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Forum
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RE: Alaska cruise 2012 info.
We did a 14 day cruise in 2011 in late June and early July. We did the inside and outside passage. What we learned:
Plan your excursions carefully,,the costs will add up and you wont have time to do as many as you might want.
Although we had mostly sunny days, bring a good quality rain jacket and then supplement with under layers if needed.
Cruise ships can get you to the islands, but unless you get off in Fairbanks and do land touring, you miss 50% of what you might want to see.
To see it all, you almost have to do a cruise and then a separate land tour.
If you go to early, the ship wont be able to get all that close to the glaciers due to too much ice in the water, and getting close to hear white lightening and see calving is one of the highlights of the cruise.
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Rick & Cheryl
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12/27/11 09:10pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Good Chinese Buffet in RGV
Try the Grand China Buffet just north of I-83 on Jackson Rd. Dont be discouraged driving into the half empty shopping center either. It has a great selection on the buffet, a sushi bar, plus a Mongolian grill and is very nice on the inside. Its a favorite for many of us in Mercedes.
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Rick & Cheryl
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12/10/11 07:11pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: North Dakota RV in Winter
Definitely bring your own housing. Can it be done, for sure. Will it be easy, no. Will it beat not having a job in Fl, yes.
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Rick & Cheryl
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11/04/11 06:49am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Progreso MX
If you think there is no history of problems in Progresso, you are living in the past.
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Rick & Cheryl
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10/29/11 02:34pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: Progreso MX
We went to Progreso today. We went to the dentist shopped and had lunch. It is still early in the season so it was not crowded. No Military in sight, the town was just like it was a few years ago.
Don
So the drug cartels and other problems have disappeared,,I dont think so.
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Rick & Cheryl
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10/29/11 08:22am |
Snowbirds
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RE: Snowbirding in Texas??
Not TX,,I'd suggest either Las Vegas or New York City for the poster.
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Rick & Cheryl
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10/28/11 04:19pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: going south
I would advise you to look for a part with a mixture of fixed units and rv's both. That combination seems to attract ages from 60+ to 85+. Bigger parks also seem to have a larger variety of activities and its easier to find birds of the same feather.
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Rick & Cheryl
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10/19/11 05:01am |
Snowbirds
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RE: RV storage in RGV
Check out Dixie RV Storage in La Feria. Not in Harlingen, but also not far either. Most likely you will need to call to make a decision, but the website does give you basic info.
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Rick & Cheryl
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10/16/11 07:33pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: Camp grounds on 59, 79, & 77 to RGV from Texarkana
You might want to call for a reservation, whichever you choice. As you go south energy workers are filling up a lot of campgrounds.
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Rick & Cheryl
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10/10/11 07:55pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: 62 or 65 for SS?
We decided to take it at 62. Part of our thinking was that the "crossover" point was in the mid 70's (I forget what exact age I figured).
Another part of the decision entails the idea that as we age, we will likely become less active and therefore wont spend as much, or need as much as we do now.
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Rick & Cheryl
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10/10/11 07:53pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: If you knew then, what you know now...
We waited till we paid our house off. Take a look at your payments and determine what % is going to principle reduction. That amount is actually a good way to save for your actual retirement. If you are early in your mortgage, or your house is already paid off, I'd say you can save more in a 5th wheel, but you do sacrifice space and a certain amount of privacy since many rv parks dont have much room between sites.
Just make sure your DH is in full agreement with the decision you actually make. Both of you will need to give up some of your material items just due to lack of storage space.
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Rick & Cheryl
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10/09/11 08:02pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: I'm amazed at the control I have over the elements . .
For all you rainmakers,,you can get rich if you offer your services in TX.
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Rick & Cheryl
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09/29/11 07:52am |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: Non smoker, no pets
In our winter Florida resort there is not one in 365 sites that does not have at least one pet in it, most have more than one. I think it is fair to assume this is true at most places. Truth is the first casualty of a dealer's claim.
While I would agree that some snowbirds have pets, 100% of snowbirds do not have pets. Our experience is closer to 40-50%. To even believe that based on one park, all other snowbird parks have a similar ratio of pet owners is ridiculous. As to smokers, we see many who smoke but do not smoke inside their RV.
When you walk into a for sale rv, and smell anything unusual, you have to find out the source. If you detect no smell at all, likely you can be assured it hasnt been smoked in.
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Rick & Cheryl
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09/29/11 07:50am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Lots of RV Parks in South Texas Overflowing
Most of the parks in the Mission, Harlingen, McAllen triangle are not only snowbird parks, but also 55+, so I dont think overcrowding due to energy workers will be an issue for this season.
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Rick & Cheryl
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09/29/11 07:12am |
Snowbirds
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RE: New American Dream
There will always be "rich" dudes that have the financial strength to buy distressed property and can weather perhaps years of negative cash flow waiting for price to recover, or for "progress" to finally arrive at an outlying location. Ross Perot comes to mind in the Dallas area and I am sure they can be found in every major market area.
When the little guy attempts to do the same thing, usually they are by nature a speculator rather than an investor, and have difficulty waiting out the market. However, if as a homeowner or land investor, your time frame can be stretched beyond the next 4-5 years and perhaps even 10, you have a chance to actually end up with a sound investment.
I think for the future the two biggest fears is for a return to high interest rates, and unfortunatly, for many in the younger generation, high interest would be a 7-8% home mortgage rate, which since 1960 is only about average. For the retired/fixed income segment, it would be inflation and we are already experiencing inflating food and gas prices. The worst scenario would be for both to occur at the same time, and my instinct is that we are poised to experience both in the near future. The Feds keep printing money, and the govt keeps spending it at a record pace, and these two elements lead me to believe that the next 4-5 years will not be a good economic environment.
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Rick & Cheryl
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09/21/11 07:32pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: New snowbirds
The reason that AZ, South TX, and Fl are the 3 most popular snowbird areas revolves around 3 main issues, distance from home, weather and expense. Each area has positives and negatives. Its difficult to "scout out" even two of the main areas in just one year.
My suggestion is to pick one area, then go to rvparkreviews, and find several parks in that general area that look promising, and then go and check them out. Once in a park, ask questions, find out why folks chose that park, and most will share info quite readily. As soon as you decide that a park is not for you, move to the next one.
Once you get some experience, other factors may enter in to your decisions, ie traffic, activities and even though the temps in all 3 main areas are similar, there are actual weather differences, wind for instance, for some its a curse, for others its a blessing because it greatly reduces flying bug issues.
What activities you enjoy may also become an issue as well, ie if you enjoy the beach, AZ wont be for you, but if you enjoy rock hunting, it would.
Last but certainly not least, cost, and for some this will be a major issue. Not only does park rent vary, but also the other costs of living, ie food, entertainment, and etc, even gas just traveling around locally may become an issue.
Last, just enjoy the experience.
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Rick & Cheryl
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09/20/11 09:02pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: New American Dream
I am with Soren. I agree with nearly every aspect of his post. In addition, he has adeptly avoided any politicizing.
I am not sure what is ahead economically for our country, but at this point, I dont see any reason to be leaning toward optimistic and see many more reasons to be pessimistic, not only for the immediate future, but also 4-5 years into the future.
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Rick & Cheryl
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09/20/11 07:32pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Do you remember and...
Bullet
Nelly Belle
Buttermilk
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Rick & Cheryl
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09/20/11 02:09pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: New American Dream
I am not so sure. I think for many it'd be called the new american economy, which is more like a nightmare than a dream.
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Rick & Cheryl
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09/17/11 05:18pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Skin cancer surgery for elderly FIL
We faced a similar decision regarding a pace maker for my MIL. However, in our case the situation was reversed,,ie,,MIL needed the pace maker but didnt want to endure the surgery. And in both cases, it seems that one aspect of the decision that has not been addressed is the current quality of life the patient has before the surgery, and will the new surgery increase, or stabilize the quality of life. Another issue is the risk that is associated with the surgery itself and the likelihood of a successful outcome.
In our case, the surgery went fine and MIL life was extended for another 5 years.
You really need to consider more issues, than just the expense and who is paying for it, and keep in mind, your wife only has one father, and losing a parent is never easy.
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Rick & Cheryl
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09/16/11 05:04pm |
Around the Campfire
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