Tell us about your RVing experience.

[Tom]

Did you RV or tent camp when you were younger? Have you never had any experience of RVing? Are you a seasoned RVer, or even a fulltimer?

 

[Tom]

I'll start with my own experience. I tent camped with my parents prior to them buying their first small trailer. My wife and I bought our first RV, a 29 foot Pace Arrow to tow our fishing boat around lakes and rivers in California. After 19 years, it was time for a replacement and, in early 2004, we bought a 38 foot Monaco Camelot. Our "shakedown cruise" in the Camelot lasted 14 weeks and took us across the USA and eastern Canada, a total of 10,000 miles.

 

[Ron]

Howdy,

We had a VW camperbus that we used a few times in the early 70/s.  After that we din't start camping again until in the 90/s mainly because the job had us over seas.  We bought a 88 Bounder used while we were living in Quebec but kept it in Vermont.  After three years we bought a new Bounder diesel. Kept the Bounder Diesel for five years the Bought the 99 American Eaqle that we now enjoy.  Since we really enjoy the Eagle and haven't seen anything else we like better we will probably keep the Eagle till we hang up the keys.

 

[Tom]

It's certainly a nice coach Ron. I can see why you wouldn't trade.

 

[Ron]

We are enjoying it.

 

[Ron from Big D]

Did you RV or tent camp when you were younger? Have you never had any experience of RVing? Are you a seasoned RVer, or even a fulltimer?

? ? ? I started camping when I was a kid in the Scouts.? After I got married in the 50's, we camped in a tent and the back of a station wagon.? In the 60's we camped in a pop-up camper and then moved into our first trailer (29' Holiday Rambler) and used it until the early 80's.? From that, we graduated to our first motorhome which was a 1978 Vogue.? It was used by Sue Ellen from the TV Show "Dallas" as her dressing room when shooting.? We traded that for a 33' 1985 Sportscoach which we enjoyed.? After that I became a two coach owner for a while after I purchased my 1983 Blue Bird Wanderlodge.? Finally sold the Sportscoach.? In 1991 we found our current 1992 Blue Bird Wanderlodge and plan to keep it from now on.? It is a terrific coach and suits us just fine.

 

[Tom]

That's quite a history of RVs Ron.

Chris was quite impressed by the tour of your Bird today. Neither of us has previously had the pleasure.

Tom

 

[Ron from Big D]

Tom:

    We loved having Chris visit, but what happened to you?  Did you happen to see it at Moab?

    Bob Buchanan just departed our site.  Jane is leaving soon.  Carl Kolbus, the Bakers, Dicks and Sharps are still here with us.  Had a spectacular sunrise today.

 

[Ron]

We have arrived at Gila Bend.  Will be here til the 6th then back to Yuma.

 

[Tom]

Somehow I just got tied up with all the goodbyes and trying to get packed up. I'll take a peek at Moab.

Bob Buchannan turned up here at Gila Bend for another rally.

Tom

 

[Bob Maxwell]

As a Boy Scout I camped in the mountains around Evergreen CO, in the rain forests north of Juneau AK and along the Elkhart river near Elkhart IN.

In 1970 we purchased a Palomino tent camper and after a shakedown week in SW Michigan in the Warren Dunes, we pulled it from Deerfield IL to the tip of Nova Scotia and back with two small boys and an Old English dog on a 31 day vacation. It wasn't a lemon, it was a grove! I sold it.

We moved to Bristol IN with a Sears red and blue 12x12 wall tent which I broke in on a 30 day early spring vacation to Williamsburg VA and spent on the west coast of FL. The weather changed.

I worked for Starcraft and then Coachman. In '74 I moved to Holbrook AZ in a new 20' Coachman Leprechaun Class C. I lived in while serving as priest in charge in Holbrook and Winslow until our home sold in Elkhart. In '76 I traded it for a new 22' Leprechaun with the first Ford 460 engine.

We ran those C's every way possible to northern IN and Laguna Beach CA. When we moved to El Centro CA, we covered all of the US 1 from Chula Vista to the Canadian border as well.

After moving in 79 to Omaha NE, during my divorce, I ended up living in it from 12/28/80 until 11/80, through a bitter cold Nebraska winter. In 7 years I totaled over 101 K miles and enjoyed all of them.

Bev and I were married in August, '83 and moved to TX and then NM north of Santa Fe. In '96 we purchased a '90 37' Gulfstream Friendship with and Oshkosh chassis and a Ford 460 engine. I've added a Safe-T steering stabilizer and a Gear Vender's Gear Splitter. We've basically used it in NM and TX. I hope to sell it and get a Class C again, since we've not been able to use it for several years --too, too busy.

Adios. . .

Bob+? ?

 

[Tom Public]

Here's a photo of my parents with their RV, known in the UK as a caravan.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We had been "day campers"s for some time but our first real camping experience came around 1970 when close freineds invited us to join them in their big cabin tent for a weekend We had such a great time it immediately became a regular thing for the two couples to go camping together. Then the other couple went way upscale with a 22 foot Airstream and we became owners of the cabin tent. Shortly after, though, the old canvas tent developed severe leaks and when I went to the RV place to buy some waterproofing I fell in love with acute  little pop-up camper (used). Went home and got Nancy and she loved it too, so an hour or so later we became RVers.  From there we progressed to a big pop-up with a fridge, stove, oven & potty and thought we were pretty hot stuff. Had a lot of good times in that, taking our daughter and sometimes a friend to various places in the northern NY mountains.  But I got the itch for a "real trailer" and in early 1977 we bought a new 24 foot Layton travel trailer.  Used it exactly once and got into a scary accident on our way home one Sunday night, fortunately only about 35 miles from home.  [Long story there, which I won't go into now].  Totaled the trailer and that put Nancy off on towing things. We were fortunate to get 100% insurance settlement and since we were about to move to Florida anyway, we decided to buy a boat instead of a trailer. So boats it was for the next 17 years.  After retirement in 1993, we started thinking about traveling again and I convinced Nancy that a fifth wheel would not go astray like our previous travel trailer did and in early 1995 we bought a used 24 foot Wilderness fiver. From there it was a quick progression in size and amenities to a King of the Road fiver, then a 1996 Southwind motorhome and now our 2002  Dolphin. The Dolphin is all our budget can handle, so no further rigs are in sight!  Unless, of course, the Lotto gods smile!       

 

[Jim Dick]

I did some camping when I was in the Boy Scouts including a two week trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM. We bought a used popup after spending a weekend in a borrowed tent where it rained the whole time. Did that for a few years when the kids were growing up and then got out of it until buying our first motor home in '94. We now live full time in a 40' American Dream.

Jim

 

[Ron]

Sam & I attended Philmount in the eighties.  I was in Commisioners training, Sam was busy with activities and our Youngest son Steve was out with the scouts.  Was a great experience for all of us.  I also spent a week camping during  Woodbadge training while in Japan.