As you probably already know, we are full-time RVrs. In other words, our home is a motorhome that we have affectionately named “The Dip”. It is our home now; we sold our house in Gresham, OR in early 2013. The Dip is home, but we also rent a room in Montesano, WA at Karen’s brother’s house, providing us with an official (for tax purposes) domicile. Mail goes to a post office box in Reno, NV where Karen’s niece collects it and sends it on its way – when we slow down long enough for it to catch up! So that gives you a little bit of background…

We live in a 400 square foot space that is divided into three living areas: living/kitchen, bathroom/laundry, and bedroom. We also have a basement that consists of storage compartments beneath the living spaces. We’ve done some remodeling here and there to make The Dip more comfortable and efficient for our needs.

A motorhome is a complex piece of machinery. You have a chassis system and a coach (house) system. Both have their own structural, electrical, and plumbing systems, and all of it has to withstand the rigors of travel on our decaying highways. Riley’s new hobby is RV maintenance, and lots of it…

The Dip has been on the road for 1-1/2 years and during that time she/we have visited 25 states. Our goal is to tour the remaining states and Canadian provinces. Too bad there are no RV parks in Hawaii!!

All of this brings us to a little separation anxiety… The Dip has her batteries turned off, slides pulled in, water system sanitized, and is parked on Dianne and Paul’s farm in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. We’re leaving her there for the next two months while we travel and visit friends in Europe.

It was hard to drive away from our home.