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Update:

We bought an F350 the end of December and a travel trailer the end of January. The current thinking is that we would start out at The Ranch this fall, then sometime in January or February go to Quartzsite for a bit, then head north.

A cruise is still a possibility. That would probably entail leaving truck and trailer somewhere in the NW. The big problem there is the cat. She is quite used to staying inside, but does get stressed by being in strange surroundings. We'll have to do some more research on this. If she could stay in the trailer she would be fine.

We stayed there a couple of years ago. Nothing special. It is a parking lot, but spaces aren't well marked. There was plenty of room for our 40' MH and towed.

Someone had ordered a meal delivered, and the delivery driver just left the bags of food on a flat surface by the bulletin board. As I recall, they put the site number on the bags. NOT a great idea!

Before we decided to become full-time RV'ers we started looking at communities where we might want to retire. Jo Ann and I made up lists of what was important to each of us, then we discussed our lists to make one list. Then we started looking at various communities around the country. If we had found one that completely suited us we probably never would have purchased an RV.

Yes, the day will come when we need to hang up the keys and live a less mobile life. While much of our family is concentrated in one area, we're not greatly impressed with that - now. That may change as we age and more frequent trips to doctors and hospitals become part of our lives. For now, though, we like to keep the tires inflated so we can go elsewhere whenever we want.

Almost 10 years ago we bought our Foretravel. Today, about two weeks shy of that tenth anniversary, the new owner drove it away. He flew in on Wednesday, spent yesterday shopping and getting some instruction in how things worked, and this morning he drove it away.

Yes, there was a bit of sadness, since that Foretravel was our home for 10 years. There is also joy as we look forward to the next stage of our fulltime journey. In just over three weeks we head out for a summer of campground hosting and birthday celebrations with children and grandchildren.

Thanks for the tip, Chad. I just raised the bed and measured the base. 52" so there will be 4" overhang on each side if we make both sides the same. That gives us a bit of room to adjust things if we decide to give one side or the other a bit more space.

Update: The buyer for the Foretravel arrived yesterday. We spent today going over things and going to Walmart for more supplies. He heads out tomorrow.

We've had only a couple of very minor issues with the Reflection. Now that the Foretravel is all but gone we can concentrate on getting ready for the summer's travels.

The Reflection came with an optional king bed. The dealership was willing to sell me a queen mattress and take the king mattress off of our hands, but we said no to that. If we have to pay for a queen we'll get one that we want, not whatever they happen to have on hand. We found a local store that was having a mattress sale, so we ordered a new queen mattress. They may have someone that needs our king. If that happens we will get a bit of a trade-in allowance on that. I'll still have to trim the plywood platform down to 60", but it will probably take longer to get out the circular saw and mark it than to make the actual cuts.

On a related note, the F350 we bought has a lift kit in it, about 6" or so. That makes for quite a step up for two old people, so I started asking around to see what it would take to bring the truck back to somewhere close to stock. I found a shop in Artesia where they never throw anything away. Several years ago they lifted a 2016 F350, so they have all of the parts needed to return my truck to stock. Tuesday it goes in for the surgery, which includes new tires, as the ones currently on it are too large to remain. They are only a bit over a year old, and still in very good condition, so they are hoping that they can give me a decent trade-in on the new tires. The quote, though, is without any trade. so the price I was given is the most it will cost me.

 

I brought over the last load from the Foretravel into the Reflection today. Tomorrow we'll start cleaning the Foretravel in preparation for the new buyer. New items that are needed are arriving, so we should be ready to hit the road in a month.

Still lots of questions and things to learn, but we're enjoying the new adventure.

Monday morning we headed out for the four-hour trip to the dealership to pick up our new trailer. The walk-thru was scheduled for 1:30, and started pretty much on time. While we were being shown all sorts of things a tech was busy installing the hitch on the truck. Pretty soon he warned us that there would be some motion in the trailer from outside as he figured out where the hitch needed to be set to allow for level towing. By 5:00 we were backed up to the fence to spend the night in the parking lot, hooked up to electricity and some water in the tank.

Tuesday we gave the service people a small list of things that needed attention. Most were very short (less than five minutes) but two took longer. Those were done early in the afternoon. We elected to stay at a commercial campground a few blocks away, hoping that it would be quieter than the dealership's parking lot. It was.

The weather guessers on television were talking about a possible winter weather issue, so we decided to get up a bit earlier than normal and head out as soon as we could. We drove past the dealership just as the employees were arriving for the day. The trip back was a little longer than four hours (closer to five) as I was relearning pulling a trailer. By the time we got back to The Ranch, though, I was pretty comfortable with it.

Parking at our lot took longer than anticipated, mainly because we wanted to be as square with the world as possible. Also, we're going from a 40' Foretravel with no slides to a 38' Reflection with opposing slides in the living area and a bedroom slide. I wanted to be able to get to the sewer without running into a slide and park the pickup in front of the trailer if at all possible. We managed to accomplish all of that.

Yes, there are some minor issues that need to be addressed. We've already talked to the dealership about returning in early March for those items.

I'll get a SmugMug album going with some pictures one of these days (after we get all moved in) and include a link in my signature.

On Wednesday Jo Ann and I started the process of buying a new 2022 Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS. We are scheduled to pick it up on Monday. If all goes well with the PDI and first night in it we'll bring it back to The Ranch on Tuesday.

Is there another Open Range owners' forum besides this one: https://www.openrangeowners.com/ORforum/index.php?sid=ce9c9cb1dbf734c38f2e1630525c48e6 ?

I asked a question two days ago and more than 20 people have seen it, but no one has answered. For those who wonder, I asked what, if any, difference is there between an Open Range trailer and a Mesa Ridge trailer with the same model number.

We budget about $300/month for campground and our annual maintenance fee for our lot here at The Ranch (SKP co-op). We're going to be hosting for three months, so no costs then, and we'll have a month at a commercial park so we pay the monthly rate which includes electricity. We like to stay at COE parks, city/county parks, State parks, etc. We have the "geezer" pass, so COE parks are mostly half price for us. We have sometimes stayed at more expensive parks, but generally we keep costs closer to $20/night.

Additional information: The dealer told us that we would get a Texas title in our names, which we would then send to South Dakota. The title we actually got was what I expected to get the day we bought the truck - made out to the previous owner and properly signed over to the dealer.

Now that we finally have all of the paperwork to get the truck properly registered and licensed in South Dakota I'm going to call the Texas DMV and see what's what. I've not mentioned the name of the dealership, or even the location, here, but if I find out that they did try to pull a fast one I'll share that information.

We did not pay any sales tax - yet. We finally got the Texas title today and are now working on the paperwork to get the SD title and registration. To answer some of the questions above:

Yes, we can move the plates from the Lincoln to the Ford. I specifically asked our mail service about that. The reason I was questioning all of this is that the dealership had about $400 in various fees that we had to pay: Inspection fee ($33.75), Lic Fee ($60.50) Title Conv Fee ($11.00), Road & Bridge ($11.00), Title fee ($33.00), E-Tag fee ($33.00), Doc Fee ($149.00), and a Dealer inventory tax ($95.20). There is no evidence on the truck that it ever got an inspection, even though the dealer told us about the huge fines they would have to pay if they ever let a vehicle go without one. There is a copy of an inspection report, done two weeks earlier, that lists a cost of $7.00.

The reason for asking this is that we're looking at some trailers that are at dealerships in Texas. If those dealerships are going to charge me $400 in various fees that may be an incentive to buy from a dealer that is closer, even if they have a somewhat higher price.

We bought our pickup in Texas at the very end of December. We're South Dakota residents, so we expected that the dealer would give us the old title to the truck, properly signed over, of course, and we would put the plates from the car onto the truck and mail the title to SD, where a new title would be produced for us. Not so. We had to pay several hundred dollars in Texas taxes and are waiting on the delivery of a TEXAS title in our names which we will then send to SD for a title and registration. In the meantime we're driving around on a TX temp tag.

Several of the trailers we're looking at are at Texas dealerships. Are we going to have to go through the same song and dance if we buy a trailer in Texas?

Thanks for all of the help here. We've had to revise our budget upward, which puts at least some of three brands within reach new. Airstream is still far too expensive to buy new, at least for us. Last week we looked at a Reflection, and next week we'll see the Arctic Fox and Highland Ridge dealers. We've been looking at RV Trader daily and have a long list of used trailers. So far none of what we've seen online or at the one dealership has jumped out and said, "BUY ME" but several look very interesting.

We have someone who is very interested in our Foretravel, and some money should be arriving soon, so we're probably going to have to buy something within the next week or so.

How would you rank the quality of these brands?

Airstream, Arctic Fox, Mesa Ridge/Open Range, Reflection? We're looking at mid-2000's 30-34' Airstreams, 2010 and newer 30' and longer for the others. Looked at a new Reflection yesterday, and will look at other brands next week.

Also, what's the typical reduction from MSRP before any trade-in? The Reflection we saw yesterday was a 2022 with MSRP of $84,000 on "sale" for $64,000. I thought I remembered something about 30-35% off of MSRP is pretty typical, but I may be wrong.

I had never heard of nor seen one until I saw the ad:  https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-rvs-for-sale/travel-trailer/2013-forest-river-aviator-wright-flyer_rv-51139

Looks kind of interesting. Anyone know anything about them?

You might have to replace it again. I'd go to an electrical store (not the electrical aisle in Wal-Mart) and bet a GOOD outlet. Check the breaker and wiring to determine if you need a 15A or a 20A one. Make sure that you have good, tight connections and put electrical tape around the screw terminals on the sides.

Before you spend any money, though, unplug everything that is on that circuit. Then turn the breaker off and check all connections on the outlet. If everything is good, reinstall the outlet and turn on the breaker but don't plug anything in. Does the outlet reset? If so, problem is partially solved. Now you just have to figure out what/why the outlet tripped.

If the outlet doesn't reset you will have to replace it.

Anyone doing this? That's one possibility that is on the table for us. We're currently in a 1993 40' Foretravel, so the space from the front seats to the rear wall is actually more like 34 feet. Now that we have our lot at The Ranch and we're not doing Laborers or HFH we don't need to carry as much stuff. Other than a possible trip to Alaska in a couple of years, we generally aren't too far from groceries, so we don't really need to carry a lot. I know many people full time with smaller coaches than what we have and I think we could, too. I've talked to people who full-timed in a 26' and 27' Class C.

We happen to have several Class C rigs in the park right now, and I'm surprised (not really) at the diversity of those rigs. Some have little rear overhang and look nicely balanced. Others look like they could easily top over backwards of a heavy person tried to climb the ladder. We'd prefer not to have any slides, but they aren't a complete deal breaker. The three brands that have been suggested to me (Born Free, Lazy Days, and Phoenix Cruiser) all seem to be more of the well balanced type.

Thoughts?

We had to take the car into St. Peters for service, so we took the opportunity to visit two RV dealerships just to see what was available. LOTS of new rigs of every description, but few used ones. One idea we had was a small camper that our MKT could tow. Unfortunately, it is limited to a maximum of 2000 pounds, which doesn't get much at all in the way of a trailer. We found a few that have an empty weight that is low enough, and a couple that have a GVWR of 2500 pounds. None of those have any sort of bathroom facilities and all have outdoor kitchens. Probably not a good idea for a 2-3 month trip.

If we trade the car for an SUV or truck there are LOTS of possibilities. We even saw a pickup camper that Jo Ann was fairly happy with!

There weren't many Class C rigs, which is what several people have suggested to us. We looked at a couple of gas Class A rigs.

Most likely whatever we buy will be our full-time coach for a year or so (at least). That probably eliminates the pickup camper and smaller trailers (Casita, Scamp, etc.).

I'd love to hear from those of you who have actually made this trip. If you don't want to post to this thread you can email me directly. My edress is this user name at protonmail.com

We're still very much in the research stage. Our Foretravel is a 1993, so it will be 30 years old next year. We're wanting to get something newer anyway, so we're wondering about whether we should drive or cruise. Looks like railroad is not available, and I'd rather not fly if I'm not in the left front seat.

We have several RV ideas to consider, and tomorrow we'll be able to spend an hour or so at a large dealership just browsing to get ideas. While we really like our MKT, it can't tow much (2000 pounds), so if we decided on a towable we would have to get another vehicle. I've gotten some suggestions for Class Cs to look at. It sounds like they burn only about half the fuel as our Foretravel, so travel costs would be less. Now that we have our lot at The Ranch and I'm not doing Habitat or Laborers I don't need to carry as many tools. We could probably fit nicely into a ~30' Born Free or similar.

We haven't even decided for sure that we're going, but if we don't research first we won't go. As for what we want to see and do there, the only thing for sure is to visit the State capitol, as we're trying to visit all 50.

I like the idea of traveling with a small group for at least parts of the trip. More research is needed.

We're starting to kick around the idea of visiting Alaska in 2024. We're currently in a 1993 40' Foretravel, but that will change by then. 

The traditional way, of course, is to fly to Alaska and rent a vehicle there to drive around. Another traditional way is to take a cruise. Last weekend we hosted some friends who just returned from serving the past seven years in Alaska, and they pulled a 29' TT up and back. We're thinking about that approach.

Some people have suggested that we get a used Class C, use it for the trip, then sell it. That's certainly one possibility, and I've asked on the Class C section about recommendations for high quality Class C brands. Someone suggested we get a small TT. Our current car can't tow much (2000 pounds), so we'd need to trade it for something else.

Years ago the Airstream people used to do big caravans to all sorts of places, including Alaska, but I haven't heard much about that in recent years. Are there still groups that do such?

What are the top Class C brands as far as quality and safety? Born Free has been suggested to me already. What others?

We're starting to talk about going to Alaska in 2024. While it is possible to do so, we're not really wanting to take our 1993 40' Foretravel there, so we're looking at alternatives. We're full-timers, but we do have a home base, so it would be relatively easy for us to load for an Alaska trip, then change out the load for whatever comes next.

Both of my parents and my sister worked in medicine. I became a teacher, but everyone said I should have become a doctor because I have the handwriting for it. I do tend to avoid doctors, though, mainly because I've always been pretty healthy. I'm past 70, and still do most of what I want to do. Some days my mind says I'm 25, but my back and knees beg to differ.

In the summer of 2020 we were at Theodore Roosevelt NP (ND) when I was asked to be the temporary Head Teacher at our church's school in WY. We headed down to NM as quickly as we could to change out what we would take with us for the next two years. While we were down there we went to What-A-Burger in Roswell. While there someone noticed the SD plates on the car and made some rude comment. We ignored it. That is the only comment we've gotten about our RV'ing.