Our RV journey began about 27 years ago (1994), not long after Mark and I started dating. We would sometimes talk about how cool it would be to have an RV and travel around the country when we retired. Fast forward a bunch of years, and as our retirement plans drew closer, we never forgot those discussions. Mark identified this specific Thor AXIS model in June 2018; I was out of town and he went to a local RV dealer and saw this model – a smaller Class A Motorhome that had some really nice features. The size was a huge part of our decision – we knew we did NOT want one of those massive Winnebagos that you see on the road. At 25’, it’s one of the smallest RVs you can buy, and for us, seemed to be the perfect size. We’ll see how that plays out as we travel in it! At some point, we will likely start towing our MINI Cooper with us, so that we can leave the RV setup/connected at a campground while we go out exploring. But that’s a future plan once we’re comfortable with the RV itself!
Anyway, once Mark found this model, we went back together to check it out, and continued to visit RV shows to see if there was anything ‘better’ out there. In November 2019, I retired, and Mark retired at the end of December. So in 2020, it was time to get serious about this “RV thing” we’d been talking about for so long. Then Coronavirus hit. Hunker down and stay home…and sell the home! By June, we had successfully sold our house and downsized into a rental townhome…step 1 in the process, as it’s much easier to travel when you rent and can just close the door behind you when you leave for weeks at a time – no lawn or snow to worry about! And in July, we went to the RV dealer to really get serious. Their inventory was incredibly low, as MANY people decided to buy an RV during the pandemic as the best way to travel. And, the manufacturers were backlogged due to shutdowns, parts shortages, etc. So, we ordered our chosen RV, but were told they really didn’t know when it would arrive…could be months. Oh well, we’ve waited this long, there’s nothing we can do but wait some more. And we waited. Finally, in November, we got the call that our RV was due to arrive in December. And, on December 16th, our dream became a reality and we signed the paperwork to take possession of our Thor AXIS Motorhome. But in mid-December, upstate NY, where are you going with an RV? So, the dealer put it in winter storage for us. And we started planning. Planning our first trip. Planning what we’d need to buy for the RV (and there’s a lot of stuff to buy!). Making checklists and lists. And more lists. The winter was spent getting ourselves ready for April 7th and departure day for our maiden voyage!
