IT WAS ABOUT THIS POINT IN APRIL OF 2007 WE DECIDED WE HAD TO MAKE A CHANGE (Pancho Villa State Park in Columbus, New Mexico)
Another cool rainy early spring day here so not a lot going on. It was in April of 2007 that we made the switch from a truck & fifth wheel trailer to a motorhome & no I'm not going to bash back & forth about which is better because when it comes right down to the bottom line it just depends on the personal preferences & circumstances of each & every RV'er.
A PAIR OF CARDINALS DISCUSS THE RAINY WEATHER TODAY 
For years we had often talked about which kind of RV we would get someday if the opportunity presented itself. Well, in late summer of 06 that opportunity did present itself & we were off on our hunt. Back & forth we went between motorhomes & 5'vers. So many pros & cons. So many preferences, desires, wants, & needs. We certainly did not want to rush into anything & make any big mistakes so with that foremost in mind...... we rushed right out & made a big mistake.
Actually we only had a couple of months to find something before heading off to the southwest. Friends of ours had a really nice exceptionally clean Silverado truck & Rockwood fifth wheel for sale & we of course were knocked out by the 'Wow' factor. A deal was struck & we brought the truck & trailer home happy as a couple little ants in a sugar bowl. Had some doubts about the lighter truck's ability to pull the trailer in the heavy mountain regions of the southwest so traded it in for a bigger GMC truck & were soon headed off down the road for the great American Southwest.
FIRST TRUCK & 5VER - SECOND TRUCK (click on photos to enlarge)
I think it was in Columbus New Mexico on our way home about 2 months later when it finally became apparent to us that we may have made a wrong decision. We slowly began to realize we had not clearly thought the whole RV vehicle thing through clearly enough. Main concern was the 3 doggy guys. They had to ride the many long tedious miles in the small seat behind the front seats so we constantly had dog breath breathing over our shoulders for miles & miles. I had to build a ramp before we left to get the guys in & out & they were always crowded back there too.
TEACHING THE GUYS TO USE THE RAMP:))
ROCKHOUND STATE PARK, NEW MEXICO
Had to carry a separate generator in the back of the open truck & I didn't much care for having to wrestle with that thing all the time. Not a lot of storage space in that fifth wheel compared to the motorhome we have now either. And, I never did care for that hooking up procedure but I did prefer the manual leveler legs on the Rockwood compared to the troublesome hydraulic levelers we have on our Damon motorhome now. And the fact we had to drive around in a big tight suspension pick up truck when we got to where we were going didn't impress me either. Those trucks may be fine on smooth paved roads but get them out on the bumpy back roads of the desert & the ride is like an old lumber wagon with every bump trying to eject you through the roof. I'm sure some guys think this is really cool but I am not one of them!!!!
TRUCK WAS COMFORTABLE AS LONG AS IT WASN'T ON A ROUGH ROAD (Darby Wells road west of Ajo AZ.)
Our 28' Rockwood was also known as an ultra lite which meant it didn't have the full insulation, etc that other 5th wheels have & this was made quite apparent to us in Columbus, New Mexico when the temps dropped below freezing & it snowed for a few days. We just could not get warm inside that thing. I think we had pretty much made up our minds by this time & on the way home that year we ran into heavy Michigan snow storms that promptly took care of any remaining doubts in our mind. We picked up a lot of ice & slush on the trailer & the added weight made it buck like a rodeo bronco. I couldn't even hold a cup of coffee steady in the cab. By the time we pulled into our driveway in Bayfield the writing was on the wall. We had made a poor first choice & were going to have to start all over again.
HAD TO USE A PROPANE TORCH & UN-THAW THE HITCH TO GET THE TRAILOR OFF THE TRUCK
We spent about a month running around looking at motorhomes in the area & reading reams of info on the internet. Thought about a bigger Class C for a bit but we had already had a couple of those & decided a motorhome was a better way for us to go. Looked at some more rigs in London & then I remembered seeing a fellow's place in Grand Bend with 5 or 6 motorhomes for sale, so that's where we headed.
WE WERE ORIGINALLY INTERESTED IN THE CENTER RIG WITH TWIN VERTICAL WINDOWS
We were impressed right off the bat with Ron Krauter at FOUR SEASONS PERFORMANCE. Ron & his wife Jan are RV'er's themselves & spend their winter's in the southwest around Parker, Arizona. Ron is extremely knowledgeable about RV's & the whole RV lifestyle. Looked at some coaches but Ron said to hold on because he was heading to Florida in a couple weeks & picking up a Damon Challenger 329 that he thought would be perfect for us, and he was right.... it was:))
TRADING IN THE TRUCK & TRAILER FOR THE MOTORHOME
DRIVING THE BIG RIG HOME TO BAYFIELD FROM GRAND BEND ON APRIL 17TH, 2007
At 33' with the Workhorse Chassis & Chevy Vortec 8.1 gasoline engine it pulls our little Santa Fe effortlessly. If it wasn't for the rear view camera we would never know it's there. The dogs are much happier now with all the extra room while we are moving & I love all the extra space in the big storage bins. And, it's much more fun to drive. Another unexpected thing I like is the fewer gasoline stops on the road. Much bigger gas tank than the truck so we can go greater distances without refueling. Fighting with stupid gas pumps is one of my major pet peeves by the way & I'll blog about that in another post soon.
THE RIG HAS LANDED.....HOME SWEET HOME:))
Again, this post is not meant to ruffle any feathers in the ever ongoing debate between which is the better RV to have. Like I said, it all boils down to each individual RV'er's wants & needs. For us at this age & stage of our RVing life a motorhome works best for us. In the future, who knows.......maybe a tent & sleeping bag again. Ya right!!!!
TONIGHT'S YUMMY SUPPER....Large flake oatmeal with a smattering of 5 grains granola thrown in. Topped off with raisins, brown sugar & banana slices. Skim milk finished off the masterpiece:))
GROANER'S CORNER:(( Did you know that when the TV repairman got married the reception was excellent or that a cardboard belt would be a waist of paper.
But, not to worry because the little old woman who lived in a shoe wasn't the sole owner - there were strings attached. And besides, when the smog lifts in Los Angeles, U C L A. And, just in case you think I'm getting a little to smart alecky here, just keep in mind that those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end. Ok, & don't tell anyone about the dog who gave birth to puppies near the road and was ticketed for littering.
Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.
I have always thought it is a good thing there are 5th Wheels AND Motorhomes.
ReplyDeleteIf there weren't half of the people would be unhappy.
I think you really hit it on the head. It is what works for each individual and their circumstances.
You may have possibly pulled off the first ever post advocating one type of RV over the other without touching off a small war. lol
Well done as always!
Ken and Nanette
Thanks for your post today. It is always good to hear various takes on the question of which RV works the best. Maybe things would have turned out differently for me if I had opted for a different type of RV, but I'm glad I had the experience of the 5th wheel, for comparison if nothing else. Don't laugh about a tent - I could seriously think about it for my future travels. Well, not too seriously, but it's in the running.
ReplyDeleteThe main thing was learning what it was you preferred and being able to get it. You did a great job explaining what the reasons are why the Bunch prefers a MH.
ReplyDeleteLoved that bowl of cereal. Yummy!
We started off wanting a 5ver but when we went into the motorhome something just clicked... We still like 5vers but the motorhome works well for us. Like you said it is a personal decision. Your food actually looked yummy!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a GRAT day!!!
Donna
First, tonight's dinner looked a whole lot better than the concoction you mixed up the other night!!
ReplyDeleteConsidering how you and Kelly like to RV, a lot of boondocking, I agree you made the right choice by switching from the truck and 5'er. It's way more comfy for the dogs too - that back seat was pretty small for 3 critters. We have the full-size 4 door crew cab so there lots of room for our 2 little muttzos thankfully!
You did good Al.
ReplyDeleteThe way I explain it is my X wife worked well for someone else and someone else's x wife works good for me. :-)
But you make it much more interesting.
Rojo
Like Ken said, you probably made a great post about the two types of RV's without offending either type.
ReplyDeleteWe did the TT thing in the past years because we had 4 kids and needed for them to ride seatbelted in the long Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Can't do that with a fiver.
But now with just us, we didn't want the dogs breathing down our necks either if we did a fiver and truck/crew cab.
Motorhome is the answer for us in so many ways, plus we like to move a lot.
Comfort during the journey is important to us. If we had a fiver, it is the pain of having to collect all the things to haul up to the truck each morning before you drive. Like drinks, sunglasses, knitting, maps, book, snacks etc. Not to mention getting Steveio to stop and take potty breaks along the way! That is almost impossible. Plus wading through tall grass through the ditch to reach the trailer to get in the door and go to the bathroom.
So the motorhome makes the most sense for us.
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Karen and Steve
(Blog) http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/
This subject and all the comments are always very enlightening to us folks who are contemplating RV'ing in the future. The reasons people pick one over the other are good things to know to even think about!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, all!
donna