December 13, 2019
After a year of thinning down, we sold our home in California on October 3, 2019. We gave away or sold most of our stuff. What’s left is stored in a 10’x20’ storage unit. We started our journey to see America in a 23 year old 23 foot long Jayco trailer pulled by our 13 year old Suburban. We belong to the Thousand Trails Campgrounds, so we spent our first few weeks in their Morgan Hill RV park. There we thinned out our belongings even further. Having collected stuff for 44 years, so it took some time! After saying good-bye to our kids and grandkids, we headed toward Mesa, Arizona.
In Mesa, we bought a used 2016 Chevy Heavy duty diesel truck that met all our criteria for a towing vehicle. It made a wonderful difference towing the trailer up hills and mountains!
Next, we drove to Texas. We belong to the Escapees RV Club located in Livingston, Texas. We use their mailing service that collects our mail, scans it, and ships it to us wherever we are, when we ask. We chose their mailing service because it provided us with a “physical” address which was needed for some documents. We spent Thanksgiving with my dad and sister in Austin, Texas. They kindly took care of our cat while we went to Virginia to buy the Airstream.
Ray was looking for specific things in a used Airstream. He found a 2014 International Signature Airstream that had a feature we really wanted—two recliners instead of a couch. This was an option only from 2011 – 2015. The trailer was in great condition and came with many extras, like an expensive Hensley hitch. The problem was its location, in Virginia near Washington, D.C. We arranged to see it and stored our Jayco trailer in Texas. We hit the road, driving 3 days, staying in motels along the way. The Airstream was just what we were looking for, and we bought it.
We planned to drive across the Midwest states back to Texas, but a big storm system was sweeping the nation, bringing snow and freezing weather. We didn’t want to tow our trailer through that weather, so we changed plans, heading straight south on I-95 to I-10 in Florida. We stopped at various campgrounds along the way, but didn’t stay more than a night or two. By the time we got back to Texas, we needed a rest! Racing cross-country was not what we left California to do.
We spent several days unloading the Jayco and getting it ready to sell, moving everything into the Airstream. We had the Title for the Airstream and got it licensed in Texas, but we are still waiting on the Title for our truck. In Texas, you have to register all your vehicles before you can get Texas driver’s licenses. That was the next item on our list.
We enjoy our 208 square foot home on wheels, but like so many others, we are looking for a home “whose builder and maker is God.” Like the old chorus said, “This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through…”
Ray & Phyllis
