One of the reasons we chose a (towable) fifth wheel RV over a (drivable) motorhome was that we wouldn’t need to tow a car to get around once we reached our destination.\u00a0 The plan was to park the RV, unhitch the pickup truck and then use the truck to get anywhere we needed to go locally.\u00a0 However… that plan didn’t take into account Jett’s fear of driving a diesel dually.\u00a0 You see, while was very comfortable driving her own pickup before we went on the road, it was a tiny Ranger – barely larger than our Mazda 3.\u00a0 Now, over 3 years later, she has still never been behind the wheel of the GMC 3500.\u00a0 Too long, too wide, she says.\u00a0 I keep thinking we need to do some training – like taking her out into an empty parking lot like I did with my sons before they got their licenses – but it hasn’t happened yet.<\/p>\n
We made it through our first long stay – in San Jose and Temecula, California – by renting cars.\u00a0 We did the same our first summer in Littleton, MA.\u00a0 That met the need, but was expensive.\u00a0 So one of the very first things we did when we arrived in Fort Myers in November, 2013, was to purchase a Toyota Yaris for Jett’s use.\u00a0 We planned to sell it in April, 2014, when we headed back to Massachusetts, but Jett liked the car so much that we decided to transport it.\u00a0 We checked into commercial transport and found that prices hovered around $700.\u00a0 Instead, we hired Jett’s brother to fly to Florida and drive it back, for $600.\u00a0 Yes, it was 1,500 miles of additional wear-and-tear but we trusted her brother more than we trusted the union guys in the car carrier.<\/p>\n
We did the same thing, in reverse, to get the car back to Florida this fall.\u00a0 Now we need to get it north again.\u00a0 This time we have opted to drive it ourselves.\u00a0 No, Jett is not going to follow the RV north – that would be too simple.\u00a0 And too much driving for her sore back.\u00a0 So I am going to drive it north, to her brother’s place, then fly back a day before we have to begin the long haul north in the RV.\u00a0 That will be *2* 1,500-mile trips for me, back-to-back, but I don’t have a sore back (yet) and I actually enjoy driving.\u00a0 Plus I don’t have to pay myself.<\/p>\n
The Yaris goes in today for an oil change and a “wellness check” to make sure it is ready for the trip, which begins 4 weeks from tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Maybe I can get Jett to that empty parking lot and have her drive the truck before I go.\u00a0 She would then have the confidence to use the truck in my absence.\u00a0 And maybe we could sell the Yaris someday.<\/p>\n
Hey, a guy can dream, right?<\/p>\n
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One of the reasons we chose a (towable) fifth wheel RV over a (drivable) motorhome was that we wouldn’t need to tow a car to get around once we reached our destination.\u00a0 The plan was to park the RV, unhitch the pickup truck and then use the truck to get anywhere we needed to go … Continue reading