UPDATE: We’re Off The Road-Indefinitely?
Some of you may or may not know that back at the end of April 2023 during our seasonal transition from our winter location back to our summer location we encountered an issue with our motorhome that wasn’t expected. During the second day of our travels, we encountered some really rough stretches of I-40 as we transited northern Arizona. Upon our arrival in Gallup, NM for our second night on the road we discovered a structural issue with the coach that forced us to stop to assess the situation.
We ended up leaving the coach in Gallup in the same location, albeit in a storage slot and not on a regular RV site. The frame of our coach suffered a major crack on each side of the frame. The frame rail that runs the length of the coach is essentially the foundation upon which the structure of the “house” is built. This structural failure wasn’t covered by insurance nor was there a shop anywhere in the region willing to repair it. This forced us to weigh our options that ended up putting a contingency plan into immediate effect. That is we elected to rent a U-Haul truck and trailer (to carry our Jeep), pack our possessions into the U-Haul truck, and tote everything back to Wisconsin.
Once we arrived back to the RV park where we summer, we were able to borrow a 5er toy hauler from a family member that we stayed in for a month before a rental house became available. The real estate and rental market is short on supply and long on those wanting a place to live. Once the house was available we quickly transitioned from RV to Sticks-N-Bricks leaving the RV park owner without their Camp Host & Security team for the remainder of the season. We settled into this cozy little house for the near future, probably a year’s time +/- allowing us ample time to decide on our next step/chapter. When and if we go back on the road, we want to maintain a fixed base that we can return to, something we didn’t maintain when we set out as full-timers ten years ago.
After we were moved into the house, I listed the coach for sale and received several inquiries from individuals wishing to purchase it. For months it was a roller coaster of having a deal to it collapsing. We even contacted RV Salvage outfits and regular salvage yards in a three state area but none seemed interested…even the local yard just a few miles away. I suspect part of this was the cost they’d have to expend to transport it to their yards or and I have heard this from others in the auto recycling industry…RVs are an environmental nightmare in many places when having to deal with the waste tanks, LP, fuel, batteries, air conditioners, refrigerator, motor and gear oils and coolant that have to be mitigated according to state and federal regulation before they can be salvaged.
Eventually, someone stepped forward who just happened to be traveling within driving distance to swing through Gallup to take a cursory look at the coach and agreed what we represented it as, agreed and immediately started the process to rapidly closed the deal. The folks that acquired it have the means to trailer it home where they will look it over more closely and decide whether to repair it or use it for resources for another project they are wanting to build.
In the near term, we’re going to shift back to basics to explore, camp, and enjoy life using our Jeep Wrangler just as many others do. We held onto most of the camping equipment that we will need, so I have already begun to dig it out of our storage unit. We’ll spend some time organizing it and only take what we absolutely need as there isn’t much room inside a four-door Wrangler. We’re a family of three…the two of us, plus Maggie our 80+ pound German Shepherd so we need to accommodate her space needs too.
Fortunately, she’s a great traveler even in cramped spaces as we found out on the drive in the U-Haul from NM to WI. We ended up spending three nights in hotels on this trip and having nice clean, affordable, secure, and pet-friendly places to overnight at was much needed and appreciated. It helped take some of the stress out of this situation. Our thanks to the hospitality of:
Sunset Motel 501 East Old Route 66, Moriarty, NM 87035
Silver Spur Vintage Inn & Suites 1510 W Wyatt Earp Blvd, Dodge City, KS 67801
Holiday Inn Des Moines-Airport 6111 Fleur Dr, Des Moines, IA 50321
Spring is just around the corner and during these winter months I have been investigating either building a small tear drop or bug out trailer to carry our gear and serve as something to sleep inside of. Or some sort of setup that will accommodate toting our gear and equipment that is light and compact suitable for towing in the back country.
In the coming months we’ll start to share our experience of adapting from motorhome life to an overlanding style. So glad we bought and equipped our Jeep Wrangler when and as we did!
Let our experience teach you this…make and have contingency plans, stuff happens. Sometimes an incident may just cause an inconvenience, but there is always a chance it could be life changing as we found out. Review and audit your insurance policies for everything you insure. Make sure your RV is covered for such things as a non-collision accident. (Had we gone off the pavement, ours would have been covered, since we didn’t, it wasn’t). If you do have a incident due to the highway’s condition…know what each state you are traveling in/thru rules are for filing a claim for damages (yes, most states do have a process and will pay out for damages) most importantly know the time frame in which such claims must be submitted within. In our case, we thought it prudent to wait until the inspections and claims process was complete with the insurance company. That was a mistake as this took several days, only to learn that the state requirement required the claim be filed within 48 hours of the incident. That’s easy enough for bending a rim due to hitting an overly large pothole, but not something complicated like we experienced.
Until next time…stay safe and enjoy RVing regardless of how you roll!
