I Sold It All To Live In An RV

It all started back on May 12th 2018. That was the day my life changed, forever.

There I am, sitting in our new fifth wheel that’s parked in our yard with my wife. Out the window, there is our home and beautiful property. Nearly in tears, I look to my wife and say,

“If this is the right decision, why do I feel this way?”

I’ll never forget that moment.

It was uncertainty to the extreme, for reasons that will soon become clear to you.

We had just sold our home, the ink hadn’t even dried on the paper, and we could still back out.

Roughly a year prior, I came up with a wild and crazy idea. Wild ideas like this don’t come across my mind. I’ll tell you my idea in a moment, but this is what triggered it.

Our life was just too busy, we were overworked, and we needed a break.

I was a Network Engineer for the local hospital, while daily writing articles and Bible studies for this site. It was exhausting, especially when we had projects at work. Everyday was like pulling a double shift. Then being a Dad and husband, you know how it goes.

The wife had a hobby that turned into a small business. While she was busy with that, she also homeschooled our three kids, and everything else that goes with it. You know; T-ball, ballet, tap dancing, the works.

Like most people, I only had 3 weeks of vacation a year, which typically was used for an annual church function. We never got to go see much of anything, except for what was local in our community.

As for the wife, when you work for yourself, you don’t get a vacation. So every time we pulled her away from work, she would pay dearly for it later.

Then, I’d look around and see all the stuff we had. Two sheds full of things, a shop that had far too much in it, and I thought,

“Why?”

That was the beginning, that was before my wild and crazy idea.

Several months passed by, and we thinned out some of our belongings in the sheds.

Then, a wild and crazy idea popped into my head…

“We never get to see anything,” I thought. “What if, we sell out?”

“What if we sold every possession we ever had, I quit my job, we bought an RV, and traveled the country with Maggie’s work? Then we could see the country, and do things we’ve never done before, and probably never will!”

I admit, the idea was insane.

I mean, we had family near us, and the best neighbors anyone could ask for. I’m talking about the kind of neighbors that would give you the shirt off their back. The kind that actually love you.

Not to mention, we had five acres in a beautiful country setting. I had everything on that property to take care of my family no matter what the circumstances were. Backup generator, plenty of fuel, water tanks, you name it, we had it.

Our place was our pride and joy, not to mention our safety net.

Then we had toys, quads, and my tractor. Oh how I miss my tractor.

Ironically enough, as much as we hated selling our tractor…

Do you know what actually made my kids cry when we sold it?

My 1983 Honda 3-wheeler.

All my babies grew up on that wheeler.

When they were just days old, I took them for a putt around our property. That tells you, dollars do not translate into happiness. It’s all about perspective, it’s all about time together.

When you consider selling everything you have, these thoughts and memories just pour over your mind.

While we enjoyed our possessions, I figured,

“That’s just stuff, just material possessions that can be purchased again. What you cannot buy are experiences and time with your family”.

I thought it over in my mind for a while, prayed about it, and thought it over some more.

After some time, I was still convinced, that my wild and crazy idea was a good one…

So I go tell the wife.

“Are you ready for this?

What if we sold everything, bought an RV, and traveled the country?

We haven’t had time to see anything, and we probably won’t until we retire.”

She thought my idea was crazy all right.

I figured that was the end of the conversation. Perhaps, it was a little too crazy…

It must have been a day or two later, and she brought up my wild and crazy idea.

We went over the pros and cons several times. We would both say, make sure to keep praying about it. We would reconvene days and weeks later, saying,

“Well, did God tell you anything?”

“Nope,” she said.

“Me either,” I would reply.

We went back and forth on the idea so many times, I could probably write a book.

I recall sitting on the couch in our house. We said,

“Well, one of us is going to quit our gig. We cannot continue to be this busy, it’s just too much, and we’re not getting to enjoy enough of life.”

You’re probably thinking, two incomes, that’s great! Sure, the money is, but if you don’t have the time to enjoy it, or you don’t spend much time with your family, what’s the point?

Not to mention, we lived in California where everything costs more, (Northern California by the way, yes it makes a difference!).

Then the conversation really kicked into high gear.

Maggie worked out of our garage that had a single window. She had a great view, beautiful oak trees, open space, and a big hill way out back. Yet, it was the same view day in and day out.

She said,

“If we sold out and bought an RV, I would have a different view out of my window.”

We still joke about it to this very day.

The next day, I stopped by an RV dealer. I could barely spell RV! I didn’t realize how nice they were. The fifth wheels are like a small condo inside. I thought, she’s going to love it. She did. We looked at all kinds of RVs, but decided on a fifth wheel so we had an office for Maggie to work out of.

I still remember thinking, this idea is genius! Then, the wife did some research and discovered a lot of people were already traveling in their RVs. I felt like someone stole my thunder!

As time went on, it took two garage sales, numerous classified listings, and several trips to the donation store to unload our possessions. We also gifted our neighbors with many of our belongings. Two years later during a visit, one of our neighbors said,

“Hey Brandon, look at my new shop vac!”

It was the one I gave him! hah

All in all, it took about a year to sell everything, including the purchase of our truck and trailer. Thankfully, it only took 8 days to sell the house.

So we’re going through all of that while praying and thinking,

“Is this the right thing to do?”

It was totally not up our alley.

It was a major step outside of our comfort zone.

We never had an RV before, and I never towed anything 43’ long!

Besides, I’m the conservative guy…

I’m the guy who plays it safe and doesn’t put myself in a possible bind. Yet, here I am potentially throwing away my career and college education to go chase down the country.

Before we made our final decision, I talked to my great friend Randy about it. He was just like me, conservative minded. When I told him my idea, I figured he was going to ridicule me. Both of us always prepared for the future and those worst case scenarios.

Interestingly enough, he said,

“You should do it”.

He added,

“But know something, it’s going to change you, forever.”

I’ll never forget him saying that.

I knew he was right, but I didn’t quite understand in what ways.

After four years, I understand.

Our New Life Begins

So there we are, back in the fifth wheel, looking at our home from the window. It’s May 12th 2018, and we finalize our decision by hitching up, and towing our fifth wheel off our property for the last time. Shortly after, we setup camp, and our new life begins.

Right off the bat, we met a fantastic Christian couple that had been traveling full time for two years. They were the right people to meet, at the right time.

As I think about our life changing decision, living on the road has completely altered my perception of things.

• I’ve discovered there are lots of good people out there.
• I’ve learned that quality time with your family cannot be bought.
• I’ve learned that red states offer much more freedom than blue states.
• I’ve learned from first hand experience, that nearly everything the media says is a lie or overstated.

Traveling During The Pandemic

I’ll never forget 2020.

We were initially stuck in an Oregon campground during the COVID-19 lockdowns. It was bizarre to say the least. When we went for walks, some families would walk way around you, as if we had the plague. Only later, to see all of our children playing together in the forest.

What sense does that make?

People just stopped thinking.

We finally had enough of the lockdown business. So we skipped the rest of the liberal coast and took off to Montana. We staged there for a bit, and then went to visit Dad in Alaska as the weather began to warm up.

Before COVID-19, that was our plan for summer 2020. Somehow, someway, we managed to drive across the Canadian border and make our way to Dad’s. When the media said Canadians hated Americans that were driving through their nation.

That was a lie.

We never met a rude Canadian citizen. I recall paying for fuel one time, the clerk said,

“Yay, I’m the first to get an American dollar today!”

We laughed.

She was excited about it, and we were never given any guff.

Oh, and Canadians weren’t wearing masks like everyone in the U.S. was. I actually felt ashamed of our country when we noticed that. Our countrymen were scared so easily by our government, and the talking heads on television.

We ended up spending about 3 months at Pop’s house. He said it was the best summer he ever had. We all became so much closer, and it sticks to this very day. While at Dad’s, we played, we worked, and when we went to town, we enjoyed freedom.

Meanwhile, states were locking people down and removing freedoms. It was a tremendous eye opener for us. Imaginary borders dictated how real people acted and treated each other. You’ll never truly understand that, unless you traveled during the pandemic like we did.

It was now fall of 2020, and time to pack up and head out.

Unfortunately, Canada wouldn’t let us pass through to the United States. So, we barged our truck and trailer, and flew into Tacoma, Washington.

Traveling from Alaska to Washington was a night and day difference, one I’ll never forget. Everyone had masks, it was like we were dropped off in the middle of a madhouse.

We ended up staying in California for most of fall 2020 through spring 2021. We visited family, and we even helped some of them run their business. During the pandemic, the wife’s business dried up considerably, but with prayer, God opened doors, and He did by providing us more opportunity.

We didn’t taste freedom again until we hit Oklahoma as we headed east to Tennessee. That was another night and day difference. I still remember jogging in SoCal, people were wearing masks just to go for a walk. They would move out of my way as I ran by, as if I had leprosy.

We never experienced that in the red states.

In red states, people went everywhere without masks. You could see their smile, it was like America from long ago.

By the way, our country has so much to see. The people of Beaver, Oklahoma must be some of the friendliest on the planet, and they have sand dunes. Seriously, sand dunes in Oklahoma!

We ended up spending a portion of summer 2021 in Tennessee. I recall driving the big loop around the Smoky Mountains through North Carolina. We stopped in NC for lunch only to find it still locked down!

We couldn’t believe it.

I mean, we had just passed through Gatlinburg, Tennessee where thousands of people were shoulder to shoulder. Without masks I might add! It showed us, people will react to the pressure placed on them by their local government and media.

As winter approached, we headed south and spent the rest of 2021 in Florida.

You know, where all the old folks go to retire?

Everything was open for business. Rarely did you see people in masks, unless you went near a big city. Even the old folks were not concerned with the propaganda from the mainstream media. This was due to state government rebuffing COVID-19 propaganda.

As we traveled the country, we continually witnessed people following the lead of their local government over the Feds.

If the local government said do this, they did.

If the local government said do that, they did.

People are a product of their leaders, we witnessed this all over the country.

So as you read this, you have to remember, during the lockdowns and the terror being issued by the mainstream media. Here we are, along with lots of other people, camping.

That’s it!

We camped, and did what we wanted during the pandemic, during the “winter of extreme death and illness” that never materialized for us unvaccinated folks.

No Regrets

Looking back, we have no regrets about our decision.

All despite a family of five, plus our fur baby, living in 400 square feet after four years! In case you’re wondering, this is not a vacation, it’s a way of life. We still work, we still homeschool the kids, do laundry, and go to the store like everyone else. We just do it in different places.

If you do it right, it’s actually a very cheap way to not only travel, but live. We don’t pay power, water or sewer. In fact, I sort of dread the day I go back to that.

We’ve all learned a lot from our adventures, and we’ve made unforgettable memories.

In fact, we’ve lived in 29 states, visited 12+ national parks, and who knows how many state parks. I lost count of all the hikes we’ve done. If it wasn’t for our travels, half of the articles on this site wouldn’t exist. Not working as a Network Engineer allowed me to focus and write so much more. Not to mention, revisit past Bible studies, what an eye opener that has been.

Our travels also led us to the Ark Encounter, which led me to write our Noah’s Flood series. Then our travels brought us to Glacier National Park, which answered some prayers of mine.

Our travels enabled us to visit places and see things we always dreamed of. Through this, it enabled me to share some of those experiences with you.

Our travels even brought us to family and friends I hadn’t seen since I was a child. Family I probably never would have seen. We visited my great friend Randy, who recently passed away. I was also able to spent time with another good friend, before he committed suicide in 2021.

Both events were tragic and heartbreaking for us.

These two tragic events reminded me of Scripture, how tomorrow is promised to no one, but rarely do we think about that, (Proverbs 27:1).

With the passing of my two best friends, it confirmed for me how important our life changing decision was. Had we not set out on this adventure, we wouldn’t have seen those guys. We wouldn’t have seen distant family and friends.

It’s taught me, don’t put off those things.

You never know when someone’s time is up, or even our own.

The Future

You’re probably wondering, are you ever going to settle down?

Absolutely!

In fact, several years prior to 2020, my crystal ball said 2020 was going to bring the world an economic “Crash.” Apparently, I didn’t clean my crystal well enough, because “Crash” actually meant, “COVID”. We all know what the housing market has done, so we’re waiting it out a bit.

While we wait, we just finished exploring small towns all over eastern Tennessee. Next summer, we plan to do the same in western Montana. We hope to find a beautiful quiet setting to call home.

Ironically enough, before we started our epic adventure, we figured if California kept getting crazy, we might have to move. So Tennessee and Montana were always our two picks. After all of our travels, they still remain our top two states.

As it stands, by fall of 2023, our family has a huge decision to make.

Which state, and where specifically do we settle down?

We find ourselves praying, just like before we started this life changing adventure.

“Lord, lead our decision, lead us where you want us to go.”

There I am again asking Maggie,

“Has God talked to you about settling down?”

“No,” she says.

I reply the same.

You just have to keep on praying. You have to trust that God will lead you in the right direction. In fact, Joshua 1:9 became our family verse four years ago.

“…the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Whenever doubt about our life changing decision crept into our mind, that verse set our mind at ease. Hey, when you come to grips that you are about to let go of everything you ever worked for in your life, for the unknown…

It’ll grab you.

That’s when you trust God with everything you have, and a little bit more.

I suppose, that’s why I’ve decided to share this story with you.

I’m quite certain, no one ever imagined I would have made this decision. More importantly, that I’m four years into that decision. I’ve learned, you cannot live life in fear. You cannot fear tomorrow, you only have today, you only have this moment.

Four years ago, I took a leap of faith. I followed my heart instead of my mind, and I know it’s led me in the right direction. I feel, God led us in the right direction, though I want to see where we land.

Looking back, I see my wife and I on the couch at our old home again. Before we made our life changing decision, we went back and forth through all the scenarios.

We thought,

“What if we just stay here?”

Then we thought,

“What if we sell out and travel?”

I remember us saying,

“If we stay here, then life goes on. We keep enjoying our property minus one income.”

Then one of us said,

…but we’re always going to wonder…

• What life would have been like if we traveled?
• What would we have seen?
• What would we have discovered?

“Do we want to live the rest of our life wondering, what it would have been like?…”

Today, I don’t have to wonder what might have been.

I’ll have the rest of my life to think, what it was like to live our dream.