From this
37 foot, diesel,Gulfstream Endura 2007 Super-C motorhome with 2 large slides.
To this
21 foot, Roadtrek 210 Popular 2011 gas camper van with no slides |
|
We did it!
And
Sunshine State RVs in Gainesville, Florida made it so easy. What we expected to be a 2 month process took 2 days! It helped that we had seen the recommendation by Mike Wendland of Roadtreking.com. He did a
Facebook Live report from Sunshine State RVs a few months back. At the time, we put that on our list as the first choice for buying a Roadtrek. We also heard glowing reviews from people we know in the Florida chapter of
Roadtrek International. So, when they had the model we were looking for, and they would take our old motorhome in trade, all we had to do was write a check and clean out the old rig. It also helped that they treated us like royalty. They didn’t know we were coming, we’d never spoken to them before, but when we walked in the door and Sheila greeted us, she noticed the Geeks on Tour cap and asked, “Are you THE Geeks on Tour?!” Then Nick chimed in, telling us that Sheila is their resident geek, and she talks about us all the time. They had us at Hello! We were hooked on Sunshine State RVs! Flattery will get you everywhere!
The cleaning out is what took up the 2 days! That was work. But, it’s all done now and we have our new (to us) Roadtrek parked in our spot at our townhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That was the number 1 reason for the move. We want to spend part of the year living in that townhouse, and there is no place to park a big rig. Once we found a storage lot for $200/month. Next time we needed it, even that wasn’t available. With the Roadtrek parked right outside our door, we’ll be able to take off on a moment’s notice.
How can you fit all your stuff in that tiny RV?
First of all, we won’t. That’s what the townhouse is for. Now that we are not fulltime RVers, we don’t need to carry everything we own with us. We will still be spending 1, 2, or even 3 months in the camper at a stretch – but that’s still a much different thing than fulltime. We are entering a new chapter. We aren’t
living on the road. We are adopting a new attitude … we’re
camping. We will be going to work at the various rallies around the country. We will be able to get there faster in the Roadtrek. Instead of our normal 200 miles/day, we should be comfortable with 400. Both of us will be able to drive. Only Jim drove the big rig.
Second of all, you’d be amazed at how well designed the Roadtreks are. There is a place for everything you need. If you’re familiar with the Harry Potter stories, it’s like Hermione’s endless purse. When you open the door and go inside, you feel the magic of entering another world. We don’t feel claustrophobic, we feel cozy. There is a pull out counter/desk that can be used with the driver’s seat turned around – Jim’s office.
And, in the back, there is a table that can be put up in front of the couch; Chris’ office. At night, the table becomes the base for making the couch into a queen size bed. It’s just a push button to put the couch down. Or, if we want to leave it as a bed, Chris just uses a lapdesk.
And, yes, it has a bathroom. It’s behind that mirrored door on the left in the photo above. It’s tiny but functional.
Oh the Places You’ll Go!
We are so thoroughly jazzed by all the possibilities that are opening up to us by traveling in this small rig.
- We can go to National Forests, and county parks that don’t have big sites.
- We can explore a possible campsite without knowing what’s there. Realize that, in a big rig, you need to know how to get out of a place before you can venture in!
- We can look at each other on a Friday afternoon and say, let’s go to a Florida State park this weekend, grab the keys and go.
- We can even say, “Let’s take the Roadtrek down to the beach and cook dinner there tonight.”
- We can explore that dirt road on public property and just pull off for the night.
- We can camp at friends’ with smaller driveways!
So much less stress in a small rig. It will be our second car when we’re home.
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Do you think this picture is a painting in an art gallery? I hope so. I took the photo in the garden overlooking Florence, and with just a few clicks in Snapseed, I think it looks like a painting deserving of a gallery showing! More photos here.
