One of the reasons we chose a (towable) fifth wheel RV over a (drivable) motorhome was that we wouldn’t need to tow a car to get around once we reached our destination. The plan was to park the RV, unhitch the pickup truck and then use the truck to get anywhere we needed to go locally. However… that plan didn’t take into account Jett’s fear of driving a diesel dually. You see, while was very comfortable driving her own pickup before we went on the road, it was a tiny Ranger – barely larger than our Mazda 3. Now, over 3 years later, she has still never been behind the wheel of the GMC 3500. Too long, too wide, she says. I keep thinking we need to do some training – like taking her out into an empty parking lot like I did with my sons before they got their licenses – but it hasn’t happened yet.
We made it through our first long stay – in San Jose and Temecula, California – by renting cars. We did the same our first summer in Littleton, MA. That met the need, but was expensive. So one of the very first things we did when we arrived in Fort Myers in November, 2013, was to purchase a Toyota Yaris for Jett’s use. We planned to sell it in April, 2014, when we headed back to Massachusetts, but Jett liked the car so much that we decided to transport it. We checked into commercial transport and found that prices hovered around $700. Instead, we hired Jett’s brother to fly to Florida and drive it back, for $600. Yes, it was 1,500 miles of additional wear-and-tear but we trusted her brother more than we trusted the union guys in the car carrier.
We did the same thing, in reverse, to get the car back to Florida this fall. Now we need to get it north again. This time we have opted to drive it ourselves. No, Jett is not going to follow the RV north – that would be too simple. And too much driving for her sore back. So I am going to drive it north, to her brother’s place, then fly back a day before we have to begin the long haul north in the RV. That will be *2* 1,500-mile trips for me, back-to-back, but I don’t have a sore back (yet) and I actually enjoy driving. Plus I don’t have to pay myself.
The Yaris goes in today for an oil change and a “wellness check” to make sure it is ready for the trip, which begins 4 weeks from tomorrow.
Maybe I can get Jett to that empty parking lot and have her drive the truck before I go. She would then have the confidence to use the truck in my absence. And maybe we could sell the Yaris someday.
Hey, a guy can dream, right?
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