We searched and finally found what was to be our retirement home on wheels, a 2009  Tiffin Allegro Bus with four slides at a very reasonable price.  We wanted to make sure we could both live in it comfortably.  We were to find out later exactly why it was priced so reasonably.  It was located in New Jersey and, if we decided to take the plunge, the plan was to fly up and drive it back.  Neither of us stopped to consider that we had, between the two of us, only about 40 minutes total of driving time in such a large vehicle.  We made the offer, the seller accepted and we flew down to pick it up and drive it home.  We arrived at night but John had secured a RV sales and service company to completely check it out so we felt confident that it was the beautiful clean and completely checked out unit that was promised.  We spent several hours with the owners learning how to operate things and went to bed that night with our heads spinning wondering if we had made a mistake or if this was the beginning of a wonderful adventure.

The next day we began our drive home, carefully maneuvering our home on wheels down the winding roads.  When we turned onto the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the constant pounding of the wheels and shaking of our new home was a bit disturbing until we realized that it wasn’t our RV…it was the horrible condition of the Turnpike.  After exiting, the road turned smooth and the ride became the comfortable ride we had expected.  Our plan was to drive it to the manufacturer in Red Bay Alabama and have them check it out… just in case.  As it turned out, a very good idea.  On arrival we parked between the rows and rows of other Tiffin RV’s and waited our turn at our full hook up space.  The next morning we got the news that the roof rails (the curved area of the roof that connects the sides to the top of the RV) needed replacing, one of the explicit items I had John tell the service guy to check.

Not being one to accept stress gracefully, I burst into tears and walked into the service room to await the news of what else was wrong and when it could be fixed.  As luck would have it, there were several large dogs available in the room and since we had left our Millie and KatieBug at home, I was in desperate need of dogs to hug.  Thankfully, up came a really large BMD (family joke…we thought BMD stood for Big Mean Dog because they are rather ominous looking.  It actually stands for Burmese Mountain Dog.)  He immediately laid his huge furry head on my lap and I began petting him and feeling better.  His owner apologized for the intrusion but I thanked him and said a big furry head to pet was exactly what I needed. Our dog Millie is a Certified Therapy Dog and a Reading Education Assistance Dog, now retired, and a warm feeling came over me realizing the 9 years of voluntary service Millie gave to the elderly and special needs children probably made them feel the way I felt at this moment as I sat relaxing and petting this huge gentle fuzzy dog.

Learning that the problem was to be solved but that we had to come back in 6 months, we left Red Bay for our “sticks and bricks” (a term full-timers use to describe the homes that are not mobile).  Most of the ride home was uneventful and we gratefully thank Wal-Mart for their kindness in letting big rigs stop and spend the night (aka boon docking) in their well-lit patrolled parking lots.  As a rule, we always ask the manager before staying and, as it is sort of an unwritten rule of etiquette, we never stay more than overnight.