Friday, November 16, 2018

It's Metamorphosis Time!

We didn't name our blog Metamorphosis Road for nothing...we wanted to cover whatever lifestyle changes we dreamed up in our post-work life.

In August 2012 we both retired early, sold most of our belongings and our house in San Diego and moved temporarily to Oregon where we became residents (thanks to Chantal). In a few short weeks we had purchased our truck and soon after our Montana fifth wheel and on September 10, 2012 officially became fulltimers.

We said we'd fulltime for at least three years before we made any changes...now, more than six years later we're making the transition back into a house.

One thing we did not anticipate when we embarked on this journey was how difficult it would be to decide where we would land. Sure, as retirees, our options are wide open, seemingly anywhere could be home. But the reality is we each have our personal desires and requirements that influence our final decision.

For us those parameters were, in no particular order, a mild four-season climate, good access to trails, decent shopping options, progressive vibe, and reasonable proximity to San Diego where most of our family and friends live.

We've spent the past couple of years visiting and analyzing various towns and small cities looking for the right fit. What we've discovered along the way is that there is no perfect place! There is no one place that ticks all the boxes.

Prescott moved to the top of the heap for a number of reasons:

The Trails! With 80+ miles of trails and growing, this town takes its trails seriously! Plus the surrounding area is chock full of fabulous places to explore.

The Climate: Prescott says it has five seasons, including monsoon season, but they are relatively mild. It may snow a handful of times each winter but rarely does it last longer than 24 hours. It's also rarely supposed to hit 100 degrees in the summer. Of course, we've never spent a winter or summer here but if we ever find the weather to be too extreme, we can drive an hour to Flagstaff for cooler temps, or an hour south to warmer temps in the desert.

The shopping: Trader Joes, Costco, Sprouts, Target...need I say more?

Proximity to San Diego: In less than seven hours we can visit family and friends by car which means we can take Rosie too. And, as the local airport grows, flying may become an option as well, though it's never our fist choice for travel.

All of the reasons we like Prescott also make it a desirable place to lots of people. The real estate market is tight, inventory is low and competition for anything good that comes up can be fierce. When a nice looking property came up in a neighborhood we'd been eyeing, we ended up having to jump on it quickly just to have a chance.

Our new home has something different than we've ever had before: acreage. It is a three bedroom, two bath on 1.6 mostly natural acres. The property is full of oak trees and shrubs and javelina and deer roam the neighborhood. The Williamson Valley trailhead is one mile away. We think it's going to be really peaceful.

As of November 13th we are no longer fulltimers. Our current RV set up is going to be traded in on a new truck and over time we'll decide what our RVing future looks like. For now, we intend to immerse ourselves in outfitting our new home and integrating ourselves into our new community.

We cannot believe how much STUFF we had in the RV!!! We'd kind of forgotten how intense moving is. This is a really big transition, as big as moving into the RV was. It's going to take a while to feel completely right.

Welcome to a new chapter of Metamorphosis Road!

The grass area is the only non-native part of the property...I will remove that and replace with natives.
Hans loves having a three car garage!






57 comments:

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    1. Thanks Bobbie! I hope you guys come through here some time!

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  2. It looks peaceful. And a three car garage? Hans, you lucky dog :)
    Good for you guys...you took your time and nailed it.
    mark

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  3. So exciting!! Prescott sounds like a perfect fit for you two—and your new home looks lovely. Enjoy settling into your new life, and we look forward to following the next chapter of Metamorphosis Road!

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    1. Thanks Laurel! I hope you two come through Prescott some time!

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  4. That's great news! Looks like a lovely house. Glad you were able to find what you were looking for. We are still searching...

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    1. Thanks guys! I hope you'll pass through the area, there's plenty of room for your RV.

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  5. Congratulations Lisa & Hans! Your new home is beautiful & I can picture you enjoying the yard too!

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  6. That's a beauty and the property looks and sounds perfect!! Can't wait to see more and learn all about your new community. Trader Joe's is definitely a must for me too :-)))

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    1. THanks Jodee! I hope you guys pass through some time, you need to actually get to spend time in Prescott!

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  7. What a lovely home! Huge congrats! I'm happy for you both!

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    1. Thanks Linda! We'll have a guest room by the spring...

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  8. Congrats Hans and Lisa! My brother Marshall has been in Prescott for years!

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  9. Congratulations - looks like a lovely setting. Prescott remains on our short list as well. It's a great location that I know you'll love.

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    1. Thanks Ingrid! It's a great place...perhaps we'll finally get to meet if you guys stay in PV again!

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  10. Congratulations! Prescott is a great area, and I’m sure you’ll love it.

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  11. Wow, I'm glad you were there when it went on the market. From the sounds of it, it was meant to be :-) The acreage will give you both (and Rosie too) plenty of opportunity to make it your own.

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    1. Thanks Rene! Rosie already loves everything about it!

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  12. Just discovered your blog via Raven & Chickadee. Lived in San Diego for 20 years (1972-1992) and now live on the central coast of Oregon (after 25 years in Nebraska!). Not sure how long we'll stay in Oregon, but Prescott is high on our list! Can't wait to read more about your life there (and peruse your backlist of posts for future travels in our Class C). Happy un-packing!

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    1. We had Oregon on our list because my daughter lives there but decided the west was too wet and Bend was too cold!

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    2. So far, the rain hasn't bothered us. The sun usually comes out every 3 or 4 days, so we can't complain. Plus, we can always head out on a road trip somewhere sunny & warm when it gets too dreary. I'll take the rain over snow and freezing temps like we had in Nebraska any day! :)

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  13. Well alright, congratulations to you both, we're happy that you found one that you wanted and even better that you got it!! Looks like a great house and then there is that 3-car!! J&A

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  14. EUREKA!! You two did your research and waited patiently for the "butterfly" to emerge. Now, enjoy the flight! I look forward to hearing more about the next phase of your journey.

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    1. It is indeed a butterfly, there is certainly plenty to do to make it ours.

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  15. So thrilled you were able to finally find a place that ticks most of your boxes:) You have a lovely piece of property. Love the front porch:) Looking forward to get your way eventually to check it out.

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  16. Exciting news! Although no place may be perfect, Prescott comes pretty close. I hope you enjoy it, and your new life style. All the very best to you both. (We are very much enjoying our post-fulltime sticks and bricks life on Jekyll Island. It's amazing what starts to happen when you're in one place for awhile.)

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    1. Glad you are enjoying your new place! I'm sure we'll settle in to this new phase soon!

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  17. Congratulations! Given how tight the Prescott market seems to be, we're happy to hear that something popped up. It looks like a lovely home and in the perfect setting for the two of you.

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  18. Congratulations! Happy for you two!,������������

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  19. Congrats! Prescott is a lovely town, where I shop from Yarnell. Sounds like you scored.

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  20. Congratulations! Your patience has paid off and now with the home you deserve I'm looking forward to your continued posts on local hikes and your lifestyle adjustments.

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  21. It looks like a wonderful house, a lot like what we'll be looking for when the time comes. We'll miss meeting you on the road, but now we have Prescott experts to consult and hike with when we're in your area. Prescott is on our "possibles" list, so we'll be checking in with you in the future to see how you feel then. Take care!

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    1. You can definitely find the acreage you want in Prescott. We look forward to seeing you and discussing Prescott in the future!

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  22. Im excited that you finally found the "one." I echo Steve's comment that we now have local residents to consult with since Prescott is still on the list for us. Congratulations!

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    1. It will be fun to chat about our experience with you guys next time you pass through this area!

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  23. Congratulations! That is a great area and we are sure you will enjoy it.

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  24. Wow, that's a great place. 1.6 acres? Awesome. Will Hans use part of the three-car garage to play music? I bet you can't wait to make it your own! We'll come see you when we're out West again. Bob has relatives in Cave Creek, AZ and Las Vegas, NV.

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    1. We have a 3rd bedroom that will be the office/music room. It would be great to see you two next time you're out this way!

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  25. Wow, it seems like all the RV bloggers I've been following religiously for several years are now changing course: whether to Europe, to a boat, or to a house, it seems to be in the air. We didn't quite hit the three-year mark for full-time RVing, but due to a variety of circumstances ended up selling the motorhome just shy of three years in and as of a few weeks ago are living in the Yucatan, Mexico! We are in a rental home (on the beach!) for now until we decide if we want to buy a place. In the meantime, we are loving the change of pace, and even though the house is small, it is much bigger than an RV. But you're right, it's amazing how much you can accumulate in an RV, and we had to go through donating, giving away, selling, and storing a lot of stuff we'd accumulated in less than three years!

    Best of luck to you both in your new adventure. It looks like you've picked a beautiful area that agrees with you. Enjoy the hikes!

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  26. It is interesting how so many folks we follow are transitioning! Perhaps it is just that the time was right for many folks and maybe the glut of people full timing has something to do with it as well. Good luck to you in Mexico!

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  27. Prescott is great. I spent some time boondocking there this year. So how do you like your sticks and brick life? Do you miss changing neighborhoods more often? I see the full-timers tribe is always changing. Some starts traveling internationally, some stops and moves into a house... I think for us adventure seeker nomads everything gets boring after a while. I like to mix it up a bit. Live in an RV half the year. Traveling internationally the rest of the year... I am sure one day I will have to find a place to settle too.

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    1. We are enjoying it, and making time to take short trips by car to vary the scenery occasionally. We'll probably get a smaller RV in the future because RV travel is the best way to travel!

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