Everything happened so fast. We did have a plan. We realized that as much as we loved our cabin on the Poudre, the Horizon had opened the door to exploring far beyond northern Colorado. Once we got the trailer, Colorado wasn't big enough. Sure, we traveled and camped all over the state, discovering many new places, and enjoying old favorites. Camping from the trailer was very different than car camping with a ground tent. Usually far better, but not always.
So we came up with a plan. Use the Horizon for a couple more years. Move into a Sportmobile (or a Sprinter) for a few years. The , eventually, sell the current expedition vehicle, and the cabin, and get an Earthroamer. Yes, very different. But not a total departure. They are bigger. But offer more creature comforts. I don't think we've been anywhere in the last couple of years I wouldn't take an Earthroamer.
So, at any rate, the fire in the Canyon last summer caused us to think about how long we wanted to keep the cabin. The High Park fire came within six miles of the Triplecat, as the crow flies. At one point, the fire was moving at 3 mph. That's close enough. For the entire summer of 2012, we couldn't even get to our cabin, as the roads were closed from the fire and subsequent landslides.
We decided it was time to list the cabin. Property up there sells slowly, so we figured it would take two years to sell. Time to start looking at Sportmobiles. So we did. We went to Overland Expo, and checked out new and used SMBs. They seemed awfully cramped inside. With the Horizon, we could open the tent, attach walls, and with the right parking configuration and awning deployment, have a sizable amount of real estate out of the elements (high winds notwithstanding). There was plenty of room to hang out, read, eat, cook, etc. The idea of being cooped up in a SMB for a rainy day (or weekend) didn't seem that appealing.
60 days after we listed the cabin, we had an offer. Oops! We had spoken with Bill at Earthroamer and let him know we were looking for a truck, and how much money we had to spend. He promised to call if something came up.
A month before closing, Bill called. He had a very new truck for sale, with only 4500 miles. The previous owner had done little more than buy it and drive it to Texas, and back to ER. It was a bit out of our price range, but otherwise perfect. I made a low offer, hoping for the best; but the offer was turned down.
The day of closing came, and we drove to Ft. Collins. It was an emotional day, as we loved the cabin, and had put a LOT of work into it. The couple buying it were super nice, and we felt a lot better about our cabin passing to another couple who would love it like we did. After everything was signed, our realtor asked for the keys. I realized I'd left them at home. Mortified, we drove home and back (2 hours of driving) and traded the keys for a check. We deposited the check and drove home just in time for Bill to call. "I have another used ER for sale. Want to look at it?".
We drove right down. It was older, a 2008. It was well within our price range. However, it did not have the air suspension or the off-road wheels and tires, all of which were important to us. We worked out a deal, signed a contract and waited. Two months later, with new suspension and tires/wheels (and some general upkeep), we drove off in ER#80. It had 35,000 miles on it, but was in pretty good shape. We named it "Gus" after Gus McColl in Lonesome Dove. It happens that we took delivery during a wicked busy week, and we didn't even have time to sit in Gus that week. Finally on Friday we slammed some food and clothes in Gus and went camping!
Posted with Blogsy