The Final Evaluation

Well, Tom and I have had THE talk.  And the final decision is............

Prepper Heaven...

NO WAY.  We like the creature comforts way too much.

No really.  After a conversation about the why we were considering this and what was available, it doesn't seem to fit us.  The big ones are over $100,000 and we would have to tow a small vehicle for day trips; the tow-behind trailers leave me in a gas guzzling truck for everyday travel, and it isn't cheap either - especially if you add the cost of the truck in.....

We did get used to driving the Model C, but were never really comfortable above 60 - that increased our travel time to +50% it seemed (doesn't make sense but that is what happened).  Probably more stopping for lunch at out of the way parks and then making lunch instead of just pulling off the interstate and getting some fast food.  And there was all that setting up and then you had to spend a lot of time getting ready to hit the road the next day.  The suspension was hard on us, but the Class C we were in had 130,000 miles on it - so not the best test.

I did find out that I did not need a gourmet kitchen to feed us and that we did perfectly well in the small kitchen.  We did grill out one night but the ticket would have been to bring a tailgate grill.  We just didn't have enough charcoal to get a good fire going for any of the park/campground grills on the trip.

With all the traveling we have done in the last 10 years, it seems like a condo or timeshare might just fit us better.  So we'll look into that.

They do relocate new RVs from Chicago to all over the country in the fall, so that might still be a possibility to try.  I mapped a trip from Chicago to Seattle and that took us through all the prime Northwest park areas - that might be fun.  And there was a relocation from Seattle to Phoenix (Phoenix seems to be a hub), that could take us through Crater, Down Northern California, Napa, see Jimmy and the kids in Rancho Chucomungo and then on to Phoenix.

The other thing is that we had really started to consider this when we were hiking and backpacking.  And with my knee and Tom's feet, we are pretty much half-day hikers now.

Final Day in the RV - On the Road to Orlando

We had coffee and some zucchini bread and then go on the road south.  The mileage was 137321 leaving Jacksonville.

We found A1A just south of the Hanna Jacksonville City Park we stayed in and headed south listening to Jimmy Buffet songs, and well as Micheal McCloud.  We traveled down to St. Augustine and then A1A moved right along side the beach - listening to both of the beach singers.  I just can't wait until the first of the year and Key West.

An old favorite!!

A1A - Buffet's Highway

We spent about an hour on A1A and got down almost to Daytona, but then decided to get over to 95 South and make some time.  We have a lot packing, sorting, throwing out, and cleaning to do before we leave tomorrow.  We were able to get decent seats on the plane by getting the boarding passes done as we drove.  We stopped in a County park and had a nice, simple lunch of the sandwich meat and a french roll left over from the night before. 

We continued down through central Florida trying to make sure we didn't get on a toll road - we forgot the EZPass and we hear they put a $25 surcharge on the tolls when you rent.

We made it to RV campground and checked in.  Quite the setup here.  It's lots of RV sites and these little single wide cabins - I'll get a picture in the morning.  The campground isn't really that full, but there are people here who travel with all the chachkies - lights, plants, gnomes, flags.  It will give you nightmares. 

I didn't want to be too close - Plants, lights, flags, gnomes

We met a young couple with 3 children all under the age of 5.  They had been RVing for the last 11 months, never staying anyplace for more than 4-5 days.  EXCEPT for the time they spent 3 weeks in OK when she gave birth.  They were young and I guess enjoyed it, but not for me.

Although Tom offered to take me out to dinner, I thought the best thing was to stay in, cook what we had left, throw out what needed to be pitched, and start getting ready for tomorrow.  We have to have the tin can turned in and be at the airport before noon.  That will be pushing it considering how fast we have been moving on this trip.