HOW TO BUY A TRUCK IN SIX EASY STEPS!!!!

Truck shopping, who would have thought it. Certainly not something I had ever imagined I would be doing in my lifetime. I'm more of an imported sedan kind of girl but there I was about to buy a truck.  As he had done with the RV, Erik did all the research, made spread sheets, compared dimensions, specifications, fuel economy, towing capacity (blah blah blah) and I listened blankly as he explained his findings to me. I was concerned about what colour the truck should be but decided not to bring that up as, apparently, colour makes no difference to a truck's functionality.

Armed with Erik's research, we made the rounds and looked at trucks, Approximate trade-in values of our two current vehicles was discussed, and test drives were made. Quite honestly, I was not impressed. They were trucks. Nothing more, nothing less. Just trucks. I was not sharing my husband's enthusiasm for what was going to be our new mode of transportation. Then, one sunny day I was playing tennis, and quite honestly, not even thinking about trucks, when I looked up and there was Erik sheepishly standing at the perimeter of the tennis court. He was very very excited. He thought he had found 'the' truck and wanted me to see it as soon as I was finished playing. 

Yet another test drive, but this time, hmmmm, it was a bit different. The inside of the truck, ( I later learned it's called the cab!!) was roomy roomy roomy. The back seat was huge and the seats flipped up allowing our dogs ample room to lie down and move around while we were travelling. The passenger seat was super comfy, there were all kinds of very cool bits and pieces and it was quiet. I took the wheel and, much to my surprise, it drove like a car. Albeit a very large and high off the road car but a car. There was a panoramic view of everything and the huge front end made me feel safe, like, hey, I'm really big so don't get in my way.  More importantly, the box (that's the bit at the back for storing stuff) was the right size for the hitch (that's the thingy that attaches the RV to the truck) and it had all the necessary stuff for pulling.

Here it is

And, here it is again. Like the colour?

Arrangements were made for ownership, I said a tearful goodbye to my beautiful BMW sedan and Erik kind of waved goodbye to his Dodge Journey and, just like that (insert finger snap) we were truckers. 

When you have a fifth wheel RV you need a truck. Once you have the truck you get it fitted with the fifth wheel (it is attached to the box) and you can hitch up and hit the road. But, not that quickly. There are all kinds of goodies on the RV that you need to know about, things like how to get your sliders in and out, where is the propane, where is the grey water and the black water and how do you get rid of it, where is your drinking water, etc etc etc. An orientation of a couple of hours is scheduled and then you are hitched. Then and only then are you really ready to hit the road.

The guy who gave us the run through of the RV and all its functions waved us off, looking a bit like a doting parent waving to his teen-aged son who is driving alone for the first time. Me in the passenger seat and Erik in the driver's, our truck now resembling an 18 wheeler (in my mind only) with the fifth wheel attached. We did a preliminary and very slow drive around the premises to make sure everything worked and was in order and then we were well and truly 'on the road'.

Our first jaunt didn't take us far; from the RV dealership in Gananoque to Cedar Forest RV Park in Mallorytown, a total of 40 kms/30 min but it was our first trip and incredibly exciting, especially the first time a transport truck passed us. Not the excitement of getting new shoes or going to a fabulous dinner party, more the excitement of diving backwards off a cliff into the ocean. The second transport that passed wasn't quite as exciting and by the time we got to our destination there was a feeling of, hey, we've got this all going on.

It felt cozy. Hubby driving us to our destination, doggies snug as bugs in the back seat, me in the passenger seat flipping through the 2000+/- Sirius radio stations and that panoramic view of everything out there as far as you can see...it felt good, good as in, let's get this adventure going

WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!

Funny how the teeniest germ of an idea can slowly grow and blossom until it has inched its way to being a reality. You talk about it, you imagine it, you talk about it some more, usually on long car trips when you're just a little bored, then forget about it for a while. Of course, it's just a dream, right? You can't just pack up, get some form of transport, and hit the road for six months. Kind of irresponsible and scary and what would happen to the dogs? Surely it would be problematic with two big dogs?

Next thing you know you are nonchalantly Googling the differences between a fifth-wheel (a what??) and a motor home and wondering if there are dog friendly RV Parks? Wow, did you know some of those RV Parks have tennis courts? My ears were pricking up at that little tidbit of information. Tennis courts you say? Swimming pools? Heck they aren't just dog friendly they are positively crazy for dogs. Some even have doggie day-care available. Hear that Kaede and Freddy?

Well, it won't hurt to just mosey on down to an RV dealer and just see what all the fuss is about. We won't buy anything, right? Just look. After all, I am not going to be spending six months cooped up in a place that has fuzzy blue furniture and no microwave. Where would I store my shoes?

We know where this is going, don't we? 

And now, that charming little home away from home, that cute little home on wheels, belongs to us. All we need now is some kind of huge monstrosity of a truck to haul it around. 

I think I have the subject matter for my next posting. How to Buy a Truck in Six Easy Steps.

Til next time.