, the only decorative area of the cave. Lissi, a claustrophobic, took one look at the man-made entrance and said "no way!".

I walked through a fairyland of formations, and a few tight squeezes, crouching to learn how travertine is formed. The ranger showed us the concentration of cave crickets that live close to the entrance.  We descended steps under the Frozen Niagara formation to visit the Drapery Room. The Park Ranger turned out the cave lights so that we could experience total and absolute darkness.  After speaking for few minutes, she posed a hypothetical question.  What it the lights didn't come on?  What would we do? Everyone thought and quickly abandoned hope.  But then she asked everyone to bring out their digital cameras, cell phones and PDA's and turn them on.  The area was lit like daylight!  Modern technology! 

This trip is the least strenuous and good for people who want a short introduction to Mammoth Cave. 

Landmarks Seen: Frozen Niagara Entrance, Rainbow Dome, Crystal Lake, Frozen Niagara flowstone formation; Drapery Room

Copyright 2008.  Robert O. Little.  All igRhts Reserved.

Inside this Memorial Building on a farm near Hodgenville, Kentucky, is a small log cabin (16' by 20').  The former owner of the cabin donated it to the Federal government and claimed that it was the original birthplace of President Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States of America.  Young Abe grew up here, fetching water from the Sinking Spring, until the age of 7 when the family moved to nearby Elizabethtown, Kentucky and abandoned the marginally productive farm.   His father Thomas, was an uneducated but skilled carpenter of Scottish-Irish descent.   On the stormy morning of Sunday, February 12, 1809, Nancy Hanks Lincoln gave birth gave birth to a boy. He was born on a bed of poles covered with corn husks. Peggy Walters, a neighbor who was only 20 years old, assisted with the birth and said "Nancy had about as hard a time as most women, I reckon, easier than some and maybe harder than a few. It came along kind of slow, but everything was regular and all right. The baby was born just about sunup on Sunday morning."  The boy was named Abraham after his paternal grandfather who had been killed by a Native American in 1786.  From these humble beginnings, Abe rose to lead this great nation through a most perilous time.

Copyright 2008.  Robert O. Little.  All Rights Reserved.