Welcome "Home" Trailer

Today we picked up our new 19' Aspen Trail travel trailer. It's a pretty simple trailer--no fancy slideouts, all one big room (except the head, of course--which actually has a separate shower stall--unlike Kokopelli where we shower over the engine covers). It took almost all day for the RV shop folks to get everything "right" so we could take our new baby "home".

We are currently at our friends' (Nancy & Dick) house in east Tennesse near Knoxville. It's a beautiful setting here on Watts Barr Lake and a great place to begin "camping"--just so happens to be in someone's back yard! It's much cooler here than in Panama, so will be easier to do all of the "prep chores" to get things ready to go.

Yesterday we installed the "fuel & tool" in the back of the pickup to get another 50 gallons of diesel fuel aboard to increase our driving range. Tomorrow we'll get all the gear we have loaded in the trailer and figure out what we need for dishes, silverware, pots & pans, towels, etc. Once we have a shopping list, it will be off to thrift stores, craig's list, etc. to get outfitted for our trip.

We hope to have everything "ready to go" by about 5 June. At that point we'll begin the cross-country trek toward Montana.