CLAYTON, NC: Getting Ready

The last week is a blur as we've worked at the house, had some needed work started on the Tahoe, replaced the Tahoe's battery, visited with friends, and now start preparing for our last trip before Christmas.

Hurricane Sandy has not affected the Raleigh area other than causing gusty winds, and we've had virtually no rain from the system yet.  The worst weather is on the coast of NC and we will feel the colder weather as it moves in from the northwest.  There's a chance of a little snow in the NC mountains, but only cold rain will reach us over the next couple of days.

Thursday evening we went to dinner at IHOP with some of the local Good Sam chapter members.  Yesterday, we met another group for breakfast at Golden Corral, which is a weekly gathering.  Last evening,  we had dinner at an Italian restaurant with 3 other couples who are also going to Huntington Beach State Park in SC this coming week.


Mike, Terri, Hank, Selene, Dee, Jim, Rick, Gail

We've been friends with one of the couples, Jim and Dee, who are also ham operators, almost since we moved to Raleigh.  They entered the full-time RV lifestyle 2 1/2 years ago, without any previous RV experience, but with lots of research beforehand.

Mike and Terri, as well as Rick and Gail, are also full-time RVers, and it was great getting to know them.
All of us are going to a Carolina Clan Rally this week along with at least 16 other couples,.  The Carolina Clan is a group of RV-Dreamers with ties to the Carolinas, most having lived in NC or SC before becoming full-time RVers.  RV-Dreams is an organization that educates others about the full-time lifestyle, and most of these people attended one or more of the RV-Dreams rallies as they made the transition from houses  to homes on wheels.  We attended such a rally in April of 2011, and already know 7 of the couples in the group.  This gathering will be very informal as far as activities go, but the chance to talk to, and learn from, this group will definitely enhance our knowledge about the dream we're pursuing.

Today, Hank is with a friend doing more repairs on the Tahoe, and Selene is getting laundry caught up, and items better organized in the RV.  We plan to head to Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC on Tuesday, weather permitting.