We Bought An RV

I hope that all of you who may still be following my posts are doing well in this strange time we are in.  We have been staying to ourselves in St. Pete, FL since the pandemic reared its ugly head back in February/March.  We have been fortunate to stay healthy and safe during this time.  

During this period of togetherness, we talked a lot about our tentative plan to purchase an RV and hit the road for adventure.  International travel is certainly not desireable at this time and camping is somewhat self-contained social distance.  We searched and debated and searched some more, and then it happened.  

We found a lovely 2018 Tiffin Phaeton Motorhome that had been lovingly cared for by a couple near Bonita Springs, FL.  It had 85% of the features we were looking for.  The missing features were mostly cosmetic and not functional, and we felt lucky to get this coach, given the used RV market has skyrocketed since the pandemic. 

We picked her up in the rain on Friday, October 2, 2020.  Mike boldly hopped into the driver's seat and we drove to a nearby campground to learn about our new home on wheels.  The previous owners of the RV came over to the campground  with us and passed on their knowledge to us.  It was a very nice thing to do.  I think they wanted their baby to go to a good home.  

We stayed in our new rig for a few days and got familiar with its operation.  There is a lot to learn.  

We had two more hurdles to overcome after the initial camping experience.  Practicing backing up a 40ft RV into a parking space, towing our Jeep behind the 40ft rig and parking the RV in its storage space. 

On our departure day, we planned to go to a nearby outlet mall parking lot to "practice" parking.  Mike did a great job backing the coach up into an "imaginary" campsite. We then hooked up the Jeep to tow for the first time.   We drove home without incident, getting a feel for being high on the road next to 18-wheelers blowing by.  

We arrived at our storage facility, nerves slightly jangled but overall a successful trip home with our new rig.  The parking of a 40ft motorhome is not for the faint of heart.  It took us several tries to get the coach parked for the first time.  We were communicating via cell phone, me providing directions and Mike going forward, reverse, right and left.  It was serisously the most stress of the entire experience, but we got her parked. 

We will be taking our next trip beginning mid-October.  More to come on our travels soon.