The Next Chapter Begins

     As I said in the last blog entry, we are transitioning from a Full Time RVer to a Part Timer. First of all, we have decided to downsize from our 39' Tiffin motorhome to a new 2018 Unity Leisure Travel Van (Twin Bed or TB model). Here is a link to the LTV site.

     This was our workhorse and rolling home for the last three years. We put many thousands of miles on it and it was a great place to live in. A major drawback is that it is getting tougher to find a campsite big enough to fit into (especially when we have the Jeep Cherokee on the back as a tow vehicle). We can't even think about staying at a National Park campsite or many State parks. We have a book that lists campgrounds that are "Big Rig friendly" but even that must be taken with a grain of salt. The bigger rigs need a level pad in which to park and many campgrounds make that a challenge. I have been in sites where my hydraulic leveling jacks have lifted the front wheels off the ground and still not been level! It is also becoming less and less fun to drive it on America's highways. I could write pages on my observations regarding drivers in America nowadays compared to just a few years ago...but I won't. Suffice it to say, we are very fortunate that we have not been involved in any major collisions or suffered significant damage in the last few years. Four to six hours of driving used to be a breeze. Now I need to rest a day after the same four to six hour span.

     So, back in July (after much research), we ordered the Unity TB from Leisure Travel Vans. This is a very high quality rig and built with the same craftsmanship that we have come to love about our Tiffin motorhomes. They are made in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada, just over the border of eastern North Dakota. They are small and only run one shift, so a limited number of units are produced in a year. They say that they do this in order to maintain their quality and reputation for attention to detail. As such, it is hard to find a new one on a dealer's lot anywhere that isn't already spoken for. To order the one you want takes 6-9 months. So we expect to get ours sometime in mid to late February 2018. In the meantime, we worked an agreement with our dealer where we dropped our Tiffin off with them and they keep it on their lot until our new rig arrives. This allows us to get the maximum trade-in allowance but means that we are without a rolling home for the next few months (for the first time in almost 15 years!).

     So that leads us to the next step in the move to part time RVing. While still in Wisconsin, we got in touch with a real estate agent who agreed to help us in our search for a condo/townhome in the Northeast Houston area. As we drove southwards from Wisconsin, we worked back and forth looking at what there was to offer (that was still above water and free from flood damage). On several occasions, she used FaceTime on her phone and I was able to do a real time property viewing using her eyes and ears. It was GREAT!! She worked tirelessly and by the time we arrived back at The Preserve, we had put in an offer and been accepted. Within about 2 1/2 weeks we closed on the new townhouse. It is a 2 bedroom, 1 1/2 bathrooms, with all appliances included. It also has a detached two car garage. We now have a place to move the things that survived the flood and a place to store and secure the new things that we need/want to buy to make life comfortable.

Nice living room with two ceiling fans

Small but workable kitchen

Master bedroom has a nice sitting nook in the corner

Panoramic view of the second bedroom

     After getting the RV property to a stable condition (dried out, mold treated, and insulated) we turned our attentions to the townhouse. At first, all we had was a mattress on the floor of the master bedroom,  a TV in the living room (just the TV no cable or satellite), and two camp chairs to sit in. Over the next several days we have furnished the living room, bought a nice platform bed for the master bedroom, and bought a nice kitchen table with 4 chairs. One of the sad losses from the flood was Barb's brand new embroidery machine, purchased new after the 2016 flood destroyed the old one. We have since worked a deal with the store where we bought that machine and will be going to Muscle Shoals, AL to pick up a different model within the next couple of weeks. We locked up the townhouse and came north to Kansas to visit with family and over the next few weeks will make a circuit that includes Kansas, Kentucky, Alabama, and Arkansas then back to Kansas for Thanksgiving. So, even without a motorhome we are still traveling out and about the country and enjoying things. Back to Texas in December then out to Arizona to pick up the new rig when it comes in early 2018. Our 2018 travel plans are still in the works and somewhat dependent on what we accomplish in restorations and how much it costs. We're still trying to get used to what it means to be Part Time RVers.