So our first official adventure in our new RV last just 30 minutes and ended at the Texas RV Service center. Don’t worry, we didn’t break down. This was all planned.
Part of the reason we started this adventure was to spend time together. Unfortunately, trailers aren’t equipped for laundry or dishes – two tasks that usually pile up and take a while to tackle.
So after we got our new RV, we made an appointment to have a washer-dryer, dishwasher and new cooktop installed, have our slide fixed, add some additional batteries to our battery bank (which allows us to store more power and go longer between hooking up to electrical), get the car ready to be towed and get some minor trim work done.
Day 1: Damon got up early and took the mini-man to the shop. While they worked on the car, Damon came back to the RV and we got ready for our first drive. Thankfully, we had lots of practice from our travel trailer, so packing up didn’t take to much time.
Driving was luxurious! It’s much smoother than the travel trailer and soooo much more room 😊. Added bonus, I could stream Curious George on the TV for mini-man 😍
Day 2: Woke up freezing! We just happened to be getting work done on the RV while a super-storm was hitting the country, making almost every state cold. It didn’t help that mini-man loves to turn off all of our heaters 🤦
Since lots of work needed to be done on the RV, we decided to take the kids to a drive-thru zoo and run some errands. However, after we got some lunch, both boys passed out 😴
Instead, Damon did some shopping while the boys slept in the car with me. Once they woke up, we went grocery shopping, one of mini-man’s favorite activities (he loves all the food).
When we got back, our new washer-dryer was in!
Day 3: We we’re hoping to have all of the work done by today, so we ventured out again. This time, we did make it to the zoo.
The Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch is home to hundred of wild animals. When you arrive, you are given a bag of food to encourage animals to visit you.
Unfortunately, this brought out the worst in other drivers – driving slow or stopping, hanging out of the windows, touch the animals – all things not permitted by the park but there’s no supervision along the way. Even I got bitten when I tried to throw food out the window.
All-in-all, it was fun and amazing to see these animals so close up. However I’d rather visit when it’s not so busy.
After the zoo and some errands, we came back to the RV. Unfortunately, we got back after closing and couldn’t tell if any work had been done.
Day 4: After a very long night with very little sleep, we decided to stay in the RV while it was worked on. We learned that a lot had been accomplished but our goal of leaving were dashed – the dishwasher, the slide, and the cooktop all needed to be finished.
While most of these were finished by the end of the day, our cook-top was delayed and couldn’t be installed until Monday 😞
Day 5/6: The RV shop isn’t open on the weekends, so we took the opportunity to get organized. With the washer-dryer and dishwasher installed, we were able to install the rest of the shelving and get the kitchen cleaned up (and it looks amazing!)
Day 7: Woke up Monday morning, tired but ready to get on the road. Unfortunately, our stove hadn’t arrived. It was due to be delivered at some point, so we were at the mercy of the delivery company (we don’t know which one has it 😑).
While we waited, we decided to get some last minute errands done. Our next stop isn’t close to anything, so we wanted to make sure we had plenty of supplies. I decided to stay back with the kids 1. So Damon could get the errands done faster 🏃2. I was too tired to go out with kids 😴
Finally, at 2 o’clock, our stove top was delivered and installed! Every thing is now, officially done, and we can hit the road. Next stop – Seminole Canyon Camp Ground.
Heartswell Adventures 