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RE: Legal residence options
California law gives you a set limit on how long you have to become a legal resident when you accept a permanent position there. In addition they are one of the most aggressive states in the enforcement of those laws. You have to pay California income tax, license and insure your vehicles there, get your driving license there and register to vote there.
The locations where you own real estate or have relatives have nothing to do with where your legal domicile is. That is defined by law and is the place where you live and work. I suggest that you follow the laws of California and pay the tax you are obligated for as the penalty that will follow if you are caught will not be worth it. And in that state you will get caught, sooner or later. Remember that your employer is going to report your income to the state of California and it will also tell them when you moved into the state.
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Kirk
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12/01/08 06:17pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Living the full-time Lifestyle
Now I'll sit back and read all the hate mail from premanet RV park residents, if this thread isn't closed by the heavy hands that have differing opinions.So is there some point to this, other than an attempt to start some kind of fight?
The nice thing about living in the USA is that we each have a right to live in the way that pleases us. Even if it doesn't happen to be quite as you think we should. There just as many good ways to live in an RV as there are to live in any other type of home. The very best way is the one which the owner of each RV likes best.
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Kirk
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12/01/08 06:02pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Workcamping and the economy
We have been doing the volunteer side of work-camping for nearly nine years and to date we have seen no decline in volunteers for the agencies. But it is pretty early to know for now.
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Kirk
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12/01/08 05:33pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: workamping koa casper,wy
I used to spend a lot of time in Casper but don't know that I would want to spend my summer there. Not a bad place but you don't have much really close by. Casper is not in the mountains but rather the high planes. I consider it to be a beautiful area, but many people consider it to be desolate.
Casper is a town of about 50k people and Wyoming people are friendly and mostly very honest and open. We didn't live in Casper, but we sure did love the state.
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Kirk
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12/01/08 05:28pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Volunteer vs Paid Employee
I am now quite sure what the intent of this thread is. We do have a little experience as volunteers and have twice been paid, although no paid work in commercial RV parks, and there isn't likely to be any. There are some good comments, but also at least one incorrect statement.
The Corps of Engineers actually has two very different programs, one paid and one volunteer. The gate attendants at most of their parks are bid positions where the person bids some daily rate for the position an the low bid gets the job. In all cases they are responsible for collection of the entry fees and there are usually two couples who share the position, working separate days. They in some cases clean the restrooms, but not often. They are usually responsible for most duties that a campground host does as well. And they also are supplied a full hook-up site, usually very near the entry gate.
The second program of the Corps is one for volunteers who mostly do maintenance work in return for the RV site. Most also receive a full hook-up site and occasionally there might be some other benefit. All of the corps positions that I know about for volunteers ask for 20 hours total per week for the RV site, but there may be places that ask for more. We have been volunteers with the COE on two occasions in different Corps Districts.
In most agencies the number of hours required for the RV site varies quite widely. I think that the vast majority of volunteers soon become involved in things to a point that they usually put in more than the minimum number of hours each week anyhow.
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Kirk
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12/01/08 05:21pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Hello All !!
Welcome aboard. Let me suggest that you consider one of the enclosed cargo trailers for your bike. By doing things that way it will be protected from the weather, you will have some extra storage space and you can easily avoid overloading the RV. Just make sure that you know what the weight ratings for the RV are and consider them as you select the RV and the trailer.
Remember GVWR is gross vehicle weight rating for the class C and is the maximum that your RV should ever carry, including all cargo, passengers, fuel and even you. The GVCR is the gross combined weight rating and it is the maximum weight that your RV and what it tows should ever weigh for reasons of safety and reliability. And keep in mind that the tongue weight of the trailer will be part of the GVWR as well.
CCC is the cargo carrying capacity, which is the difference between the empty weight of your RV and its upper limit. Newer RVs do allow for full tanks in the figures.
You are a very wise buyer to take several months to learn before you start out to shop. You will do much better in both price and quality if you take the time to learn first. I commend you for your approach!
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Kirk
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11/27/08 04:10pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: New RV'er with winterizing Q's
If the temperature should fall below the freezing point and stay there for four hours or more you could have a problem.
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Kirk
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11/24/08 08:11pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: NEED JOB IN FLA.
I suggest that you try contacting the national wildlife refuges in that area to see what they have available. At this late date they are not likely to come looking for you so you need to contact them. Most such positions are already filled. We are presently in route to Evergaldes NP where we will be resident volunteers for the next four months.
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Kirk
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11/24/08 08:06pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Just learning about workamping
We have volunteered at many different locations and for many agencies. While volunteer.gov does have positions, you will find far more by visiting the website of the particular agency that you are interested in. The National Park Service, Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, and US Fish and Wildlife Service all have their own websites and only those positions which are not filled from their site ever get listed on the vol.gov site.
In addition each state has it's own website and nearly all state parks and historic sites are seeking volunteers. In addition, many of the game & fish departments use volunteers as do some forestry departments and a few others. State sites are a good place to check those out.
I suggest that you take the time to create a resume to use before you get too far. A resume is not vital but it does show potential employers that you have taken the time to organize your information for them. It also gives you the opportunity to tell them things which may not be on the typical generic forms which are used for different agencies and different positions.
If you wish, I would invite you to visit the website in my signature as I have a page with pictures and job descriptions for each of our 23 previous volunteer positions.
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Kirk
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11/24/08 07:18pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Pastor?
In the parks that I know for sure (only two), the chaplain gets only his site free and no pay. But there is no reason why you and/or he could not do things that do not require a minister? No reason at all that you could not take on a position which includes paid work in a park. I highly suspect that there are more than one park which would be really pleased to find an employee who could also serve as resident chaplain.
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Kirk
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11/24/08 07:09pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: I am wanting to workamp on the Oregon Coast
Stating that you will only stay four months would cause most owners to look for someone who will stay through the season. Since that has now changed, I suggest that you start over with different parks. Try some that you have not yet contacted. You didn't say if you had sent a resume, but if not, you should.
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Kirk
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11/24/08 07:04pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: New to forum and RVing
If you are short on knowledge of RVs let me suggest that the very best place to learn how to judge them, and how to rate them for quality is an organization called the RV Consumer Group.
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Kirk
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11/21/08 06:29pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Full time RVing and working
The Federal Government specifically disallows anyone working while obtaining a free RV site. Some Government sites may allow it anyway, but they are violating written regulations and could get into a problem with their respective district supervisors. How about listing your source for this? We did exactly that and our paid positions were for the very park that we were volunteer hosts for? And not only that, we did get a W-2 for the paid hours only and no 1099 or any other report on the RV site.
If such regulation exists, tell us where to find it.
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Kirk
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11/21/08 06:24pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Everglades National Park Flamingo Marina
Thanks for the note! We have been visiting friends at Rainbow Plantation RV park for several days and will be crossing into Florida tomorrow. We expect to arrive at Shark Valley before Dec. 1.
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Kirk
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11/21/08 06:14pm |
Workamping Forum
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RE: Problem with ice maker in Norcold refer
Let me suggest that the first thing you need to do is to defrost the freezer/ice maker and dry them out. It is pretty common for them to freeze up to where they don't work when water is turned off and then back on again. What happens is that the low level of water in the tray freezes, then when the water comes back the tray gets a normal fill cycle, which over-fills it and the frozen ice then can not be ejected.
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Kirk
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11/17/08 07:59pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: please help electrical problem
It sounds as though your friends may have more than one problem. You say that some lights don't work, but if any of them work, the power has to come from the 12V system? The furnace gets all of it's power from the 12V system and that means the coach batteries if you don't have shore power.
Of course, the air conditioners will only operate when you have either shore power or the genset is operating. The inverter will not supply enough power for them. I have more than 40 years of electrical background, but from the small amount of information given I can only guess about what the problem may be.
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Kirk
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11/17/08 07:53pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Furnace noise in a springdale
In my experience, bugs in the combustion air path has been the cause of strange noises from more furnaces than any other cause. A four year old furnace should not have any mechanical failures as yet, but bugs don't care about the age.
It would be very helpful to know what brand your furnace is. There are only two common brands, Atwood has an access door on the outside of the RV and Suburban, which has to be accessed from inside of the RV or the furnace removed to work on it. If I knew which you had I would offer you a copy of the service manual for it.
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Kirk
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11/17/08 07:46pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: What do you think... and Why?
I think that over the long term, none of us are expert enough to predict the economy and that will play a major part in what happens. RV sales have fallen dramatically and for these predictions of large increases, someone has to buy new RVs to replace those being retired. At the moment that just is not happening. My guess would be that it isn't going to turn around very quickly, but it could happen in a year or two.
I presently know two couples who have chosen not to go full-time at this time because of the economy and what it has done to their invested funds. I do not believe that this is unusual. Between that, and the rise in cost of new RVs, I would be very surprised if the rate of new folks joining the full-time lifestyle will decrease, at least for the near term. If fewer people join us, the attrition from age alone will cause the total number to fall.
With the new administration about to take command, who knows what direction things will take? Will our invested funds ever recover? It could be a very interesting next four years or so.
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Kirk
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11/17/08 07:37pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Wyoming residency
As a former resident of Wyoming, I can tell you that it has no state income tax and has very low taxes for most other things. But there are several reasons that Texas, Florida and South Dakota lead in popularity. Among those is the ease of qualifying to be considered a resident.
The last I knew there was a mail forwarding service for RV folks that was based in Laramie, but that was some time ago, so I am not sure if it still exists. I can tell you that there is no organization like Escapees RV Club in Wyoming. But we still love Wyoming, in spite of their cold winters and extremely windy weather.
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Kirk
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11/17/08 07:22pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Diesel or gas?
One thing to keep in mind if you choose a diesel is that they do not like to sit a great deal. You will need to treat the fuel or algae will grow in the fuel tank and you will go through a lot of filters trying to get it out. Also, maintenance costs run higher on a diesel. For the same amount of money, you can get a much newer gas coach.
On the other hand, the diesel usually has air ride which is the best you can get and most have air brakes, which are also better, although our gas rig has never had any kind of brake problem.
The other part of the question that has not been mentioned previously is your budget. Keep in mind that a diesel, while very nice will also cost much more for all maintenance and for fuel. While a diesel does not have oil changes as frequently, they require three or more times the amount of oil, they have two very expensive filters and the labor rate for diesel mechanics runs $20 to $50/hour more than for gasoline chassis.
Part of the question is pure personal preference. Another is the size of the rig that you want. I am not quite sure why an interior would last better if powered by diesel? The fact is that quality and durability has nothing to do with what chassis the coach rides on. This is a quality issue. For any coach to last a long time it must first be of quality construction and second it must be well cared for. To know about RV quality requires a great deal of knowledge. The best place to get that knowledge is by joining the RV Consumer Group and take advantage of all of the educational materials that they supply to their members, as well as the rating service that they provide.
Of far more importance for a good, long term experience is the quality of construction and the care and maintenance by the previous owners.
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Kirk
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11/17/08 07:14pm |
Beginning RVing
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