A new name, new camper, new adventures!
18/12/22 21:39
When we last left you, we were in Kentucky and we were in our 2021 Forrest River Wildwood 31KQBTS. Now we look and all looks different. New camper… New name and locations…. What the heck happened? Well, sit back and we will share some campfire tales with you!
Sherman, set the wayback machine to December 2020. We were trying to get back out on the road after the whole COVID thing. My Dad was living with us and was doing okay given his age and his issues from a stroke he suffered back in July of 2015. He was having some troubles, but was certainly getting around. He wasn't driving anymore and had slowed a bit, but was still functioning pretty well. We had done some short camping trip in our Jayco x213 and Dad would stay in a cabin in the campground near us, but he was really not able to do that safely anymore.
Rhonda and I decided that if we were ever going to go camping for the foreseeable future, we would need a bigger camper and Dad would stay with us on the road. We went to a large national camper dealer and found a suitable candidate. It was a brand new 2021 Forrest River Wildwood 31KQBTS. At 38+ feet, it was much larger than we were used to and we would still need to be creative with our sleeping arrangements, but it could work. We made the purchase and did our walk through and (as you usually do) made a list of some issues we found that would need to be fixed/addressed before we took delivery. This national RV dealer assured us that they would deliver the new camper a week later and all would be taken care of.
The following week, we waited at a campground in Myrtle Beach, SC for the driver to arrive. As he pulled into the driveway, we noticed something strange - the door to the outdoor kitchen on our new camper was unlocked - we noticed this easily because it was completely open and had been as he drove down the highway. We have no idea when the door had opened along the driver's 5 hour trip, but it was long enough and he was completely unaware of the situation and seemed unfazed by the situation. THIS SHOULD HAVE THE MOMENT WE WALKED AWAY!
***Spoiler Alert - This doesn't get much better for this purchase ***
As we inspected the camper, we found that NONE of the issues had been fixed. They had not even locked the door since we transferred our stuff from the old camper to the new a week prior.
The repairs to this brand new RV took OVER a year to get them addressed, and during that time more factory defects were discovered. In that time, Dad had his COVID vaccine and that triggered some serious health issues for him. We did manage to camp a couple times, but each time new defects were uncovered and Dad could not stay with us due to his declining health. Dad passed in June and we planned a couple trips.The Kentucky trip was one - it was great trip - but the camper had its issues. The final straw came when we took the camper an hour up the road to a camp staff retreat. We discovered some major issues and it was decided then and there - after we repaired those problems that we would trade the Forrest River for another camper.
Within a day or two, Rhonda and I located a 2021 Keystone Outback 240URS. We like the size and the layout and that, with the exception of a couple things, it was very similar to our X213. Almost like being back home again. We have now had 2 shake down trips - one local and the other to DC - and are ready to start sharing our adventures again.
Oh yea, the name change….
Well, with all of the changes being made, Rhonda made note that - even though it is a neat name - Alien Tour Guide isn't who we are. The new name just fits much better. Don't you think?
Sherman, set the wayback machine to December 2020. We were trying to get back out on the road after the whole COVID thing. My Dad was living with us and was doing okay given his age and his issues from a stroke he suffered back in July of 2015. He was having some troubles, but was certainly getting around. He wasn't driving anymore and had slowed a bit, but was still functioning pretty well. We had done some short camping trip in our Jayco x213 and Dad would stay in a cabin in the campground near us, but he was really not able to do that safely anymore.
Rhonda and I decided that if we were ever going to go camping for the foreseeable future, we would need a bigger camper and Dad would stay with us on the road. We went to a large national camper dealer and found a suitable candidate. It was a brand new 2021 Forrest River Wildwood 31KQBTS. At 38+ feet, it was much larger than we were used to and we would still need to be creative with our sleeping arrangements, but it could work. We made the purchase and did our walk through and (as you usually do) made a list of some issues we found that would need to be fixed/addressed before we took delivery. This national RV dealer assured us that they would deliver the new camper a week later and all would be taken care of.
The following week, we waited at a campground in Myrtle Beach, SC for the driver to arrive. As he pulled into the driveway, we noticed something strange - the door to the outdoor kitchen on our new camper was unlocked - we noticed this easily because it was completely open and had been as he drove down the highway. We have no idea when the door had opened along the driver's 5 hour trip, but it was long enough and he was completely unaware of the situation and seemed unfazed by the situation. THIS SHOULD HAVE THE MOMENT WE WALKED AWAY!
***Spoiler Alert - This doesn't get much better for this purchase ***
As we inspected the camper, we found that NONE of the issues had been fixed. They had not even locked the door since we transferred our stuff from the old camper to the new a week prior.
The repairs to this brand new RV took OVER a year to get them addressed, and during that time more factory defects were discovered. In that time, Dad had his COVID vaccine and that triggered some serious health issues for him. We did manage to camp a couple times, but each time new defects were uncovered and Dad could not stay with us due to his declining health. Dad passed in June and we planned a couple trips.The Kentucky trip was one - it was great trip - but the camper had its issues. The final straw came when we took the camper an hour up the road to a camp staff retreat. We discovered some major issues and it was decided then and there - after we repaired those problems that we would trade the Forrest River for another camper.
Within a day or two, Rhonda and I located a 2021 Keystone Outback 240URS. We like the size and the layout and that, with the exception of a couple things, it was very similar to our X213. Almost like being back home again. We have now had 2 shake down trips - one local and the other to DC - and are ready to start sharing our adventures again.
Oh yea, the name change….
Well, with all of the changes being made, Rhonda made note that - even though it is a neat name - Alien Tour Guide isn't who we are. The new name just fits much better. Don't you think?