Greetings from Denton, Texas….somewhere we never expected to find ourselves for an extended period of time – but here we are. So, where the heck is Denton, Texas, and why did you land there? Well, Denton is located just north of Dallas, TX, and it’s were Kristy and I both went to college, and it’s as good of place as any to park for a while, especially since we have friends here and family is close by.
This wasn’t OUR plan though. We had fought hard to roam free, to be in the mountains, to experience a new location every week or two, but that isn’t in the cards just yet. We aren’t ditching the RV life just yet, but one would wonder why when you hear what has gone down the past few months.
It all started with our trip to Colorado this past summer after we sold our previous company, Bearded Brothers (we are now in the midst of starting up a CBD oil company, Hemp Daddy’s Therapeutics). The trip was filled with problems: two tire blowouts, buying a new set of tires because the factory tires were cheap, and then dealing with stripped lug studs when changing out the tires. This was a costly, unexpected repair…it would have cost less had Good Sam not dropped our roadside assistance plan for, “frequent usage.”
Fast forward a couple months later, our RV toilet had been partially broke for some time, we delayed getting it fixed since it was still functional and we wanted to save the money, but one night we forgot to close the flusher pedal completely, and water poured out in the insulated portion of the RV underbelly, ALL NIGHT LONG.
Not that big of a deal right, insurance should take care of it..well here is where things got crazy. Our insurance lapsed the day before because they couldn’t charge our bank card…you see we had changed banks the month prior. The infuriating part of this was the notice about discontinuing our policy went to spam in my old work email account, which I didn’t even have access to. So we had no idea this was an issue.
So, despite not having insurance to cover the damages we put the RV into the shop – to the tune of $3,500, which also included some brake work from damaged brakes during the Colorado trip…..but the brake work was where things got even worse!!!!
After being without the RV for nearly a full week (staying with family) we picked up the RV. Happy to have our home back we were heading back to the RV park where we had been staying…and two miles down the road the wheels literally flew off the RV. We lost both wheels on the driver side of the rig, because the tech had put the wrong lug-nuts onto the hubs, and probably didn’t torque them properly either.
So, there we were, stranded on the side of the road….and then my phone rings. It was the RV tech calling to tell me he forgot to put a part onto the toilet and wanted me to circle back…but I had to tell them that was impossible and he needed to drive down the road to meet me immediately.
Thankfully the RV shop accepted full responsibility for the incident and put us up in a hotel while they got things fixed. It was a huge inconvenience, and completely nerve rattling. It started to make us question the whole RV life, but we stayed as positive as we could and kept plugging along with our plan to visit family for the holiday and then head out west after Christmas.
After a visit to my parents for Christmas we had one more stop before we went out west to the mountains, we had to stop by the RV shop again to get new axels. Since the RV had drug without tires for about 50 yards I had no idea if the axels were damaged, so insisted they put new ones on since we would be traveling the country, and wanted to ensure my family stayed safe.
The night we picked up the RV, we sat in the RV park wondering if we should head west. The past several months had brought nothing but problems, our savings was being drained because of all the issues, and we were feeling defeated. So, we took some time to pray, and asked God to make it clear to us if we should head out to the mountains…that very night at 11pm our daughter began crying out….she was sick!!! Our prayer was answered, even though it wasn’t the answer we wanted to hear.
So, we decided it was time to take a break from moving the RV, at least until we got our emergency fund built back up. There is no use being mobile, where the chances of problems are more likely, especially when we are focused on building up a new business. Being mobile also took away from time I could be investing in the business because of moving days.
So, here we are in Denton, Texas. We are here through the end of January for sure, possibly longer. We are at peace with staying still for a while so we can dream about the next big thing, focus on Hemp Daddy’s, and build our emergency fund back up.
Our goal is to be able to go wheels down by the time the Summer heat hits….we know without a doubt we don’t want to be in Texas when the heat hits. Even if we haven’t hit 100% of our financial goal, we might still move the rig to Colorado, we just won’t be changing locations on a regular basis.
5 Comments
Rene & Jim
January 18, 2019 at 6:30 pmThe Universe was sending you signs, and ultimately you paid attention. GREAT JOB! You very likely saved yourself from a worse event. Yeah it sucks all the crap that happened, but you all made it through, stronger and wiser than ever. These incidents only serve to make you better adventurers in the long run.
As awesome as it is to roam and see lots of places during a short period of time, it really does disrupt business routines. Last summer when we went to Alaska, we figured out why the vast majority of RVers who make that journey are either retired or unemployed. Our entire life and business was turned upside down. We managed to make things work because we’ve been at this for for over 10 years and we have satellite internet, but our productivity and earnings were nowhere near the usual amount during that time of year. In 2019, we’re not traveling as much to make up for it.
Jim and I get tons more work and progress done when we stay put for a while. That’s one reason why we like being stationary during the height of winter. Not only does it suck to travel in winter weather, but when we stay put we can feel good about what we accomplish, so that once good weather returns, we can roam without worry that we’re behind on things. You will get there to if it’s in your hearts. Stay strong!
Mindy
March 14, 2019 at 12:02 amI’m new to your website but I just wanted to say I’m so sorry you’ve had so many set backs lately and also to say welcome to the area. My hubbie and I live in North Fort Worth about 20 minutes from Denton We are not currently RVing but have a goal to get our home sold and into one within the next year! We are excited and a little nervous. May I ask what RV park in Denton y’all are staying at? We are thinking of moving into the RV while we sell our home and are looking for park recommendations in the area. Sending prayers that you’re able to get back on the road with everything fixed and everyone healthy!
freedomintow
March 26, 2019 at 10:09 pmWe are at the KOA in Sanger. There is another one in Sanger called Wagonmaster. It’s nicer, but looks like it’s always full.
Morgan
March 26, 2019 at 3:41 pmMy husband’s family lives in Denton. It is a cute little place. But I get it – not really my cup of tea either! Sounds like you are doing the right thing for your family right now. Safe travels!
freedomintow
March 26, 2019 at 10:08 pmDenton isn’t that bad. I lived here for 30+ years…just over it! We are heading to Colorado in May though. So, excited about that.