Alliance RV Vegas Rally 2024

Hi everyone, over the past week Tessie and I headed to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend our first RV rally, The Alliance Vegas Ally Rally 2024 and it was in a word amazing. I found out about the rally in the first part of 2024 after we returned from our annual trip to Quartzsite for the Big Tent and Q Rally. At first, I was not sure if rally life would suit us, since Tessie and I are such spur of the moment travelers but decided to find out more information about it and ultimately during information gathering process it threw our names in the hat, and we were invited to attend. So, the prep started with getting the rig in “Rally” mode which I don’t even know if that is a thing, but I there we were getting everything ready for this new adventure. So, we decided to get there the day before all the events happened since we were not traveling that far, so we headed out Tuesday morning the day of the official kickoff. We drove from San Diego where we Cabin Host at Santee Lakes Regional Campground and headed east to Las Vegas. The trip, like 99% of our trips, was pretty uneventful thankfully, we drove stopped halfway to enjoy brunch at arguably our favorite diner Peggy Sue’s Diner just outside of Barstow, California off highway 15. Anytime we are heading east on Highway 15 Peggy Sue’s will always get our business, it’s also great that they are now a Harvest Host stop for rver’s. After brunch we continued heading to our Vegas destination with a stop just outside of Baker, California at one of the newly renovated rest areas. After our 6-hour journey we pulled into Oasis RV Resort, truth be told we have passed this resort probably 20 times on our too or through Las Vegas and never knew this place was there, not that we hadn’t heard about it from fellow rver’s in YT videos, but we had no idea where it was located until, but we do now. After checking in and getting parked, we got the rv all set up headed over to the main meeting hall where all the events would be happening, we walked in and saw a friendly face which is always a great thing, and from that point on the adventure and fun began. During this first evening, we had the pleasure to finally meet Ryan Brady, and Bill Martin, Bill you are definitely a positive light sir, your passion and commitment to Alliance RV and us the owners is matched, so glad you are on our side. Also, during this time got a chance to meet April Clark, and Rob Boyer who literally kept the show going and were the go-to crew throughout the week. These two were always literally everywhere, I have no idea how they did it all, but they definitely had a great crew of helpers with them. Thank you, April and Rob, for all the hard work, it all turned out amazing from my purview. During the next 3 days there were so many activities and seminars, also the shear amount of work the Alliance Service crew took on was monumental. We saw everything from wall trim repairs to axle replacements. The true professionalism on display by the Alliance Service team was something to behold. As someone with a background in service and customer care, I truly appreciated seeing the service team in action. Besides the Alliance crew we were able to put names to faces that we see on the many Alliance Facebook groups. I want to thank Bob & Lorraine Mitchell, John & Kim Tyer, Mark & Angie Wilkerson, Tom & Robin Ross, and Jason & Kimberly Anderson for your hospitality and FamAllyShip, meeting and hanging out with all of you was fantastic, we definitely look forward to meeting up with you all at some point on our journey and travel’s I have to say that this was a fantastic week and we will definitely attend another Alliance RV rally, hopefully we can make it to the National Rally in Indiana who knows.

Joshua Tree National Park

One of the things that we enjoy is visiting our countries National Parks and Monuments. We recently visited Joshua Tree NP which has been on our [list of living] places for a very long time. It’s kind of funny, we are from California, San Diego specifically, but we have not visited this NP in the past, hell we haven’t visiting many places in California, but ask us about Arizona, Utah, Oregon or any of the other Western states and we can talk for hours. We plan to visit many more amazing places in California over the coming year as we get around the state we have lived in most of our lives lol. One of the highlights of the trip was taking a driving tour from Cottonwood Campgound to the main visitor center on the other side of the park which was a 42 mile drive. Along that drive there are Exhibit Points that explain the history, flora and fauna of the NP. On this drive you can see part of the sheer magnitude of this beautiful park and also the diversity of the landscape which really has to be seen to be appreciated. This area has a deep and rich cultural history to it that is not readily known. If you’re in the area for any period of time I would say check out Joshua Tree National Park, it just may surprise you!

RV Build Quality, is it or isn't it a bigger deal than we think.

A little different perspective on the quality debate that seems to have infected the rv world over the last few years. I personally look at things from a different lens being that I have a background in Submarine Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Quality Assurance, where proper manufacturing and assembly are paramount to the success of ships operation and mission, while protecting the humans that live and work on board. Do i believe that a higher standard needs to be had in the rv industry absolutely, but i also believe that after taking 14 rv manufacturing factory tours, that they are putting in the effort (even though most end users don't think so) to ensure a quality product is put out. Recently a former fulltime RV couple who i have followed for over 10 yrs, the Wynns, who have gone from RV's to Sail Boat's just purchased a $1.6 million dollar custom boat, and in this vlog they speak of the quality issues that they are going through as they continue their cruising around the world. Trust me i'm not trying to call anyone person or company out, i just hope to expand some thinking on the subject when the proverbial "issue(s)" comes up in your rig possibly.

https://youtu.be/bDaCN0OxUBM?si=aPo0o6GTjtY_IKi8

Q24 RV Rally and Meetup

Welcome to the crazy

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January 19th to the 29th will be the annual meetup of content creators. This meet up started in 2020 right before covid as a very informal gathering of creators who invited friends along for the festivities. That first meetup and subsequent meetups that have followed have been nothing short of amazing, and this years version should be nothing less than amazing as well.

This year has taken on a little more organization with the amazing work of Greg and Penny Cameron who just happen to live in Q, so they have step into the dare i say logistical position, but really i have no idea how we were blessed that they chose this group, because we would be completely lost without their guidance and can do spirit for all things gathering.

This year will have a few organized events i.e. River Paddling, Side by Side trail riding, Cooking class’s, Electronic Power Bank building class’s and a few more items, that will go with the always desired potlucks and the very enthusiastic evening campfires.

If you have not made it to Quartzsite to attend one of our events, you are missing out on a great opportunity to meet new friends, who will become family, and to experience the many sides of the nomadic community.

This year we will have every type of livable vehicle represented so it should be a great time. Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new. Hope to see you there.

Traveling to Texas

We left southern California, Santee Lakes Regional Reserve where we cabin host heading to Irwing, Texas today. Travel days for us are what its about, we love the journey hence or name Living Our Journey 365. For this trip we are taking a lazy 8 days to get there. Along the way we will have various stops at campgrounds, rv parks, fairgrounds, state parks, national parks and harvest hosts with a little bit of boondocking thrown in as well. To say we like a variety of places to stay is an understatement, we are not glampers by any stretch of the imagination we don’t gravel, dirt, or grass actually we prefer it most of the time. Over the next couple of weeks i will be posting some of the stay’s we have so i can give you guys an idea of what’s out there when you start your journey, hopefully you will follow along with us.

First stop on the Spring Fling Tour : Sonoran Desert RV Park

The Sonoran Desert RV Park over the past few years has become one of our favorite stops weather we are going out or come in to California. When we are passing through Arizona on our way to other parts of the country or coming back to California from our travels one of our favorite places to stop is Sonoran Desert RV Park. This is our first stop, it gives me a chance to check the rig before we head to parts unknown. This park is located in Gila Bend, Arizona. It has all the amenities that you could want. Its also located very conveniently off HWY 8 and Interstate 10. So if you are driving through Gila Bend and need a nice park to hand out for a few days this is a great stop over.

The next few post will be of the stops that we made on our way to South Dakota where we will officially become South Dakota residence.

Something Has Changed!

Five years ago, we embarked on this Journey. We decided at that time to move into our 4-month-old still new smelling Forest River Sabre 5th wheel. Our Sabre was perfect for what we were doing at the time. We were camping almost every weekend and even taking extended trips in comfort and style. Since we were so new to lifestyle, we decided to continue our travels with Little Mama (our Sabre) until we decided to upgrade at a much later date. Well, we took that and ran well drove with it, over the next 5 years we traveled well over 25K miles through California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Idaho, and Wyoming. We visited 6 National Parks and over 10 National Monuments. We visited family and friends and some amazing sites in-between it all, but as things begin, they also come to an end. We always discuss upgrading when we see a new 5th wheel we like, and with me being a You tube junkie who watches as many vlogs as possible, and comparison vlogs with the new rigs that are hitting the market every year, it, was inevitable that we would come across something that put that want and desire into hyper mode. Well for us it started with the introduction of the Keystone Arcadia. We watched as many reviews as we could and did as much research into that rig as I could. We were convinced that would be our next rig, but first we needed to walk into one. While searching for a dealer to do a walkthrough of the Arcadia we came across a new 5th wheel the Alliance Avenue. As we looked into the Avenue it appeared at first glance that it met all the points that we were looking for in a new rig. We really thought that we would have to settle because all we heard is that you will never find one that meets all your wants. Well the Alliance Avenue on paper met all of our wants, needs and desires, so now we had two rv’s that we needed walk-through and now compare. So, anyway I finally found a dealer that had the Keystone Arcadia on the lot so we decided to go check it out. So, we drove an hour and a half to the dealer, met up with the salesperson I had corresponded with and started walking out to see the Arcadia. During that short walk, the salesman asked if we were looking at any other 5th wheels so i told him yes, we had two others that we were interested in the Rockwood 2899KS , and the Alliance Avenue 32RLS, to our surprise he said well, we have all three on the lot. This was like a dream come true, when have you been able to see, besides a show, three rv’s from different manufacturers on the same lot right next to each other. So, we get to the Arcadia first and after much interest we walked in and was immediately let down, it just didn’t feel right for one, but as we walked through it, it just didn’t seem comfortable at all especially since this i was going to be our fulltime home. We walked out of the Arcadia very disappointed, we really thought that would be the one. So, from there we walked to the Alliance Avenue and from first glance it just felt different, every aspect from the outside was on point, i just felt put together well so from disappointment of the Arcadia we had really high hopes for the Avenue especially since we already felt on paper it was a good fit for us. Well, the salesman opened the door and from outside looking in, it just felt different, I walked in and felt like I had been there before. This rig really felt more like a home than an rv. So the more i walked and looked and explored the more i fell in love with the Alliance. It truly met all of my wants and needs. The home feel was a bonus, but the fit and finish was the deal sealer. It looked good, felt good and made us feel like we were at home, we had found our new home on wheels. Yes, we did look at the Rockwood, but it felt a lot like the Arcadia, it was different, but it felt like a rv unlike the Alliance. So, as you can tell I’m sure by now we did purchase the Alliance Avenue 32RLS and couldn’t be happier. We picked Big Momma up on the 4th of March 2022 and I have been getting her ready for our first long run at the end of May through June as we head north to Montana and Glacier National Park. We couldn’t be happier with our Alliance; I would buy this rig repeatedly again. It is truly a home on wheels, we will soon find out how she travels, and i expect she will perform as advertised. Stay tuned for more about the upgrades and add on’s as we prepare for her maiden voyage.

Keystone Arcadia 3250RL

Rockwood 2899KS

Alliance Avenue 32RLS

Another beautiful Q24 sunset, this time after the rain. Desert sunsets absolutely never get old, and the vibe out here is life giving. . . . . #livingourjourney365 #nomadicroadtravels #homeonwheels #rvlifestyle #nomads #modernrv #rvtoday #fulltimervl
Just feelin it, y'all be good out there
My peep's the best is yet to come! So pull up your big boy boxers or your big girl panties and handle whatever it is, im sure it's going to be epic!
The struggle is epically real!

Inspections: Why do you need one and who should you go to.

The only way to mitigate some of the major issues is to get ANY rv new or used your considering buying professionally inspected not by the dealer PDI inspections, but by a Certified inspector by NRVIA.com. That inspector will find all those small things that you never will and then put repairs back on the seller before you purchase it. That inspection gets you over the first year or more hurdle. We have to start holding the dealers responsible for the rvs they are selling. The issues we are seeing as a buyer come from delivery and the dealer 70-80% of the time. We as a consumer have to get smarter at this, and this is one of the first most important steps.

A wonderful stop at Hanger 25

HarvestHost

As we go from destination to destination one of the the reoccurring things is to find safe and interesting places to stay, and Hanger 25 fit that to a T.

If your sitting there reading this and wondering what the hell is Harvest Host and what does it have to do with Hanger 25, well let me explain. First off Harvest Host is an amazing program that utilizes local business i.e. Farms, Wineries, Museums, Golf courses and other business in a given area. These business have teamed up with Harvest Host to provide safe places for travels to stop for the night and rest, but also allows the businesses to be supported as well by the travelers. It is such an amazing program for the cost it really can’t be beat. If you are interested please click on the link and join, with my link you will save 20% 0n your initial membership with Harvest Host.

So now that you know what Harvest Host is let me get you caught up on Hanger 25 a wonderful Harvest Host stop.

Hanger 25 which is located in the city of Big Springs, Texas. Hangar 25 Air Museum is housed in a fully restored WWII era hangar. The mission of Hangar 25 Air Museum is to promote education through the collection, preservation and exhibition of the history of the Big Spring Army Air Force Bombardier School and Webb Air Force Base while honoring all veterans, past and present.

How did we end up here, well it was pretty simple, a couple of years ago i was watching a YouTube vlog of couple of full-timers who were traveling through Texas and needed an overnight stop, so they looked for a Harvest Host and Hanger 25 was that stop for the night. They did a great vlog on the site and from that point on it had been on my radar. So fast forward to this winter as we were traveling to see our son who moved to Dallas , Texas, the route that we were taking from New Mexico to Dallas had us going right through Big Springs, Texas, and of course I made the decision to take our rest day at Hanger 25 and i’m really glad I did. For someone that is a fan of all things military and especially all things military that fly this just seemed like the perfect place for us to explore, and explore. They have some pretty amazing artifacts from the second world war and also some really cool training and experimental aircrafts which over the span of my life in one form or another I studied and was a fan boy of. From the museum had bombers, fighters and planes that accomplished reconnaissance for the United States to get the job done. One of the coolest parts of this base where the museum sits is that the base was used as the main training base for the bomber crew that dropped the bomb on Japan during WWII so there is some great history in this are. So if your traveling through the northern part of Texas and need a stop for the night, i would highly suggest a stop at this Harvest Host. Hanger 25 is pretty cool. As for RV parking there is enough parking for a few dozen RV’s onsite so that is never an issue. They do have water and there is power as well if you require electrical for the night. If you stop here make time to tour the museum you won’t regret it.

Bryce canyon National Park

When we left the last post we were heading out of the Las Vegas, Nevada area where we spent some quality time with family, visited 7 Magic Mountain's in the desert, boondocked at Red Rocks Canyon and drove the 13 mile loop around the Red Rocks Conservation Authority. From there we moved the rig over to Nellis Air Force Base for a few days at the Desert Eagle FamCamp which is one of our favorite places to hangout when we visit Vegas. After seeing of the Vegas Strip sites and relaxing for a day we headed out on the road to Utah to our next destination Bryce Canyon. The drive to Bryce from Las Vegas is only 4 hrs but we took an extra day to visit Salt Lake City in route. We stayed at SLC KOA which was pretty nice, but a bit pricey, but what can you expect for a decent campground in the middle of large city. Once setup we headed out to get some food, then drove around and saw some sites of the city. I might post those in a separate post. The next day we got up drove the rest of the way to Bryce Canyon Pines Campground. We got to the campground late in the afternoon a few hours before sunset, so we set up the rig, changed cloths and headed out the park for sunset. We got there about an hour before sunset, the campground is only 12 minutes away. We headed into the part to Inspiration Point where we were told the sunsets were pretty awesome and it was. We also got to see some wild life on the way which was pretty cool. I got some pretty good low light shots. One of these days i will invest in some filters, but overall i think the pictures turned out pretty well as you can see. That pretty much completed our arrival day. All of the pictures in this post were taken at or near Inspiration Point. I hope you enjoy these pictures, there will be follow up post so stay tuned for that.

Do I Regret Jumping into Full-time RV Life?

One of the most often asked questions concerning full-time RV life is, Do you have any regret’s? Before i answer this question a fellow RV sent out an email question asking this very thing. Below is their answer, and below their answer is mine.

Jessica Meinhofer from “Explore the Local Life” said,

“As you know, I've been RV living with my family since October 2015. It's been quite a ride.
We have gone through jobs, engines, tires, fuel, honey wagons, driveshafts, awnings, camp chairs, etc.
We have gained friends, jobs, experiences, time together, and personal growth.
So, after all is said and done, do I regret this RV life that we have created?
Well, there isn't really an easy answer.
I am not one to really regret my choices, but there are definitely some days where I wonder what we are doing. 
There are other days when I can't imagine living a traditional life. 
One thing is for sure, it is not at all what I thought it would be.
It's not easier
It's not cheap
But we weren't really going for cheaper...we were trying to simplify our lives. In one way we did, we made it easy to be together, but in so many other ways we made it harder. 
I think the hardest thing right now is Robert's commute. It's a very long way for him to get to us each week. It's tiring and we all miss him. 
I'm ready for winter to leave Colorado, or at least for it to be closer to April. lol Then we can head back and be together again.
So...while I don't regret it, I certainly have hard days. Here's the thing though, I had hard days in a house too. It's life. Some days are harder than others, but they are mine and I am grateful for all of them.
How about you? Do you have hard days? Regrets?”

My response back was: This question really made me sit an think about where i am now opposed to where i was then. Simply for me, are there hard days? of course! Think about it, we live on four wheels, in boxes that technically were not meant to house humans full-time, so based on those two things alone we have to expect some hard days just in the living situation alone. As for life while living in an RV for me it really is not much different than living in a S&B home. We still have the same stress factors, we still have bills to pay just in different forms and we still have a life to live which really is the same. We just get to live it in different places and locals if we choose. So do i have true regrets about the lifestyle absolutely not. I love the freedom to roam if i choose, and i love the community which is still growing around us the more we travel. The one thing i have to keep in mind is that i chose this life, it didn't choose me, so with that knowledge and understanding when i wake up each day wherever i am it is because i put myself in that place or that situation. It would have really been easy to stay in a S&B and live that grind day in and day out, but that grind is what made this awakening to the unknown possible. I had to just embrace it and go with it and so far so good. I really can't see myself doing anything else and having this much fun. I hope that answers your question

So what do you think?