Unveiling the Truth of RV Life vs. Traditional Living with a Hike in Great Basin! 

RVed for 45 years on average about 7 months a year mostly before RU-vid and Starlink. Hung the keys up five years ago. We have stayed in that exact same spot you are camped at in this video many many times over the years. We loved Nevada. When on the road for 7 months, we'd boondock about 4 months and then stayed in RV parks for a month at a time near or in towns or cities. Getting a monthly rate was very affordable. In 45 years, we never made a reservation and never stayed in an RV park for one day. Always kept a home because we knew that over the long run, real estate goes up in value and RV's go done in value. We always had a nice home to come home to. During the last 25 years we'd leave Oregon about Oct 1st and then come home around late May or June.. We lived wherever the temps were averaging 60-75 F. My daily attire was sandals, shorts and a T-shirt. The last 25 years, we always had a class A motorhome pulling a 4 X 4 Toyota pickup with an ATV in the truck bed. We explored everywhere by ATV. We did all of Arizona, Utah, Nevada and parts of California. We had solar panels 40 years ago. What a wonderful life! Your video brings back such wonderful memories! I married my wife 53 years ago because she was my best friend. She is always up for an adventure. Unfortunately, she is a rockhound and we ended up just like the segment on the old 'I Love Lucy' show where Lucy talks Desi into buying a trailer to go camping. All along the way, Lucy is picking up so many rocks that the trailer is dragging on the ground. It was very funny. Now my wife has rooms of rocks. THANKS!

So glad you are back! Your videos are not just informative, they are beautifully put together!

The part about RV breakdowns stirred up memories. A few years back my 34 ft bus conversion refused to start. The larger size tow-truck needed to move a rig my size had trouble getting to my location. Getting out was even more of an adventure. He had the back of my rig in the air. I was in the driver's seat, acting like the guy steering the back end of a long fire truck through city streets. Only I was facing backwards, using the side mirrors to see where I was going, with no power steering assist. It was the only way to navigate the tight mountain turns, get out of the wooded area I had gone into. Seemed to take forever to crawl back to a main road, where we could lock the steering and tow the normal way. Learned my lesson that day, now always look at possible towing access issues when choosing my campsites. The other issue I've run into is with service work. Can be hundreds of miles from the repair shop before a mistake, or worse on purpose ripoff of out-of-towner, becomes known. So one normally can't just run back to have an issue quickly corrected, as my example above shows. Yes the no start issue that required the tow was traced to work poorly done last time it was serviced, at a shop by then two states away. So I now carry tools, do my own service work to insure it's done right. The biggest pain I've found with living in an RV. While it's in a shop for work/repair, everyone there has access to every inch of your home. Except you, most shops won't let you live in your home while it's at their shop. Something to remember if privacy is of major importance to you.

I have enjoyed your channel since 2019 and glad you're back. Look forward to seeing more of the country through your eyes.

Wow. How did these episodes get better after taking 1.5 years off? Glad to have you back. Reminds me of a quick stop I made in Great Basin on my way thru on Highway 50, "The Loneliest Highway in America."

The Great Basin used to be an extension of the Gulf of Mexico. Now referred to as the Western Interior Seaway between the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic Ocean. Some parts of the Great Basin have a lot of snakes. And a lot of them are rattlers. Keep your dog on a leash and keet them from wandering into wood poles, near rock overhangs etc.

When you were talking about wanting to be with friends and family and the limitations there are when full time RVing I remembered a phrase my grandmother told me when I was a little ten year old, missing my parents back in Ohio, while visiting her in Kansas. She gave me a big hug and said, "Home is where the heart is." She told me, no matter how far away we might be from loved ones and friends, they are always with us in our hearts and in our minds. So no matter were we go, how near or how far, we are always home. Here is a poem I found where that little phrase originated way back in 1829. No doubt the author must have been away from home, but the love he felt for family and friends made him feel as if they were right there with him. From The Fayetteville Weekly Observer: Tis home where e'er the heart is, Where e'er its loved ones dwell, In cities, or in cottages, Throng'd haunts or mossy dell, The heart's a rover ever, And thus on wave and wild, The maiden with her lover walks, The mother with her child. To my fellow "Fort Wayneian," It's great to see you back again.

Love it. Thanks for taking me with you on this trail to the beautiful lakes .

Glad to see you back! And back to the basics. Keep your head high and your mental health first and foremost. You are an inspiration and help a lot of people an many ways. Thank you!

Thank you Dave for the wonderful words of Nevada. We do love living here. Home is where you park it.

Nice to see you guys back

Good to see you again!

Glad your back

Good to see you back👍

Good to see you back 😊

I’m happy you’re back. Keep the adventures coming. 👍

Loved the information in this video!

Great video as always.

Happy to see you both back 😢

Another beautiful video and nice chat. Thank you, David.

Loved the video - I would love to see Roe and the kitties on the next video. Just want to make sure you are both doing good. Or if Roe no longer wants to make videos - that's okay too, but an explanation would be nice, imo. Really enjoyed your story telling video. Love seeing all the beautiful nature.

Thanks David for the info about the Great Basin really enjoyed it.

So glad to see you all back 😊have fun as usual enjoy yourselves be safe

Good to have you back making content, I enjoy your videos.

Great vid! Thank you! Loving the new Vibe!!!

Great to have you home! We have missed you.

As a 4th generation Nevadan, it’s nice of you to showcase beautiful parts of Nevada. People always think LV is the best representation of Nevada. Elko county, Ruby Marshes stunning, outside of Carson City, Genoa and that area is beyond beautiful. Well done!! Glad your back.

Beautiful hike.

Ims so happy to see your both ok and back making the world better place to live

Great to see you are back David. Your channel is a perfect example of how RV life should be depicted.

So glad your back doing videos! Sean from the UK

So nice to have you back. I know exactly what you mean in all the things you said here. As a full timer myself.

Great video! Thanks for sharing! Thanks for sharing Sweetie too!

Glad to see y'all back. You are so right about all the points you made. We are at almost 3 years full time and would not trade it for anything. Great basin is awesome. Hope to hookup on the road some day.

Great videography, great background music. You are a natural in front of a camera.. You put it all together beautifully. Keep it up.

Thank you for explaining some of the historical facts and about the topography of the area. That was interesting. Also, very good videography, David!

Quietly awaited your return to RU-vid. So glad you're back and it truly does look like your videos have gotten better! Awesome videography! Looking forward to the next one 😄

You’re home in your soul. Great video, always enjoy seeing Sweetie, too. I’ve had a couple of Rottweilers at different times in my life and love the breed. Thanks so much for all the hard work you put into your videos. Travel on!

Thanks!

Glad you're back. You'd fallen off my radar but now you are back in focus. Best wishes and Happy Trails. ~ Steven, Utah

Great video, David! Great comparison of the two lifestyles. Thanks for the Sweetie fix at the end. We all need more Sweetie.

Thank you for the beautiful scenery and how it was all created. Very informative, and I appreciate that. Looks like one of those turkeys had an attitude towards the deers. Lol. Thank you for your time.

What an amazing place! It was really interesting to hear how it formed!

Great Basin looks beautiful. It is now on my bucket list.

Thanks for the great videos, I love traveling so much and these remind me a lot of when I was on the road as a truck driver, I got to see so much, it was incredible. Introverts unite! 😆

This may be made with your old camera but it is still a stunning video. Save your money. You dont need to get your broken camera replaced.

So glad your are back and sharing videos with us! If you ever go to the Capital Reef National Park area and need a campground, comsider Sand Creek Campground. Harry and Leslie are awesome folks and you will enjoy it.

Awesome video and what a great dog. She certainly loves you!

Great video David. Beautiful scenery and animal sightings as you hike. So informative. You do a great job

great timing, i was just driving back to the house i leased for the year and feeling so homesick for the road. im realizing that I'm not built for trad life, i just feel so blah and boring.... but it's good bc I'm leaving about what i need in the long term. I'll be back on the road at some point and I'll value it more, even the tough times. Send my love to my favorite town, Ely, NV!!

Thanks for the video. Some of my best camping is in the Great Basin. Not the park, but the area of South Eastern Oregon and Northern Nevada.

Good vid David

Great content, as always. Have learned much from your channel and look forward to visiting this area soon! Best of luck to you both!

Great video, David. Interesting and full of information. You have exceptional presentation and storytelling skills.

Ward Mtn is also incredible!

Love your explanation of the Great Basin! As a Nevadan, I didn't even know this, but I especially appreciate that you pronounce Nevada correctly. Happy Travels!! 🙂

your money part is spot on. The problem most people that have been living the 9-5 could not be as minimal as you guys. basicaly for most people they couldn't do it. Then what about 30 years down the road. I say if it works do it till you can't thanks for the video.

Been watching u2 since day 1, keep up the good work David. 👍🏻🇺🇸

Great video! We've been FT for the last 4 1/2 years in a 1999 National Tropical Class A motorhome since we retired. Luckily, we haven't had any drivetrain problems or breakdowns to date, but if we ever do, we're protected with an Escapees roadside assistance program. For only $109/yr it offers unlimited towing to the nearest repair facility suitable for your needs. It doesn't matter if that repair shop is 500 miles away, the tow is free. They will also cover the cost of sending out mobile mechanics if that is more suitable. Of course, you must pay for the actual repair, parts, new tire, etc. just not the cost of dispatching the tech. Mounting a spare tire, winching you out of a ditch, fuel delivery, jump starts, lock-out service, etc. are all free. If you breakdown more than 200 miles from home, they will reimburse you up to $1,200 ($200 auto rental, $700 air transportation, $200 hotel/motel/campground, $100 meals) while your RV (or tow vehicle) is in the shop. They offer lots more coverage too. If you are FT in an older RV, I highly recommend it for peace of mind. One of the big advantages of FTing in a motorhome is having a toad, so if your home on wheels breaks down in the middle of nowhere, the family and pets can simply pile into the toad and you can drive to safety, if needed, while you wait for help to arrive. It's a potentially lifesaving back-up I wouldn't be without. Sure, living in a S&B is more convenient, but you pay through the nose for that convenience. We're able to live a FT mobile lifestyle for 1/3rd the cost of living in our old S&B. We sometimes miss those conveniences when boondocking (which we do most of the time.) When we do, we winter over at a little $170/mo FHU RV park in S. TX (Less if you stay year-round.) That's about 1/2 of what our property taxes alone used to cost. What we don't miss is paying $7k a year in property taxes, homeowner's and flood insurance. The insurance on both our MH and toad run right at $1,000 a year, and you need to ensure your car anyway, right? We don't miss yard maintenance, landscaping, home repairs and maintenance, a water and sewer bill, HOA fees, a land line phone bill, a cable TV bill, a sky high electric and gas bill (we have a nice solar/lithium battery system), etc. - not to mention our mortgage. What's more inconvenient is working all those extra hours every week to pay for those things. We're boondocking at Lake Mead, NV now, which gives us extra money to spend on the things we want (like the great buffets and entertainment in nearby Las Vegas) rather than on the things we think we must, like taxes, housing and utilities. Deciding to sell everything, buy a MH, pay off our debts and go FT was the best decision we ever made.

Great video, welcome back! Nice to see you again. Hey, we're just down the road from Sacramento Pass. I love the lesson on Nevada geology. Being former Californians, Nevada was our home away from home. Since full timing, we always enjoy visits to Nevada. Full timing is not without challenges. It is always a good practice to be prepared for whatever may arise. Again, welcome back and thanks. PS- Sweety is looking good too.

Dave, thank you for todays video. I’ll be retiring next spring and my husband and I will be taking trips to visit the USA. I loved watching your show before your time off of RV living. Though we won’t be living full time in our RV, we will take 1-2 month trips to see what we can see. Our first big trip is next spring for 7 weeks. I’m going to add Great Basin to our list. We live in the Bay Area of Northern California so it won’t take long gif us to get there. It’s a beautiful place from what I could see in your video. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on full time RV life and conventional life. Enjoy your stay. Looking forward to seeing Roe and your next destination.

Welcome back! Well done. Thank you for showing us Great Basin National Park. It’s gorgeous there.

Glad to see your back on youtube! I had unsubscribed awhile back because you appeared to have left youtube, but then remembered a video you had done on a softstart unit for your AC ( I was curious on how to install one for my RV). So, I resubscribed to recheck that out and found your back! Great video, will definitely need to check out that part of Nevada.

One of the national parks we haven’t hit yet. Looking forward to it now.

Hopefully we so Roe soon!

Sweetie!!!❤❤❤Bunnies!!! Now we need kittttiessss

Has always David enjoy your videos. We haven't been to Great basin yet but it looks amazing. Definitely going to have to figure out a way to get over there. Safe travels. May see you in Arizona?

Was thinking of you…we will be taking our birthday present rabbit on the road with us. Our 2 dogs are becoming more used to him so we’re going to give it a go.🐇🐶🐶

When is your wife going to be in your videos?

Im so glad your channel is back! Yours was one of the first YTs I ever watched, and I missed. But where is Ro? I enjoyed you as a couple and I miss that. I hope she comes back on the channel.

I'm so glad you're back! We'll miss seeing Roe (I wish we could squash those internet trolls!!!), but glad to at least get to see you, Sweetie, and the furry crew. I love your format of beautiful videography combined with sharing your insights about RVing.

I've been RVing for about 8 months of each year (freelancing for a few clients) for the last three years as I try to balance being part of the life of friends and family versus exploring and spending more time in nature. Appreciated your discussion of the pros and cons. I like being part of a community, but I like more being out in the world. It's nearly impossible to fall into ruts! I see things with fresh eyes because it's all new to me. There's frequent problem solving required. But you walk into grocery stores never knowing if you'll find your favorite cereal -- or in which aisle! Health insurance is cost prohibitive because I'm out-of-network most of the time. Just a few of my pros and cons to add to yours! P.s. Sweetie totally upstaged you there at the end! Loved it!

I just want to add, one of the hard parts of full-time is, getting things delivered. It is fine for small things because you can use a drop box or have it delivered to a campground, but if you need something expensive like a furnace...good luck.

Resubscribed, good to see you back. This is a nicely made episode, really reminds me of your earlier material. 😊😊😊

We love the full-time RV life and do not ever want to go back to the sticks and bricks life! ~ Shion and Matthew

Yeah, you're home for sure.

Very happy you guys are back!

hey, congrats for being back on the road! Would you create a video on how you deal with residence for license, taxes, etc.. if you've done one already a link would be fine? thanks, excited for you guys

Fabulous video. As always.......I love the comparisons you share as you hike such a beautiful area. What scares the heck out of me......I am from KY. It is cheap to live in KY. It seems so expensive to travel to different parts of the country. You are used to "Seattle" costs....and how RV is cheaper. I am used to "Western KY" cost of living.....and fear the costs may send us packing our bootie back home. We are not selling our home. We are "weekend warriors" of a sort. Last year, we took a "BIG" trip to upstate NY. Gone for a month. LOVED just about every minute (except when we broke down and spent $2k real quick). The trip was expensive, but we were not working. We took a month off work and traveled so expected it to be a bit more expensive. It is just so hard to figure out a travel "style" so to speak. But honest and sincere videos like this sure do help a bunch in preparation. Thank you so much. Glad to see you back !!!

David, will you be at the Tampa RV show this winter?

Got my Sweetie fix! ❤

Seems like the 2 of you are living 50 degrees of separation. Cant be easy. Nice to see you back on You Tube.

Awesome video dude!!! thanks. long-time subscriber here. So glad you are back! missed you. We have been full-timing for 2.5 years now, primarily the south west region. Have never been to Great Basin though😢! looks awesome! whats the temps? Is it too late in the fall to head that way from Vegas area?? We usually head south, not north at this time.😂 thanks again, bill and Peg...

You forgot one of the best things about living on the road is the view.

So good to see you back. Looking forward to seeing Ro. Do you still have the bunnies? EDIT: just saw the cute bunnies!

I was so relieved to see the bunnies. I thought maybe Sweetie had eaten them.🤣

I seriously thought about it, but decided it’s not the right fit for me at this time. I still want to work and my job isn’t remote friendly. I think it’s a matter of discovering what works for you and your partner and ultimately that’s the right decision.

Omigosh, that Sweetie. I think the tongue hanging-out head on your shoulder shot should be your thumbnail. lol Awesome. When Jordan and I started watching your channel years ago, we just absolutely loved watching you guys take hikes and go out on adventures. Those were always our favorite videos that you made. SAAAAAND!!!! 💪

I've slept there!

Awesome video. Was that Sweety hanging out with you? Some great insight. Do you still have the rabbits? Great campsite. Looks like fun

Nice content. Hopefully you don’t have any large repair expenses with 2 rigs. Travel safe

Waft r your plans for winter? AZ?

nGreat sights and insights. how do you handle mail or packages?

How's the Springdale travel trailer holding up after several years of full time use?

I was just wondering what she is driving it looks like you have the truck I didn't know you have two vehicles with you stay safe 🙏

What is the name of that campground you were talking about? I didn't catch it, but sounds awesome!

I am only like an hour away from you when you are in the Great Basin National Park

Missing the new post this week. Hope all is well.

Have you ever stumbled upon a bear or mountain lion while hiking? What protection do you carry with you just in case?

Turkey 🦃 Its what’s for dinner! LOL