Tag: Rural Hall

On December 7, we headed over to Bill Plemmons RV in Rural Hall to say goodbye to Penelope and pick up Petunia, a 2019 Grand Design Reflection 150 273MK.  Assuming they leave everything in it that we gave them, whoever buys Penelope will be in luck!  When we thought we were keeping her forever and part-timing it, we added an EMS system, a high-arched faucet in the bathroom (to help with the small sink), a porcelain toilet (to get rid of the plastic squeaking every time you sat down…ugh), some extra shelving in the really tall cabinets, and a shoe cabinet behind the couch.  We also put our RV cover in the pass-through, so that was a big bonus.  I hope she finds a good home.  Right after arrival, we handed off the keys and all of the other information for her and headed inside.  We found out later that, as our salesperson was testing out the systems to ensure they all worked, he broke the molding around the slide.  We had the slide lock installed, and there was a large red tag saying so, but he just missed it.  Sadly, the only two times it was ever used was when we picked her up and when we delivered her to them.  We felt a bit guilty, but I’m sure they will get it repaired with no issues.

Once inside, we were given a nice walk-through in the parts/supplies area.  No longer being total newbies (just slightly experienced but definitely need to get more time under our belts newbies), we knew most of what they were talking about, but the process would have been very informative for someone buying their first RV.  Next we were passed off to the service department for a thorough walkthrough of Petunia.  Steve covered everything from the tiniest switch to major systems.  We opened every cabinet and drawer, and tried out everything to make sure it all worked.  We are both readers, so we would have figured out all of this stuff ourselves, but it was very nice to have someone pointing it all out and answering the multitude of questions.  A few nice surprises popped up, too, like the heated, massage theater seating!

Our last stop was the money man.  You know how that works…you sign a million pieces of paper and hand over the bucks in order to get the keys.  One of the nice things about Bill Plemmons RV is that they offer the “Warranty Forever” program.  It basically warrants most of the systems in the RV (excluding slides) for life or to $10,000 spent, whichever comes first.  There were two decision points for us, both of which we put off until we could think it through:  1) Did we want to purchase a regular extended warranty?  2) Did we want to join CoachNet for roadside assistance.

Finally, it was time to take our new baby home, but I was totally surprised when we drove past Penelope on the way out and I got a little teary-eyed and sad.  She was a great little travel trailer…a 2018 Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S.  When we bought her, our plan was to hit the road part-time in something that was super easy to tow.  She fit that bill perfectly.  Sure there were a few things we didn’t like about her, but overall she was a great little trailer.  Just like my first house,  think I will always remember her fondly.

Before pointing Brutus to Browns Summit, we found a large parking area so that MW could get a feel for how a fifth wheel handles.  He had become pretty good at maneuvering Penelope, but this is definitely different.  It takes longer to respond to your movements, so the tendency is to oversteer to try to force the issue.  That will take some getting used to.  After a bit of practice (and frustration) we headed home.  Getting her into the 90-degree driveway did not prove as tough as we anticipated, so that was a pleasant surprise.

Being my normal, anal self, I was ready to jump in and get everything that we had unloaded from Penelope and stacked in the garage loaded into Petunia and organized.  The weather had other plans, though, as snowmageddon hit that night.  We were socked in with about 15″ of snow.  I know, I know….for some of you that is NOTHING, but for us North Carolina folks, that is a LOT of snow.  In fact, it is the most we’ve had in the 15 years we have lived here.  The next closest was about 9″.  I spent the time getting some online Christmas and RV accessory shopping done, so it wasn’t a total waste.  LOL

Next up…Shakedown!!

Be back soon.  Change is good!

Talisa

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