Reverse snow-birds.

NCWriter wrote:
We like Maine or Atlantic Canada. Love Newfoundland especially. Headed for Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula this summer.

This would not be a sightseeing "trip" or vacation for us. We want a place to spend the hot months. To spend them in one place as we do in FL in the winter. I know others like to move around. We on the other hand like to "set up shop" so to speak and stay put. :)

Those areas are not low in cost, though. Maine campgrounds are pricey on the coast. The ferry to Newfoundland alone can easily exceed $1000 depending on your RV.

We would have no interest in spending several months in Newfoundland. That's a lot further north than we would wish to go. Maine, NY, CT or NH, any of those states would be fine. No coastal area necessary though it would be nice. I'm starting to wonder if that will be possible with the higher costs in summer what with all the campers and travelers. :(

daboy wrote:
Last summer we did a week in Two Harbors, MN. Very nice area on Lake Superior.

You went in summer to avoid the heat where you live? NM is hotter than FL.

mgirardo wrote:
We live in Coastal GA and summer in NJ. NJ can still get hot, but nothing like southeast GA. Plus our campsite is shady and across from a farm, so we always have a nice breeze blowing through.

Are there things to do there? A lake? A nice town to spend time in with a few decent restaurants? What is the daily temp there?

Reasonable? Nothing in NJ is reasonable. For us, it is more about being with family. Our kids are 14 and 12. Our campground is less than 2 miles from both sets of grandparents and most aunts and uncles. We pay $4,000 for a 5 month season.

Actually that is not bad if there are full-hookups and you have children. Many CGs charge more for over 2 people per RV.

The nice thing about it too is kids are still in school for almost 2 months when we get to the campground. Then it is busy for 2 months and then quiet again for the last month. Our kids are homeschooled and finish up their "school year" while at the campground.

-Michael

NJ would not be much cooler than Ocala in summer from what I understand. Perhaps we should look for elevation - the mountains.

rockhillmanor wrote:


I just bought property down here too. I was most definitely going to reverse snowbird to avoid the summer heat. But life took a different turn and I had to stay put right after buying the house.

The first summer you spend in Florida you will want to just up and die it's so hot. You learn real quick to do what ever needs doing outside early in the morning.

The heat truly has me worried as I have always been heat-sensitive. Twice I suffered from heat-exhaustion in TN. One time I actually collapsed. Had I been alone the Dr said, I would have died. The summers there are in the 90s for 3 months. I moved there in 1979 and never adapted to the heat. I am housebound for 3 months there except in the early mornings. People are now telling me I would be housebound in FL for 5 to 6 months. That is truly frightening as I love the outdoors.

I did not believe one word of that infamous line the local Floridians told me :
"You will get used to it"!

But guess what? You really do. Your body actually adjusts to it.
First summer is a real killer,

Second summer not so much,

and by the third one you will be running for a winter coat, hat, gloves and boots when the cool temps 'dip' to 60 degrees just like the native Floridians do! :C:W

I can assure you not everyone adapts to such heat. Many can and do, but I'm finding as I get older I am less heat tolerant than in the past. I never adapted to the heat in TN. Though I love FL I am the type of person who would fare much better in a northern state in summer. Anything over the high 80s and I start getting short of breath, heart rate increases, I stop sweating after about 20 minutes, get dizzy and disoriented... and finally, collapse. I have to be very careful and make sure I get indoors as soon as I start feeling short of breath. No, I have no lung or heart disease.

The first sign is the shortness of breath which is itself pretty scary. :(

LynnandCarol wrote:
We will not be leaving this year! Staying put in our little paradise. Getting the crab traps ready and after spring break here is over we will enjoy the beach before the tourist season starts when school is out. Yes, it does get Hot, but we have learned how to cope with it.

It may depend in genetics age and lifestyle.

Do any outside chores before 11am,...

There would be few outside "chores." I am an outdoor person. I love to garden, take long walks, go camping - that sort of thing. So be indoors by 11 AM would not apply at all. Add to that we are not early risers. ;)

shopping and errands during the heat of the day which includes taking a cooler for any grocery items,then Happy Hour in our fave AC'd Bay front watering hole, then back to our Patio for an evening sit and grilling on the patio with our turbo fan. Life Is Good in South-TX on Copano Bay.

We carry a cooler for groceries all winter here in central FL. Apparently south-TX is cooler than FL and your lifestyle is different. You don't want to grill on a patio when it's still 98F out and humid with millions of bugs and insects crawling all over you and your food. Of course a screen room would help with the bugs but not the heat and humidity. You have a hangout (bar), we do not. Not because of moral or religious reasons, we just don't care to drink. We're not into the bar scene. So we would end up stuck in our home for months at a time other than shopping or eating out once or twice a week. OR we can reverse-snowbird. I hope we can afford it. I have to find out before we sell the house in TN.

And BTW, your body actually does adjust to the new climae, we can stand the heat much better than when we first got here and we are now freezing when gets in the 50's! We are orignally from the lower Missisippi river valley in southern IL and saw weeks of high humidity and 100+ temps.

I was told that also, but found it is not true for everyone (see my reply above about heat exhaustion). I moved to TN in 1979 and never adapted to the heat and humidity there. In fact as I aged I became less tolerant to it than when I moved there at a much younger age. I can take a lot more cold than I can heat. I was born and raised in NYC and except for the occasional summer heatwaves, did not have to cope with deadly heat and humidity.

pawatt wrote:
South Fork Colorado area is very nice.

I'm sure it is but it's too far from central FL.

thecdnmole wrote:
Go north! Come to Canada where your dollar goes further :)

We can't cross the border because my husband carries a handgun (he has a permit) for protection when on the road.

We also heard that the Canadian CGs are very expensive there in the summer. We would need a place for at least 4 months, maybe longer.

rocmoc wrote:
Yup, Sunbirds. We do the same thing here in Arizona. Since our home is located in AZ we most always take trips in June & July the hottest time of the year. WORKS great! Congrats and enjoy your new lifestyle.

rocmoc n AZ/Fld/Baja

Thank you. :) I'm hoping we can maybe find something affordable in the eastern mountains of WV, VA, NC or SC.

I often watch the summer temp diffs between FL and the part of MD we live in. It is often hotter and more humid here than central and northern FL are.

WandaLust2 wrote:

daboy wrote:
Last summer we did a week in Two Harbors, MN. Very nice area on Lake Superior.

You went in summer to avoid the heat where you live? NM is hotter than FL.

i think you misread something. MN means Minnesota. The shores of the Great Lakes are lovely in the summer, and I believe Lake Superior is largest and coolest of the Great Lakes. Far different from NM.