The Greatest RV Adventure is Yet to Come

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 4^th 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 2^nd 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.