Moving day

Our first motorhome (purchased at the end of 2010) was a 38' Newmar Dutch Star . It was an oldie-but-goodie RV, extremely well built. But, it only had one slide and we had two cats, who demanded litter boxes. There just wasn't enough room for all of us to be comfortable, so after a couple of years, we upgraded to a 40' Country Coach with three slides. Jim and I, as well as the cats, were happy with the extra space. Moving into our new accommodations only required transferring our goods from one RV to another.

Our first motorhome, a 38', 1998 Dutch Star.

Our second motorhome, a 40', 2005 Country Coach.

In September 2017, we decided to downsize. We realized that our RV lifestyle had changed. We no longer yearned to make extended journeys across country. Instead, we focused on shorter (but more frequent) get-aways in state parks, where we could not only tour the area but go fishing. So, we traded in that goliath of a motorhome and purchased a 27' RUV (recreational utility vehicle). We were happy.

Our third motorhome, a 27', 2017 Thor Axis 25.2

Downsizing was a challenge. We had not realized how much (needless) stuff we had been carrying around, "just in case" we needed it. (We never did need it.) 

We remained content traveling in our RUV until we realized that we did not really like its configuration. We had chosen this particular model because it had a back-slide for a queen-sized bed, rather than one that had a side slide and more room in the galley/cabin. 

We also realized that again our RV lifestyle had morphed: We truly enjoy the state parks and going fishing, especially with a boat. We decided that the best RV for us would be a retro RV--a truck camper. We were fortunate to have found a truck and truck camper for sale here in Jacksonville, for a good price. 

Our fourth (and last!) RV, a 2003 Lance truck camper, atop a 1999 Dodge Ram diesel dually.

Although in total length, the camper is only 11.5 feet, it actually offers more room in the cabin/kitchen area that Thor. So, in that regard we are very happy. The downside is that it does not have as much "basement" storage as a motorhome, nor quite as much inside storage.

Today was moving day. We brought Thor home and started transferring our goods. I had to be ruthless about what I would carry in the camper. How many blankets do we need? Right now, one lightweight blanket--I don't need to carry four. Dishes? We have mostly been using paper plates to cut down on washing dishes, so no more Corelle. Flatware? We don't really need a full set of eight dinner forks, salad forks, teaspoons, knives, and tablespoons. I evaluated every piece of cutlery and utensil: If I had not used it within the last year, it would not have a home in the camper. Same with storage containers, pots and pans, and items in the junk drawer.

Tomorrow I will finish finding homes for everything I need, and finding new homes for all the things I will not pack into the camper.

It was a long, hot, sweaty day. But Thor is empty; Camper (or is its name  Lance?) is ready to be put together for our next trip. Tomorrow as I finish putting things in their new places, Jim will install the new 24" LED TV. We will be very comfortable when we go on our next trip in two weeks.

Until later,

Your Reluctant RoVer,

Linda