Here we are, back in familiar surroundings.

A few weeks ago we decided to take a short trip, mostly to get the RV ready for traveling. There were some plumbing things to do, so we booked a weekend in Littleton, MA, at the first campground where we stayed at in our RV, in June, 2020.

Our first task was to de-winterize and sanitize the fresh water tank. On Thursday we drove the RV to the service facility. We put a measured amount of chlorine and 70 gallons of water into the tank. Filling it took almost half an hour. Then we drove back to the storage facility. Sloshing the chlorine-water mix helped with the sanitizing. Then on Friday we packed up for the weekend, hooked up the car and drove to the campground.

The next step in the process was to empty the fresh water tanks. We had to run all the faucets but something wasn’t right. The water pump ran but the water didn’t flow out of the faucets. I tried a number of things before finding out that I needed to clean out the filter next to the water pump. That part was good, except for the fact that quite a bit of water dribbled out as I disconnected and reconnected the filter. Of course we were going to have water problems. That’s what haunted us most of last year—why should this year be any different? Anyway, we eventually emptied out the tank, filled it again and emptied it a second time. We also sloshed a water-chlorine mix into the hose to disinfect it as well.

On Saturday I worked on the water heater. Fortunately, that is done outside. No water mess inside the RV. Empty the tank, run a wand into the tank to flush out the sediment that collects at the bottom of the tank. Then reattach everything and test. It was all working fine. I even took a shower to celebrate.

The weather this weekend isn’t great. The highs are in the low 50s. I guess we should be pleased that it isn’t raining but it still wasn’t an outdoor day. We watched a few shows and took a ride around the area. Then we stopped for takeout dinner (Asian) and headed back to the RV.

I do love being here. It must seem silly. We have a nice house where we can spread out, the temperature is comfortable and there is a full kitchen with a dishwasher. Instead, we live in a 30 foot space that is cold in the morning. But it’s peaceful here. The daily grind seems far away and I can just focus on the present.

We’re back home tomorrow. I’m not sure if we will take a trip in late May or early June. We do have plans to head north in late June, so that may be our next trip.

Owning an RV required us to learn a lot of new terms. Phrases like ‘wet bath’ and ‘doghouse‘ have very different meanings from what you would expect. As does the term, ‘toad’. Once you realize that ‘toad’ means a vehicle that is towed by a motor home, it makes more sense.

Last week we took Cathie’s car in for modifications so that it could be towed. The most significant addition was installation of a baseplate, which permanently attaches to the car and has connections for the tow bar. The mechanic also added wiring so the car’s rear lights are controlled by the RV. And he added an electrical plug so that when the car is being towed, it uses the RV for electrical power.

On Saturday we went out to the RV for some spring cleaning and a chance to check out the tow package. I connected everything to make sure I understand how it all works. It took a while to figure it all out. The brake system was a bit confusing at first but is actually pretty simple. It’s a portable unit that sits on the floor in front of the driver’s seat. There is a claw arm that attaches to the brake. Once it’s positioned properly and plugged in, the system senses when the vehicle is slowing down and applies the brake to slow down the car.

Our next test is to connect everything and take it out for a test ride. I’m a bit anxious about that step but I do remember last year when I was anxious about driving a 30 foot motorhome. Now it’s not as daunting. So, towing a car will probably be OK, eventually.

Not really. Just some kitchen updates to help with organizing. With a basket for fruit and a paper towel rack, there is more space available. Although our kitchen counter is quite large by RV standards, it’s limited. This will give us some more space.

I don’t have to tell you how hard this past year has been. You’ve lived it. The pandemic has upended all of our lives. Cathie and I have been fortunate that we haven’t had to work outside the house, unlike many essential workers. From a physical health perspective, that has kept us safe from COVID. From a mental health perspective, well, it’s been, um, challenging. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been dropped into the Groundhog Day movie.

But, Hope springs eternal. Cathie and I have both had our first vaccine and we are on track to be fully inoculated by the first week in April. We’ll have our Get out of Jail Free cards and we plan to do something. We’re planning a spring trip in the RV!!

Although it’s currently tentative, we expect to head south, where we can bask in warmer weather. Since our daughter is in DC, we will visit that area. After that, who knows?

This finally gives me something to think about, that is fun and interesting!

There are a few things we need to do to keep the RV maintained over the winter. First was winterizing. In early November I went to the dealer to do the winterization, and to learn how it’s done. He removed the fresh water, emptied the water heater and added anti-freeze to the system. The anti-freeze isn’t the same as what we put in our cars. It’s not harmful to drink, although I’m not sure I would want to drink it. Once the winterization was complete, I took it back to storage. The winterization seemed easy enough. I’ll probably do it myself next year.

Each month I am going out to the RV and doing a routine recommended by other RVers. I turn the generator on, plug in an electric heater and let it run for an hour. Apparently it’s good to exercise the generator monthly. That also ensures that the batteries stay charged, although they don’t seem to be discharging so far. While the generator is running I move the RV slightly to rotate the tires a bit. I’ve been told that not moving the RV for months at a time can create a flat spot on the tires.

On Monday we will take the RV in for service. We didn’t travel too many miles but it should still have an annual oil change. There are some other minor items and it needs a good washing. My excuse for having them wash it is that there is no way to wash it myself at the storage facility since I don’t have access to water. (Whew, dodged that one!)

We’re waiting for warmer weather and for the number of COVID cases to go down before we are ready for another trip. It’s safer hibernating at home. Boring, but safe. It will get warm soon enough. So, I’m just sitting on my hands and waiting for the day that we can start planning our next trip. For others out there waiting for spring, I found out that there were five more minutes of daylight today than on December 21!

It’s been a couple of weeks since we ended our first trip in the RV. This week we will take our second adventure. Since our daughter Tessa is visiting us for the month, she will get to experience RV life as well.

Today we picked up the RV from the dealer. There were a few minor items we had to address. One of them was the propane issue we had on the last trip. They couldn’t find a leak, so we’ll hope that the issue we had was just a fluke. We drove it to the storage place and did some organizing. We got a few things for this round—a mattress topper, some drawer dividers, some throw pillows, a new shower head. Hopefully the last item won’t be too hard to set up. This shower head is supposed to give a nicer, more powerful spray.

It’s funny what you learn and how you learn it. When we were at the storage location, we wanted to open the slideout. With the slide open we would be able to get around the bed. We followed all the instructions on opening the slide and it just wouldn’t work. I checked the manual. The engine was running but there was no power. After several minutes rummaging through what could be the problem, it finally dawned on me. There is a ‘house’ battery disconnect switch. This is to eliminate battery drain when the RV is just sitting and doesn’t need any power. Sure enough, the battery disconnect switch was on. After I switched it off, the slide worked just fine. Lesson learned.

On Thursday we head out to the Berkshires. The weather doesn’t sound promising but we’ll try to have fun anyway.

We didn’t do too much running around today. Cathie went to the market, I did the laundry. We organized and packed a few more things. I made some bread for the trip. We decided to go out to the RV to turn on the refrigerator. It runs on propane so its not a problem running it overnight. Tomorrow we will be able to put the items right into the fridge, since it will be cold. I think we are in good shape for the trip.

We’re getting everything ready! Yesterday we brought lots of items to the RV: kitchen, household, outdoor equipment, etc. Today we went out to clean the drawers and cabinets and store everything in their proper place. The kitchen is now pretty much set up, as well as the outdoor furniture. Tomorrow we will do the laundry, go food shopping and pack up our clothes. I’ll bake some bread for the trip. Then on Sunday we will take everything out to the RV and begin our adventure.

I’ve also been working on checklists. There are so many things to remember; it’s safer to rely on a checklist (or five). We will have one for what to do when arriving at the campground, another for what to check before going to bed, there will be one for emptying the waste and one for leaving the campground. It’s a bit crazy.

The last item for the trip arrived today: wheel chocks. A few years ago if you asked me if I was interested in purchasing wheel chocks, I would have looked at you in puzzlement. I might not have even known tbe purpose of a wheel chock. But here I am today, the proud owner of wheel chocks. (They’re heavy, by the way.)

We’ve spent the past week getting ready. There have been dozens of delivery packages (well, maybe 5 or 6) with various oddball items enclosed. Before we decided to buy an RV I never thought I would be the proud owner of a water voltage regulator. But here I am, with one of those, along with several other pieces of equipment that we deemed necessary for our RV.

Tomorrow morning we will have a PDI, or Pre-Delivery Inspection. I found some checklists to guide us through the process. Were expecting it will take several hours to make sure everything is working and learn how to use all the various parts of the RV. Then we will drive it about a mile, to the storage facility. (We might take a test drive first.)

By the end of tomorrow we should be in possession of our home on wheels!

We’re preparing! Besides making lists for packing and for the delivery, we’re buying a ton of items. Here is a sample of our purchases:

Next Wednesday we pick up the RV.

We have a new plan. It isn’t anything like the old plan. But it’s something.

We’ve been shelterimg in place for the past two and a half months. It’s been boring and frustrating with some worry mixed in. I’ve felt depressed at times. And we have both felt a sense of loss for the adventure we hoped and planned. That 6 month trip is gone. Maybe we’ll do something when the virus is more manageable. But we have to live for today.

So, the new plan starts with picking up the RV on June 10th and taking a short trip soon after that. We’ll try out all the components and get used to living in our second home.

Now come the details. We found a storage facility. There are a bunch of things to purchase. We are working on checklists–picking up the RV from the dealer, packing lists, taking off, arriving at the campsite–so many things to remember.

Here we go!

Today was the day. We had it planned for months. We would spend the day at the RV dealer learning all about the RV and then take delivery of it. We would drive it to a storage facility and spend the next several days packing up for our big adventure. Today was the day.

Both of us try not to dwell too much on what we’ve missed. We’re hunkered down like most others in our universe. We’re both healthy and safe. We have lots of reasons to be grateful. But we are still disappointed, sad and frustrated. It was such a wonderful plan. Yuck.

Hopefully we will get a chance to take the RV out and enjoy the adventure we have planned for so long. For now we wait.

It’s been a while since our last post. We have ben talking and planning but not much has happened since we purchased the RV. Until today.

If you read our other posts, you know that we want to tow a car. The advantage of towing a car is that we can take day trips easily, without moving our house on wheels. We’re looking to flat tow the car (four wheels on the ground), which is easier than having a trailer.

The cars that we currently own can’t be towed without a trailer. I spent some time searching for the right vehicle. We need something in the 3,000 pound range, with an automatic shift, since Cathie can’t drive a manual shift easily anymore. I narrowed the choices down to a Ford Focus. It’s the right size and converting it to be a toad isn’t too complicated. Our search was fairly narrow. We decided on the nicest trim package since it includes heated seats and a heated steering wheel. Cathie will love that steering wheel, since she has Raynaud’s. Her hands can get numb from even slight cold weather.

Today we found our car! It’s black with dark grey interior. You can call is a funeral car but it will work really well as a toad and as an every day, get around town car.

RV Warranty?

One item I have been preoccupied about is an extended warranty. Many people say that extended warranties are probably not worth the money for a newer RV. Our repair costs would probably be less than the price of the warranty. However, getting an extended warranty removes the worry about whether there will be a big expense. So, we decided to get a warranty. I compared two options and it appears that the one through the RV dealer is a bit better than the one through Wholesale Warranties. I have to finalize the paperwork and then have another item checked off of our list.

One step closer!

It’s Saturday and we own an RV. OMG!!

If you have been following our posts, you know that we settled on a Winnebago Class A RV. The Intent 29L and Vista/Sunstar 29V both met our requirements. The Vista/Sunstar model is a bit of an upgrade with the Intent more of a budget model. We saw the Intent at Hershey but not the Vista/Sunstar model. We were told that they were the same layout with the Vista having some upgrades (fiberglass roof, better refrigerator, nicer door handles for outside storage). (Vista and Sunstar are exactly the same, even though they have different names.)

After we got back from Hershey, I started looking around for new and used RV’s. There didn’t seem to be many used Intent models; even the new ones were not abundant. There were a few Vista/Sunstar models in the area, though. One seemed very interesting to us. It was a used 2019 model year. Because it was used, it was a few dollars less than the new 2019s and was at Flagg RV, a dealer only 25 minutes from our house. There were two other possibilities; one was a 2017 Vista in New Hampshire. That was doable but not ideal. There was a new 2019 Vista at Flagg’s other showroom in Boyleston, MA.

Next step was research. I found a great book, RV Buyer’s Survival Guide and ordered it. Then I studied the book over the course of two nights. At that point I felt we were ready to make a deal with the dealership. Thanks to Cathie, we also researched insurance so we would know the potential costs.

Saturday morning we headed out to the dealership. We planned to visit the local dealer first. then, based on the results, maybe we would head up to New Hampshire to visit the other used one and/or see the new one for sale. When we got to actually see the RV, we both fell in love with it. It felt like a luxurious RV to me. The sinks were nicer, better cabinet doors, a tad more storage–overall a great RV. The original owners added a second air conditioner, which resulted in a more powerful 50 amp circuit. That will give us more power when available at campgrounds.

We negotiated a bit; the sales rep didn’t offer many concessions. We left and talked about it over lunch. We decided to go back and make another offer. A short time later, we agreed on the price and were filling out the paperwork. Fortunately, we are able to leave the RV with them over the winter. They will store it for no additional charge. We will notify them when we want to pick up the RV in the spring.

In addition to being excited and scared, we’re a step closer to the next phase of our lives!

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If you have been bitten by the RV bug, you probably know about the Hershey RV Show. It’s billed as ‘America’s largest RV show’. It’s possible that the one in Tampa or Southern California is larger but that’s a moot point for us. This is a big show that has lots of RVs on display. And since we are in the market for an RV, what better way to spend a few days?

We drove down to Hershey on Wednesday, ready to explore. We had the opportunity to see RVs, attend seminars, do some shopping and imagine our lives in RV wonderland. We’re excited!

The Attendees

This is definitely a big event. There were lots of people, RV’s, vendors, speakers but no pets. Pets are not allowed, which was just fine for us. We spent the bulk of two days at the show and soaked in as much as we could.

As you might guess, the population was generally older, although there were a smattering of young families. I noticed a lot of people with mobility issues–some with canes, others with electric scooters. There seemed to be more people with mobility issues than the normal population. I wonder if people with mobility issues are drawn to RVing because it’s accessible to them or if people continue RVing, even after they have mobility issues. Either way, it’s an interesting observation, considering Cathie’s challenges walking. BTW, Cathie took her new rollator with her. It was a great idea for her to get it and use it. She was much less fatigued and I noticed that she was able to walk faster by using the rollator. We wouldn’t have done half the things we did together if she didn’t have it.

The Seminars

We went to a few very good sessions. One was worth the price of admission. The presenter, Randy Sobel, discussed the RV buying process. He answered the many questions that attendees asked and even sat with some of us and gave us private recommendations on purchasing.

The Vendors

There were lots of vendors offering an incredible array of products. We picked up a few items for the RV (that we don’t have yet).

The RV’s

Yes, there were lots of RV’s. This is one of the key advantages of the Hershey show. Almost every RV that is being sold is on display. We were able to see all the ones that are on our short list. Even so, we did a lot of traipsing around. RV’s are big and there are a lot of them.

We focused on Class A models under 30 feet. Class A gives us the ability to turn the cabin into a living area; Class C really can’t do that effectively. When we rented a Class A a few weeks ago, we learned how swiveling the driver and passenger chairs around gave us an additional seating area. It was great. After that experience, we decided that we really needed swivel chairs.

Regarding size, we didn’t want something too small, since this is going to be our home for 6 months or more. We didn’t want too big an RV, so we felt that staying under (or around) 30 feet would be relatively easy to maneuver. We looked at models from Winnebago, Jayco, Thor, the REV Group and others.

We talked with manufacturer reps at the Jayco and Winnebago areas. This was invaluable. They have a wealth of knowledge that you can’t get from the dealer. The Winnebago rep told us about the specific similarities and differences between the models. We probably spent 20 or 30 minutes talking with him.

And…

When we were driving down, we discussed whether we would actually buy an RV at the show. It was a possibility, but it didn’t happen. What did happen was that we now know what we want. We decided that Winnebago was the best company for us. We don’t want problems–Winnebagos typically have fewer problems than most other companies. We really like the layout of the Intent 29L and Vista 29V. They have a dinette across from the sofa. With the front swivel chairs, we have three seating areas plus the ability to interact with each other comfortably. The two models are basically the same RV, with the Vista having a few upgrades that are nice (fiberglass roof, better refrigerator, nicer door handles for outside storage).

Now comes the hard part–purchasing the RV. There are several 2019 models still available. We’re going to contact several dealers in the next week or two.

It’s really happening!

Before we get too ensconced in our regular life, I thought I would put down some thoughts and lessons learned.

• Survey the site before parking: This should be obvious but it wasn’t for us. When we got to the campground, Cathie got out and helped me back into the site. Then we realized that the hookups were on the other side of the site. So, I had to move the RV to get closer.
• Have a grab bar in the shower: All RV’s should have this but I’m guessing that RV’s are designed by people who don’t think about mobility issues. If we can’t find this in an RV, we’ll have to add it after we purchase the RV.
• Space is important if you plan a long trip: The RV we rented was nice. If we were planning to take short trips–weekends up to a couple of weeks–the size we rented would be just right for us. We’re going to need something bigger if this is going to be our home for 6 months. We want more maneuvering space in the living area, probably a dedicated eating area separate from a sofa and a larger bathroom. We also decided that an island bed is the best option for us.
• Fold out leaf in the kitchen: This turned out to be a nice feature. Although a ‘nice to have’ this would help with the limited space available.
• Swivel driver and passenger seats: This was really nice and has become a priority for us.
• Bring a dustbuster, a broom, a mat for the outside and a small rug for the inside: RV’s can get dirty quickly. We ended up buying a broom and used it more than once a day.
• Get a small propane grill: This can help if we want to cook outside and we don’t want to (or can’t) make a fire.

That’s it for now. We’re still interested in doing this!