Posted December 30, 2017 – Narrated by Carmen
Readers and followers want to know more about the “4-3-2 Rule” and are asking, “Where did you hear about it?,” “How is it working?'” “Would you change anything?”
Jim’s the plan man.
He introduced the “4-3-2 Rule” several months before we found Beauty.
His idea to drive no more than 4 hours, stop by 3 pm and stay for 2 weeks, got no argument or augment from me, because to be perfectly honest … I didn’t care.
We were going camping forever and that’s all that mattered.
Numbers are Jim’s happy place and I loved that he found a cute equation to cozy up with. So, I said … “Yeah, Baby! Let’s 4-3-2 this LIB thing to Sedna and back!“
And that’s been our focus ever since.
Until yesterday, when I discovered the freakiest thing …
… Jim had stumbled (or tapped into) the 4-3-2 mythical code, which some call the natural universal frequency – and an intriguing debate about music history and the preference for 440 or 432 Hz tuning.
I’ve got a crisp C-note on which frequency the new guitar student will choose …
There’s nothing like a good conspiracy theory, especially one with aliens and Nazis.
Okay, so 432 may not be everything from the square root of the speed of light to the perfect number of dimples on a golf ball, but it’s probably the nicest address in Manhattan and the thing our dreams are made of.
And the juicy details like the 432 connection to the pyramids, Stonehenge and Mesopotamia … Sign me up!
Though we didn’t set out to retune the planet, the “4-3-2 Rule” provides the loveliest little twang of stability to our LIB philosophy.
So far, we have no plans to scrap or alter it, only to adhere to it more closely.
“How is it working?”
We can usually trace a decline in our sense of well-being to a forfeiture of 4-3-2. Returning to The Rule, reignites our enthusiasm.
Summer of 2017, was spent mostly out of the 4-3-2 groove. Family emergencies, hurricanes, maintenance on the Beast, Beauty upgrades, and events like the Best Buy video, and Eclipse2017 threw our slow, steady, wanderlust lifestyle into overdrive.
But now – ever since South Carolina – we’ve been putting the squeeze on the trailer brakes, steadying our pace and finding our way back to our alchemical routine.
Cosmic compatibility aside, the “4-3-2 Rule” is the first-class LIB plan – a luxury, until real life happens and we have to downgrade. 4-3-2 is the nearest equation for health and happiness while living in flux.
And, we’re happy to report that since September, we’ve had eight stays at destinations lasting a week or longer and five stays were two weeks or longer with a few 1-4 day stops in-between.
With the mounting accumulation of comparative data, we’re learning that The 4-3-2 Rule is the LIB Rewards Program!
Here are 6 ways the 4-3-2 Rule pays off:
1) Fitness points! Fewer travel days means our exercise routines have fewer interruptions. Since July 2016 we’ve moved 113 times. Yikes …! That’s 113 days when we probably didn’t take our minimal 3-mile walk! Fewer days on the road means more fitness opportunities.
2) Travel Points! Because we’re not driving so much we spend less on diesel and DEF. As fuel expenses go down there’s more in the budget for campground expenses and nightlife.
3) Lower Maintenance! Pounding out hard miles is tough on the rig and takes time out of our days. Slow travel, like slow cooking, is rich, methodical, and inspires creative play.
4) Mile Bonuses! Quality miles are better than quantity miles. Two weeks in a single location loosens up our time to properly research the next move. The upcoming travel experience is maximized by planning a scenic route that catches interesting side-trips along the way and unique places to brunch or lunch or picnic. And, it’s just more exciting to hitch up when we’re not doing it every other day.
5) More time with family and friends! It’s embarrassing how many times we’ve blasted through a town and remembered too late that we had friends or family nearby.
Also, slower travel provides opportunities to connect and camp with our favorite LIB follower, my adventurous Dad, Allen Perry.
6) Aloha Moments! Sure we’re just passing through, but two weeks is enough to explore, embed, feel the pulse of a community – and sometimes even to develop a sense of place or belonging. Separation anxiety on the night before we pull out is a clue that our time was well spent.
So, there it is. We hope this better explains the origin and purpose of Jim’s 4-3-2 Rule that he got from aliens.
We love reading your blog and campground reviews, as we are almost following you. Checked out Ho-Hum and tried the Chaz Campground in Homosassa and loved it. Without your review we would not have known about that jewel. John Prince is on our radar for April. Where did you stay in the Keys? Been fulltiming since November in the Boykin Bus, named for our dogs, Boykin Spaniels Pawley & Bonkers. Love the 4-3-2 rule – had heard about it somewhere, but at the moment trying 1-month stays for better rates.
Happy Trails, Monika & Gumpy McNair
Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, traveling with living in beauty, always makes my day!!!!
Have a fantastic New Year, may it be filled with good health and blessings!
Teresa,
Jim and I are honored to have your travel blessing. Thank you so much!
xoxo,
LIB
Hey Monika! So glad you found Chaz. We fell in love with the whole area. Outdoors Resort of America in Melbourne is fabulous and very dog-friendly. We will definately spend more time there in the future.
Thank you so much for following and safe travels,
LIB
Beautiful photography!
Thank you, Carolyn! I’m loving my new camera. Thank you so much for staying with us!
xoxo
LIB
Excellent rule and incredible photography! I especially like the one with the birds in flight near the water!
Donna, we are trying to up the quality of our photographs. We got a high quality Nikon camera and are learning how to use Photoshop. The photo of the birds near the water was one of those moments captured that we love.
Fabulous pics!!!
Nice post. You should post it in Airstream Addicts.
Frank, thank you for the kind words. We did post it on various Facebook group sites. Hopefully it did not get lost in the maze of comments and posts.
We live about 4 miles from John Prince Park. We spend time there a couple of times a year. Going again end of January. Very nice, peaceful place.
Nancy, we agree John Prince is a very nice, peaceful place. We walked for miles and miles and also rode our bikes around the lake. Since site #8 and those around it doesn’t have sewer, we never had any neighbors and felt like we had the place to ourselves.
We’ve traveled like this, not knowing it, for five years. Although the 2 sometimes was 2 months 👍
Kareen, we haven’t tried 2 months yet, but there have a been a few places that have tempted us to stay that long. Like Hilton Head Island RV Park, Outdoors RV of Melbourne, Gros Ventre Campground, to name a few.
I like your philosophy, hope to meet you on the road someday!
David, we too like the slow philosophy we are trying to live. Maybe someday our paths will cross.
Love the 4-3-2 plan. Have you checked into Highland Haven in the Virginia blue ridge? Fabulous👍🏽👍🏽Also, have you paddled the Weeki Wachee?
Mary Ann, we stayed at Highland Haven Airstream Park for 4 days this past August. Fun happy hours and great walks to the water fall. Fantastic folks there! When we were at Chassahowizka River Campground, we kept planning to go to Weeki Wachee to kayak, but never made it because my Dad’s house burnt down shortly after we arrived. We had to leave in a hurry and help him with the mess.
Great read as always.
Larry, thank you!
I love this post. Thank you. I will see how this sacred mathematics works for us. We have a formula for success. It is the 2-4-6 rule for happiness. Sleep two, feed four, entertain 6. I guess that sums it up. 😉
Your 2-4-6 rule for happiness sounds like a winner!
Do you make reservations? We are finding it hard to do 4-2-2 or similar without making reservations 6 months in advance for many western state and federal parks.
Another major Ram recall, T51, water pump. Parts won’t be available for another couple of months. Yours and mine are affected. Hope our pumps don’t fail before we can get the recall performed.
Kelvin,
So good to hear from you! You should know that our water pump went out while we were towing on Highway 90 in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi last Spring, so don’t delay getting yours fixed! We will have to research to find our if we can be reimbursed for the fix. It could have been worse. We spent the night compliments of a Chevron station with a great seafood restaurant next door. Hopefully there won’t be too many more surprises.
The western parks do push those reservations but we’ve never been turned away when driving in last minute. Yosemite, for example, check out the current campground status on a regular basis to get a feel for what might be available on the day you arrive – https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/campground-status.htm. And at Joshua Tree many sites are first-come-first-serve. We drive up on non-holiday Sunday and Monday mornings. We also call the park a few days ahead to make a reservation or just to get a sense about availablity. Parks with a policy to book campsites left vacant for 24 hours are a good bet. Only on rare occassions do we make reservations that cannot be fully refunded with a few days prior notice – and then only for school holidays. Yes, it’s a gamble and we’ve had some close calls but so far we haven’t been turned away. Still, we always have a backup plan or two.
Thanks so much for keeping up with us. I know I’ve said this before, but let’s have an Excella Meet Up, okay? We’ll be travelling up the west coast this year!
Safe Travels, Kelvin
LIB
How funny! We just left the Lake Worth/WPB area yesterday. A few restaurant recommendations if you’re still there and want to eat like a local:
Howleys – On South Dixie in West Palm Beach. BEST breakfast ever!
Dixie Grill – On South Dixie in West Palm Beach. They now have a brewery – bring your growlers.
Napolean Bakery – Also on South Dixie in West Palm Beach. Fantastic European bakery.
Havana’s – The best Cuban coffee and Cuban food in West Palm. On the corner of South Dixie and Forest Hill.
Old Key Lime House – Head there for Happy Hour along the water. In downtown Lantana.
The Chevron station on South Dixie near Havana and Napolean Bakery has a growler filling station with local beers on tap. I’m not sure if you can fill your own (there might be some weird FL law about this) but try. It’s worth a stop anyway.
Have fun you two!
and also forgot to mention – the iguanas will start to fall out of the trees when it gets too cold for them to hold on. Beware of falling iguanas!
Victoria,
We just loved the area! We found some great places, but yours also sound fantastic! Thanks, I will mention them when I do the review. I’ve been doing Living In Beauty restaurant and brewery reviews on Yelp! with RV specific considerations like freeway access, parking, dog-friendly … Let me know if you are doing reviews. Sounds like we should be following you!
LIB
Happy New Year! Just spent the turning of the year visiting my favorite sister and brother(in law) via this blog. So much fun! I love that y’all are doing so well when the 4-2-3 works as intended. The point you make about hitching up being exciting and not a drudge is everything.
That photo of the cranes passing in front of the breakers…I need that on a wall, or a screen saver, or a tote bag, or a fridge magnet. Love, Deb
Hey Deb! The white Ibis in flight on Melbourne beach was captured on November 23rd, Thanksgiving Day, with my new Nikon. It would look nice on a silk scarf or something. xoxo
Great post! Happy New Year, looking forward to your 2018 adventures.
Thank you, Amy!
Safe Travels,
LIB
Amy, thank you! It is strangely cold in the Florida Keys right now, but we understand much of North America is experiencing cold weather.
We just love John Prince Campground. Love your blog. Thank you for your valuable information and I love your pictures. My husband also plays guitar. Would be fun to meet you and your husband.
We will, absolutely, be back to John Prince someday. We found so many great little restaurants, cafes and just loved the bike rides through Boca.
Thank you for being with us, Claudette. We’d love to meet up with ya’ll! Jim is on his 8th week of daily online guitar lessons (classical). I love listening to him practice.
LIB,
Carmen
Loved this! We’re getting ready to head out when our Airstream is done at the spa (repair shop). We’ll be on our way to Texas from California. My husband is bringing one guitar – a mini Martin acoustic. He made me laugh because we’ve had discussions about how many amps he can pack in the Airstream and why I can’t bring my sewing machine because there won’t be enough room for amps. In fact, the other day I decided that the 6 qt. Instant Pot was too big and I told him I needed the 3 qt. He said, “Oh, that’s your equivalent to a travel guitar.” Hope to meet you both and have a laugh!