It’s been a while since we’ve posted something for the joy of telling a story. Our recent travel trailer purchase is a perfect departure from some of our recent content to just tell a story.
Finding the “Neverland Caravan”
Let’s flashback to March 10th, 2020…
it feels like ages ago. The spread of COVID-19 through Europe was like a wildfire catching a strong wind. News from Italy was grim, and Spain was not looking good either. We were just returning to the United States from three months in Brazil. There, we traveled by riverboat through the Amazon, reveled with scores of others for Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, and spent time recuperating in colonial towns and island hideaways. Our whole time in Brazil was underscored by a looming pandemic spreading quickly across the planet. The Coronavirus was never far from our thoughts while we paraded shoulder to shoulder down the streets of Rio.
Fortunately, we made it back to the United States safely, even amid rumors of closed borders and the threats of required quarantines. Neither of which ended up happening, but still caused many to panic. Honestly, we were surprised how little precautions were taken when we came through immigration at JFK. No masks required, no social distancing being practiced, nor health screenings… just business as usual.
Back in Arizona, we watched the news about COVID-19 anxiously. It was hard to grasp the number of people getting sick.
I’ll never forget that first trip to the grocery store after getting home. We had no food or supplies in the house. The grocery store felt like a scene straight out of a movie. Countless shelves were bare. There weren’t any canned goods, no dry goods, no water, and the bizarre scarcity of toilet paper. People were grabbing what they could for their family. All the uncertainty and the lack of a calming and reassuring leader caused fear and panic.
By March 19th,
the Governor of Arizona directed restaurants, bars, theaters, and gyms to limit service or close down. The lockdown and stay at home order followed on March 30th.
So there we were decompressing from an incredibly joyous time in Brazil under lockdown… certainly not ideal. All the while, grateful our family and we were healthy. Every day the news continued to get worse.
The travel industry suffered terribly from COVID-19, and we, like many others, watched the prospects of international travel this summer drift away.
At home, we caught a case of the COVID Blues. We wanted to be optimistic and plan for another trip. We even seriously considered taking advantage of deeply discounted airfare, but recognized doing so would be imprudent.
The lockdown wasn’t all bad, though. We pulled ourselves out of our slump by creating new content for Instagram, rebuilding our website, and focused on generating more web traffic. While this was great and all… we couldn’t ignore the hollow void of adventure in our life.
We had to find a way to continue experiencing new places, meeting new people, and ultimately chasing adventure into the sunset. With all that was going on, how could we manage to do that while staying safe?
A shift in our thinking…
..came about while researching a blog post about ‘Saving Summer.’ We realized travel within the United States may be achievable sooner than international travel.
Therefore, in much the same way that we decided to pack up our house and travel through southeast Asia, back in 2017, we decided this time we’d buy a camper. We were ready to join the rubber tramp community of explorers!
When the initial excitement waned, we were sobered by the challenge of finding the right camper. First, we thought an RV would be ideal but realized they were too big for us. We looked at conversion vans also and were quickly drunk on the idea of #vanlife; however, the cost of building one and the time to do so deterred us. Then we started looking at small travel trailers. We already owned a perfectly good tow vehicle, so it was a reasonable choice.
Once we decided on a travel trailer, the hunt began. We visited every RV dealer in the greater Phoenix area and looked at as many different trailers as possible.
We realized a couple of things…
1.) used trailers inventory did not stick around long
2.) new trailers depreciated up to 20% the moment you drive them off the lot!?!?!?
3.) buying a trailer from a dealer meant also paying sales tax on the purchase price
4.) we wanted something small – no bigger than 20 ft
5.) we wanted something with character – not just a boring rectangle on wheels
Two brands really caught our attention: Airstream and Casita. We dove headfirst into classifieds pages like craigslist and RV Trader trying to find the ‘one.’
We found a ’91 Casita in Arizona but found it needed more work than it was worth. We almost had a 20’ Airstream in Colorado, but we were outbid. We found Casita’s in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, but they were sold within hours of being listed.
It was disheartening and frustrating. We felt a wave of anxious urgency. We were obviously not the only people with plans to travel by road this summer. To get something, we’d have to act fast!
After a Friday and Saturday full of strikeouts,
..we woke to Sunday with hopes of finding fresh new listings. We did! We found a clean looking 2008 Casita posted only minutes before in Santa Rosa, California. I called immediately.
The person who answered couldn’t believe someone was already calling about his listing. I asked all the questions I could think of and even asked him to share some of their favorite memories of using the trailer. We talked to quite a while and ended up developing a good rapport.
We expressed serious interest in the trailer and offered to put down a good-faith deposit if they would hold it for us. Before accepting any money, though, they would send photos of the interior.
The photos they sent revealed a clean and well cared for the trailer. They were an older retired couple, and it looked as though it were rarely used. They later confirmed that assumption.
Having seen the interior photos, we called back, ready to make an offer. We respectfully bartered a little on the price and, in the end, came to an agreement. We coordinated sending a deposit with there daughter through Venmo and sealed the deal.
It was happening… and happening fast!
Less than four hours had passed from initially seeing the posting to sending the deposit. Never in our lives had we made a purchase like this unseen.
The seller’s character is what made us feel confident in the transaction. Even after receiving the deposit, I spoke to the seller several times later that day. Just calling to tell us more about the trailer and additional items they would include when we came to pick it up. In one conversation, I think we spent most of the time laughing about the funny mechanics of long term relationships. We had really hit it off. We were as anxious to meet them as we were to see the trailer.
We decided to leave the next day and started planning our drive to pick up the Casita. I took the truck to get a fresh set of tires that same day. It was something we were putting off doing, but now was an immediate priority!
We charted our course, made reservations to stay in Santa Rosa for the night, and decided that since we were going to be in California, we had better stop and visit Jessica’s grandma (Yia Yia).
Getting a cashiers check was the one thing we weren’t able to do given it was Sunday, but we planned to get one on the drive.
From our nest, in Phoenix, it’s roughly a twelve-hour drive to Santa Rosa. It’s one we’re not too unfamiliar with either. When we lived in San Luis Obispo, we made a similar drive to this one several times.
Driving west out of Phoenix is uneventful. The best part comes when you see the windmills in Palm Springs. They stand as a familiar California greeting, happily waving as we pass by.
Driving through California this time was different than past trips. Being at the height of COVID-19, we encountered a state that took preventive measures seriously! Every place we stopped in California required customers to wear a mask. We came prepared, so it wasn’t a big deal, but it was a stark contrast to how things were being handled in Arizona.
During the drive…
..we were so preoccupied with making plans for our new Casita we kind of forgot we had to pay for it! We eventually remembered, though, and over lunch, we searched for a nearby branch of our bank to get a cashier’s check… our bank didn’t exist in California.
We were in a pickle now…
After a roller coaster of emotion riding high on a new idea, then plummeting down the slope of disappointment just to find it wasn’t viable… we finally found a solution. We remembered we also hold an account with Bank of America, which has branches everywhere. The nearest location was in San Dimas.
Next stop San Dimas!
At the branch, we donned our masks and waited our turn in an adequately socially distanced queue. When it was our turn, we told the teller our dilemma. She tried to put us at ease. If we deposited a check in our account, the funds ‘should’ be available the next day. The word ‘should’ was lest definitive than I was hoping for, but it was the best we could do. We’d find out Tuesday morning.
We left San Dimas ready to start the journey north. There are two predominant routes to travel north across CA; the scenic coastal highway 101 (my personal favorite), or the faster less scenic highway 5 through the Central Valley. For the sake of time and efficiency, we took the 5.
Our drive through the Central Valley dragged on. Long straight highway through farm country has a way of making your eyes feel heavy. By sunset, we were crossing the bay nearing Santa Rosa. We were both tired and welcoming the comforts of a big soft bed.
It was well after dark when pulled into town. We checked-in to our hotel and fell fast asleep.
By mornings light, we were able to appreciate our hotel. Situated at the center of the town square, the historic building was the old courthouse. I got major points from Jessica for finding such a unique spot.
Our planned meeting time with the sellers was 10:00 AM. We were too excited to be late. The drive there reminded me how much I love that area of California. It is a landscape of Smooth green rolling mountains dotted with coastal oaks draped in moss with an average temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. We were feeling the nostalgia for San Luis Obispo.
We easily found their home, the white egg in the driveway made it hard to miss. On our arrival, the sellers came out to greet us. In the era of COVID-19, it was an awkward meeting. We wore masks at first, and all shared in a communal hand sanitizing. There were no handshakes. Although strange, it is the reality of the world we live in at the moment, and a little precaution doesn’t hurt (literally – it’s painless).
The people we spoke to over the phone were just as friendly and cordial in person, if not more so. After chatting for a while, they proceeded to go over every last detail of the trailer. They made sure to show us everything worked properly.
Everything checked out, and the trailer was in better condition than we expected. This was the ‘ONE,’ and it was nearly ours. All that was left to do was pay for it…
With the sellers, we drove to the nearest Bank of America. Closed! Not off to a good start. Driving a bit further away, we found an open branch and went in fingers crossed the funds would be available. They were!
Back at their home, we hitched up the trailer and completed a few last checks. It’s a good thing we did because we nearly pulled away with it still plugged into the house.
We ended up hanging out with them for a while, after all, was said and done. They were such kind people, and we could see ourselves in them. We got a tour of the house, the guest house, the garden, and the workshop. We have a way of making every good-bye a long good-bye. The final thing we did, though, before driving off, was take a photo together.
Driving off, we were giddy with the excitement of finally having the trailer in tow. We stopped at a nearby mall to check it out one more time and snap a few more photos. This trailer was everything we wanted. It was perfect for our two little dogs and us.
Picking it up took longer than we had anticipated, and therefore, we decided to stay another night in Santa Rosa.
In the morning, we began our drive to San Clemente. Estimated at 7 ½ hours, from one end of California to the other. Along the way, we passed through the green, quiet little town of Sebastopol. A sleepy NorCal town is known for both farming and its artsy culture. The kind of place with an apple orchard on one side of the road and an art collective with a sizable yellow duck sculpture atop a sea container on the other.
It’s our kind of town. While there, we couldn’t resist a stop at a roadside tie-dye bazaar.
For the drive back, I planned to stop in Morro Bay around sunset. There is a picturesque mountain standing in the bay that I knew would make for a great photo with us and the trailer. We made the course adjustments and were headed down highway 101. Two hours outside Morro Bay, with petrol running low, I decided to stop and fill the tank.
We pulled into a Pilot fueling station, the big kind where semi-trucks have there own pump corals. It was noisy, and the surroundings weren’t much to look at. We were still north of Paso Robles in the Salinas River Valley.
After a brief gasp from the shock of our total at the pump, I hung up the nozzle and hopped back in the truck. I rubbed in a heaping squirt of hand sanitizer gel that Jessica had ready and waiting for me. Once properly sanitized, I turned the ignition… click. click. click.
That is a bummer of a sound to hear on a road trip. I stopped, removed the keys, and made sure there were no electronics on in the truck. I hoped it was just a fluke, but deep down I knew better. With next to no optimism, I gave it another try… click. click. click.
“Well, that’s a bummer,” I said to Jess. She didn’t find the same humor I did from this unfortunate circumstance. The only good thing is that it happened at a busy gas station with new vehicles driving up every 5 minutes.
I popped the hood on the truck and stood there staring longingly into the engine compartment, probably scratched my head, and likely had one hand on my hip. Ya, know the standard signals for something is wrong with my vehicle. I turned around and scanned the area for a capable good samaritan to help. Not immediately finding someone, I decided to grab my jumper cables and return to the front of the truck. This way, it would be crystal clear the type of help I was looking for.
Soon a large work truck pulled in, and I caught eyes with the driver. I jostled the jumper cables in my hand, and upon seeing them, he drove towards me. The driver pulled up as close as he could, and before he was out of the vehicle, I had the cables connected to my truck. He really did’ t say a whole lot of anything to me. I handed him the other end of the cables.
With our trucks connected, we let his run. It took a while to change my dead battery… almost 15 minutes before my truck finally started. It was a relief! We expressed our gratitude and appreciation to the good samaritan and got back on the road.
Our little battery mishap meant that we wouldn’t be turning my truck off until we were at Yia Yia’s house that evening. My dreams of making a stop off in Morro Bay died just like my battery. Oh well, we’d be back.
The drive down was long and tedious. It was 1:30 AM when we finally pulled up to Yia Yia’s. We made sure the trailer was parked in a safe spot, unhitched the truck, and turned off the ignition.
We had no intention of waking Jessica’s grandma in the middle of the night, so we decided to snuggle up and spend our first night together in the trailer. We definitely thought our first night in the Casita would look a little different, but none the less we were excited to get to spend the night in it. In case you’re wondering… of course, we drank a bottle of champagne!
The whole next day and part of the following, we helped Yia Yia sort and pack her beloved keepsakes. In a week, she would be moving out. Her home has one of the best views in San Clemente, and every night she watches the sunset over the Pacific. She and her husband shared over 30 years of happy memories in that home together. We helped her organize and pack her keepsakes, each having a story that Jessica had never heard before.
When the time came to leave, I could feel the weight on Jessica’s heart. This was the last time she would see her grandparent’s home. It was a hard farewell. With eyes patted dry, we gave Yia Yia lots of love and exchanged our, ‘see you soon’s.’
The drive back to Arizona…
..was uneventful, which we welcomed. We didn’t need any other unexpected obstacles getting in between us and parking our new little Casita in the driveway.
It also gave us time to reflect on our own life together. Just two days prior marked 4 years of marriage for us. Our new camper was an anniversary gift of sorts.
Sharing that time with Yia Yia and listening to her stories about her and her husband’s life of adventure together was a reminder of how lucky we are to have each other. The notion of having to go it alone now… is downright dreadful.
The only time we know for sure to be ‘ours’ is the present! If you don’t seize it while you can together… then you may never.
We made it back to the desert safely that evening and tucked our new trailer in for the night before crawling off to bed ourselves. We have big plans in store and need the rest.
Watch the video of our journey below!
Stay tuned for more updates as we make some improvements and transform the Casita into our Neverland Caravan!
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