It was a little sad to see our motorhome go down the road with it's new owners, all smiles and ready to embark on their new journey of making memories. This was our third RV as a family and we were pretty attached. She had everything, even a washer and dryer for goodness sake. We actually lived in her comfortably for a month while we remodeled our second home. I cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner in there (from scratch I kid you not!) one year down in the Outer Banks.
Something happened when we moved though.. We upgraded from a 1/2 acre lot in town to almost six acres "in the country". The neighbors weren't really visible to us. We put in a hot tub and a pool. Our lot is private, yet the view is stunning, with a ridge in the background and trees surrounding us pretty much all the way around. It was like heaven, room to breathe and relax Bonfires were a common weekend activity to unwind from a long stressful week. Camping in amongst hoards of other people suddenly lost it's appeal. |
We came to the realization that we were just letting our vacation on wheels sit around. Not so good for her. A bus that size has limited places to go camping in, and to get the best spots, one has to plan far in advance. Not so easy for us. Up for sale she went, and we were shocked when she sold instantly. After some tears over a tough choice, I got over it and took comfort in the fact that our baby was in good hands.
....But I couldn't imagine not being able to camp at all, because when the RV bug bites it bites hard! I love the outdoors and all nature has to offer. The sights, smells, noises- tranquility that can't be found anywhere else in my opinion. We had quite a few discussions on what to do next. We were leaning towards a fifth wheel trailer and even had a favorite brand and style picked out. On the plus side they are a LOT less maintenance than a motorhome. They can also take a little more neglect. Still, it didn't seem like a good fit. We feared we would be in the same boat with a big lug to take care of, not getting used except as a place for out-of-town family to crash.
One day Jason suggested we look at pickup campers. NOPE. No..no..nooooooooooooo! Too small after being in something so large and roomy. I mean really?? Hahaha!
Knee-jerk reactions are a funny thing. If you stick with them you could miss out on a lot of things. I couldn't help but be a bit curious about the little campers, so I decided to do some of my own research. I looked at blogs, an online magazine just for pickup campers, and of course RV Trader. I searched forum posts for hours. The more I read, the more I was becoming hooked on the notion of going just about anywhere the 4WD truck could go. I found out about boon-docking aka "dispersed camping". The desert...the beach..the forest..NOT limited to commercial campgrounds. That was it. The thing missing from our camping trips. More nature..less parking lot.
It didn't take long to locate our new camper. We found a Lance 1010 with all the options we wanted (almost!) and put a deposit on it over the phone.
Home safe! Now to plan for the first trip!!!