Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The new Motor Home is stored, safe and sound, I've named her...

I have a lot of new Followers to welcome.  I sure do thank you all  for following along with me and Katie, my dog.  Thanks to Gypsy Boho, PatternMart, Sara, Tricia, JoJo, Jessica, and LittleSis9!  Almost all have a blog, just click on their names for the link to take you to their blogs, except Sara and Tricia.  If you two do start (or already have) a blog, let me know.  Things are just getting interesting around here, so you are following along  at the right time! : )  I've already checked out some of your blogs, too, and have enjoyed what I've read so far.

So...

I've decided to name the motor home The Royal Palms.  She has different kinds of palm trees on her upholstery, and I can't think of anything else, and I love the "Royal," kind of like calling a tall person "Shorty." 

I started this post on Sunday, then pooped out and went to bed.  After 15 hours of sleep, I woke up and went to work Monday and I'm still catching up!  Here's that first Sunday part:

I'm so tired after the last few days, but I did it, and I'm home, Katie's home with me, and our new motor home is safely in storage until next Thursday.

I took care of a sick 2-year-old grandson on Wednesday, so was out of commission all day. On Thursday I went to the storage company I chose and handed over all my paperwork and signed the agreement and gave them my check.  I picked out the parking spot I liked, so I was all set.  Got my key card and that was that.

Friday morning I drove to my son Tom's house, and he drove me down the RV dealer, La Mesa RV.  I'd never been to their business, only the RV shows, and I was surprised how big they are.  I definitely should have been looking there instead of driving all over the place looking for used RV lots.  They are a pretty slick operation, and everything went like clockwork.  After the deal was done, we went into their store and bought some things I'd be needing.  La Mesa RV gave me a $50 gift certificate, so that helped a lot.

Then we took off.  I followed Tom for a while on the freeway until he turned off to go to work, and I kept going, I was going home first. I didn't quite know what to with her, since I wasn't keeping her at home, and wasn't using her yet.  I went into the house and looked around for a few things I could keep in the MH for now, towels, plastic tableware, etc.  I just had to put something away in those drawers and cupboards!

Then Katie and I drove her to Walmart to get a few things.  Next we drove to my son's house, and Katie and I had a camp out in my son's driveway with Kennedy and Gavin, his two oldest children. They were so excited!  We went to McDonalds in the car and brought it back to The Royal Palms for our first dinner in the new motor home.  We watched a movie on their portable DVD player, then had popcorn and went to bed.

The next morning we got up and after a quick breakfast drove down to Santee Lakes where I am going to live in The Royal Palms for six months, starting June 1 (assuming my condo is rented). I had planned on which area I wanted  - right by one of the lakes. But luckily I stopped to talk to a man named David in one of the campsites I was interested in, and he said not to reserve in that area.  Winter is great, he said, but summer in that area is full of vacationing weekenders who are constantly coming and going, loud music, he said the kids literally hang from the trees.  He was preparing to move to another area for the summer.  So he looked at my map and marked 4 campsites that would be good.

The kids and I drove past them and picked one out, then went back to the office and reserved it. I was not planning to make the reservation that day, but luckily David said if I didn't reserve it right away, there would be nothing decent left for a long term campsite.  I'm REALLY glad I stopped to talk to David.

We drove back to Tom's and Tom followed me over to the RV storage and I parked The Royal Palms and left her.  It was so sad. : (  But I told my grand kids she has all the other RVs to talk to. 

So... now it's Wednesday at 9:00 pm.  I went by after work today and checked her out again.  I still love her and am really glad I bought her.  I have no regrets, no buyer's remorse.  I like her even more now than when I first saw her.  I guess that's love. : )

Tomorrow after work I'm going to get her and bring her home and load her up for our trip to Vacaville to visit my daughter, Kristy, and her family.  I plan to leave Friday at 3:00 am to get through Los Angeles before the rush hour traffic.  I'm hoping there won't be any snow over the Grapevine.

I have a 15 day 100% warranty, and this trip will be within that 15 days. Then the next 15 days I have a 50/50 warranty on parts and labor, they pay 50% and I pay 50%, so if anything is not working right, I want to find out during the first 15 days.

I'm a little under the weather, have been all week, so I hope the 8 or 9 hour drive won't totally exhaust me.  I know its a long drive, especially for my maiden voyage.  But she is very comfortable to drive, I had no problems at all when I brought her home, and I'm going to take it nice and easy.

I'll let you know when I get home how it went.  And my next post will have pictures.  Wish me luck! 

From Me and Katie, have a good rest of the week, everyone! : )

18 comments:

  1. I am so excited for you. Good traveling. Hope you feel better soon.

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  2. Looks like your plans & dreams are all falling into place,I hope all goes well on your maiden voyage. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

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  3. I am so happy for you. You sound sooooo excited, and I am excited for you. You have had a great, but tiring week so, slow down and just enjoy... :)

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  4. love the name!..good for you for taking this huge step!..can't wait till you are on the road!!

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  5. I'm excited for you. I remember how fun it was when we bought our each of our 3 rv's. It's fun to pack them up. It's too bad you couldn't park her at your house, so you could just stay in there a few days!

    Safe travels!

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  6. I'm so happy for you. I know the excitment all to well. I have mine parked at the house so when I haven't been able to go anywhere I just go out and clean up or just sit there and wonder where we will go next.
    Maiden voyages are the best way to find out what your need and if anything needs fixing.
    Be Safe and Happy

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  7. Wow - a lot going on! All of it exciting and a bit scary too, I'm sure. Can't wait for more pics along with the account of the maiden voyage.

    But .... what will Katie think?

    Kim

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  8. So happy for you. I can relate to how excited you are just to start packing things is such a treat. I have my RV parked in my driveway and often sit inside and dream of where I might go next. Everytime the dogs walk past her on their daily walk they stop at the door and ask to go in. "Not today," I tell them, "but soon."

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  9. Way to go! Your excitement is infectious and you are encouraging me to start on my project list.

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  10. The Royal Palms, what a nice name!

    Can't wait to see a picture of you standing next to your Palms! :)

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  11. That's a great name! Isn't it fun to start putting stuff in place? What does Katie think of the Royal Palms? Can't wait for pictures.

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  12. That's so great that you got her home and have already had a sleep in her. The grandkids must love love her, I bet. Have fun on your first real outing with her.

    Kevin and Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  13. Congratulations! It's pretty exciting stuff, good luck!

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  14. I don't think she should be much harder to drive than a van. Nine hours can be a long pull, but hopefully you will be able to pull over and rest from time to time.

    Heck, you could even take a nap!

    Good luck on your shakedown trip. Hope you find any problems that might be there.

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  15. Oh how exciting it must be for you finally having your RV. It's so good to hear that you are happy with your decision. Don't worry about hitting the side - it happens to most everyone. Roger clipped a light pole and knocked the cover off our awning. Hopefully your fiberglass conncection can help with repairs. Glad you are having so much fun and sharing the excitement with your kids and grandkids. Sure sounds like Katie loves being an RVing doggie.

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