Turn the page to a new chapter in our lives and here we are.
We were up early Sunday morning with the birds so we could be on the road by 7:30 a.m. We drove about an hour to check out this used 2017 Forest River 180 R-pod that was for sale. It was hardly used since the owner purchased it new and has only 1,400 miles.
As we were driving down the road I looked over at John. The past few years he has earned some gray hair with it mostly showing at his temples. It endears me to him even more. What a privilege to experience mid-life with him. His biological father died at the age of 36-years old when John was just seven. At times this moves through me in an emotional way and has me feeling blessed to be this far in my journey with John.
A mix of emotions struck me as I looked over at John and said, “Here we are. Just two middle-aged folk up early goin’ to look at a camper! How did we get here so fast?”
John still has six years until retirement, or as we like to call it, a new phase in our lives. But for now we hope to travel to warmer climates in the winter more as his work schedule allows.
So as many of you know a few years ago we began converting one of John’s Chevy work vans to a camper and we took it on a few runs. It served its purpose well. We dubbed it “The Vamper” and also named it “Second Chance.” It represented to us that even though we were hit hard by the fall of the economy in 2008, this was our ticket to do some exploring away from home. It also allowed us to take our dogs along.
I’m grateful that we experienced life in this way traveling when we could in our van converted to a camper.
As we thought about longer trips away – more than a week – we didn’t feel the Vamper would be all that comfortable. We aren’t able to stand up in it, it does not have a bathroom (though we have a portable toilet) and it also still needs a kitchen. With John’s full work schedule, it’s been a challenge to finish.
So while we weren’t really looking, it all began with John spotting a camper van for sale in our town. One thing led to another and lots of discussion and here we were driving to look at this R-pod.
On a side-note, being the sentimental gal that I am as we discussed buying something that would be more comfortable I became emotional. It felt so bittersweet. We had traveled in the van with both our dogs, Kylie and Gidget. Now both gone. It felt like if we got an upgraded van camper that it was like saying goodbye to that part of our life too. Though of course, the memories stay with us always.
As you can see by the photo above, we purchased the R-pod. It is in mint condition and we got a good deal on it. It has a full bathroom, great storage, a kitchen with two-burner stove, convection oven, a nice sized refrigerator, a quaint kitchen table, and queen sized bed.
The bonus is that our Vamper will pull the R-pod. Which means we feel incredibly blessed to travel with that much more storage space! We half-joking also said that the vamper could be like my writing cottage on wheels. Oh, the possibilities!
Sunday evening we celebrated with an adult beverage sitting inside the R-pod right in our driveway. At one point with a grin on his face, John said, “Now, you aren’t going to girly it all up are you?”
The first trip we hope to take with it is to Arizona the winter of 2020. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to moving things from the vamper into the R-pod and organizing…plus no doubt, a few “girly” touches may just magically appear. 🙂
XO,
Barbara
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