dayakster wrote:
You know....it sounds like you've dabbled around with enough units to know what you want or at least what you want to try next. ;)
We have a disabled child and our neighbors are probably thinking that we need our MH like we need a hole in the head but regardless of the cost we bought it so we could have some adventures with him and our other kids when we retire next year.
My son is non-verbal autistic, not totally potty trained and is prone to meltdowns and they can happen when he's exposed to certain allergens so there would be no way I'd ever take a chance on getting on an airplane with him and turning our trip into an international incident with the way things are flying now days.
I'm from California and haven't been able to get home in 15 years because it is just too hard and I don't want to go without my kids. (My mother moved here with us so she would travel back and forth when she was able.) Now she is 84 and afraid to fly back and forth because she missed a connecting flight last time and had to be rerouted from MN through Portland and then down to SAC. We have to puddle jump out of Wisconsin to get anywhere. My son could very well decide that he can't walk up a ramp and there we'd be stuck somewhere like Chicago or Minneapolis with no where to go. Changing him in public restrooms clear across the country is another nightmare I wanted to avoid.
We don't smoke, drink, golf or do much of anything else with our dollars so who's business is it if we decide to devote it to maintaining an older rig? Only YOU know what your situation is and what is right for you.
ETA: We lucked out because we already own a car that is great for towing so that helped in our decision. It's still going to cost $3K to get a towing system that is California legal. :(
Good luck to you OP!
I can relate to much of this in terms of really needing to be able to control the situations or environments to travel without more anxiety than is manageable or relaxing knowing if something does come up it's okay and can be dealt with in a way that's familiar or comfortable for everybody.
I actually grew up in Wisconsin, the thought of being able to show my kids some of my favorite places in Kettle Moraine or northern Wisconsin is an amazing one but something I've all but given up on for the same reasons, I can't fly, I can't be certain I will have a chemical free place to stay when I get to a destination if I drive and I haven't been able to afford an RV.
What people don't see to notice is that I'm willing to spend $9,000 on an RV, that's more than a year of my income, not something more people have sitting around. So if I managed to save that much and I'm willing to spend it on this it's well thought out and isn't low on my priority list.
Awesome job on your end in making things happen, my dad always says "some people make things happen, some people watch things happen, and some people wonder what happened".
If there's anything I can ever do to help you on your path let me know.
