Well, we have officially been on the road, living full-time in our Solitude fifth-wheel trailer with six dogs for six months now.  When we spurred Toothless into a gallop across the prairies, there was literally no turning back, nothing to go back to.  We took the final journey down our driveway filled with mixed feelings – we were driving away from our 21 acre property, away from our house, away from our luxuries, away from our horses, donkeys, cats and chickens (all of which have been carefully placed in permanent and temporary homes), away from the security that a solid foundation can offer.  We were excited for our new adventure, thankful for the new found financial freedom of not having a mortgage or utility bills or property taxes.  These were replaced by fuel expenses, campground fees and storage costs, but to a much lesser degree.  Excited for the freedom to do what we want when we want.  No deadlines, schedules or commitments to meet.  We don’t have to “people” if we don’t want to.  But, despite the excitement, there were true feelings of anxiety and trepidation, sadness for the animals we were leaving behind and a lot of “what ifs”.  What if we hate this lifestyle choice?  What if the trailer is a lemon and we are constantly fixing things?  What if something happens to the dogs?  What if the dogs get us kicked out of every campground due to bad behaviour?  What if something happens to one of us?  What if we find we can’t live with each other in such close quarters?  Quite frankly, sometimes it is hard to rationalize and control the what ifs, leading to terror and a feeling of panic and helplessness.  Our mind set had to change from “what if we can’t” to “we’ll manage”.  So far, we are loving this lifestyle, the trailer has been solid as a rock, despite the couple of emergency trips to the vet the dogs have been easy to manage and have been extremely well behaved at every campground we have been in, nothing has happened to either one of us and we are still talking to each other!  I can honestly say, we have no regrets!

We are six months, about 5500 miles, 5 provinces, 9 states and 27 campsites into our new chapter.  We still feel like we are just out camping and will have to return to reality soon.  Then it sinks in . . . this is our reality!  As with every new beginning into uncharted territory (we have done lots of camping but never full-time living in an RV) there are growing pains and experiences that you make note of, either to avoid, do better or do again.  These are lessons learned, things to remember and I’m sure there will be many, many more.  Here’s a few of those so far:

• Always use more than one mapping device.  Don’t rely on only one to take you where you want to go the way you want to go there.  Otherwise you may find you've been led to somewhere you shouldn't be.
• Bring bug spray.
• Living with spiders is normal.
• If you let them, ants WILL come.
• Don’t fully rely on the solar power system, the weather can change in a heart beat.
• We are grateful for the time we spent at the RCMP Training Academy and learning the art of the two-minute shower.
• Read the reviews, note the comments but don’t necessarily base your decision on them.  Sometimes they’re right, sometimes they’re wrong, it’s all a matter of perspective.
• Don’t rely on someone saying, “don’t worry, you will have no problem with that site”.  Always do your research, use google maps, satellite maps and when in doubt, get out and walk in before diving head first into the shallow end of the pool.
• When you have your waste water tanks open and connected to sewer hook-ups don’t turn on the exhaust fan in the bathroom.  This will bring forth a stench from the hubs of hell that will permeate through the entire trailer.
• We can go for about 10-11 days before having to dump our tanks.
• Lastly, some of the “luxury” items that we are happy to have and have made this journey much easier are;
• Collapsible ladder
• Battery powered leaf blower
• RV GPS
• Custom built kennels for the dogs
• Macerator pump and honey wagon
• 53-gallon portable water bladder
• Full solar power system that is capable of running everything in the RV
• Washer and dryer
• Generator
• Starlink satellite internet service
• weBoost cell signal booster
• and of course, our big, black Freightliner M2 . . . but, that’s just a Toothless thing . . . . .

"It turns out all we needed was a little more of this." ~ How to Train Your Dragon

When we decided to trade in our 2021 Chev Silverado High Country 1 ton pickup truck for a 2008 Freightliner M2 Sport Chassis people thought we were a bit crazy.  To be honest, we were kind of thinking the same thing.  The Freightliner was big and black and beautiful and we decided that if we were going to haul our new home and six dogs around North America that we would sacrifice luxury for safety.  The Chev likely would have pulled the trailer quite easily, but in the long run it would have put a lot of wear and tear on it and, given the weight of the trailer and all its contents the stopping power of the Freightliner was much better.  Besides, this was what the Freightliner was designed for - to haul.  The back seat of the Chev was cramped and with Reba and the five littles there was very little room for comfort for them.  The back seat of the Freightliner easily accommodates all of the bodies and allows Reba to fully stretch out and relax.  In the end, it is a decision that we are glad we made.  It's not the most comfortable ride and can be tricky sometimes when running errands and exploring, but so far we have made do and managed just fine.  We need to be cautious where we park and what roads we drive on but with a little planning, a good GPS and Google Earth we can usually find an appropriate route.

It wasn't too long that we realized we couldn't call it "the truck" or "the Freightliner" any longer.  He (and we had decided it was a "he") would need a name.  It came to us with the name "Bonnie" decaled to the driver's side.  We weren't sure if this was the previous owner's name, the previous owner's wife's name, the previous owner's mistress' name or just a name the previous owner liked.  One thing we knew was that we weren't keen on the name "Bonnie".  Not that it's a bad name, it's not, but it held no significance for us other than the fact that it was the name of our barn cat.  We needed a different, more fitting name. One of our favorite animated movies is "How To Train Your Dragon" (anyone who hasn't seen it, I highly recommend sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and watching it).  The main dragon character is a Night Fury named Toothless.  Toothless is big, black and beautiful.  He is inquisitive, playful and intelligent and would stop at nothing to protect his Viking soul-mate, Hiccup.  Together Toothless and Hiccup soar through the sky on new adventures, discovering new and wonderful places and experiencing the freedom of adventure. As we looked at our new big, black, beautiful truck waiting patiently in our driveway to carry us across the country side, with its short, rounded and stubby nose, its almond shaped and slightly slanted headlights and the sheer size of it, "Toothless" seemed the perfect fit.  From that time on our new to us Freightliner M2 became affectionately known as Toothless.

What we hadn't really anticipated was the attention we would draw to ourselves driving Toothless.  The view from the cab is amazing and we sit well above other vehicles on the road (except for the REAL semis).  We knew he was unique and stood out in a crowd, we NEVER lose him in a crowded parking lot, but didn't expect to be the center of attention whenever we pulled in to places.  Whether it was our next campground, a gas station to fill up, the far end of the parking lot when picking up groceries, running errands, or just picking up pizza or an ice cream cone there was always one or two heads that turned our way.  We heard comments such as "I had to laugh when I saw you guys pull in here to get an ice cream cone!" and "You drove that thing all the way from Alberta?? And people thought I was crazy!!" to "Well, now my husband wants a truck like that."  When we book Hipcamps and private places to stay we always stress that we are BIG and heavy, we need a lot of room both from side-to-side and above us and solid ground.  Still, despite assuring us that they have plenty of room some people seem surprised when we arrive saying "Oh!  I didn't know you were THIS big".  At nearly every Hipcamp we have pulled in to the greeting has involved "You are, by far, the largest rig we have had here!  Do you mind if I take a picture?"

Another interesting social phenomenon is that most people associate a truck like Toothless as a male thing.  They are quite surprised when two women climb down out of the cab (then followed by umpteen dogs!).  I had gone in to the main office of a KOA to check in and when the gal at reception was explaining how to get to our site she said, "Just have your husband back up and he'll have to take this road behind us".  I replied, "He is me and I will do just that".  She apologized and said that she just assumed.  I told her that it was ok.  Besides, we were used to it and we had come to realize that. . . it's just a Toothless thing!

We left the Mane Gate Equestrian Center and continued to head South (there's a bit of a pattern developing . . . ).  Our next stop was in Spotsylvania, VA at Welker's Wayside Stop and the home of Todd Welker.  Todd is a high school shop teacher who has opened up his driveway to fellow RV'ers on Boondockers Welcome.  We maneuvered Toothless and the trailer into our camping spot for the next 4 nights and went on to enjoy the sites of Spotsylvania and the surrounding area.  This area is rich in American Civil War history as many of the historically significant battles took place here.  For reasons I can't explain, I have always been fascinated with the American Civil War.  Maybe it stems from watching "The Blue and The Gray" at an impressionable age or perhaps the fact that so many people died fighting against their same countrymen in a war sparked by personal beliefs, racism, slavery and power (a recipe that still exists today leading some to believe that the US is, once again, on the brink of a civil war).  The fact that the war was fought largely by foot troops and cavalry madly charging towards one another across open fields until the last man standing (or following a hasty retreat) evokes such raw imagery in one's mind that to see the actual battle fields, the museums full of war relics and old black and white photographs and the ruins of houses and buildings that have been carefully preserved leaves you with a feeling of awe and wonderment about such tragic and, as some might argue, senseless losses.  We walked the battlefields and stood where many had once stood, ready to take a bullet for their respective cause and where men had lain one on top of the other dead or dying.  But, those men were fighting in the army of their side because they believed in something and were ready to die for it.  There will always be conflict and a difference of opinions and beliefs in the world but now war takes on a whole new realm of destruction.  One man or leader can push a button and cause a world of damage in an instant, not only destroying armies but civilians alike and call it a victory . . . 

(to view the photos and learn more about each campaign and the battlefields we visited please see our gallery here)

I am a true believer that one should take google reviews with a grain of salt.  I believe in having your own opinion, thinking for yourself and allowing your experiences to be the judge of your environment or situation, not immediately allowing the opinions of others guide you.  Your needs, wants and desires, likes and dislikes are your own and shouldn't be influenced by whether or not something, someone or someplace has 2 or 5 stars on Google Review.  We have experienced this both ways, a 2 star review turned out to be fantastic and a 5 star rating was a disaster.  However, you do run the risk of being wrong and making a poor choice and saying quietly to yourself "I should have listened to the Google Reviews".  So begins my story . . . 

In the States along many of the major routes there is a chain of service stations called "Love's Travel Stops".  Love's Travel Stops are truly amazing and have everything in one place for the traveler.  You can fuel up your vehicle, top up your propane bottles, check your tire pressures, grab a bite to eat, and . . . dump your sewage tanks on your RV.  They even have truck lanes where we can pull through and fill both of our fuel tanks in half the time it takes to fill one in the regular car lanes.  We love Love's!

We had been boondocking during our stay at the Mane Gait Equestrian Centre, which means no hookups, which means that our black and grey water tanks were getting full.  We don't like to travel far with our tanks full due to some horror stories of peoples' tanks falling right off their rigs because of the rough US highways and added weight sloshing around in the tanks.  This was one opinion that we were not prepared to challenge and experience for ourselves.  We found that there was a Love's a short way down the road in the direction that we were headed.  With a quick glance at the reviews we saw this particular dump site had 1 star and the title was "Terrible Dump Site".  It went on to say "this should be a last resort for dumping. . .  weird configuration of pipe made it a chore. The hook up is higher than usual and hard to get gravity to work in your favor. . .  I’ll avoid this if possible in the future."  Meh, one man's opinion . . . just lift your hose, don't be a whiner, I thought.  We decided that despite the review the site was easily accessible off the highway and on our route.  

What the author of the review failed to mention is that, because of the way the sani-dump is situated in the parking lot, bigger rigs, such as ours, would have to stop a fair distance from the dump site in order not to block any vehicles that were parked on either side of the dump.  I noticed right away that the review was accurate in that there was quite a jump up at the end of the line to the sewer pipe.  I was still not too concerned because I had a solid connection for that end that would slip right into the pipe.  It would mean being a little more hands on as I would have to lift the pipe and "walk" its contents down to the outlet, that's why they make gloves for this, right?  However, because of the distance to the pipe, I had to use two sewer hoses joined together.  That's why they make the sewer hoses to join together, right?

I set up the hoses and Julie went to find someone to help us with propane which, conveniently enough, was right next to the sani-dump.  I pulled the black tank valve and the contents of the tank began to flow out and into the hose.  The author of the review was correct in saying that gravity is not in your favor in this situation and the gunk made it as far as the curb and stopped, backing up inside the hose.  No big deal, I thought, time to just walk it down.  If anyone has ever tried to walk sludge down a sewer hose you will know that it is a tricky procedure.  You don't want to go too fast as it doesn't give it time to flow down and it will go backwards back into the tank and you don't want to go too slow because your hose is an accordion and will stretch longer and longer the more you hold the weight up.  There's an optimum speed to "walk sludge" depending on the amount of incline you are trying to overcome.

The first round of emptying the hose went well.  Speed was good and I was able to empty the hose without much trouble.  I laid it back down and allowed it to fill a second time.  This is when all hell broke loose and the shit show began.  What I didn't realize is that during the first "walking of the sludge" the joint between the two hoses had started to wiggle loose.  As I picked up the first hose and walked the length of it everything was good.  As the weight of the sludge hit the joint between hoses and the fact that I was now lifting one end of it, the two hoses suddenly parted ways!  What happened next was straight out of the Robin Williams movie "RV".  Stinky sewage sludge went everywhere.  Gravity was now working perfectly fine and given that the pavement was lower than the tank outlet on the RV it was flowing very well.  When the hoses came apart it created a whipping effect which sent a spattering of poop into the air which then came down and landed squarely on my left boob.  In my haste to try and catch the free end I filled my right running shoe with poopy sludge water.  Now, those who know me know that I don't do well with nasty smells or being covered in bodily fluids.  I began to gag . . . and also those who know me know that I have a weak bladder and sneezing and gagging can cause issue if I haven't been to the loo for a bit.  All of this had culminated to a drastic situation which I had little control over.  I was covered in poop, the parking lot had a good amount of gross, sludgy water oozing from under the trailer, Julie was no where to be found, and I had peed a little.  I managed to rejoin the two hoses before the tank fully voided itself and then stood there, ruminating over what had just happened and the words of the review played over and over in my mind "terrible dump site, terrible dump site".  That's when Julie came around the corner.  Probably the first thing to hit her was the smell.  Then she was met with my anger and my rant about how stupid it was to build a dump station this way and how everything was going wrong, etc.  She advised me, as she often does (and rightly so) "you need to calm down".  I looked at her and said "I can't calm down!  I'm covered in shit!!"... "Yes, you are" she quietly replied.

Muttering angrily over and over, I managed to finish draining the tank without further problems (although the damage had been done), I tried my best to wash down the pavement in the general direction of the curb (at least it served to dilute the spillage a little), I went into the trailer and cleaned up and changed my clothes and put my running shoes in a plastic bag, tightly tied and stored underneath in cargo.  I climbed back into the truck where Julie was patiently waiting with the dogs, muttered a bit more about how stupid of a set-up that was and we pulled away, leaving a reminder behind of our 1 star dump site.  When we arrived at our next stop the host came to meet us.  I realized that my choice of clothing was not the greatest (I think I had grabbed the only things accessible, which was my pajamas, which in all fairness are just a t-shirt and shorts but, regardless, not the type I would choose to wear in public).  I told him I don't usually dress like this, but its a long story . . . "

Moral of the story is that you should always ensure your joints are tight and its ok to believe the reviews if the result of not doing so could lead to a literal shit-show!

After crossing the border we continued south to Saratoga Springs, NY for an overnight stay at Adirondak Adventure, a Boondockers Welcome site.  Boondockers Welcome is a branch of Harvest Hosts, an online service that offers free stays at private locations.  Typically it is RV’ers who have extra space available and open it up for fellow RV’ers to rest and overnight for a night or two.  Their counterpart, Harvest Hosts are private businesses, such as vineyards or golf courses, that offer the same but suggest a small monetary contribution by purchasing something offered onsite.  The Adirondak Adventure was described as a quiet, private open field, which is exactly what it was.  It was very serene and a good way to break ourselves into our US adventure. 

After our first night we continued south, into Pennsylvania and our first US Hipcamp experience.  Hipcamp is another online service to connect campers with private campsites offered by individuals.  Unlike Boondockers Welcome, Hipcamp is not free and generally offers more established facilities for camping, such as hookups, etc.  We had experienced a couple of Hipcamps on our trip across Canada and were quite impressed with the sites that we visited.  When we arrived at our destination in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania we turned onto a very narrow, overgrown laneway.  Right off the main road we came to a small concrete bridge.  It reminded me of the bridge in the nursery rhyme “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” in which there was a troll living under a small bridge and the billy goats had to outwit it to get across without meeting their demise.  I was pretty certain there had to be a troll living under this bridge.  Julie called the hosts and asked them about the integrity of the bridge and whether we should cross.  They assured us that there had been many large trucks that had crossed it and it is still intact so we soldiered on.  Fortunately the bridge did hold us and we crept our way along the narrow laneway and into our site.  The host met us and was quite impressed that we made it in, given our size.  When we booked, I had warned him that we were not a small rig and he said “well, you are definitely the largest rig to have come in here.  Do you mind if I take a picture?”

We spent a night in Pennsylvania and then carried on south to Virginia.  Here we stayed at another Hipcamp quite aptly called “The Mane Gait”.  It is a beautiful equestrian center situated on 140 acres in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Natural Bridge, Virginia.  There were walking paths where Reba could run off leash and our morning coffee time was spent watching the horses being schooled under various different disciplines.  As well, there are many caverns in the area and we went and explored one of them.  We took a guided tour down into the depths of the cavern and then went on to hike to Natural Bridge and Lace Falls. 

Our time spent at The Mane Gait and the area was peaceful and relaxing.  We decided that we quite liked Virginia.