Renee grew up in Los Angeles, while Mick grew up in Yorkshire, England. We met while Renee was living and working in England, and the rest is history. Since then we have lived in San Diego, California for 12-years and New York for 3-years.
We have been lucky to travel to faraway places like China, Peru, Thailand, Mexico, Canada, and all over Europe, just to name a few. But we really hadn’t seen much of this beautiful country we call home. The plan was to buy an RV when we retired and travel the country, but we eventually had a “Doh” moment and asked, “Why not now?”
So that’s how we ended doing something a bit adventurous, a little crazy, and a whole lot of fun: bought an RV to travel North America with our 2 favorite Wheaten Terriers, Finn and Maggie, while continuing to work from home.
Searching for the One: It took months to find the right RV within our budget, searching high and low near and far (California, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, Florida). We had 3 requirements:
- A desk for Renee and another workspace for Mick (yes, Renee gets the desk while Mick gets the dinette)
- A spot for a very special coffee machine (gotta have our lattes in the morning!)
- Space for 2 dog crates (and these are LARGE crates)
We found it, although not so much within budget. But you gotta keep a girl happy if you want her to give up all her worldly possessions and live in a space of fewer than 500 sq ft.
The Coach:The RV is a 2009 Newell, 45’ 8”, custom built; they only make 26 per year, so there are not many around. For the glamping crowd, she comes with 1 ½ bath, a full-size shower, King bed, plenty of storage (both inside and under the coach), dishwasher, washer/dryer (we added this), convection oven, and 4 A/Cs (yes, 4!).
For the mechanically inclined (Mick) this is all exciting stuff:
Engine: Caterpillar C15 625HP, 2050 lb/ft torque
Gearbox: ZF 12-speed auto
Gross weight: 63,300lb
Steering tag axle, I probably shouldn’t admit that as it’s the secret to my parking ability
Air suspension & leveling
20kW Generator, with a 50A buddy plug.
Aquahot 675D – super fast 4.5kW hot water heater
The previous owners had kennels custom designed into the RV and we have been able to use one that is built under the desk. Also known as the “dog pound” due to the vertical bars, Finn and Maggie are safe and secure in the kennel when we are driving. <add photo>
Our traveling style:We try to travel on Saturdays so that our work schedule isn’t impacted. This gives us Sundays to explore and find options for short hikes, restaurants, grocery shopping, etc. during the week. We prefer to move every 2 weeks so that we have a full weekend in the middle of the stay to explore. Of course, since we are still working, we really don’t have a lot of time to play tourist. Sometimes it feels like we’ve hardly seen much of where we visit, other than the campground. Instead, we look at this adventure as an opportunity to gather information for where we want to visit again when we have more time.
The name: Apparently, it’s a tradition to name your RV. It’s definitely a “she”, but we can’t agree between science fiction/space references (not going to happen – Renee) and touchy-feely girlie names (not going to happen – Mick). All suggestions welcome! Her unofficial name is Starship Voyager.
Lastly, if you find yourself in the vicinity as we travel the country, please let us know, we’d love to see you! You’ll be added to our visitor hall of fame page!