I'm starting to think about a B
We tent camped in our early years, but since 2005 I've been towing a TT. Had a 23' Rockwood, then a 17' Burro, now a 16' KZ. We had a brief fling (one summer) with a popup, too, in '99.
But now that I am back home (Okla.) from Yosemite, I am thinking really seriously about selling the trailer and getting a used class B.
On the way to Yosemite I stopped at Capulin Volcano Natl Monument in NM. Bought my permit, then found out that they would not permit me to tow my TT up the road to the top of the volcano. Grrr! My shoulder was bothering me and I did not feel like aggravating it by cranking the TT's jack up and down 4 times (once to disconnect the WD, 2nd to unhook the ball, 3rd and 4th to reverse the process afterward) just to go 2 miles up the hill and back. So I simply left, thinking as I drove away, Hmmm, I wouldn't have had this problem if I had a van camper.
Later, I'm crossing the San Rafael Swell in a strong headwind. The Highlander is struggling harder than usual to make it up the inclines. That big sail behind me is starting to irritate me. And I start to think, If I had a van instead of a trailer, I could be maintaining the speed limit most of the day instead of having a max speed in the low 60s and getting bogged down to 45-50 on the hills. I could make better time without that TT behind me.
Then when I'm at Bridalveil Creek in Yosemite, one night an older gentleman pulls in with his pop top van. Looks nice. Looks convenient. I talk to him a bit and he says it works great for him. (Wish I'd asked to see inside, dagnab it.) Hmmmmm. I could see myself with one of those. I camp alone nowadays, since my DW had part of her colon out and lost all interest in travel; it seems like a camper van would be great for one person.
Two days later an elderly couple (in 80s, I think) pulls in with a Sprinter van and Scamp in tow. Well, I like egg trailers, so I went over and introduced myself, and then helped them get into their site. Had to move the picnic table and guide him in. After backing in, the gentleman was too tired to even unhook the trailer. (I offered but he declined, said he'd do it the next day.) And I returned to my site thinking, is this what I have to look forward to eventually if I keep towing a trailer?
As I head home from my vacation, I am thinking. I took the TT when DW and I went to visit relatives in Michigan this June, but she wasn't happy about it. She says she missed staying in a nice hotel on the way. And towing the TT slowed us down, making the trip about 1.5 hours longer each way. With a camper van, we can make better time and easily park in hotel parking spaces. I'll still have a bed I can call my own while we see relatives, and a way to go off and camp for a couple of nights while she visits her mother.
You know, I tow a cargo trailer 20,000 miles per year for work. I'm getting kinda tired of towing on my vacation as well. Yup, time to start shopping for a Roadtrek or a Pleasure-Way or a Sportsmobile, or something!
But now that I am back home (Okla.) from Yosemite, I am thinking really seriously about selling the trailer and getting a used class B.
On the way to Yosemite I stopped at Capulin Volcano Natl Monument in NM. Bought my permit, then found out that they would not permit me to tow my TT up the road to the top of the volcano. Grrr! My shoulder was bothering me and I did not feel like aggravating it by cranking the TT's jack up and down 4 times (once to disconnect the WD, 2nd to unhook the ball, 3rd and 4th to reverse the process afterward) just to go 2 miles up the hill and back. So I simply left, thinking as I drove away, Hmmm, I wouldn't have had this problem if I had a van camper.
Later, I'm crossing the San Rafael Swell in a strong headwind. The Highlander is struggling harder than usual to make it up the inclines. That big sail behind me is starting to irritate me. And I start to think, If I had a van instead of a trailer, I could be maintaining the speed limit most of the day instead of having a max speed in the low 60s and getting bogged down to 45-50 on the hills. I could make better time without that TT behind me.
Then when I'm at Bridalveil Creek in Yosemite, one night an older gentleman pulls in with his pop top van. Looks nice. Looks convenient. I talk to him a bit and he says it works great for him. (Wish I'd asked to see inside, dagnab it.) Hmmmmm. I could see myself with one of those. I camp alone nowadays, since my DW had part of her colon out and lost all interest in travel; it seems like a camper van would be great for one person.
Two days later an elderly couple (in 80s, I think) pulls in with a Sprinter van and Scamp in tow. Well, I like egg trailers, so I went over and introduced myself, and then helped them get into their site. Had to move the picnic table and guide him in. After backing in, the gentleman was too tired to even unhook the trailer. (I offered but he declined, said he'd do it the next day.) And I returned to my site thinking, is this what I have to look forward to eventually if I keep towing a trailer?
As I head home from my vacation, I am thinking. I took the TT when DW and I went to visit relatives in Michigan this June, but she wasn't happy about it. She says she missed staying in a nice hotel on the way. And towing the TT slowed us down, making the trip about 1.5 hours longer each way. With a camper van, we can make better time and easily park in hotel parking spaces. I'll still have a bed I can call my own while we see relatives, and a way to go off and camp for a couple of nights while she visits her mother.
You know, I tow a cargo trailer 20,000 miles per year for work. I'm getting kinda tired of towing on my vacation as well. Yup, time to start shopping for a Roadtrek or a Pleasure-Way or a Sportsmobile, or something!
