We are Wally and Jill. We retired in 2022 and are now traveling full time in our 2022 Arctic Fox 990 truck camper seeing everything we can. Bueller, our bestest boy dog ever, sadly left us in February 2023 but we remain FoxPartyOf3 because he will always be a part of us. We initially started this channel for our family and friends but we have rarely met strangers, so if you’d like to join us, feel free! We are just out here trying to live our best lives! Please let us know if you have any recommendations for your favorite places and things in your state! #truckcamper #truckcamperlife #truckcamperliving #fulltimetravel #uscoastguardretired
Just found your channel and are really enjoying it. Have you ever weighed your fully loaded truck and camper at a CAT scale? If so, would you be open to sharing the results?
Yes, we have weighed it a few times. The last time, it was 14,300, so we need to make some adjustments! So glad you found us! Thanks for watching and for your comment!!
Sorry had to laugh when he said about the leveling, so much a man thing pushing out his chest,,,ROAR lolol, and I do like Spam but unfortunately too much Sodium in it for me,
Welcome to the Rio Grande Valley! ❤ Your video popped up on my feed randomly and when I saw Mission, TX, I was eager to watch. There are many Winter Texans who have made the RGV their permanent home. It gets very hot in the summers, but South Padre Island is a short drive east for some relief from the heat.
No, ma’am. There are not “tons” of crossings anywhere in this area. We speak with border control agents and they report little activity. As we stated in the video, the area is very safe.
Wally, I followed your lead an purchased those snap pads for my 2018 AF1140 but they seem loose! Can you move yours around easily? I ordered the size you posted but I'm not sure if they are the right size for me, they just seem tone moved easily!!
@@FoxPartyOf3 I bought some from trailer but they seem to big so I checked the SnapPad web sight and they said to go with the 5.5inch!! Even though the round jack foot is 5.75inch, they said 5.5inch fits perfect on Reico-titan!! So I'll see if I can get those from e-trailer (same price as SP) Thanks for the reply
@@FoxPartyOf3 No problem, I should have gone to the source "SnapPad" web sight first, you have a newer TC, ours is a 2018 AF1140 so there may be some slight differences in the feet. I'll let ya know how it all works out. Be safe and have fun!
Yall look really happy about your home in Retama. We’re thinking king about doing the same thing! We’re not retired yet hopefully in a year or two . Seems hard to leave the family however! How do you feel about that part?
Congratulations on your up coming retirement! Don’t fear it! Honestly, as far as the family is concerned, we have seen family (and friends) way more than we ever did living in our house. Remember, we are retired military and did not live in one town our whole lives. Family and friends are spread all over the country and we are having a blast seeing them along the way!
I saw you guys on the road! Your youtube channel name is on the back of your camper. Looks like you're having fun adventures (except for the broken piece here...)!
Yay!! So glad you spotted us and took the time to come here to let us know! We love hearing about these encounters! Did you see us today? We were on our way to Hershey Park!
Excellent. Question. Do you remove your tag from the truck and place it in the camper ?,or you have two tags ? I have a camper too ,I transfer my tag all the time,but when I forget,it mean trouble.is possible to have two tags with same info? .Tk
That is an excellent question! The state of Texas issues 2 tags but requires them to be on the front and rear of the vehicle. So we do put them on the camper because it would not be visible if it stayed on the rear bumper of the truck. We use twist ties to put it on the camper and we will remove it and place it on the rear bumper of the truck whenever we drop the camper. Hope that helps! And thanks for your questions and taking the time to comment!
Beautiful small home! It’s small but the way the living room/kitchen is structured and decorated makes it seem bigger. And a nice bonus: the smaller the easier to clean ;).. and with a community pool? 😩 (im jealous) oh you guys are so lucky… enjoy it!
Thank you so much! We love our little house and look forward to returning to it someday! We feel like it is the perfect size for us and I had a lot of fun buying things for it. Really appreciate your kind words!
It is the RV Casita model. I am attaching a link which should show you all models available in Retama Village. They are starting a new phase of the development. www.esperanzahomes.com/new-homes/tx/mission/retama-village-55-at-bentsen-palm/4105/
That is most unfortunate. Thanks for the heads up. We are 8 months and 1500 miles in and so far, so good. We actually love it and love the way it has enhanced our lifestyle as full timers in the truck camper.
I truly love the concept of owning a little casita. I also am retired military and just finishing my second job and looking to retire in the RGV. Who is a point of contact at Retama to get info on lots.
Doggone it! Oh well. That’s a great temporary fix. Of the four RV’s we’ve owned, our 2021 Lance camper is the only one without an awning. My guess is supply chain issues following the pandemic was the reason. We rarely ever used them anyway so our camper not having one wasn’t a deal breaker. It’s good to see y’all back on the road. We’re hoping to be back out there soon. Safe travels!
Thank you so much! Your FB question has inspired us to do another video about storage and living in the camper so stayed tuned! Feel free to friend me on FB and reach out anytime. We are happy to help! Looking forward to the possibility of crossing paths!
I cook rice in the microwave, and it is fluffy (I use jasmine rice). 1 cup of rice along with 1-3/4 cups of water or low sodium chicken broth (you can add butter at the start or the end). Microwave on high for 5 minutes (I usually stir it at this point), reduce setting to 50% power & microwave for 10 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Works great & clean up is easy. Use a two quart glass bowl with a lid.
I don’t think it’s spicy at all (and we are wimps when it comes to spicy food!) It’s actually sweet. I’m sure you could make it spicy but we will pass on that!
Did you rinse your rice before you cooked it? For fluffy individual grains of rice try this: Rinse it three or four times, until the water is almost clear, that removes some of the starch which is what makes your rice sticky. Don't add extra water. Cook the rice per the package instructions (it varies depending on the type of rice) - minus 5 minutes. Turn off the stove, quickly lift the lid and give it a quick stir to make sure none of it has stuck to the bottom of the pan, return the lid and let it steam through the rest of the way. The pan will have enough residual heat for that to happen. Don't add butter or oil, that is going to make it heavier. I hope that helps!
No, I haven’t rinsed it, so I will have to give that a try. I’ve never had these issues cooking rice when I was in a house. Just a propane stovetop learning curve! Thanks so much for your comment and all of your helpful tips!👍
@@FoxPartyOf3 , you are welcome. I cook on a gas stove at home and prefer that to my previous electric cooktop. I feel like it's easier to control the heat with gas. However, if you don't have a "small" burner that you can turn down really low, it can be tricky to not burn delicate stuff like rice. I hope it works out.😁
Wally & Jill I follow you folks all the time and this is another good tip for campers I have the exact same camper setup as you, (2023 Arctic Fox 990 & 1999 F350 Dually) and just ordered a set for my rig , another great tip you’ve given me, Thank you , Dave
Good Video for quick meal. My wife loves your shirt Jill, where did ya get it? In the vid ya said it was November?? A little behind are we....lol Be safe out there and have fun! P.S. It's tin foil......everybody my age (old as dirt) calls it that!!
Of course, it tin foil!!😂 Oh gosh! I stay behind!! Thanks for putting up with me! Here is a link to the T-shirt. Take care!! Funny Living My Okayest Life... www.amazon.com/dp/B07NMMRY5Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Mom was from Missouri and we grew up calling tin foil. But in California it’s aluminium foil and we just call it foil for short. Super cool video. Thanks for sharing. Mike
Thanks for the comment! I always find local colloquialism so interesting. Jill grew up in VA but has not lived there in over 34 years but she can’t seem to break the use of “tin foil”.
I think we called it both aluminum as well as tin foil. The latter when we weren’t trying to impress the neighbors. 🤣😂 It’s good to see y’all back in the camper.
Im 69, not sure i have the strength or stamina to do all the things daily to maintain a truckcamper fulltime ....class b van maybe easier for me, but this rig looks so much more comfy
Hi Jack! Thanks for your comment! This is a concern we have as we get older, but so far we seem to be managing fine. I’m not sure what daily things you are concerned about because we find it very easy to drive and set up. I am concerned about getting in and out of the rig and climbing into the bed as we get older so we are considering a Super C but that kind of change would be years down the road. Right now we are happy and comfortable! Thanks again and take care!
We didn’t!! We made arrangements to meet a family member in ID before we crossed the border to hand off some things we did not want to take across the border. No one should attempt to cross the border with a weapon. Canada has their laws which must be respected just as we would expect foreigners to respect our laws when they come to our country.
We currently have some personal items in the house, so at this point we are only letting family us it. We could rent out the rv pad and back porch. I’ll double check with Wally about the going rate.
It's a perfect size home and I love the colors also. When we move to our retirement house that is about exactly the size home we would like too as it will be easy to keep clean but plenty of room. Question: Does the home have gutters and downspouts ? Not sure how much rain you get in West Texas but didn't know if they were built in.
Thanks so much! That’s a great question! The house did not come with gutters and down spouts. We will put them on at some point. I did see several homes with rain chains coming off the roof instead of having a downspout.
After a couple of winter trips to the north in my lifetime, I totally get wanting to spend winters in the south. But as a native Texan, I'm curious why you chose a location so close to the border? There are increasing incidences of illegals squatting on properties that are only used seasonally. I would just caution you to be aware of that uptick. A beautiful property tho.
This community is a mix of seasonal and full-time homes. There is always someone watching out. Also, it is gated. Border Patrol are on the roads, on horseback and in the air constantly. All of us have the number for Border Patrol on speed-dial and they are very responsive.
Thanks so much for your input. We were aware of Border Patrol and feel completely safe there. We also feel comfortable about leaving the property for our travels.
It's good to see that there is still some affordable housing available for retirees who don't have a lot of cash saved for their retirement. My mom bought a 1,400 sq ft house in Arizona for $450k and she's complaining that it's too small. 🤣
Looks like a no-brainer very nice choice. Good stopping off area when you’re not on the road. Good job folks and have a wonderful time there. Catch you later bye now.
Ours was around $184,000 but there were some upgrades. The HOA appears to $130 per month and includes personal lawn care and mowing. We paid $160 per month to our landscaper in our previous home AND $100 per month for HOA dues. Plus the taxes on that house were over $1000 per month. It was a great house but all of that was insane. I love this little casita and all of the freedom it provides us!
What a cool home. Especially to have a home base when you’re on the road full time. And RV hookups to boot. That washer/dryer all in one was awesome! We’ve never seen one of those. Our crazy volatile weather we’ve been having in northern Texas has kept us home and away from our truck camper for awhile. We had a terrible tornado 8 miles south of us in Valley View, Texas over the weekend that claimed 7 lives. It was so sad. Hopefully, the El Niño pattern we’ve been in will be changing to La Niña as predicted in June bringing much drier and cooler weather over the summer. Love the new home and happy for you both. May God bless and keep y’all safe on the road!
Thank you so much, Doug!! We heard about the tornadoes and are so saddened by the loss of lives and property. It is devastating. We hope you will be able to get out on the road soon!! Take care!!
We are also truck camper folks with a AF1140 on a Ram 5500 4x4 Larime w/flatbed, not full time yet but very close. What was the price of the unit, what is the HOA, what are the propertyTaxes? How are the utilities prices? We want to downsize from 4/3 on 13 acres to the truck camper plus a small place. We love the look of your unit, the 55 plus community, location away from storms, been through many Hurricanes and now it is tornadoes....lol It looks like ya'll did good!!
I would highly encourage you to explore the RGV. There are many options for home bases in this area other than Retama Village. Our purchase price was $184,000. Our HOA dues are $130 per month. The taxes are yet to be properly accessed since we are submitting documents for Homestead and DV exemptions. I looked up the assessment on the same type of house and its taxes were $1560 per year. The last place we lived near Galveston was over $1000 per month, so this is a bargain compared to that!! Have not received any utility bills yet but would expect them to be minimal, especially considering we are not there. Go check it out!!
It includes personal lawn care including weekly mowing and seasonal mulching. Of course, the regular stuff like common area landscaping, pool/hot tub maintenance, clubhouse, craft room, woodworking area, shooting range, public laundry room, public bathrooms in common areas, dog park, pickleball courts, trails, etc. I think I can safely say they would not allow you to build a covered area for your rv, but there are several styles of homes that feature a built in portico for covered rv parking. It is a really nice cohesive look. Try doing a search on Zillow for Mission TX then filter with the word Retama. You should see a few homes that would show you what I’m talking about.
Thank you so much!! We made it so nice, it was kinda hard to leave it, but now that we are on the road again, it’s just nice to think it’s there waiting for us to come back!
