Travel Log – 11/02/2007
We downsized! Or as Rick loves to say “We left the truck and the 5th wheel out in the rain and they shrunk!”
We traded in the truck for an SUV and an enclosed motorcycle trailer and left the 5th wheel in Texas on consignment. We moved the contents of the 5th wheel into the trailer and are ready for hotel camping!
Ok, here are the details: As we continued to research the “RV market”, we found that Texas was one of the top two states for selling RVs (Arizona being the other). We called several of the hundreds of RV dealerships in Arizona and Texas learning the used/consignment RV market until we found a dealership who’s expertise and business model matched our situation. Our research uncovered that November through January is the hottest time to sell an RV with all the snow birds migrating south for the winter. It turned out much better for us to leave the 5th wheel in Texas on consignment vs. driving it home to Olympia and then selling it there.
We traded in the truck for a Chevrolet Tahoe with really comfortable (heated) seats. It has a towing capacity of over 7,000 lbs, sufficient for our future needs. Very similar to the truck but easier to maneuver and with a much smoother suspension, the Tahoe has the conveniences we’ve come to love: navigation system, sun roof, great sound system, and even a DVD player! (That will come in handy when Rick has to wait in the car for Lisa somewhere.) We also purchased a 7’x12′ enclosed motorcycle trailer that is big enough for two motorcycles (or one motorcycle and a trike). It’s so much easier to tow and no height restrictions!
Then we moved out of the 5th wheel, ugh! We packed and packed and packed. Amazing how much stuff you can fit in one of those things. We also found it ironic that we stayed our first and last nights in our 5th wheel in a parking lot next to a busy freeway! (North Bend, WA near I-90 and Sanger, Texas, right next to I-35). The I-35 traffic was significantly louder though.
P.S. When leaving San Antonio, Rick found an ant farm under the rug outside the 5th wheel. He was bitten about 25 times – his legs and hands are covered with bites! Ouch.
~Lisa and Rick
Sanger, Texas