It’s the last day of the month, the year, and the decade. I had been going back and forth on whether to include more journal-like entries on Port Perspective, and the New Year’s reflection and resolution season seemed as good a time as any to go for it. So now I’ll try sharing regularly what’s on my mind during this nomadic life we’re living.
I wanted to start a blog back when we began full-time RVing in part to keep friends and family posted on how we’re doing. I also want to start journaling to help shed some light on the more human side of traveling, not just the technical aspects and how to do it.
Unfortunately, even with the start of a new year, this first entry is going to start off on a more negative note. When your home is on wheels, and towed by a vehicle, your sense of a safe space becomes those vehicles. Yesterday, someone tried to break into and steal our truck. It was a very jarring experience. We’re very lucky that the would-be thief was scared away by the alarm, but they did get into the truck, and broke the lock so that the truck no longer could be locked on the driver’s side.
I share this not to be depressing, but to both hopefully warn other Ford F-150 and F-250 owners of what is a design weakness, and also to show that we’re not always “living the dream” as many may think when they see our Instagram photos. The reality is that life comes with you, and you have many of the same and many new and different challenges to deal with when traveling full-time. It can be extremely rewarding, but after a year I can confirm that it is not for the faint of heart.
To share what happened to the truck: it was in the driveway of an AirBNB that we were staying in for the week between Christmas and New Years with my parents. In the middle of the day, Noah remembers hearing an alarm, but didn’t even think that it would be someone trying to break in to our truck in this quiet neighborhood just a few miles away from downtown. When I went to drive later in the afternoon I noticed a scratch just under the handle. At first, I was just thinking “oh no, another little scratch.” Then I realized that the door handle was popped out a little bit. I knew it couldn’t have been from hitting anything, and it very clearly looked like it had been tampered with. We realized someone had tried to break in and the alarm from earlier was ours – and likely prevented our truck from being stolen.
A police officer that came to take a complaint explained that 20-30 trucks a day are reported stolen in San Antonio, and that Fords are one of the most popular vehicles taken. This in part because of how the door is designed. The handle is not flush with the door, but its own section. Thieves can apparently pretty easily pop the panel with enough force that the locking mechanism in the door is compromised and they can get right in. We didn’t even realize how broken it was until the officer pointed out that after hitting the lock button on the key fob, the driver’s side door could still be opened.
Again, we’re very fortunate that the truck was not stolen, and also that we were staying at an AirBNB that had a locked gate so that we could keep it inside overnight before getting the handle replaced. Plus, on top of that, we had a screw in the tire on the way to get the door fixed, but fortunately now both taken care of and Trucky is safe again. See – life on the road is not always sunsets and rainbows!
We truly do not want to end the year on a negative note, and there really are many more good days than bad. We always remind ourselves to “keep perspective” and to be grateful that we’re on this adventure. This year was an incredible experience, with over 15K miles travelled, 16 states visited, and countless unforgettable experiences.
So here’s to the start of a new year, and the continuation of this grand adventure.
Happy New Year everyone!
