Now that we have been traveling for over a month now, I thought I would give an update on general life on the MoHo. Most of our posts have been about places we have been and they have been incredible so far, but there is a lot to be said about the lifestyle of traveling on the road and what a change it is from living traditionally in a non-moving home.
Mike & I have our routine pretty set when we leave somewhere (break-down) and arrive at a new place (set-up). We are doing this on average every 3 days, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. I am typically in charge of the inside and he is in charge of the outside. My duties include, but are not limited to, setting up the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom areas and getting the slides out. Mike is in charge of power, water, sewer (grody-jody) and satellite. We both do the hook-up/unhook-up of the toad. We have our set-up down to about 15 mins, but breakdown takes closer to an hour. Not bad as we shaved it down quite a bit from when we first started.
Here are some specifics to fill you in on:
Groceries – At home, we usually loaded up at Costco and stored a lot, then did a grocery store run about once a week. In the MoHo our food storage is definitely limited especially in the fridge/freezer, so we are hitting the grocery store or local “general store” every 3 days usually. We are trying to limit eating out, but since we are moving around so much, it is hard to resist trying out the local joints.
Laundry – We have a combo washer/dryer on the MoHo that we have used once. It works, but the load size is quite small. We have found it to be easier to just use the pay laundry facilities at the RV Parks and get 2-3 loads done at once in their larger capacity washer and dryer. At home, I did laundry every week sometimes more than that, but on the road we have only done it 3 times in 6 weeks. I’m finding we are also generating less laundry not working and wearing things multiple times. It’s just us and we don’t really need to impress each other! J I think when we are back in Seattle, we’ll take out the washer/dryer and replace it with a wine fridge – Mike’s wish comes true.
Dishwasher – We don’t have one. Add a very small kitchen sink into the mix and you get the picture. We do use paper plates occasionally, but still like our “real” plates when we make a more formal dinner. We are just dealing with this one and tackle it together so we stay on top of it. Really no big deal in the grand scheme.
Wi-Fi – Don’t get me started. The service has been soooooo slow. In larger cities (Bend and Salt Lake) it was better, but in the smaller places we have stayed, it has been brutal. I know we are not supposed to be on the computer, but when you need it, you want to be able to do what you need to do and be done with it. Uploading photos and the blog have been the worst, but we are really trying to keep the blog as current as possible. Not to mention we need the internet to research our upcoming destinations and accommodations. This is something we are just going to have to deal with and realize we can’t control. Mike is better at this than me (no patience…)
Mike blogging
Satellite TV – Similar to wi-fi, I know we shouldn’t be obsessed with getting TV, but let’s face it, it’s a creature comfort we both like. At this point, mostly for sports, but I do like my occasional Reality TV fix. We have been forced to deal with DirecTV since the MoHo was already set up with the equipment from the previous owner. There is no sugar coating it, this company is BRUTAL to work with. We are dealing with it the best we can and trying to go with the flow. It’s one of those things that when it’s working, we don’t think about it, but the moment something goes wrong, it is maddening as heck. I lose all patience, so poor Mike is forced to deal with them.
Shower – Our shower on the MoHo is MUCH smaller than what we had at home, but surprisingly it is working out fine. Water pressure and temperature have not been an issue at all. Sometimes we will use the RV Park facilities, but I prefer the MoHo because it has all of my stuff set up and close at hand. Mike could is less particular, so he has used the park facilities more often than I have.
Cleaning – Many of you know that I am a bit of clean/organization freak and the MoHo is no exception. I feel like we finally have everything in its place and organized to my liking with minimal clutter. The storage underneath is Mike’s domain, but he has it pretty well organized. The nice thing is that we have much less space (350 sq ft vs. 2,400 sq ft at our last house) so cleaning doesn’t take nearly as much time. Granted I had cleaners at the house, but I did a lot of tidying myself too. My routine is to clean (take out garbage, wipe down countertops/surfaces, clean toilet, sweep & do mirrors) when we are breaking-down and leaving to the next place. This takes all of 15 mins. Deeper clean like the shower and mopping are less frequent but not too daunting.
Cleaning (part 2) – It is impossible to keep the exterior of the MoHo and Toad (MDX) clean when on the road as much as we are. Bug central! The windshield on the MoHo is a constant battle. It is HUGE which makes for excellent viewing, but it is a chore to clean. The truck stops all have extra long handles, but to really do a thorough job, a ladder is required (Mike’s job). The MDX is another story as this still feels like “my” car, which I want to keep as clean as possible. But every time we tow, it gets covered in dust/bugs/road dirt, etc. We have washed it a few times, but it seems pointless because it gets dirty again pretty quickly. The interior has always been spotless, but since we spend a lot of time in it when we are out & about, it has become more cluttered than I like, but I am learning to let this one go.
Mike washing the windshield
Clothes – Can you say over pack?! When loading up the MoHo, we probably only packed about a third of our clothes, shoes, etc and this brought on anxiety (me not Mike). The whole “what if” scenario played out in my head a lot. I have probably not even worn a third of that third. Granted we have been in really warm weather, but we both seem to go to our favorites. For shoes I have only worn flip-flops and hiking boots. All of my “cute” sandals are still in their bin. But, I’m sure as we move on to different climates and scenarios we will start using other items. Bottom line is that we really don’t need as much as we packed and it is also fun to buy things along the way, so when we are back in Seattle we’ll be unloading some of the unnecessary items.
Storage – This has not been a problem at all. We still have a lot of unused space inside the MoHo, which is very surprising. The underneath compartments are pretty full though. Amazing how much stuff we had at the house and now how little we really need on the MoHo! I was so worried about this and it is not an issue at all.
Bills/Mail – Before leaving, we set up a P.O. Box which my mom is checking for us weekly. Mostly junk mail coming through, but the occasional piece that needs attention (thanks Mom!). All of our correspondence, bills and banking are now done online which is pretty freeing. What seemed like quite a chore at home is now all automatic and something I don’t even need to worry about. Except the wi-fi issue (see above…)
Outside – This is probably the best part of this whole adventure. I thought of myself as an outdoorsy type of person before, but I wasn’t even close. We spend most of our time outside now. Exploring, walking, hiking, sitting outside the MoHo, etc. and it feels great! As long as it is not raining outside, we are out there. Our living space may be small, but really we have all the space we need right outside the door!
Enjoying the outside living area – watching the Mariners
We are both doing well and sure as ever that this was the right decision for us. Aside from the occasional little glitch, things have been going very smoothly. For me having a routine was always such an important thing, but being forced out of routine has been good. We have met some great people so far and looking forward to visiting some old friends along the way. Our adventure is really just beginning, but so far so good. Thanks for reading!
Today is our someday 