Names: Eric Williams & Rosie Madsen
Hometown: San Diego, California
What kind of RV? 1995 28ft Fleetwood Bounder
What do you love about your Bounder? It was the shortest size with a full queen size bed that you could walk around.
What do you dislike about your Bounder? There are no slides. Originally, we were fine with the idea of having no slides but now we wish we had them for the extra space.
How Long have you had your RV? May 2015
Why are you in PEI? Rosie has always wanted to come to Prince Edward Island to see where the Anne of Green Gables movies were filmed and based on.
What do you love about PEI? We love the tides, the beaches, the rolling green hills, and the potato fields.
Why did you decide to full-time RV? Eric was laid off by his company. They offered severance or a relocation job in Virginia. He almost took the job in Virginia, but we decided to put our stuff in storage for 3 months and travel all over the United States.
Our families thought we were crazy, but Rosie had grown up RV’ing. We bought the Bounder, a Jeep and a little motorcycle. When the three months were up, we decided to keep going. However, we needed money. Rosie took a server job to help us get by. Then we discovered Workamping. We Workamped at Timberlake Campground in North Carolina and Oscar Sherer State Park in Florida.
Where have you visited? Yosemite National Park, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Maine, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and more.
How long do you plan to full-time RV? We have no idea when we will stop. Something will have to happen for us to settle back down. We haven’t had a moment where we wanted to quit yet.
What do you miss about a sticks and bricks home? Rosie: a bathtub. Eric: Storage for tools.
What would you recommend to first-time full-time RVers? Expect RV Repairs. We never budgeted for that and it happens to EVERYONE! There is always something to fix. Also, if you know the length of time that you’re travelling, prepare accordingly. When we first started, it was only going to be 3 months. It’s now over a year later. We have had to buy warmer clothes and tools that we already had in storage in San Diego. Also, make sure you have a solid toolkit that includes the basics like socket wrenches, screwdrivers, zip ties and DUCT TAPE.
Best food you have had while travelling? Ocean Star Sushi in Anna Maria Island, Florida.
Most interesting sight/day you have experienced on your journey? Our most memorable experience was the time spent with family in Florida. We were scalloping of off St. Josephs’s with family members. We snorkelled and gathered the scallops and then we went back and made a delicious pasta with them. It was a perfect day.
What is the scariest thing that has happened to you while travelling? We were canoeing in Myakka River State Park in Florida. There are a lot of alligators. Hundreds. We were going through an area in the canoe and alligators were everywhere. All of these eyes staring at you. It was scary.
Another scary thing for Eric specifically was driving through the Aspen Pass in Colorado. It was nighttime, it was raining, and the alternator was hyper charging in the Bounder, causing the windshield wipers to go slow and then to go really fast. Eric thought that we would be having a breakdown at night, but we made it to the top of the mountain and found a place to boondock for the night.
Where would you recommend RVers visit? Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico.
