Why I Moved From Ohio To Florida.....

[Blue Bayou]

A few years back when I was probably sitting on the back porch with a beer, looking out at the beautiful back yard we had in Ohio, a revelation suddenly came to me.
I realized then that we were living our whole lives around WINTER. I starting thinking how much time I wasted in the spring, cleaning up from winter and getting things back to normal. Then I thought about how much time I wasted in the Fall, going into PANIC MODE, trying to get everything ready for the LONG winter. The storm windows had to be put up, snow blower prepped, leaves all raked, markers placed along the driveway, garden turned under, patio furniture put away or covered, etc., etc. The list was endless. Then after a little introspection, I realized that there was a little gnawing feeling that was working on me subconsciously ALL THE TIME..!!! I was haunted by the lengthening shadows and the smell of Fall leaves starting to turn. I KNEW that mother nature was getting ready to deliver the grand slam, once AGAIN..!!!
This is when I decided it was time to pull the plug and head south. I needed a life where I was free from this constant race with winter, a life where I could finally RELAX..!!!
BB

 

[VIPER]

so are you relaxed in floriduh then? Seems to me unless you went way south..you are still going to get the winter blues.....

 

[1busa]

Or do the exact same worry and prep except instead of bracing for winter it will be for hurricanes.....

 

[c10]

Prepping for a Hurricane is easy . Do it once a year takes a day . I strongly dislike winter so Blue good for you saying to hell with this stuff ! I have a Neighbor that is from NY upstate , and he came down 30 years ago . He travels back up north for 3 months a year in his large RV with wife to camp / see friends . He said its the only time to be up north .

 

[piratediverjefff]

I know where you're coming from bro,after 35 years in IL I'd had enough and moved to AZ in'91 and then on to SoCal in '95 and have been here since(as long as the AC works from July to Sept. I'm good to go).

 

[twotonevert]

Will be doing the same, keeping the house for a home base then traveling with the busa in a toy hauler. Will have to make up time with some friends traveling all over this great country of ours.

 

[Blue Bayou]

so are you relaxed in floriduh then? Seems to me unless you went way south..you are still going to get the winter blues.....

We're far enough south (Just north of Jupiter) that we only get a couple of days when it gets down in the 30s or 40s, then it's back to heavenly weather for the rest of the winter. Actually that's why the snowbirders come down here is because winter weather is beautiful.
I go swimming in the ocean on Xmas day and New Years day, the water is fabulous then.
As far as getting ready for hurricanes, there's really not much to it. We keep supplies in the house, extra gas for the generator in the garage and the storm shutters are ready to be put up at a moments notice. We personally don't worry about hurricanes, we live in a cement block house that's built like a fortress and if they hit, we're ready.
I can still remember the cold Ohio winter mornings when my wife had to go to work, I would get up at 2am and try to get the side door open.
Sometimes I couldn't and had to squeeze out the front door to get the snow shovel and free the side door from the 6 foot drifts..!
THEN, it was time to free the barn doors, so I could get the snowblower out. THEN came the long driveway to the street, which took an hour or more to clear in the howling wind and freezing temps. No, I'm afraid I don't get the winter blues anymore..!!

 

[piratediverjefff]

 

[Tony Nitrous]

Good man !!!
I did something along the same lines.
I lived in England for 40 years, I wasn't Impressed with the standard of living
but the worst thing was the cr@p weather throughout the year AND the Winters.
No extreme snow like you, but just too many cool, damp, dull days.
Great days to be outdoors were few and far between.

I moved to Austrlia, have a MUCH better standard of living, ride bikes all year around and haven't even seen a frost in 12 years.

Life to short to not make the best of it.

 

[RedBusarider]

Living in MI our Winters can be brutal sometimes and the riding season is basically from mid to late May until maybe sometime in Oct if we are lucky.

I have plans to purchase a Class A motorhome and travel pulling a trailer to different States during the Winter months.
So many older people go to FL and I have heard the horror stories about how bad they drive I didn't want to land in one place and regret it.
Having an RV should let me go to many different states to try them out for awhile then one day I might buy a place.
I know there is NO perfect place to live as all have some pros and cons.

I really don't mind the summer time in MI it just seems the season to ride is so short and I don't want to waste my life hibernating for more then 6-7 months
a year from one of my passions of riding and enjoying nice weather.

So IF I could find the right RV before this winter hit I could start traveling as soon as this winter. But I don't want to make a huge mistake and just buy something
and then find out it's not good to live in for up to 6-7 months at a time. So it may not be until next year or Fall that I can leave this frozen State behind and experience
some better (Wintertime) areas in the USA.

I'm open for any advice to steer me in the right direction as I'm just starting to research
Diesel pushers to get the job done.

 

[Blue Bayou]

Living in MI our Winters can be brutal sometimes and the riding season is basically from mid to late May until maybe sometime in Oct if we are lucky.

I have plans to purchase a Class A motorhome and travel pulling a trailer to different States during the Winter months.
So many older people go to FL and I have heard the horror stories about how bad they drive I didn't want to land in one place and regret it.
Having an RV should let me go to many different states to try them out for awhile then one day I might buy a place.
I know there is NO perfect place to live as all have some pros and cons.

I really don't mind the summer time in MI it just seems the season to ride is so short and I don't want to waste my life hibernating for more then 6-7 months
a year from one of my passions of riding and enjoying nice weather.

So IF I could find the right RV before this winter hit I could start traveling as soon as this winter. But I don't want to make a huge mistake and just buy something
and then find out it's not good to live in for up to 6-7 months at a time. So it may not be until next year or Fall that I can leave this frozen State behind and experience
some better (Wintertime) areas in the USA.

I'm open for any advice to steer me in the right direction as I'm just starting to research
Diesel pushers to get the job done.

I would suggest you cozy up to your local chaper of "Motor home owners" and get to know the local guys and get some valuable intel
from them on what motor homes to buy and what to stay away from.
Most cities and areas have Motor home clubs and groups that travel together. They will fill you in with the data you need.
Stop at your local dealer and he will probably have info on how to contact the local groups.
BB

 

[Delgado]

So many older people go to FL and I have heard the horror stories about how bad they drive

Well, honestly for me, I usually never have issues with the older folks on the road. The typical problems I have with them is that they drive incredibly slow and the fact that they will stop completely in the merging lane to yield vs coasting and trying to fit in. On most roads that's fine but, not when trying to get on the highway. In their defense though, lots of drivers will intentionally speed up rather than letting people get in front of them. When it comes to frustration on the roads, it's always from the younger folks. Part of my job is to drive from one job to another so I'm on the road quite a bit. More often than not, I'll sit through traffic due to an accident and right after we pass the crash, these younger guys will go metal to the pedal and drive all kinds of crazy as if what we just passed was nothing. I even witnessed a 2nd accident right after we passed the 1st one due to that very thing. Add that with the construction that's going on with I4 and more often than not, it's usually a mess. Tourists rank pretty high on the bad drivers list though, mostly the foreign ones. As you can imagine, we have plenty of them lol

I know there is NO perfect place to live as all have some pros and cons.

Absolutely. I lived in FL for the 31 years of my life and while the winter/springs can nice for the little time they're around, I've never gotten used to the humidity. I have a sister who lived in Santa Rosa for about 3 years before moving back to FL and I regret never going there to visit. I've heard nothing but great things about that place. The only reason why I'm still here and why she eventually moved back was to stay close to the parents and help take care of them. The pro side of living here, for me anyways, is for the wage that I make, the cost of living is pretty reasonable.

Not to take away anything from other people's experience but, I just wanted to share my opinion. As RedBusarider said, every place has its pros and cons. It just seems that the older I get, the more I want to leave which is probably opposite to what most people probably want lol

 

[RedBusarider]

I would suggest you cozy up to your local chaper of "Motor home owners" and get to know the local guys and get some valuable intel
from them on what motor homes to buy and what to stay away from.
Most cities and areas have Motor home clubs and groups that travel together. They will fill you in with the data you need.
Stop at your local dealer and he will probably have info on how to contact the local groups.
BB

I had plans to attend 4 RV parks (during motorcycle rally's or get togethers) and had a list of questions started to pick their brains on
the do's and don't s of RV living and RV motorhomes etc. But since I had to cancel all my travels while healing from my accident I 'm thinking
I will be joining some RV forums and asking my questions there as to stay in the loop and maybe even get more opinions then I might have
got from the 4 RV packs I had planned on visiting. So I think we are on the same page for the most part, as I really want to make an educated choice
before I speed any big money.

 

[RYC1966]

I grew up in Ohio and still live 20 minutes from downtown...I enjoy the change of seasons for different activities... I completely understand the get out to avoid yard year round up keep

 

[GNBRETT]

Amen to that! I hate New England! basically u get (3) months of riding. I too will be making the move as soon as I retire. and not to mention the cost of living.

wen my parents moved to Tennessee they netted $11k over wat they were payn here in CT from taxes alone! such a joke this place is. I wud go sooner but there is no money down south to be made. great place to retire crappy place to earn

 

[Blue Bayou]

Amen to that! I hate New England! basically u get (3) months of riding. I too will be making the move as soon as I retire. and not to mention the cost of living.

wen my parents moved to Tennessee they netted $11k over wat they were payn here in CT from taxes alone! such a joke this place is. I wud go sooner but there is no money down south to be made. great place to retire crappy place to earn

Just out of curiousity what type of work do you do, or would you WANT to do down south..???
BB

 

[GNBRETT]

Just out of curiousity what type of work do you do, or would you WANT to do down south..???
BB

law enforcement. I looked believe me. they make with overtime like $65k a year in most southern PD's. here with overtime you make $120-150k. their base pay at top step is like $50k in many places and less in others.

if retired and working part time I wudnt mind the low pay cause I have a full pension and benefits but forget making a living on that kinda pay. I don't have dual incomes. single no wife.

 

[Blue Bayou]

law enforcement. I looked believe me. they make with overtime like $65k a year in most southern PD's. here with overtime you make $120-150k. their base pay at top step is like $50k in many places and less in others.

if retired and working part time I wudnt mind the low pay cause I have a full pension and benefits but forget making a living on that kinda pay. I don't have dual incomes. single no wife.

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from on that one. That would be one hell of a cut coming down here now...!!
Well, hang in there, you'll be retiring before you know it.
BB