Outdoors enthusiasts at home in Sportsmobile

About four years ago Bill Pierce was leafing through a photography magazine and spotted an article featuring a customized Sportsmobile van.

“It was a cool-looking thing,” said Bill, “so we ordered the brochure and started dreaming.”

At the time, Bill and his wife, Debbie, owned a four-wheel drive Volkswagen van that they had been using for years for all their considerable outdoor activities. Both the Pierces are avid whitewater kayakers, snow skiers and amateur photographers.

“We had put over 200,000 miles on our VW van,” said Debbie, “and we needed a new rig.”

After looking at the Sportsmobile brochure, the Pierces said they loved the van, but felt they could not “afford or justify it.” After all, the VW camper was still limping along.

Over the next couple of years they continued looking for just the right RV to get them where they wanted to go – into the backcountry for exploring and adventure.

“We wanted four-wheel drive,” said Debbie, “and a lot of the class Bs and van conversions we looked at had really low clearance and no four-wheel drive. They just weren’t fitting the bill.”

Then last year Debbie’s grandmother from Missouri died and left them a windfall inheritance.

“She would totally approve of us spending the money on something that brings us joy,” said Debbie.

The Pierces, both nurse anesthesiologists at Valley Hospital, went back to the Sportsmobile Web site and last November began the long process of obtaining their dream rig.

Sportsmobile

A family-owned company, Sportsmobile has been building custom camper vans since 1961 to specifications that suit any outdoor lifestyle.

The company began in 1961 by customizing VW vans and soon expanded into converting Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge vans. Sportsmobile has no dealer network, so the Pierces ordered factory-direct.

In January, they flew down to the Sportsmobile West in Fresno, Calif., and “literally spent two full days designing the van,” said Debbie. “There were so many choices to be made.”

They began by selecting a four-wheel drive Ford E-350 Econoline Super Duty cargo-van chassis with a 6-litre diesel engine. They then added lots of amenities for their active lifestyle including a Yakima rake for carrying all their toys and extra winterizing for their snow skiing trips.

“Almost 90 percent of our customers choose the Ford E-350 diesel,” said Alan Feld, president of Sportsmobile West, “it is an amazing vehicle for outdoor, adventuresome people. I’ve traveled down to the tip of Baja and up to the San Juan Islands in one.”

Since picking up their rig in Fresno the last week in June, the Pierces have spent 23 days in their new van.

“We’ve taken it to the Coast twice,” said Debbie, “once to Cape Flattery over the July 4th weekend with our grandsons, Eric and Carl.”

“This past weekend,” said Bill, “we went over to Montana to kayak on the Clark Fork River. The campground was at the end of this narrow little dirt road. It wasn’t a problem for us, but I don’t think a larger RV could have gotten in there.”

As for mileage, the Web site states that customers report an average between 18- and 20 miles-per-gallon.

Bill, however, said their rig has been averaging between 13 and 15 mpg.

“We might get better mileage if I didn’t drive 75-miles an hour down the freeway,” he admitted.

The Pierces have named their van “Eulah,” after Debbie’s grandmother who made their dream RV a reality.

Cost

“Our vehicles are not inexpensive,” said Feld. “The average one is about $75,000. Obviously a lot of people are not in a high income bracket, but these are motor homes and they can be financed over 15 years as an RV. In addition, you can deduct the interest just like a home. The payment on a $75,000 vehicle is in the $500-range.”

For more information

• To begin your research on Sportsmobile customized camper vans go to www.sportsmobile.com; or write to Sportsmobile West, 3631 S. Bagley Ave., Fresno, CA 93725; or call (559) 233.8267; e-mail: info@sportsmobile.com.

• For information on Cape Flattery, Wash., the most northwest point in the Continental U.S., start with www.northolympic.com/capeflatterytrail/.

Wheel question

Where, within a 200-mile radius, have you found the most beautiful autumn colors and a great campsite?