When we began this adventure we both were unsure if this would really work out like we planned... i.e: me being able to keep my sanity with being a House-boy as my only job and not get immediately fired, since I had worked in law enforcement in North Carolina for thirty years and there was no real house-boy experience on my resume. And we both realized this was going to be the most time spent together - no children to raise now - we had ever spent. Well, I'm happy to report all has worked out fine. I have kept my sanity (I think), and have not been fired, and she has not killed me yet.
Because we were not sure if this was going to really work out, we decided to sort of start out taking baby steps, so to speak. I had bought the closed in utility trailer to carry our minimal stuff we needed, and we left Franklin headed for Dallas pulling it behind our Toyota Highlander. We were in Dallas with just one vehicle that had over 100,000 miles, and I was worried it had been straining a little too hard pulling that trailer, . So when we went back to North Carolina we bit the bullet and bought a new F-150 pick up that would not only easily pull the trailer, but would also let me bring the Suzuki motorcycle back to Dallas, and give us a new, reliable, under warranty vehicle in addition to the Highlander. So we returned to Dallas with the Highlander and the F-150 and the Suzuki motorcycle. And you probably already read about the fate of the motorcycle. Oh well, best laid plans...
From long before we ever began this adventure Lane and I had discussed off and on the possibility, feasibility, and financial wisdom of getting a travel trailer or 5th wheel trailer and living in that as opposed to renting an apartment everywhere we went. Through the winter and spring months in Dallas we continued to look into that... going to many dealer lots, going to RV shows, and lots of looking and reading on-line. I did some calculations and determined if we got a travel trailer or a 5th wheel trailer, the one like we would get would be either just at the upper limits, or exceeding the limits of what the F-150 was rated to tow, We individually reached the same conclusion: if we were going to switch to doing this adventure while living in a travel trailer or a 5th wheel trailer, we would need to replace the Highlander with a truck large enough to do the job, and keeping the new F-150 as our go-to every day vehicle. So that's what we did... the Highlander got traded for a F-350 turbo diesel pick up.
So that's where we are now. An F-150 for every day use and family outings, and an F-350 for towing the utility trailer now and if we ever get the travel trailer, towing the travel trailer.
No pics... just boring transportation talk this time... sorry.
"You can't explore it if you haven't ever been there."
Brian Hallman
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