Let me tell you about the past month. We have long considered and dreamed of joining the RV world. We have debated over and over whether to buy a motor home or a trailer. Well the decision was made. We first went looking with the intentions of buying a small enough trailer to pull with my Trail Blazer which meant it would be about the size of roomy closet with very small amenities. Lovely as they were we just couldn't commit.
Then there was a huge sale on vehicles at the fairgrounds, so we went to just look. Well that led us farther down the road, approximately 90 miles or so, to a car dealer in a small Idaho town that sells vehicles all over the US. We found the perfect truck to do the job. We were most proud of our new purchase which meant we could find a bigger and better trailer. Our venture began.
We called, searched the Internet and visited many many many trailers. Front bath, front bedroom, slides, two doors, one door, so many decisions. Brown, blue, purple (yes, there is no accounting for taste). It was dizzying to say the least. It is like buying a second home so we wanted to be sure we had just the right one. It had to be just the right size for the truck, but it also had to be just the right size for us and one that we felt would feel like a home away from home.
We had worn ourselves out with the search (and unmentioned others). Even when people just looked at us like we had lost our minds and expressed that they thought so, we persevered. We finally narrowed it down to what we thought were the best two for us. Still we just couldn't make that commitment. Then we happened upon "the one." It was perfect. Things I thought I didn't want suddenly seemed like a good idea and things I thought I wanted seemed not so important. It felt comfortable and seemed like perfect fit for the two us and for any company that might breakdown and decided to tag along.
Then we had to prepare for the arrival. It was a torturous week. We had not considered the parking issue or the fact that we didn't have any experience. Fear set in immediately. I started calling to find a winter home for our little arrival. Prices were ridiculous and then there was the issue of having enough room to maneuver. Then the nightmares started. I parked trailers every night in my dreams over and over. I woke up with dread and fear that I couldn't do it. But, then I met Bob. Bob had just the right place for our us to winter our home and a lot of room to maneuver and park. I finally had peace, well momentarily. Then there came the mirror issue as we realized we couldn't see around the big square box that would be trailing behind. Many calls later we found a place to purchase them and was quoted a reasonable price and just come on in we will take care of you they said. Right. Got there and the guy was horrified at the price I had been quoted and said he didn't know where they got their information. He quickly changed his tune when he saw my look of exasperation and what could have been water works in abundance. No man likes a crying woman and I was trying to hold it together. It had been a hard week. I didn't even have the energy to get angry and demand they honor the price. Instead I just looked at him and stupidly repeated what I had said and that we had been told the same information twice. He caved and gave us a great deal. I was one happy lady. Finally, I could give a sigh of relief. Mission accomplished.
I have finally been able to sleep again at night because I know that I am perfectly capable of learning to park and I realized that we have had a dream come true. We will have hours and days of pleasure on the road doing exactly what we love to do more than anything, travel. It is even better now because we can stop where we want and when we want. Now, if we can just make it to retirement everything will be perfect. Albert has already got our first major trip planned for 2011. He is a great planner and I know our itinerary will be full of interesting finds. Watch out World's Biggest Ball of Twine here we come.
