I’ll always love BB, but CC is one sexy RV

The plan was always to take BB the RV on another 7-week road trip out east at the end of this summer. After all, she did just great last year on our multi-state adventure.

But her breakdown in June threw us for a loop.

What if we had another big issue with the ol’ gal? She’s 17 years old after all, and I’d be heartbroken if another massive mechanical fail screwed up our plans.

So earlier this summer, we started poring over listings on RV Trader, keeping an eye out for Class A motorhomes that fit our specific criteria.

When I spied CC — then just a 34-foot 2020 Newmar Bay Star Sport 3315 for sale about 5 hours away — I knew we might have a good fit.

The ad said it wasn’t a must-sell situation, but the owner seemed eager to unload the brand new RV he bought to drive from Denver to Nashville (just once!) during the pandemic to visit his grandbaby.

With an HOA that didn’t allow for RVs parked in his driveway, he didn’t want to pay to store it, not knowing if he’d use again anytime soon. So we bought it for under Blue Book value — with some fun extras thrown in (e.g. camp chairs, pots and pans, and the stylin’ grey velvet ottomans you see in the photos below).

Isn’t she gorgeous?

We named her CC because it rolls off the tongue like BB did. I also dubbed her nickname short for Cecille. Given her sleek vibe just makes me want to lounge on the sofa and sip Prosecco, not to mention her dinette seating is a “Euro booth” style,” I thought a French full name suited her.

She’s spacious (three slide outs make her extra roomy). She homey (yep, I bought those rugs to match). She’s got a ridiculous amount of interior storage, she drives smoothly, and she has smart TV screens bigger than anything we have in our brick-and-mortar home.

Most importantly, this new vehicle under warranty gives me so much peace of mind as we head out later this week on our next big adventure!

The plan for the next 7 weeks

This weekend we meet up with my college bestie and her family to watch her husband run the Leadville 100 (a grueling 100-mile foot race). They’re driving in from the PNW, and I can’t wait for our Class As to be parked next to each other at an RV campground! (And of course, can’t wait to be moral and crew support for the trail runner!)

Then we make our way to Voyageurs National Park (MN), Isle Royale National Park (MI), and Mackinac Island (MI) for two nights apiece before arriving in Rochester, NY, to visit my sweet girl who is now a SENIOR in college. Along the way, we’ll stay at an amazing FOUR different Harvest Hosts locations — wineries and breweries that host RVs passing through.

And that’s all we have booked! We’re waiting to see what the COVID-19 climate is in various states after Labor Day before deciding where we’ll head next. I’m eager to get to the ocean, so I hope to motor to the coast. We missed Rhode Island and Delaware on our last swing through the eastern states, so those are on the list. More national parks perhaps. More visits with friends and family.

It’s not super clear, but I’m beside myself at the uncertainty of it all. Really!

Our only plan is to end our trip in Fort Collins at the beginning of October so we can see our son at CSU during Parent’s Weekend/Homecoming and then make our way home.

I love planning our RV trips. I love booking campgrounds. I love waking up in a new spot every day or every few days. I love exploring new-to-me places. I love being a team with my husband and making so many memories along the way. (I wrote about how RV travel is the most romantic way to travel — I truly believe it!)

Last fall’s trip was extraordinary. And while I know this year’s adventure, timed similarly, probably won’t top that first-ever multi-week RV adventure, I do know that it will be spectacular in its own way.

What I wasn’t expecting is that we’d still be in the middle of a pandemic. As cases fell so rapidly this spring, I figured kicking off a trip in August would be smooth sailing — no masks, no social distancing, no restrictions.

As it is, we’ll be traveling with our CDC vaccination cards, ready to show them as needed as more indoor venues in cities across the country require fully vaccinated folks to prove their status to enter. Fine by us! I’m happy for the precautions to continue to protect those most vulnerable, namely children under age 12 and the immunocompromised.

And Quent and I will be happy as clams in our bubble of an RV, connecting with strangers only as needed, ideally outdoors, and masking up when going to gas stations and grocery stores and such. Once again, our house on wheels will provide a safe method of travel for us as we (continue to) revel in our empty-nester/semi-retired status.

I’m hoping to blog as we go, though, realistically speaking, I’ll likely be posting more often on Instagram.

Oh, and as for BB our original RV, she’s been winterized, and she’s in storage. We’ll list her for sale in the spring. Given we made a ton of upgrades to her (new tires, stabilizing steering and axles, new flooring, new interior lights, rewired stereo system), I think she’ll be a catch for someone looking for an adored older vehicle.

In the meantime, bring on the travel and more states scratched off on my new map!