RV newcomers ready for U.S. journey

Lynn Davis and Debbie Bock have been fast friends for 35 years.

Over that time they’ve traveled together to far-flung places like Australia, New Zealand, Belize, Hawaii and Panama.

Now Lynn, a newly retired commercial property manager, and Debbie, a retired high school instructional assistant, are on the trip they’ve been talking about for 10 years—circumventing the “Lower 48.”

“Both of us have moved around the country a lot,” said Debbie, a widow whose husband, Neale, worked for an oil company that transferred the family frequently.

“But there are still a lot of places we haven’t seen,” said Lynn, a mother of three and grandmother of six.

Instead of traveling by car, they decided that the easiest and most fun way to see the country was by RV.

“It was just a matter of me getting retired,” said Lynn, whose last day of work was Aug. 24.

On Sept. 1 they were hitching up Lynn’s Acura Integra to the back of their brand new 32-foot Itasca Sunrise motor home.

“Neither one of us had driven an RV before our two practice trips this summer,” said Debbie.

“Actually,” added Lynn, “we’d never been in an RV until we bought this one. We are rank beginners.”

Beginners, maybe, but don’t confuse that with not knowing what they are doing.

Both ferocious learners, they did their research. In addition to reading books and joining RV groups, they enrolled in two RV classes last winter offered through the Community Colleges of Spokane’s Institute for Extended Learning.

“The classes helped us figure out what we wanted to buy,” said Debbie.

“In the ‘Basic Training’ class we learned about what to look for in buying an RV,” said Lynn. “The second class on care and maintenance talked about how to keep the thing going and what tools to carry with us.”

“They are very independent,” said Debbie’s daughter Heidi Stanley, “and very organized about it all.”

“They certainly have done their homework,” said Peter Bock, Debbie’s son, “so we trust them.

“In fact,” he reflected, “up until a couple of years ago they backpacked into the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. That kind of made me nervous, but they always came out of the woods okay.”

“John,” said Debbie, “was a real daredevil as a kid. Now its payback time for all those years I stayed up late worrying about him.”

Update

According to recent telephone calls to their families and friends, the intrepid duo are in Dead Wood, S.D. and have visited surrounding sites including Mount Rushmore. Soon they will be traveling through the Midwest, then crossing into Canada heading for the Maritime Providences.

“We don’t have a schedule,” said Lynn. “We just want to be in New England for the fall colors. After that we’re just going to be where winter is not.”

RV 101 workshops

The two RV workshops Lynn and Debbie attended in January are being offered again this fall through the Community Colleges of Spokane’s Institute for Extended Learning.

The RV “Basic Training,” a three-hour class, is being offer twice, once on Sept. 29 beginning at 6 p.m. at Central Valley High School (course number 7569); and repeated on Nov. 10 starting at 6:30 p.m. at North Central High School (course number 7541). Registration fee is $17.

The three-hour “RV Care and Maintenance” workshop is also being offer twice, once on Nov. 3 beginning at 6 p.m. at Central Valley High School (course number 7570); and repeated on Nov. 17 starting at 6:30 p.m. at North Central High School (course number 7542). Same price, $17.

John Morrill, a 24-year veteran of the RV industry, is once again teaching the classes He says the material for the “Basic Training” workshop is geared primarily for the first-time buyer. “We’ll talk about what to look for and what to stay away from,” says Morrill.

“RV Care and Maintenance,” says Morrill, will help RV owners better understand how their rig works. “People always want to know about appliances, roof maintenance and water systems,” he says.

Both classes include handouts. To register, call 279-6000 or stop by the IEL office at 3305 W. Fort George Wright Drive between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information

“ Information on all Winnebago products can be found online at www.winnebagoind.com. Information on the Winnebago-Itasca Travelers Club (WIT) also is available to through this Web site.

“ Lynn and Debbie bought their motor home at La Mesa RV, 23501 E. Knox Ave., Liberty Lake, (888) 509-4199.

“ They joined the Good Sam Club. The basic membership is less than $20 a year. Call (800) 234-3450 or go to www.goodsamclub.com.

Wheel question

Where is your favorite “snowbird” location? For those of you traveling away for the winter months—send back a note or two about your adventures and I’ll post them on the Wheel Life blog page.