SOLD!

Yes, Scoopy has been sold, purchased by blog-reading friends Linda and Steven.  They got in touch very shortly after we posted the particulars, and we worked out the details fairly quickly.

We can’t imagine a better home for Scoopy.  Linda and Steven are “graduating” from their well-loved pop-up tent trailer – a big step, and they are just as green as we were when we first purchased Scoopy from her original owner.  A two-day boot camp is on the agenda when they arrive to take the keys mid-May.  We like knowing that many more adventures are in Scoopy’s future, and are happy to pass our well-loved rig to people we know will enjoy her.

The new owners, from our visit with them in September, 2011:

So many of you got in touch through comments and email when we announced that Scoopy was for sale!  In answer to some of your questions, we are happy and doing fine.  Many of you mentioned that our decision to quit full-timing was a huge surprise.  Actually, it was rather a surprise for us, too – but life does take unexpected turns from time to time.  We both are so glad we had the good health and energy to enjoy full-timing for the many years we did, and to create such an abundance of special memories.

It tickles me how much our current living situation is like RV’ing.  We live in a beautiful mobile home park in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California.  Once you purchase your mobile home (which costs considerably less than a motorhome and is about four or five times the size), the site rent is similar to a well maintained 55+ RV resort, with similar amenities (clubhouse, pool, hot tub, lake, walking trail) but much larger sites.  The people we meet on the lakeside trail are friendly, and often walking a little dog, just like campers we met in our travels. 

BUT – and it is a big one – the view outside the windows changes only with the seasons.  I never wonder, when I awake in the morning, what I will see if I peek out the bedroom window.  On the other hand, if something breaks, I know who to call for repairs!  I now have a library card, and know which nearby grocery store has the best produce.  And Trader Joe’s is within 30 minutes!

Best of all, we are in close proximity to family, friends, and fabulous hiking in the Sierra Nevada.

So, though travel in Scoopy is no longer in our future, we have plenty to enjoy in our new digs, especially now that spring has arrived.  We’ll be back on the high country trails as the snow melts, and we have plans in the works for remodeling the most outdated aspects of our new home.   Who knows, maybe I’ll have something to write about!

2002 TRAVEL SUPREME MOTORHOME FOR SALE (CA) – $58,000

2002 38’ Travel Supreme motor home.   350 HP Cummins diesel with 6 speed Allison transmission, exhaust brake.  125,000 miles.  Two driver’s side slides.  Recent renovations, meticulously maintained, non-smokers.  Many extras.  Great rig for full timing (CCC of 4,700 lbs).   Currently located near Sacramento, CA.  $58,000.

$12,000 renovation in 2011 includes new carpeting throughout, new (blackout) day/night shades, new flat screen TV and cabinetry modifications.  (Click here and here for narrative and photos of that process.)

New Splendide stacking washer and dryer added February 2012 (This post describes the installation.)

New microwave/convection oven installed November 2011.

All standard amenities, including 4-door fridge with ice maker, propane oven, 7.5K generator, 2 flat screen TV’s.  100 gallon fresh water tank, 60 gallon gray water, 40 gallon black water. Electric awning with remote, automatic satellite TV antenna, chest refrigerator/freezer in basement, safe in basement, 4 AGM house batteries, AM/FM/CD player with satellite radio receiver, snap-on solar screens for windshield and cockpit windows.

Also available at this price are these accessories:
Pressure pro tire pressure monitoring system for 10 tires (motor home and towed)
50-amp Energy Management System
Brake Buddy breaking system for towed
12 volt portable Fantastic Fan

Click on any photo to enlarge it, or click here for complete photo tour.  Contact Odel King.  530-303-3443 or via email at LBandOK (at) gmail.com (using standard address format).

SAYING GOOD-BYE TO MY DAD, BILL BROWN – 12/13/1925 TO 7/07/2012

A big factor in our recent decision to buy a home base in Diamond Springs, California, was its proximity to my parents, both 86 years old.  After my Dad suffered a stroke three years ago, his health slowly declined, particularly during the past few months.  With the help of hospice, we (my mother, two sisters, and I) were able to keep him comfortable at home, and he passed away in his own bed, as he wished, on July 7. 

One of the biggest accomplishments of my life was a joint venture with my dad: building a houseboat designed to live aboard fulltime.  Daddy had learned carpentry and building from his father in law, sharpening his skills over the years with DIY projects.  I remember him improving every home we lived in as I grew up, always with creativity and attention to detail.  Once he retired, he extensively remodeled two cabins in the California foothills. 

When I approached him about building the houseboat, he listened and considered carefully (as he always did), then agreed.  Little did we know what was to come!  We figured it would take 3 months – instead, it took a year, working long weekends during Sacramento’s blazing summer heat and windy, rainy winter.  It was both a great learning experience and a great bonding experience, and I will always admire (and appreciate) the patience he brought to the task.  We launched on the Sacramento River with a sense of both relief and accomplishment, and it was my cozy home for nine fun years (and where I lived when I met Odel).

Now is a time to be with family.  Scoopy, our motorhome, is in storage while we focus on pulling together furnishings for our new home base and adjusting to the new normal.  Our fulltiming days are over, but our traveling days are not.  As for this blog?  Time will tell whether I pick up the blogging habit again when we resume traveling.  It has been a fun, interesting, rewarding pastime, but not one I will continue when we are stationary.  Thanks for traveling along with us over the years, and happy trails.