Introductions and Transitions

Welcome back friends!

A few introductions are in order this month as we are officially homeless and transitioning to full time RV living:

First let’s start with Karl. Karl is a 2022 GMC 3500HD DRW Denali in Pacific Blue. I saw this color on the internet but had not seen it in person that I could recall so E and I drove to the dealership and happened upon this beast of a truck that they had just gotten on their lot. We sat in it and admired all the luxury, made an offer that the salesman at least didn’t laugh at and headed home to contemplate the prices and demand. Some research and I found that this was most likely the last one to be delivered to the dealer due to computer chip shortages for the foreseeable future.

Bebop: Bebop is a 2022 Vanleigh Beacon 41FL fifth wheel. This behemoth demands a larger truck (hence Karl) to tow since it has a GVW of 18,500 pounds and is 43 feet long. Ever just really liked something so much that you use part of the name for something else? We both fell in love with the live action series based on anime called “Cowboy Bebop”. So somehow this became our replacement for Piper. We also put an offer in on Bebop the same day.

E calls me on the following morning from work and says “make the deal”. I am on the phone with the RV dealer when my phone rings with a call from the GM dealer. I don’t switch calls and continue with offer/counter with the Manager at our local Lazy Days and wind up with a deal I can live with (I had a pre-approved low interest loan from my credit union). I call the GM dealer back and we negotiate a price that I can live with and I take the Beast in for an evaluation. We ink the deal and then I let them offer me a trade in amount. Yes I paid more for the truck than I would have for a 2021 (if they were available, NOT) but they also gave me more for the Beast than I had paid for him from their dealership 7 years earlier!

So, big transition for us as we join the “Big Rig” crowd. Yes, coincidentally the Blues almost match for both Bebop and Karl. I have been towing different kinds of trailers most of my life and the transition to this behemoth is taken in stride as we leave the dealership for out hour trip home. It is a little intimidating because I know and can feel the difference in weight between little 30 foot 11,000 pound Piper and 14,000 pounds of lightly loaded 43 foot Bebop.

And lastly, let’s introduce you to our little Band of travelers:

BFD, I am your main author on here and the muscle. I tend o live in the moment and just want to experience things as they come.

E is the real boss and my heart’s desire. She is the planner/thinker of the group, hopefully keeping everything under control as we go along.

Jones Morse is the baggage, eater of things, king of the house and entertainment director (for his needs, not ours).