Saturday, November 14, 2020

"Farewell to the Green Goddess" as I Sell Our First Travel Trailer

The Green Goddess and her proud new owners. Honestly, a bittersweet photo for me to take.

"Good Evening!  It looks like your Airstream Basecamp could arrive within the next week or two!" Michael Farland, from the RV One Airstream dealership in Des Moines, emailed my wife and me a week ago, informing us that our January delivery date had been moved up. 

Well, that's one unexpected event in 2020 that brought smiles! It's all potential and possible, of course, but before it was the same situation, only with proposed January dates. Perhaps we will collect our new trailer and still have time for December camping. After all, I did some December camping last year!

Sandy and I decided it was time to sell our trailer--and we already had a buyer, probably the easiest sale ever. There was a knock on our door a couple of months back, a woman asking for a peek inside the Green Goddess. There was a mention that the trailer was for sale . . . and bam! sold! We didn't complete the sale right away, though, because we were waiting for verification of our Airstream Basecamp's delivery prior to letting go of the camper. Also, fall camping is the best, so I wanted to get in a last few expeditions.

A local couple living around a mile away are the proud new owners, David and Patti. Patti wrote about their journey to becoming new tiny trailer owners.

The Green Goddess made her way into our lives today. Tom drove her over; he only lives a few blocks away. She’s parked and seems to be anticipating our/her next adventure with us, Patti and David.

It was a hot summer's day in August when I walked by Tom’s house and saw the Green Goddess for the first time. My husband David and I had been talking about purchasing a teardrop camper. I stopped in front of the house to muster up enough nerve to knock on the door and introduce myself. I wanted to ask how they liked the camper.

Tom answered the door, put his mask on (as I stepped back from the porch to give us six feet apart) and came out the door. We had a fun, short and informative discussion about the camper, camping, and his blog. I am not sure why, but before I left I asked if he would let me know if he ever wanted to sell it.

Funnily enough he told me they were thinking of selling it as they had decided to purchase a bigger camper.

It wasn’t long before we had arranged to be the new owners but probably not until the first of the year. Tom wanted to wait until he was sure their new camper would be delivered before giving up the Green Goddess.

Sunday, November 8th, was a stormy day when my husband got a call from his sister letting him know that his 93-year-old dad probably has cancer. When we got off the phone, we wondered if we might ask Tom for the camper sooner than later. That way David could safely drive out to Vancouver, Washington, to see his dad and help his sister. We are in the middle of a pandemic, and being able to drive himself and camp along the way would be the safest way to go.

Just before heading to bed that night I looked at my phone and noticed I'd missed a few messages. One was from Tom saying we could purchase the camper, and he would bring it over on Tuesday.

Fantastic News and Perfect Timing!

My last camp with the trailer, a quick and easy three-night stay

Our last camping trip with the Green Goddess was mid-week before Halloween at our local state park, Lake Darling State Park, only seventeen miles away. I stayed three nights there, and my wife Sandy came to visit and hike on my second day of camping. Little did I know that it would be my last time in the camper! It's been a wonderful three seasons of camping in my Rustic Trail Teardrop Camper (RTTC), a Polar Bear "standy" model. I have nothing negative to say about RTTC and our camper. Our decision to buy an Airstream Basecamp has been based on some personal needs: 1) my wife's needs for her online business, 2) the need of a bit larger space for grandkids, and 3) our desire to extend our camping more into the "shoulder seasons" for longer extended stays. The Basecamp is overall only two feet longer than the Polar Bear, but it will provide more space and amenities (more complexities and a new learning curve, too, but that's another blog post).

An Airstream Basecamp in its natural habitat

We are excited and looking forward to our new adventures with "Moondance," our new 2021 Airstream Basecamp 16 . . . but by golly-gum we sure have some fond memories of our time with the Green Goddess. (Link: Green Goddess Expeditions) Luckily for us all, her proud new owners said they're willing to send me narratives of the continuing adventures of the Green Goddess! I know I'm looking forward to reading about her travels! If you see the Green Goddess on the road, be sure to say hi to David and Patti, the new owners!

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6 comments:

  1. Tom, wish you and the wife more happy travels in the future and enjoying that Basecamp. Maybe see you on the road some day.

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    1. We'll definitely be on the road, although with the covid, I'm not sure we'll be taking epic tours for a while. Thanks for your support.

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  2. I'm sure that was hard, but you can tell they'll love it and take care of it, and have many happy adventures. Now you can move forward to your own new adventures. Looking forward to reading about some winter camping!

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    1. Hi, Dawn! It's been a busy time. In addition to selling the camper, my son, wife, and three kids have also moved into town. Lots to do! Wishing you the best.

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  3. I would like to own and live in such a trailer.

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  4. Owning a tiny trailer opens many possibilities.

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