We just got back from our big RV afternoon. We got to the dealership at 3:30 for our demo. Our salesman, Nick, gave us a parts catalog and a coupon to the parts department for %10 off anything. Since it’s clear they mark everything up at least 20%, I’m not sure how valuable that coupon really is. Anyway, Nick introduced us to Fuzzy, the guy who does the demos. Fuzzy was a tall man, over 6′, I’d guess, leathery, tatooed…and not really fuzzy that I could tell. Anyway, he was a nice guy and walked us through all the systems and appliances and buttons and knobs and whatnot in the RV. Along the way, we discovered Fuzzy likes to cook, and he shared with us a couple of our recipes. Since he’s a mechanic, he’s got mechanic’s hands…meaning the grease has become a permanent part of his skin. Lex commented to me afterwards that she’s not sure she’d want to eat anything he made that required kneading first. I’m inclined to agree. I lived with a mechanic for eight years. It’s not easy for them to get their hands clean. Anyway, Fuzzy was a very helpful fellow, and I think we got a pretty thorough walkthrough
During the demo, we took pictures, video, made notes, and measured the sofa and living room slide to make sure we could fit an office in the space we have. I think we’re clear on how to empty our sewage, fire up our fridge and stove, use our emergency windows, lower our awning, water our battery, switch our hot water heater from gas to electric, operate our day/night shades, and just about everything else we need to know. Well, except how to hitch it up and tow it. That will come in a month or so when we actually have the hitch.
After we finished with Fuzzy, a short Russian man walked us through the parts and service department and told us the basic things we would need to get started. He talked and moved quickly, so after two hours in the demo with Fuzzy, it was hard to keep up with him as he sped through his spiel. But I did take a look at the prices on everything he showed us, and since I’d been doing my homework and was already pretty well versed in the types of things we’d need, I knew the stuff they had was overpriced. We’ve learned since getting involved in this that our long-standing embargo on Wal Mart will now, sadly, have to end. They are the only big-box discount store that has an RV section. Otherwise, we have to get shafted by dealerships or drive all the way to Jersey to a Camping World. When we left the dealership after having spent almost three hours there, I had a migraine and Lex had aching feet.
We were both hungry, so I introduced Lex to Golden Corral. She’s never been, so I decided since we were already having a white trash kind of day, we might as well go full bore on the thing. She was forced to admit that the place was a decent value and not bad quality. Of course, it meant dining with some folks who apparently had never seen a interracial lesbian couple given that they were prone to staring. When we didn’t start making out in the middle of the restaurant, I think the gawkers got bored and went back to their crab cakes.
After dinner, we ended up at…yeah, you got it…Wal Mart. I bought some of those things that the Russian told me I’d need: drinking water hose, toilet chemicals, water pressure regulator, water filter, jack pads/leveling blocks. Except for a water filter that goes on the inside of the RV and a 25 ft. regular garden hose, I think we’re good to go. Oh, chocks for the wheels. We need those, too. They’re only about $5, though. I’m sure when we get into the RV on Wednesday, we’ll think of other things, too. Dundalk, fortunately has both an RV dealership and a Wal Mart, so we won’t be far from the supplies the need arises.
So we’re going to get to the site about 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning to meet the delivery guy who will park our RV and, hopefully, help us get it set up. There’s still a load of packing to do, but we’re out of boxes for the time being. I’ll probably just take everything we have packed over to the RV Wednesday, unload the boxes, and bring them back and load them up again. Rinse and repeat until it’s all over there. I have to work this week, so at some point I’ll have to stop, get cleaned up, and wander across the street to the writing center for a few hours. At least I won’t have a long drive home! Lex is working all week, too, so she’s going to be tied up with work from 8 to 5 each day. I imagine I’ll be the one doing a lot of the running back and forth betwixt apartment and trailer in the meantime.
I’m still really excited! They had cleaned the RV up quite a bit, so it was looking even shinier than before. I’m just really hoping that once we get settled in, nothing major decides to bust. This has all been pretty exhausting, and I just want to settle into my new home with my girl and my critters and crank the hell out of the (very cold, we learned today) A/C and relax. Hopefully come this weekend, that’s just what we’ll get to do.
