• Boondocking Map
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Road Pickle
Menu
  • Boondocking Map
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Home  /  Blog  /  The RV Life is Starting to Sink In
05 June 2017

The RV Life is Starting to Sink In

Written by Steve Johnson
Blog 2 Comments

It was two months ago (April 7) that Sash and I left our apartment in San Diego for the RV life.

Of course, the way my brain works, is that I don’t feel the magnitude of what I’m doing until well after the fact. I’ve been told by professionals that I have “Dissociative Identity Disorder”, which is a defense mechanism for dealing with trauma and anxiety. I tend to intellectualize things so as to turn break something down, that is otherwise frightening, into bits and pieces so that I can see that there’s no “monster” lurking in the shadows.

Other people might call it “compartmentalize”.

But I guess today, I started to realize that this 28 foot toy hauler, that weighs 6,000+ pounds, is now in my possession and is here with me to stay, much like a wife, or a 30 year mortgage, or a case of Hepatitis C. This isn’t something you can just “get rid of”. And even if I did get rid of it, what then? Where do I go?

I find myself now, perusing the RV forums for some interesting piece of information that makes a light bulb go off in my head. I actually feel as if I’ve joined a new brotherhood and I’m one of those guys who’s already giving advice.

One guy posted today that he’s never owned an RV before, and that he’s soon going to be buying a travel trailer. He wants something small, like under 20 feet long, because he’s nervous about towing it. So, I told him, “Don’t fuck around splashing water in the kiddie pool. Jump into the deep end and get the bigger trailer, because you know that’s what you really want.”

Which is exactly what I did.

Yeah, I was nervous about towing a 28 footer, weighing about 8,000 pounds fully loaded, with an undersized half-ton pickup that’s rated for the same maximum pounds towing. But my brain did that thing, where I intellectualized the apprehension, broke it down into its pieces, and realized that there’s nothing there I couldn’t handle. I figured if the truck can’t pull it fully loaded, then we’ll take the motorcycles out and not take them. Or, maybe we take only one motorcycle, or maybe we avoid driving up mountains (not doable here in California).

Most people seem to integrate their emotions with their intellect and make a well-thought out decision. My brain, instead, calculates the likelihood of success versus failure, comes up with a mental pie chart, and then decides. It’s only when I can’t seem to make that calculation that I go into apprehension. But it’s not apprehension out of fear, it’s apprehension due to lack of information.

Once I get to a state of comfort, when my brain says that it’s now safe to shut off the defense mechanism, the emotions start to come on. That’s when I realized I’ve swam too far out into the ocean. I think, that’s where I now find myself.

Yet still, it’s a good thing.

If my emotions play any part of my decision-making process, it’s likely I’d never make any decisions at all. I have to make that jump into the deep end just to force myself to cope with the situation, or else die.

And then there’s this clock ticking in the background that says I’m going to die someday, and that it could happen sooner than later. So, the intellectual part of me says that if I don’t take that plunge, I will either be late to the party, or die getting there.

What’s more, is that my brain hates monotony. It needs to be fed new variables, and deal with ever-changing situations. I become restless living in the same house, the same town, and seeing the same neighborhood. This lifestyle of moving whenever I feel the need to move suits me better even despite the anxiety of owning this big rolling, 6,000 pound box.

So while our hearts is often what warns us of the magnitude we’re about to face, sometimes it’s best to just listen to that voice in your head that’s asking, “Well, why the hell not?”

 

Steve Johnson
Connect on Facebook Connect on Twitter Connect on Linkedin

Having first started riding in 1985 on a Kawasaki KZ400, Steve has ridden all across the United States and Canada. He currently travels full time on his Honda ST1300, living wherever he can find a friendly roof. Follow him on, "Motorcycle Philosophy".

 Previous Article Sweetwater Summit RV Park – Review
Next Article   Travel is the Most Patriotic Thing an American Can Do

Related Posts

  • Married Couples Taking Separate Vacations – Pros and Cons

    August 17, 2019
  • shavano wma colorado

    Our ATC Toy Hauler Has Reached 25,000 Miles

    July 23, 2019
  • atc toy hauler rally

    2019 ATC Toy Hauler Summer Rally – A Success!

    June 10, 2019

2 Comments

  1. Wallace Reply
    June 15, 2017 at 8:13 pm

    Welcome to the RV brotherhood. Even better that you’re also a fellow bikerscum. 8,000 lbs.? Try 22,000. Yeah, that motorhome of ours is a BEAST, & when I tow the trailer hauling the bikes behind it, it’s even more of a BEAST. Funny thing: towing is really easy with it; since it punches such a ginormous hole in the wind, you don’t even know you’re towing anything. Next time we meet, we’ll have to trade RV war stories.

  2. Jaxx (Jacquelyn) Hoppes Reply
    June 21, 2017 at 2:00 pm

    Welcome Sash & Steve to the RV world. I have lived in my 26′ toy hauler for 2 years now. It has been a huge learning curve for Me! From how to dump the grey and blackwater, what to use/not use when cleaning inside (all Plumbing is plastic!! So I opps can’t use caustic cleaners, how to level the darn thing, etc., etc.!!

    But it is fun and I am looking forward to the day I can travel like you…

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

road pickle

I'm a "Man in Black", one of those guys who goes around dressed in black suits, looking for people who were abducted by UFOs so that we can keep them quiet. Sash and I travel around in this trailer awaiting orders from headquarters for my next assignment. I can't show you the details of my work, but I can show you how I live.

Follow us here on Road Pickle...

how to camp for free

Topics

  • Blog (37)
  • Camping (58)
  • Central (21)
    • Illinois (6)
    • Indiana (5)
    • Iowa (6)
    • Minnesota (3)
    • Missouri (1)
  • Destinations (32)
    • Hikes (3)
    • Museums (7)
    • Parks (9)
    • Roadside Attractions (16)
    • Towns (2)
  • Lodgings (2)
  • Northeast (2)
    • Pennsylvania (2)
  • Pacific (53)
    • California (38)
    • Oregon (11)
    • Washington (4)
  • Restaurants (24)
  • Roads (9)
  • Towns (1)
  • Uncategorized (6)
  • Vlog (6)
  • West (71)
    • Arizona (23)
    • Colorado (6)
    • Idaho (4)
    • Kansas (2)
    • Montana (5)
    • Nebraska (2)
    • Nevada (6)
    • New Mexico (3)
    • North Dakota (2)
    • Oklahoma (1)
    • South Dakota (6)
    • Texas (1)
    • Utah (11)

Recent Comments

  • Steve Johnson on Setting Up a 4G LTE Antenna in our RV
  • David Johnson on Setting Up a 4G LTE Antenna in our RV
  • Cori Mills on Free RV Boondocking in Idaho – Shoshone Falls Road
  • Teresa on Sheep Bridge Road, Utah – Free RV Boondocking
  • LARRY PUTNAM on California Highway 25 (Airline Highway)
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Us

Social Media

  • Connect on Facebook
  • Connect on Instagram
  • Connect on RSS
  • Connect on YouTube
© Copyright 2014. Theme by BloomPixel.