My poor, poor RV Blog has been neglected for so long. It’s
time I pick it back up and wipe away the dust. While we are not currently
RV’ing, being ensconced in our Florida digs, we have in the last year
experienced some major changes that will impact our RV lifestyle in the year,
perhaps years, to come.
One. We sold our Rochester, NY home to Danny and Kim, with
whom we have been sharing residence each of the past seven summers. It was a
pleasant city, and neighborhood, to spend our summer months as we sought to
escape the heat in my native Florida. Leaving the Sunshine State in April/May
and returning in early November has become habitual, and a habit that I fear
will not be easy to break. The fact that we no longer have a summer haven in NY
we must do something different. The first, and most logical, idea involves our
RV.
Two. Our approach to RV’ing has altered drastically. I have
been a Class A guy for quite some time. We began our RV adventure with towables
but soon realized that there were shortcomings to this equipment that really
put us off. We then acquired our first Class A coach in 2010. It was 37 feet
long on a gas chassis. It was very plush and comfortable but somewhat
underpowered and subject to being blown around by the wind. Sharing our plan to
make a big trip out West with other RV’ers we were counseled to think about a
diesel pusher because our intended route involved traveling high altitudes in
the Rockies. I was informed that I might
have difficulties with an underpowered gas coach in these environments, so we
purchased our first diesel pusher, a 42-foot Winnebago Journey.
The summer of the Journey was eventful. Each time we
attempted to join a Caravan trip we never succeeding in getting higher than 4th
on the wait list because of their popularity and limited capacity. Consequently,
we decided to do our caravan trip, mimicking the destinations taken by the
organized group. We traveled to Moab, UT to begin our Big Sky adventure,
exploring the amazing Arches National Park. Thus, began a two and one-half month
expedition throughout the West. Our route took in all the Canyonland parks, Las
Vegas for three weeks, San Antonio, Roswell, Carlsbad Caverns and so much more.
In doing this we learned the advantages of a “Big” rig, and the disadvantages.
The advantage – traveling in a luxurious suite with all the comforts of home.
The disadvantages – poor fuel economy and the need for very careful planning
because of our plus size. We needed to park 80 miles away from the Grand Canyon
because all the RV parks we contacted would not accommodate anything over
thirty-eight feet in length.
For those looking at engendering a RV lifestyle the ideal
Class A coach is a 34 to 38-foot diesel pusher. It will have the cushy ride you
want, all the bells and whistles you can dream of, but with better performance
and an ease of maneuverability lacking in much larger coach. I’m getting a
little far afield so back to the way our RV approach has changed.
We have downsized, and not just a little, but significantly.
Our new ride is a Class B+. This new Leisure Unity represents our third attempt
at downsizing. Our first was a Thor A.C.E. It was a small (27 ft) Class A which
Kathy and I tried to love for a little over a year. Poor quality and 10 months
in the shop eventually broke our love affair. The 2nd was a Thor
Synergy built on a Mercedes Sprinter Chassis and was 24&1/2 ft long. It
lasted all of 5 days before we returned it. We were told it would tow our Jeep
Cherokee – it would not. Several other quality issues sealed the reject deal.
The Leisure Unity is also built on the Mercedes Sprinter
Chassis. It has the quality expected of the German manufacturer without this
being spoiled by the addition of a shoddily built body. Why downsize, you might
ask? Well, there are several reasons. There is less work with the smaller
coach. It’s easier to load. It’s easier to maneuver. You can go places that you
can’t go with a Class A. On our trial-run trip we were able to use fuel
stations we couldn’t with the bigger unit and restaurants other than Cracker
Barrel (known for being RV friendly). It doesn’t take three days to load or
unload. It’s easy to park and setup and will be the perfect RV for our upcoming
Bucket List trip this coming summer.
Yes, this is the spoiler. Our next RV adventure is a big
one. Beginning next spring, we will depart Florida on I-10 headed west for
California. Our plan is to then head north doing Yosemite, Sequoia, Death Valley,
Tahoe, and everything else we can. Oregon, Washington, the Western Provinces,
and maybe Alaska are all possible. It will be a long trip and requires some
planning (yet to be accomplishes) but we are looking forward to our greatest RV
adventure yet.