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Old 08-14-2005, 05:26 PM   #1
Montana_4383
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Omaha
Posts: 17
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In Pursuit of a Dream

Gary and I have embarked on an “educational journey” of RVing. Our dream will not become a reality for at least two years (or three since reading the forum I think it will take us that long to prepare!) in the past month; however we have narrowed the “home” search to a Monty. Our preference for the 3685 was the excellent floor plans and dual entrance/exits. Gary is still researching the appropriate vehicle to tow the Monty and is closing in on a Dooley configuration with Diesel power. We have enjoyed reading the forum since we joined earlier today and many questions were answered and many more have cropped up about every aspect of this pursuit of a dream. Do most full timers establish a membership in an RV club? We don’t want to give up spontaneity, but also don’t want to be boondockers. We look forward to making many friends in many locations through this most excellent forum.
Safe Journeys
 
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Old 08-14-2005, 05:47 PM   #2
Parrothead
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Location: Fallon
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Gary and Maggie
Welcome and keep reading. I think a lot of your questions will be answered. There are many solutions to the same question - a lot of it personal taste and revenue. Trucks are one thing that is a very personal choice and everyone thinks their's is best! You don't have to belong to an RV club but doing so doesn't not limit your spontaneity. There are thousands of good Campgrounds both private and public as well as state parks and National Parks. Membership in a "club" like Good Sam gives you discounts, info, a monthly magazine, etc. But so does some of the other clubs. Keep reading and ask questions. We are glad you choose Montana! You won't be sorry.
Happy trails.......................
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Old 08-14-2005, 06:09 PM   #3
Northstar
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Welcome and I like your choice of floor plans.
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Old 08-14-2005, 08:23 PM   #4
Fordzilla
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We have been very happy with our 2004 3685. We love the front living room because most of the scenery at the campgrounds we stay at is in front of the trailer and we end up backed up into or under some trees. We like to sit up in the living room area and it is usually higher than the campers parked next to us so, you can see for a long ways both directions. We have had no problems pulling it with our single wheel F350 diesel. I don't think one could go wrong with any of the newer diesel pick-ups as a tow vehicle. Test drive them all and choose what makes you happy and will keep you safe and secure.
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Old 08-15-2005, 04:43 AM   #5
Sunshine
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Location: La Pine
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Welcome. You'll find this is the right place to get those questions answered.
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Old 08-15-2005, 03:06 PM   #6
sreigle
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Oceanside
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Welcome aboard, Gary and Maggie! The 3685FL is a beautiful model, a very good choice. In my opinion, ANY of the Big Three's diesels will do you just fine. For point of reference, we do not have a 3685 but our 3295RK scaled (CAT scale back in May) at 20 pounds more than the GVWR for the 3685FL and we tow it with a diesel with no problem.

As for fulltimers joining 'clubs'. Some join campground membership groups that have dedicated campgrounds at which you can get a discount. Others, like us, join Good Sam, Passport America, Escapees, and maybe some others to get the discounts but those discounts are not really campground clubs. They're discounts at regular campgrounds that signed up to give the discounts in order to get the business. So we just look in their directories for rv parks that give discounts to members. Those are our first choice in rv parks. But, if none are in the area we want then we go to another rv park and pay the regular price. The Trailer Life directory shows not only parks that give discounts to Good Sam members but many, many other rv parks. Likewise for Woodall's Campground Directory.

We sold our stick home and pulled up stakes. We then became South Dakota residents (really easy to do) because in SD there is no state income tax, no property tax on vehicles, just a 3% excise tax on trade difference when you trade vehicles or rv's, and the 4th lowest insurance rates in the nation. We use Alternative Resources in Sioux Falls, SD, as our legal address and have them forward our mail weekly to where we tell them to send it. There's a similar service in Emery, SD, but I cannot remember its name. Also, Escapees in Texas provides mail service and you can become a Texas resident. Likewise for American Homebase (I think that's correct) in Pensacola, FL. Or you can just maintain your current residence and have any of those handle mail for you. There are other options I'm sure others will list for you.

Don't hesitate to ask questions. That's how the rest of us figured it out, too!

I hit the Submit button too soon. We sometimes make plans well in advance when we want to go somewhere that's very popular and will require reservations early to get a choice of RV Parks. We just spent a month in Hungry Horse, MT, next to Glacier National Park. That we booked a few months ago. Today we arrived in Island Park, ID, next to Yellowstone. That we booked awhile back, also. We also will attend the rally in Minden, NV, (near Reno/Tahoe/Carson City) in early October. But we have three weeks between here and there and have not yet decided where we will go. Some places you really need advance reservations. Many others you do not and can just decide today where you want to go tomorrow or next week or next month.

Fulltiming is something you will learn to adjust to fit your personal desires and needs. It will be what you make it. So just start out and adapt as you find out what you like and don't. Most of all, have fun! Next Sunday marks 29 months of fulltiming for us....and we're just getting started. If you want to get an idea of some places to visit, click on "Our RV Travels" in my signature block below.
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Old 08-19-2005, 03:40 PM   #7
jpkelpe
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just sent you an e-mail.
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