Travel Trailer

I miss having an RV. Although I love going out on the boat, I’m usually good for no more than two weeks and the dogs can’t come on the boat. When I was in Washington, I had a small RV which we camped in a few times. Enough to know it was going to be rough as the collies grew bigger. There was not a lot of floor space. Dart was still alive and not tolerant of the collies once we stopped and set up camp. When I decided to move back to Florida, I consigned the RV and sold the tow vehicle so I wouldn’t have to figure out how to get two cars, an RV, and two puppies across country. If it had been a more ideal camping solution with two big dogs, I think I would have figured it out.

My wonderful real estate agent, Maureen Nightingale, once asked me what I would do if I could do what I wanted. I told her I would live in Florida most of the year and spend the summers in Washington State. If I had the means, I would have kept the house in Washington so I could do that. I have regularly looked at renting something, but it’s expensive. I often thought of getting an RV, but I need something small and affordable that will work with two big dogs. I did not think a solution was out there.

I recently put together some albums from some of our RV trips and I included information from our blogs and my favorite pictures. Going down memory lane got me antsy. About two weeks ago, I went to the nearest RV dealer (Blue Compass) to see the options. When I described the truck I had and the need to have space for the dogs, the sales rep took me to see a Jayco Jay Feather travel trailer that did not have a kitchen table. It has open floor space when the slide is out and can be hauled by our truck. It was perfect. (Good sales guy (Merec) who listened to what I said.) I cranked through our finances and got Regis to double-check the numbers and tried to figure out if I could get it. There are some things I have to give up, but worth it to me. I bought it.

I have never driven with a regular trailer. We had a fifth-wheel for our first RV and I drove it sometimes, but Regis was the one who got it into and out of the campgrounds. A fifth-wheel is easier to handle than a travel trailer. I am determined. The thing is, Regis is not interested in camping anymore, so this is going to be solo with two dogs. He will help me out until I can handle it on my own, but this has to be something I can do by myself.

Because the day I was supposed to pick up the trailer I had another commitment, Regis chose to pick it up rather than reschedule. He got home shortly after me and backed the rig into the driveway. As I watched him, I was scared. When it was on the dealer lot, it looked small compared to all the other RV’s. Now that it was in the driveway, I wondered how I was going to haul it.

We took a couple days to look it over and load basic stuff and today I drove it to the storage lot. It took more time for me to back up the last 20 feet than it took to get from the house to the storage lot. Oh my goodness do I need some practice. We found a nearby parking lot for me to practice. In the meantime, I booked campsites for most of August and September on the Olympic Peninsula. The dogs are going to love me for this. Summers are so hot in Florida that I can’t walk them in the heat. We are going to walk our butts off in Washington.