Ugh ... can't we PLEASE go back to sleep? This is my thought every morning at 3:30 am when I finally open my eyes after laying there awake for 30 minutes. No kidding little buddy ... can't you hold it? The answer of course is a resounding NO MOM!! So out we go into the cool morning air. Truly, it's the best part of the day!
Going back to bed will never happen. I can lay there for hours and never fall asleep. I know this harkens back to the days of gathering cattle where we were up at O-Dark-Thirty saddling the horses. If you weren't on your horse headed out to the far fields by the time the sun came up, you were BURNING DAYLIGHT.
Snacks are involved here too. If he's a good boy, he gets a snack or two or three before he lays down for his first three hour nap. If only I could do the same.
It was a rather interesting day. As you know, Dave and Marcia from Florida sent a message that they were getting a new RV ... a Thor Motor Coach Sequence. Here's a pic I found on the web. I've thought about these camper vans for a few years, even though everyone says they are too small. Check out Dave's Blog HERE. I'm sure he will be posting all about it very soon.
What a coincidence ... one of my long time photography friends just bought a similar version in December. When I mentioned I was interested, she said to stop by and take a look. I was all over it!! But first ... I had a couple errands to run. I returned the blower with no battery to Home Depot where I stood for 20 minutes to the sound of their phone ringing (that NO ONE picked up) while they tried to figure out their computers.
Then it was off to the Elks Lodge to turn in some paperwork and get updated on the latest happenings. Turns out that paperwork that they told me needed to be in TODAY isn't really needed until NOVEMBER. With that .... I headed straight to Starbucks for a drink.
Truly, I don't like Starbucks. How can so many people afford such expensive drinks? This is black tea lemonade ... perfect for the diet. Turns out chocolate croissants are NOT so good for the diet, but boy are they TASTY!!! I ate that thing in one fell swoop!!! The whole order cost me $8.50, but felt OH SO GOOD!
So there I was at my friends house. She is from Germany, very quiet and shy and sometimes hard to understand. I'm actually very surprised that when her husband passed, she purchased this beauty and began to drive around the country.
She called me for advice now and again and I explained things like dumping the tanks, Happy Camper, conserving water .. you know the stuff. So far she has been doing really well and just finished up a ten week trip.
I didn't get any pictures at her house, so these all came from the internet. This is a Canadian built Pleasure-Way Plateau TS ... exactly what she bought last year for a whopping amount of dinero. Is it worth it? I probably won't know until I buy one ... IF I buy one.
Here's the interior, of course taken from the back to make it look SO spacious! The couch you would be sitting on in this picture, makes into a bed ... with the push of a button. A queen sized bed if you wish. The windows are large and open on the bottom to allow airflow. All around the top are huge storage bins.
The bathroom you ask? It's pretty small, but doable. You have to pull a curtain around to use the shower, with its aqua hot water system. Even better, everything runs on propane or solar or electricity. I'm sure I could NOT camp for a month without dumping the tanks. It dawned on me that maybe this was more of a stay one night, then go explore and stay somewhere else the next night type of rig.
I want one!! It's diesel with dually tires in the back. It can tow 4220 pounds, and my jeep just happens to be 4290. Not sure I need to do that if I wrap my head around moving more often. Would sure be nice to have a jeep to run to town with and for sightseeing. Can I make it over those high mountain passes towing?? The 2023 I am looking at has a 3.0L V6 Blue TEC Diesel engine that I know nothing about.
The killer of course is the price. It's so very well made and on a Mercedes chassis. A 2023 model sells for $160,000. Yes you can buy a lot of 5th wheel for that price, but the quality is beyond belief. My head is in the clouds right now ... we'll see if I still think it's a good idea in a couple of weeks. It's like buying a new HOUSE!!! It's only money, right?
I spent so much time looking up different vans that I almost missed dinner. Sometimes I get focused on things like that and suddenly realize it's four hours later.
Dinner was the last of the romaine lettuce wraps, this time with Thai sweet chili sauce. That stuff makes all the difference!! I'm liking this MUCH better than with bread!!
And so ended another day as I contemplated draining one of my bank accounts. My friend thinks I should buy a camper van so we can go to Alaska on a photography adventure. It's a thought!!!!!
Have you looked in other states for the the same unit. California is always expensive ?
ReplyDeleteSue
I have not Sue .... GREAT idea!!
DeleteNancy if you like it and can afford it I say go for it! Life is to short!!!
ReplyDeleteFrances:)
Frances, you are my kind of girl!!!
DeleteMr. Ed said The next chance you get look on (((RV trader))) at a Travato, Winnebago, 59 KL. L stands for lithium no generator required. (that’s the new technology and it’s better )You can run the air condition for at least eight or nine hours. all your power comes from the lithium batteries, as well as solar on the roof. That particular model has an advantage of a bed on either side you can convert one for the dog and bird why by new you can still get the same warranty work on a two year old unit better mileage than diesel and cheaper in cost and cheaper in price they use a dodge ram high cube truck if you can park your truck in a parking spot you can park that van same size so why would you need to tow another vehicle? That part doesn’t make sense$$$ the make and model that you were going to look for type that under YouTube there’s tons of videos, and they will give you the pro and con my other suggestion was find somebody or a dealer that has one and take it for a ride. I would say, that would be a must I’ll pretty much guarantee you won’t look back.
ReplyDeleteHave a conversation with Mr.C about registering it in another state
DeleteThe reason for towing my jeep is so I don't have to close everything up and unplug in order to get groceries or go sightseeing ... then come back and plug everything BACK in. There are definitely less expensive models out there, which is why I'm going to go look at a few today.
DeletePlease, pay careful attention to the capacity of these vans. Our first one had 500 pounds of CCC and an 9 gallon black tank. I had to exchange my jeans for cotton slacks and my Corelle dishes for plastic to stay within the CCC. We only owned that one for four months.
ReplyDeleteLinda Sand
I definitely paid attention to tank size. The ones on this rig are pretty good sized. I've downsized quite a bit and use paper plates for everything. Saves on water AND weight! Still ... there's not that much room in there.
DeleteCrap, had a comment written and Bill came home. Distracted!! Lost it.
ReplyDeleteWe think a tow vehicle would be important, at least to us, having to disconnect and pack things away would be bothersome even for a night, 2 weeks or longer. Just be sure, Bill doesn't think that weight difference would be too concerning.
Sounds exciting, good luck with your decision (not white, I hope!), lots of suggestions above too. 😊
I think if I didn't have a tow vehicle, I would have to rethink HOW I rv .... though if you read Jim and Barb's blog, they have a small camper with no towing and they seem to do just great!! There would definitely be adjustments made.
DeleteWelllllll, we thought we would get the new Motorhome Van today, but we learned last evening that Credit Union and the Business Office cannot come to an agreement. The credit union wants to be on the title as a lien holder before they cut the dealership a check...the dealership wants full payment before releasing the motorhome. So...here we are the victim of two reputable establishments whose policies don't mesh with each other. We went today, did orientation, gave them the rest of the down payment (which is MORE than the what is owed) and signed lots and lots of paperwork. The good news, WHEN the van is registered with credit union on title, we will get our new "road home" delivered to us! May be a couple of days, may be next week...should not go beyond that (WE HOPE!)
ReplyDeleteSince you already have your truck, have you thought about a camper like Jim & Barb are doing??? Seems to be a less expensive way to go, and your truck should pull the jeep with the camper on the back if you need that. Truck is getting old, you say...time for a new truck? Price of new truck and camper would be just about equal to what we paid for our camper van.
OH NO!!! I'm so sorry about your motorhome! What the heck? It's not like they are waiting for a PERSONAL check .... that's crazy!
DeleteI have thought about a camper on my truck ... one with a slide, but honestly, that's even SMALLER than the camper van. One of my Elks friends suggested a small motorcycle to get around. Great except for when it rains!!
When it rains, you can just use the van "if" you got a motorcycle. Just need to be sure that the "rack" you carry it on can let the door swing open, because you need to be able to get into that area from time to time, and they do make racks that swivel so that the back door(s) can open.
DeleteMy parents had a motor home and used it to travel around Australia even took it across the Nullarbor which means then went from the east coast to the west coast they travelled a lot around Australia when dad retired and before he lung cancer.
ReplyDeleteThey are sure nice to travel in ... no hotels and suitcases, especially when I have critters.
Delete