How Boomer RV'ers Can Keep Their Brains Fit

I was looking forward to attending a seminar in my home town of Scottsdale, Arizona, entitled: Keeping Your Brain Fit. Unfortunately all I could do was read about it in the newspaper cause I missed it. I would like to say that I had another engagement that night but the truth is I just plain forgot. And that is the crux of the matter here isn't it? Anyway, it was a seminar put on by a group called Boomerz. The featured speaker was Marwaan Sabbagh, author and geriatric neurologist, the writer that brought us the best-seller, The Alzheimer's Answer. He was talking to retirees about how there are ways to tell if you might be at risk for dementia. Seems that there are tests that can tell a trained person what your chances of developing Alzheimers are.(gulp!)

Boomer RV'ers At Risk

At what point in a baby boomers life do they stop making fun of the older set and start worshiping at the feet of their local geriatric neurologist (how do you get that job?). For me I think 50 was when it hit me and I started exercising a bit more patience. What was that writer's name again?, oh yeah, Marwaan. Like I mentioned earlier he says that there are tests that can be conducted to see if you are at risk for Alzheimers and/or dementia and more importantly, how you can slow down and sometimes even prevent the disease's progress. For guys like me who are towing a 30' rig or are driving a luxury motorhome, it might be comforting to know that there are ways to insure that we get to go RV'ing longer.

Do RV Enthusiasts Really Want To Know?

I say yes! That's good news for us baby boomer RV'ers because most of us are just getting started with our RV adventures and if we can know by testing that we are at risk for dimentia sometime later on in life we can take measures to delay it or even prevent it. Now all I have to do is get up the nerve to take that first test! What happens if I fail it? Does that mean they sieze my drivers license on the spot? Will I have to register with the local cops like a sex offender? Warning! demented old man on the block. My kids will be encouraging me to finalize my will - today!

This is a serious subject that I chose to treat somewhat lightly. The style is called: dark humor, (which really means I am a chicken). Because as a 59 year old guy who already can't remember where he puts his glasses and car keys it ain't so funny any more. (Remember, I forgot the seminar) But like most dark things I choose to deal with them on a humorous level. That's how I keep MY brain fit.

There is a big RV sale every year about this time in my hometown of Payson, Arizona which, if you don't know the area, is about 90 miles northeast of Phoenix and in the cool pines at 5000 ft elevation. RV fans from all over the country come here to camp and play in the largest stand of Ponderosa Pines in the world, natures lung we call it. The show is being put on by my friends at Star Valley RV and from all reports is doing quite well. It started last Thursday and will run for two weeks and is located at the junction of Hwy 87 and Hwy 260. If you are in the market for a motorhome, 5th wheel, pop-up camper, travel trailer or toy hauler - new or used, I urge you to go check them out - they have a huge selection of RV's to choose from.

Great deals with a small town approach

As reported previously in this blog Star Valley RV is where I purchased my KZ Durango, 28ft fifth wheel. Ray Vela, the manager there gave me one heck of a deal and I encourage you to visit his website or call him before you purchase any RV.  His low-overhead, small town dealership allows him to make some great deals and his no pressure approach to sales will have you telling all your RV'ing friends.

Rumors of the RV industry's demise are greatly exaggerated

But let's get back to the good news for baby boomers. In conversations with Ray and his staff not only is the sale a huge success so far with still another week to go but the general attitude out there is positive. With all the negative press we are getting about gas prices and RV manufacturers cutting jobs and even closing down facilities completely it's refreshing to hear some good news about the industry for a change. Boomers are buying RV's here, everything from class A motorhomes the size of a semi to toy haulers. 5th wheels and travel trailers. There doesn't seem to be any one particular type of RV that is selling better than others and most of those that are buying are experienced RVers. Gas prices don't seem to be a factor. As I have said before in this forum, baby boomers are not going to let gas prices get in the way of their RV dreams. As a boomer RVer I can attest to that myself. 

RV'ing beats airline security hands down

Let's face it, if you think about it, traveling in an RV for a vacation makes perfect sense. Sure - gas prices are high and likely to go higher but what would you rather do, roll the dice in an airport and hope your flight goes as planned and on time, luggage gets there as promised, no security alerts pop up and dang, I can be halfway to my destination in my RV in the time it takes before the plane even leaves the ground. Air travel is getting to be the pits and that's domestic travel, let's not even talk about international flights. A family of four, flying to a vacation destination is going to pay an average of $200. per person for just the plane ticket. Then you have hotels, meals, rental cars and a whole lot of other expenses. You have to burn a lot of gas to equal that and it's a heck of a lot more fun traveling in an RV.

Film at 11 folks - Stay tuned for the consumer's perspective as BoomerRver.com's roving reporter goes on scene to the sale and talks to the folks that are doing the actual buying. We will be asking questions like: how will fuel prices affect your decision to buy an RV? Where will you travel to? What will you do if gas prices go even higher? How will you compromise your plans, if at all, to compensate for the high cost of fuel. And a whole lot more.

Are super mileage cars the wave of the future or just a "green" smokescreen?

With the advent of last summer's (2008) disgustingly high gas prices now topping $4. per gallon and rising and with the media fueling gas rage by reporting that petrol prices could get to $8. per gallon by next summer (shoot, you guys, I am still trying to get used to the possibility of $5. per gallon, why can't you let us adjust to that figure first before you doom and gloom me again?) I am seeing a lot of cars like the Aptera on the drawing board with claims of super mileage. These kinds of cars that combine electric motors with combustion engines have been around a long time but only now are gaining widespread attention (and investment capital) due to gas prices going through the roof.

Baby boomers and current retirees are the ones who suffer most

As a baby boomer who just retired and is on a fixed income I hope things will soon stabilize or the feds will get involved and do something to help this situation. How about it Mr. Obama or Mr. McCain, any plans to do anything about this mess? Our great and wonderful capitalist society is to blame, but who can fault a company for trying to make as much money as possible - isn't that the way the game is played here in the Magic Kingdom?  

Retiring baby boomers threaten to stay home

As a retiring baby boomer my timing could not be any worse. It's another one of those "just my luck" scenarios, after years of 401 K contributions my stock portfolio is worth an all-time low, gas prices are threatening to keep me at home, the housing crisis prevents me from selling the home that was to help finance my retirement and the cost of everything has gone up. You have to wonder where all of this is leading. (Udate as of 9-9-08 - we are headed into winter and gas prices have stabilized at around $3.75 per gallon average. What little crisis will they manufacture to get back up toward 5 bucks next summer?)

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Gas will have to go much higher for alternative fuel vehicles to pay off

This is only a guess on my part but it seems to me that if gas prices go much higher, these alternative fuel vehicles will become more mainstream and the inconveniences of the past that kept people from buying them like charging batteries and smaller sizes just won't matter any more. People will find a way to buy them and will adjust their lifestyle to make them work. If that happens it just stands to reason that gas consumption will decrease and the record profits the oil guys have enjoyed (in the billions per quarter) will dry up.

Join the party - buy oil stocks!

I can't really fault the oil companies for our current predicament, after all they have to answer to their investors and as an American business tasked to make every dollar they can, by our standards it sounds more like jealousy when you hear oil company bashing. Shoot, up here folks even blame the poor, underpaid fast gas clerks for their petrol miseries. Oil companies are made up of everyday people like teachers, firefighters, cops and yours truly, investors in the future of this form of energy. Investors who depend on these company's to make their investment dollars pay off. However, unless we are able to find a compromise somewhere we are all going to suffer even more than we are now. Can you envision a time when gas is $8. a gallon? Chaos! I am hearing things like auto dealers not taking SUV's in trade any more, auto dealerships closing their doors, anything with a V8 engine is worth 10 cents on the dollar and I sure don't see any electric SUV's on the horizon.

Mr OBama or Mr McCain

Which one of you are prepared to do what is necessary to help us out here? Whoever gets the nod as our next president whether it be Barrack Obama or John McCain has his work cut out for him, let's make sure that whoever he is, that we put some pressure on him to find some answers fast. Our very existence depends on it.

Sky King - one of my favorite Saturday morning shows as a kid. It premiered on September 16, 1951 and last aired on March 8, 1959 and was about a former military pilot who, in this western adventure series, used his airplane ( a Cessna 310B called the Songbird)  to patrol the skies over his Flying Crown Ranch and wherever he was needed to rescue those in distress. Out of the clear blue of the western sky comes -  Sky King! He and his niece Penny had many adventures chasing the bad guys in the Songbird and I often wondered as I got older - how many of us boomers became pilots as a result of watching this show?

But did you know?

A lot of boomers remember seeing this show in the 60's (I was one of them) because while the show ended in 1959 it was shown in reruns for years later. Sadly, Kirby Grant, the actor that played Sky King, died in a 1985 automobile accident while on his way to Cape Canaveral to be honored by the shuttle astronauts for his achievements in encouraging aviation and space flight. He was also coming to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Isn't life cruel sometimes? Here is a man that inspired millions of kids to become interested in aviation - who dies in a stupid car wreck - and a year later the Challenger blows up. Thank God the poor man didn't live to see that!

I don't know much about trends and would never consider myself a trend-setter but I do consider myself an optimistic person and don't tend to run off screaming about falling skies, even when the newsies tell me I should. The way they go on about gas prices, housing woes, a laggard economy, you would think there was something wrong with this country. But hey, it's all about being an election year - because if the Clinton's, Obama's and the McCain's didn't have all these issues that needed fixing, just what the heck kind of platform would they be running on? With all this bad news a lot of us have hunkered down, waiting for the inevitable uptick in the cycle, when all we are really doing is plunging the economy into a worse mess. If people don't spend, people can't work and if people can't work they get subsidized. Well, us boomers are not going to fall for that nonsense. Let's tell all of those people who are hanging on to their nickels that we are glad for them to stay home, yes, glad! That means our RV parks are less crowded, the roads have less traffic, gas prices will drop due to lower demand and most of all - we won't have to listen to the whiners.

Choosing an RV where money doesn't matter

Anyone or anything that conspires to keep me from my beloved woods, including gas prices, is in for a big surprise. I would sacrifice much when it comes to the smell of clean fresh air. But get to the point you say? OK, I have a friend that owns a substantial RV storage lot. It's clean, secure, has covered stalls, lots of space in the aisles for turning those big rigs and a large and affluent boomer clientèle. This gentleman is also an RVer and is dialed in to the needs of his customers. Now, you may not find this as much of a sign as I do about trend indicators but get this - two of his customers have upgraded three times in less than a year. And not from pop-up to 5th wheel to class A motorhome - oh, no - they already had motorhomes and upgraded three times to get to the size they wanted - some 40-plus feet of raging diesel class A Motorcoach! 

How much more RV luxury is possible?

Now, all this takes money and I would be willing to bet they didn't really care about losing a few bucks with each upgrade. The point is they spent until they were happy. I don't particularly advocate that kind of lifestyle, that of keeping up with the mobile Joneses, I prefer a more compact way of travel with a vehicle I can still shop with or drive down the street in Old Town USA without taking out the parking meters. However, I do think that boomers are leading the way toward a more luxurious mobile lifestyle, whether it's for full time RVing or just an occasional romp in style. I believe this trend toward luxury motorcoach purchases will outsell most other RV markets, 5th wheels, travel trailers, pop-ups, etc, for the next five to ten years.

According to my sources at the University of Chicago (actually John Faherty of the Arizona Republic newspaper) the older you are the happier you may be. There has actually been a study going on over the last three decades where 28,000 people were interviewed and it was found that the odds of being happy increased 5 percent with every 10 years of your life.

Being content with who you are 

This research indicates that it is time to throw out the notion that older people are lonely and unhappy. People learn to be content with who they are as they grow older. And, speaking strictly for myself, I can tell you that this must be true because at this moment in my life I am happier than I have ever been. Being a baby boomer of retirement age I am enjoying new freedoms. The kids are grown and happy with kids of their own. Work is conducted at my pace with no one looking over my shoulder or second guessing each decision. I come and go as I please and I am blessed (so far) with reasonably good health. Ask me again how happy I am when I am 85 and you might get a different answer.

Staying socially active key to maintaining happiness 

A persons social circle can shrink over the years for many reasons, among them divorce, death, moves, etc. So it is important to maintain a socially active lifestyle if you want to maintain your positive attitude and happiness. One way to do this is to be a joiner. Get out and meet people who's interests mirror yours. Hiking, cooking, travel, crafting, volunteering are only a few ways you can meet others with mutual interests and make new friends.  

Well, it has taken almost two years of research, lots of shoe leather and some frustrated RV salespeople - but we have done it! Purchased our very first RV. And it's a beauty! It's a 2005, 28-foot 5th wheel Durango by KZ. Very gently used and maintained in absolutely pristine condition. It's not too big but it is roomy and very comfortable for our 1st RV. We couldn't be happier! We struggled mightily about buying new versus pre-owned for our first RV, I was in favor of new and my wife was leaning toward used. I wasn't too impressed by the used RV's I saw until I got lucky with this one. I could go on and on about our quest to find the perfect RV, the RV shows attended, the RV lots walked, the RV sales driven miles to see but it all came together at Star Valley RV, just down the road from Payson, Arizona and where we found our new home on wheels.

RV tips, problem solving and opinion from an industry insider

In the very near future you are going to hear much about this little country RV dealer because I have accepted part-time work there and will be writing about RV's and the RV lifestyle from an insiders perspective. Between RVing ourselves and actually working in the industry I hope to be able to bring you much good information, unbiased, behind-the-scenes, straight dope. I am expecting those less-than-perfect situations to crop up on the road from time to time, actually anticipating them, so that I can bring our readers relevant and useful information about how these issues get resolved. You may encounter a similar situation someday and find this information useful. I am not being paid to endorse this dealership,  I mention them only because my negotiation and purchase experience was pleasant and compared to others, very easy. I don't have any affiliation with a particular product, brand or manufacturer and will write about my own experiences, good and bad, both on the road and things I can pass on from what I learn from my colleagues in the industry. 

We are now official members of the RV community!

Now that we are officially RV owners you can expect to see a lot more here in the way of useful information relevant to the RV lifestyle instead of just baby boomer trivia and opinion from an RVer wanna-be. However, as a baby boomer myself, I love trivia and have fond memories of old shows, movies, personalities, musical groups and events, especially those that took place in the 60's when I came of age. As more and more of us boomers reach retirement age, some will lean toward exploring life on the road in an RV and it's for them that this site is all about. My Dad always said you should put your money where your mouth is and I think I have done just that. Stay tuned!

I read an article in the March issue of Newsweek written by Daniel McGinn and Temma Ehrenfeld that addresses a baby boomer issue facing those of us who may have thought retirement was just around the corner only to discover that it may have to be put off a bit.  Retirement Postponed  tells the story of some unlucky baby boomers who had expected to quit work by now but discovered they couldn't afford it. Based on current economic conditions it seems as though some boomers are electing to stay on the job. The housing bust, tumbling stock portfolio's and the weakening economy are being blamed for this crisis now facing us baby boomers on the brink of retirement. 

Timing is Everything

They say that timing is everything and it's so true. I invested in a can't miss real estate deal in 2006 that has turned my retirement dreams upside down along with my home's value. To say this didn't work out as planned is a mild understatement. Similar situations has baby boomers concerned (panicked) about just when they can pull the plug. The Newsweek article sites several examples of boomers who were counting the days till retirement, people who worked decades and saved diligently only to discover their dream of selling the house and downsizing to that sun-belt condo has to be put on hold.

Not the end of the world

That's easy for someone to say but hard to digest when you are a baby boomer who expected their investments, 401 k's and savings to carry the day once they retired. They say that many boomers intended to work longer anyway but not this boomer. Unfortunately I must join the ranks of those unfortunate boomers who must keep a stiff upper lip and work on. Our last recession, March to November 2001 had 10% of those who had already retired returning to the work force. I don't think I am emotionally equipped for that sort of let-down. I think what we are in now, call it recession, downturn, whatever, it's going to be a while before it gets better and only time will tell as to how it will effect each individuals retirement plans.

Delaying retirement but not the gratification

The Newsweek article had some suggestions from a retirement planner with T. Rowe Price, Stuart Ritter. Mr Ritter suggests that while you might not be able to retire now you can enjoy the gratification of retirement while working. He says if you had planned on taking lots of cruises in your retirement, book a two week cruise now and then go back to work afterward. Continue to explore ways to keep you motivated that will have you returning to work fresh and ready for more labor. That might be a good idea for some but overseas travel with all the security hassles and the falling dollar have me thinking about a different approach. 

One more reason to see the USA in an RV

I know the price of gas will give a lot of people an excuse to stay home and it's only going to get worse as summer approaches but don't let that stop you from having some fun. Think of it as an investment in your sanity and before you take that cruise or overseas trip, consider an RV vacation. An RV experience can be had over a weekend without the security issues of air travel. You don't have to go hundreds of miles from home. Check out some areas within a hundred miles or so of where you live and get the family together in an RV. You don't even have to buy one. Rent a motorhome, pop-up or travel trailer and see what you have been missing, right in your back yard. And even if you do decide to go further, the gas money you spend will be recovered by not having to stay in an expensive hotel. RV'ing gets you next to nature, it relaxes you like no other mode of travel and is loads of fun. If you are a baby boomer who planned on buying an RV when you retired and feel you have to continue to work - get a smaller RV or rent one in the meantime. It's the most fun you can have on wheels.