The Sicard RV Blog

I am dedicating this article specifically to my fellow United States Steel Canada (Stelco) pensioners and employees, and to all Canadians looking for an alternative affordable, happy and exciting retirement lifestyle.

Question: How do you get a six-month vacation away from winter and explore world class natural wonders for only $4,500 US?

Answer: Dry camp in the southwestern USA in a Recreational Vehicle (RV).

• Are you retired?
• Are you bored?
• Do you wonder if there is a better way to spend your golden years?
• Are you close to retirement and do you wonder how you will reward yourself for your years of hard work?
• Has the low Canadian dollar got you wondering how you will afford your next vacation away from winter?

I like to advertise the thrill of RVing to my friends by explaining that it defies the lyric from John Cougar Mellencamp's song Jack and Diane "Life goes on long after the thrill of livin' is gone". Well that simply is not the case if you are an RVer!

The exploration opportunities that RVing brings can be compared to a small child's first glance at a puppy. Everything can be new and exciting with every new location. My wife and I fell in love with exploring the beauty of the American southwest 29 years ago when we rented a motorhome out of Salt Lake City for three weeks and toured Utah, Arizona, California and Nevada. We promised ourselves that one day, when we retire, we will live out this lifestyle to escape the cold Canadian winters. Wow! That time is here and we're living the dream.

We retired six years ago and became snowbirds right away by RVing. We are not the type of RVers who prefer to camp in RV parks or campgrounds. We camp on public land for free throughout the southwestern states and enjoy the solitude. We dry camp which means that we are self-sufficient by not requiring electrical, water or sewer hookups. It costs us $4,500 US for a six-month vacation! That's only $25 US per day for the two of us compared to being at home (food excluded). Our costs include truck diesel fuel, propane for heating and cooking, gas for our generator, purchasing water and dumping our trailer water tanks, maintenance and recreation costs for national and state parks.

The planet puts on a display of geological beauty that is second to none in what is called "God's Country". Many people are unaware of its secret solitude. Is this really planet Earth? Complementing the scenery is an absence of weather. There is often no wind, no clouds and no humidity. It's mind-boggling to experience 360 degree panoramic 100 mile distant views and yet the air is void of any sound. Erosion carves the desert landscape to reveal the soul of the earth. The age of our planet is beyond comprehension as we hike in deep, narrow slot canyons yet the water that eroded them flows only a few times a year.

We hike among sandstone that displays itself like a rainbow, under massive arches that tower above our heads, inside volcanic lava tubes and through towering sculptures of rock that stand like aliens from another planet. We hike in places that vary from the world's largest pure white gypsum sand dunes to the world's largest living things — giant sequoia trees. There are ocean fossils in the mountains providing compelling evidence of advancing and receding seas over time, and petrified rainbow-coloured rock forests in the valleys that have witnessed the rise and fall of the dinosaurs. We gaze at flawless dinosaur tracks, bones and skulls in their natural environment.

We explore ancient Indian dwellings where pictographs and petroglyphs record their culture, ghost towns and abandoned gold and silver mines where history reveals the hardships of past generations. Mountains provide cool beautiful lush pine forests while valleys provide warm parched landscapes. Several man-made dams create hundred-mile long lakes that meander through red sandstone canyons containing countless beaches. Near the end of the day, the desert rewards us again with a peaceful soak in a natural hot spring or a walk along a beach. There's more here than the Grand Canyon!

To further complement the wonder and beauty, the desert provides up to 310 days of sunshine per year. Then when the sun sets, nighttime presents our galaxy of stars brighter than you can ever imagine in the dry clean still air. We've also made countless numbers of new friends with whom to share our experiences.

So if this sounds exciting to you (and how can it not compared to shovelling snow) here's how we plan our trips. Our best reference for our planning comes locally (Elora, Ontario), from travel guides that we purchase from Marianne Edward's Boondocking Scenic Travel Guides at frugal-rv-travel.com.

Secondly, we purchased books entitled "Photographing the Southwest" by Laurent Martrès. In these books, Martrès illustrates natural wonders with photographs and rates each destination according to their scenic value and photography interest.

Finally, we also purchased "Benchmark Maps" atlases for each state online and at visitor's centres to show us where there is BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land and National Forests (i.e. public lands) on which free dispersed camping is allowed. The map books contain a recreation guide that identifies many attractions. Our blog describes with photos the places we have explored. Please visit griseslifeofleisure.blogspot.ca.

My wife and I started camping with our fifth wheel trailer in national parks, state parks and RV parks but then with a little experience and research we began to feel more comfortable and preferred dry camping. Southern Utah is still our favourite location for adventure. To get started, you may want to rent a car, stay in motels and visit some of the National Parks in Utah. Or, you can rent a small RV right away for your first trip for about $1,000 US per week by visiting jucyrvrentals.com or consider a larger RV at cruiseamerica.com. You can cut your costs in half if you find another couple to travel with. If you are retired with your own RV, monthly RV park costs are reasonable at about $350 US per month plus approximately $50 for electricity. Also, you may consider daily half-price RV parks using a Passport America RV Club discount card or simply dry camp for free.

Six years ago we purchased a two-year old 31-foot 2008 Jayco Designer fifth wheel trailer from Sicard RV and a two-year old 2008 GMC Sierra Diesel 2500HD truck. We paid half of the new purchase price for the truck and the trailer. Now there's a $70,000 savings before our first trip!

To dry camp we installed a Cummins Onan onboard generator, two Sun Electronics 205 watt solar panels, upgraded to two large 6 volt Trojan batteries, an efficient portable ProCom propane gas heater that does not consume electricity like our forced air furnace and Green Longlife LED light bulbs to further save electricity. We have all the luxury of home, including surround sound and satellite big screen TV.

After a day of exploring the deserts and mountains under the warmth of the sun, we return to our trailer, light a campfire, lean back in our zero-gravity chairs with our favourite beverages and wait for the starlight to rain down on us.

Now we can't wait for winter to come again!