Today my dad called me on Facetime. We were assisting with getting a newborn alpaca to nurse. He was understandably flabbergasted. Shouldn't we be driving or climbing a mountain or something? You may be wondering how in the world this happened. It's all thanks to Harvest Hosts. Harvest Hosts is a membership program for RVers. They recruit farms, wineries, museums and other attractions who have space to park RVs to open up their businesses for campers to boondock for a night. ("Boondocking" is overnighting in a space with no electricity or water hookups.) In return for a free night of parking, campers are asked to purchase products from the business or otherwise provide a minimum of a $20 donation to their cause. The program is a win-win for small businesses or non-profits and campers alike, and it's a great opportunity to meet other people and learn about their lives or business. (Harvest Hosts also has a sister program called Boondockers Welcome where RV enthusiasts offer free nights of stay, sometimes in their driveway, other times on a farm or forest.) On our long drive across the vast expanse of Nevada on U.S. Route 50 (The Loneliest Road in America), we stopped in Fallon and were greeted by Glenn and his wife Carolyn from Sawdust Alpacas. They had already messaged us about a birth that had happened the day before, so we were eager to meet the cria, as new alpacas are called. No sooner had we parked the truck that Glenn had us introduced to the newbie, then the kids walked and weighed an adult and got her ready for a toenail trim. We learned about their breeding program and the sheering process and met several favorites of their herd of 37. We got up early the next morning to help with feeding (hay, alfalfa pellets, and a chipped beet and water mixture), then Brickhead held the cria while he received a necessary vaccination. After two hours of feeding, playing with the alpacas, and learning about the breed and their habits, we went to get the RV ready to roll while Glenn began cleaning up the pens. In no time at all, Glenn came back to the RV and told us a new cria had just been born! We rushed back out to the field, surprised that we had just been there and didn't see any signs of a mama in the midst of the birthing process. Sure enough, the cria was laying in the sand, but the only mama in sight looking over him was the mama who gave birth two days before. The kids helped clean up the cria, then we all went on a search to find the mama, who still wasn't stepping forward to check on her baby. Our detective skills led us to determine that Lily was the mother. We all corralled her, Glenn haltered her, and Banana led her to meet her son. We all watched as the cria learned to stand, then walk, then nurse. Such a special experience to be there when all of that took place! Glenn and Carolyn take amazing care of their animals and pay close attention to details in keeping it clean. But the alpacas help too! Unlike most farm animals, they naturally have a communal bathroom area. Makes for much easier clean up!
Sawdust Alpacas has two RV spaces on the farm and offer 30 amp electric hook up for a charge of $10. Carolyn runs a store with gorgeous sweaters, hats, gloves, and other alpaca wool items made both locally and shipped from Peru. Last year Sawdust Alpacas hosted 300 visitors, and this year we were their 182nd family. In talking with them, we learned that they used to live in Polson, Montana (where we just happened to be a few weeks ago) and, in the 1960's, Glenn put up the reinforcing concrete on the tunnel of Going to the Sun Road, which we learned about from our GyPSy Guide when we drove the road in Glacier National Park! Later he worked construction building many structures around Lake Tahoe--where we were last week. Talk about a small world. We highly recommend the Harvest Hosts membership for RVers. Currently with 4,250 host locations, it's well worth the membership fee. You'll be paid many times over with the opportunities for learning about our country and it's connections with the world and meeting the wonderful hosts. I have been known to have complained a time or two about the "vast nothingness" of Nevada and how I kind of needed it to fall off the map, but the stop here was totally worth the drive across "The Loneliest Road in America." If we're ever back in the area again, we'll definitely be requesting a stay with Sawdust Alpacas! As a side note, the Loneliest Road really wasn't that bad. The long stretches between small towns were filled with beautiful scenery. It was a gorgeous drive--and easy to follow! We didn't even need the GPS!
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Throughout Dusty's career, we've always joked that the Air Force is the Department of Defense's favorite child. This is evident in the fact that Air Force bases are always beautiful and nicely maintained, the housing and lodging is top notch, and their facilities are state of the art. Then we wound up living on Joint Base Andrews (which, despite the name, is still very much an Air Force Base.) You would think that the home of Air Force One would meet the high standards that we've noticed throughout our career, but interestingly enough, it fell drastically short. The commissary was small, run down, and often out of stock. The library...please don't even get me started on the library. The base pool closed a few years ago. Housing was little maintained and had the weirdest layout I've ever seen in a home. Just outside the base, crime rates are high and on more occasions that I can count, we'd hear gunshots amid the incessant buzz of traffic coming from 495 and the roar of crotch rockets speeding through the streets (usually just around bedtime for that soothing nighttime affect.) In short, our time there was soul-sucking. When we moved out of the house and into the RV, we stayed at JB Andrews Fam Camp for week one so we could easily clean the house for check out, attend a day camp in Calvert County, and spend a little more time with friends. In true Andrews style, the camp was a mess. Making reservations with Outdoor Rec was a bit of a nightmare. The lawn wasn't maintained, our water pump leaked so badly that we had to turn the main water line off for most of the day. Amenities were very outdated, and, unless you're a golfer, there was essentially nothing in the area to do.
We'll be staying here just over three weeks while Dusty finishes up work before beginning terminal leave. He has a 30-45 minute drive to Andrews, which is a bummer after living two minutes from work for the last year and a half. The kids and I have been catching up on school work, since, according to Jana, "we really haven't done any school for the last month because we've been trying to get moved into an RV." In our free time, we have been going down to observe the bay at different tide intervals throughout the day.
It was about seven years ago that we decided we were going to take a big RV trip after retirement. For years we researched, shopped, toured manufacturers, and finally decided that the Grand Design Reflection 31MB was the right choice for us. We loved the open floor plan with so many windows, which made the feel more “homey” and less claustrophobic, even though it's only 36 feet. We also thought this model would lend well to educating and working on the road. Here is the story of our purchase of “Rivy,” our Grand Design Fifth Wheel Reflection 31MB.
Our Experience When COVID hit, the RV market went crazy and the price of new 31MBs went up 15-20 grand, which was an easy “no go” for us. We decided to buy used and hope for the best. For weeks, it seemed like nothing was available. Then one day, five listed in the same week! Ultimately, the sudden abundance helped us to get a better deal and also gave us multiple options to choose the one that felt like the best fit for us. We’d watched the market and Grand Design Facebook groups for years. We knew COVID changed the quality of rigs coming out of Elkhart, Indiana. We ended up finding a 31MB manufactured in early 2020 (before shut downs). The previous owners had taken impeccable care of the rig and had made improvements that we would have likely made. We ended up with a like-new rig with a Reese Goose Box hitch, rear backup cameras, tire pressure monitoring system, water filter, and lots of extra goodies to help keep us and the RV safe and comfortable. What We Learned In this market, buying used was the best option. But buying blind is never a good idea! We did virtual tours of three 31MBs, plus saw one rig at a dealership before making our decision. Building a relationship with the seller was important. There were two sellers who gave tips during the tour and seemed very educated about maintenance and use, so we could tell that their rigs had been kept in good condition. Even so, we would not have bought without a full inspection from NRVIA (National RV Inspectors Association). It was easy to find a reputable inspector through their website search option. After setting an agreed upon time, he did a full inspection and within 24 hours, provided a 40 page report, complete with stats, photos, and recommendations for repairs or improvements. The Best Sellers
The purchase of our 31 MB could not have gone more smoothly. The seller was easy to work with, and the inspector placed the rig at the top 10% of new and used rigs that he had inspected. Upon arrival for pickup, the seller spent several hours walking us through everything, including tutorials for use of electric, gas, and water. He answered all our questions, sent us detailed checklists for set up and departure, and even provided his phone number, suggesting we call any time we had questions. Purchasing an RV can be very stressful. We feel like we took our time, did our research, spent the extra money on a certified inspector, and came out with a fully functioning, well maintained “home” for a reasonable price and with added bonuses to help us on our journey. The perfect fit! We're so grateful for getting to meet and work with such wonderful people in the purchase of our RV. It was a great introduction to how nice the RV population is. |
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