Preparing Winnie For Her Shake Down Adventure

The last three weeks of June was preparing for July 7th!  The DAY Winnie takes us on our first adventure; to Croton Point RV Park, site #37.  Why Croton? It's close to home (don't know why that matters), my neighbor at site #36 will be Ray & Kathy with their monster,...AND they've got years of RVing under their belts.  Who better to get answers from.  But before all this could take place, shopping at Walmart's, Camping World, Target, The Dollar Store, BB&B, and Amazon had to occur first.  Yes, outfitting a second home takes some doing. ($$$.$$, of course)  Many of the "furnishings" came from my apartment where they laid around for years with little or no use.  What a pleasure to clean out and transfer.  So from mid-June for another week, I was able to outfit Winnie while she hung out in the lower lot.  The legitimate excuse was that I was awaiting final word on the RV storage situation.

Another part of the "camping" syndrome that took over during this in-between time was a) reading and re-reading the manuals and books that came with the RV; Winnebago supplied one as did Mercedes-Benz; b) The Good Sam Campground Guide (over 1,680 pages of telephone book style locations of campgrounds in the US complete with maps, telephone numbers, and ratings); c) suggestions by friends who have RVs, the Internet searches....all leading to an insatiable desire to get out and get going.  I've already planned an itinerary that will include:

Cross River to Seashore Campsites in Cape May, NJ; from there to

Cape May-Lewes Ferry to Lewes Delaware; from there to

Oceana Naval Air Station in Virgina Beach, VA

Lakewood Camping Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC, site of our trip back in 1979-1982; from there to

Stony Crest Plantations in Bluffton, SC or Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort & Marina with hope of spending time with Roger and Wendy Arnold; from there to

Nova Campground in Port Orange, FL; from there to

Del Raton RV in Delray Beach FL to see Jim and Missy Ahrens as well as Kori and Scott.  

As you can see, with a week spent at each location, there's a long stretch of time spent away from home.  Yes, just as long as my drives to Florida to spend 7 weeks only to return in time for Mother's Day.  Well, things will be a tad different this year but, alas, the same consideration will have to be given.  What I've listed here only one way!  This comprises Bucket List #1.  Before this happens there will be a lot mini one-weekers right here in beautiful New York State.  I haven't even begun that list yet.

But, as mentioned, all this whirlwind thinking and planning came before I even drove Winnie to her first campsite.  Websites will be posted when any of this become reality.

Time to Show Off

The matter of storing Winnie was not ever in the front of my mind until I drove back to the River House and, because of its length, parked it down in the lower lot.

I did have the sense to go ahead and notify the management company of my "new vehicle" but did keep the particulars vague.  I was given a numbered spot that would cost me extra per month but I knew there was no way possible to pull it off.  A letter to the Board and their response confirmed what I already knew: give one permission, more will want it; where does it go in the winter when the area I was in would be needed for extra parking while the upper lot is being cleared of snow; if RV's can park there, why can't boat trailers and commercial vans, etc park there.  So, with the help of friends VC/G I made contact with a place in Montgomery, NY, across the river to store it there for $80.00/month.  Much cheaper than the more convenient local places that wanted as high as $200/month.  As plans and details were nearing completion, Tuesday night, June 17th, I was to meet Ray/Kathy/VC&G in Croton to show off my new toy.  I timed and coincided that visit with an invite to Diane & Bill Swertfager to stop by and take a look.  After that, we'd run over to Samurai in Croton for a sushi dinner.  

Bill, Diane and daughter, Theresa, came by and were amazed and loved this new life style; especially the RV of both the Smiths' and the Merz's.  They got a tour of all of our "rigs" and Bill, for one, was ready to rent one and tour the country.  He happily stepped out of reality to appreciate what could be done IF....a BIG IF at that.  During dinner at Samurai, I told them of my storage problem with the River House and Montgomery whereupon Bill suggested I use his parking lot at business: AIA Sports on Rte 35 in Cross River.  It's a busy place with folks coming and going all day and large enough to have my Winnie somewhat out of the way. And, the best part, he wanted no money for the rental.

Winnie's Storage Area

Although I will take care of such generosity in the future but I did feel okay with the offer as I have driven them individually or as a family a goodly number of time to LGA many times in the past.  And, as they say, "what goes around, comes around."

A Special Day

Today is special in many ways:  I will take possession of Winnie; I will enjoy time spent with my daughter, Marybeth, and it coincides with her Father's Day gift to me:

So, after a detailed tour of what Winnie has to offer, complete with an overwhelming list of things to do and remember, we left my Caddy at CW and took off for Saratoga's Performing Arts Center, 88 miles north and an hour and twenty three minutes;  Much to the dismay, disappointment, and astonishment of Marybeth, this was the first time ever I've driven the 25' long, 11' 3" high, and 7' 6.25" wide, diesel RV.  Learned quickly about speed, turning corners, price of diesel fuel, tolls, wind currents over bridges and parking.  As it turns out, it all went well.

When we arrived, I expected to be sent to a special parking area just for oversized RV's AND pay $50.00 (without the opportunity to spend the night).  Instead, I was directed toward the regular, huge, grassy area where all cars were and nestled in the middle of them all was Winnie--no questions asked.  The concert was very good although the "sound-alike" Arial was not Steve Perry but how uncanny to have an almost exact sounding voice.  Journey and well as members of the Steve Miller Band (as you would expect) were "old"; but then so am I.  One never thinks that as your favorite groups from years past gets old.....so do you.  Shame, but that's life.

After the concert we decided to make the hour+ trip back to Kingston and go home in my Caddy.  Unfortunately, that hour turn int more than an hour and a half because what seemed like the only road out of SPAC on a weekend, night time, with road repairs that saw 3 lanes go to two, for miles and then two lanes went to one. for more miles.  Lots of frustration and I learned that drivers do not like having to follow RVs and their lack of courtesy was displayed as we creeped along.  After dropping MB off in Hopewell, I finally arrived home about 3:30 am and the end of a very full and eventful day.

  

A Done Deal

Today, a scheduled visit with Mark Rossi...

Mark Rossi

...and the signing of papers that would initiate the final detailing and processing of Winnie.  Only the transfer of funds was required for me to drive it off the lot AFTER a two hour instructional tour of the features.  That would take place at 10 am on June 14th with Marybeth accompanying me.  My children's reaction to my decision will be discussed in a future blog post.  But for now, take a look inside Winnie:

Thinking and More Thinking

Since the first visit to Croton, much thought went into "could I?", "should I?, "how can I?" and finally, "why can't I?"  On June 4th, I met V&G at Camping World in Kingston.  They had some things to purchase and I just wanted to see what was available.  I gravitated to the smaller RV's knowing I was just one and that was when I met "Winnie."  A 25 foot Profile View (model 24G) sitting on a Mercedes chassis.

I went home and composed my list:

• 2014 Winnebago View Profile's reduced price is $97,750. 

• Brand new with 1435 miles

• Impressed with features and craftsmanship; ideal for one person.

• Mercedes -Benz Sprinter chassis, 3.0 L 6-cylinder, 188 hp turbo-diesel engine; adaptive ESP technology; 5-speed automatic transmission; 4-wheel ABS; 220 amp alternator; trailer hitch w/7 pin connector and stainless steel wheel liners.

• Dealer will add about $1,200 extras including an extra year's warranty on road side service.

• Retrofit a Memorial Day promotion that included some goodies plus a $325 gift card to the store.

• A water hose & sewer kit.

• I can withdraw a portion from ING and finance the rest with 20 years to pay it off. This lessens the impact on my 401(b)

• http://www.campingworldofkingston.com/class-c/2014/winnebago-view/303805 has video clip of vehicle.

• 3.6KW Onan Generator

• Appliqué Package

• Interior Upgrade Package

• water purifier

• Exterior Speaker System

• 1000 Watt AC/DC Inverter

• Hot Charcoal Full Body Paint

• Power Skylight/Roof Vent

• Rear 22in TV w/Remote

• Roof A/C w/Heat Pump

• Infotainment Center

• Stylized Chrome Wheels

• Satellite/Sage/Hi Gloss Maple cabinets

• The camping concept; independent and flexible. Whenever, wherever.

• Destinations include San Jose, CA, ocean front RV parks with full setup (electricity, sewage, water) along the Atlantic coast anywhere and any time I'd like (with some restrictions, obligations, and commitments known to all)