She's all ours!

We had fully researched our new "lifestyle" and thought we had it all figured out. In February, 2018, we escaped Juneau for a few days with friends and traveled to Seattle - the site of a huge RV show. Class A - Class B - Class C? Which was which? It quickly became clear that we were not "Class A" people - those are the ones that look like a tour bus and have to tow a car if you want to go places that aren't accessible with the big rig. Class B's or C's- those that look like a truck with your house on the back (not to be confused with the "truck campers" which are a bit more flexible to live in) were not our thing at all, so next up was the travel trailer or fifth wheel. Bill had decided after years of hauling our popup camper that he didn't want to fight with pulling a trailer and my brother has had a fifth wheel for years and was very happy with it so we narrowed our search and off we went. Floor plans were quickly discarded until we found the Jayco Pinnacle - a luxury coach with a front living/entertainment area and gorgeous kitchen with custom island. When it became clear that we were ready to leave Juneau and get this lifestyle underway, we thought

we would pull into an RV center in Portland, OR and drive off with our Pinnacle. However, our budget was a bit firm and the Pinnacle could push it higher than we would like, plus we found that prices on the West Coast were maybe higher than in the midwest so, rather than leave from Portland towing the rig, we headed East across the Rockies and the plains of Kansas.

Off we went, accepting the gracious offer of our oldest child and his family to "hole up" in Louisville as we shopped for our home on wheels. Our floor plan search had led us to a Keystone Cougar which did NOT have the front living room we thought we preferred but we found it had all of our other needs plus I really liked the kitchen - large pantry, window over the stove, full-size fridge and microwave. While we did give up a bit of "walk around" space in the bedroom, we gained a great kitchen and dining area with living room separated by a half-wall. The living area has a large fireplace (electric but looks amazing) and a 40+ inch TV that actually motors down into the cabinet which then exposes the large window looking out the back. Tons of drawers and storage, an inside/outside radio/CD system and DVD player is included in this entertainment space. Two side-by-side recliners complete this comfortable space. Bill liked the under-rig storage, and it has air conditioning and heat for those cooler nights.

Once we walked on the lot in Lexington, KY, and saw the Cougar 366-RDS, I was hooked! It was perfect, the price was right - money down, signature on the line and she was ours!

During the time that she was undergoing systems checks and cleaning, I shopped on Amazon for storage baskets, some kitchen items, camper supplies (including the dreaded "black water" hoses) and camper toilet paper (yes, it's a thing). Boxes arrived as did the day we could go back to the dealer for orientation. Our niece Alana, who was on fall break from middle school, helped tremendously - while I unwrapped the few things that we had packed in the back of the pickup and opened all the Amazon boxes, she put things in

shelves and drawers and helped decide what color "scheme" we would use. The rig itself was pretty but kind of bland (tans, browns, creams) so we spiced her up with hints of turquoise and gray.

We had a camp site reserved for four days just outside of Louisville while we packed her up and then we will head off for parts unknown. Well, actually parts known - as in Roanoke to visit little Ben and his mom and dad, then on to Branson to visit our friends the Tappe's and our final destination of Las Vegas in time for Thanksgiving with our friends the Olson's and the Byouer's.

Our route so far - starting in Louisville (we purchased the RV in Lexington, KY) we stayed there for three days before moving to Roanoke, VA, for five days. Then, one night on the road in Loudon, TN and one night in Paducah, KY. We are now in Branson, MO, for a few nights visiting friends and seeing the Christmas Spectacular at the Andy Williams Theater. Next we will finish our trip spending one night in Weatherford, OK, at the Stafford Air Museum (Harvest Hosts), then one week in Amarillo, TX and one week in Gallup, NM (just outside of Albuquerque), arriving in Las Vegas on Tuesday, November 20 just in time for Thanksgiving.