In 2014 my husband and I went on a date. It was a dinner and movie date; except we couldn’t decide on a movie. Too early to go home, we decided to go look at RVs. We had had an RV for six years, selling it in 2012. We had always intended to replace it; however, I ended up having surgery on my spine, and my recovery threw a wrench in those plans. We had spent many years tent camping prior to getting our first new-to-us RV in 2006 but that was no longer an option as my back was now too damaged to sleep on the ground.

Into the RV dealership we walked, not expecting to find anything. We had tire-kicked before and it was always a frustrating and fruitless endeavor. One thing with dealerships, whether it is RVs or cars, you cannot be in them for more than three minutes before a well-intentioned salesperson is there to help. Mentioning we were just there to ‘look at motorhomes’ they pointed us in the right direction and left us alone.

Having had two previous older RVs, we knew what we needed and wanted in a unit, though we never expected we’d buy new. A decent bathroom, a good size kitchen, a full-time island bed, good clothes storage, and plenty of outdoor storage. A long list, but we knew what would work, and what would not work for our small family. Dreaming of a brand-new RV is always fun! We had given a lot of thought to the idea of a truck and trailer, but we knew motorhomes were our ‘thing’. We walked around a nice class “A” (bus front motorhome) and saw an appropriately sized class “C”. Looking at each other, we entered, afraid to wonder.

We walked into the kitchen. Reasonably sized, part of it was on the large, full-length slide, Minimal counter space, but functional. To the right, a jack-knife sofa, dinette, and the over-cab bed. Well laid out, functional and spacious. We toured the small space and spoke of how it would work for us. The kitchen was small, but I could make it work. The cabinetry was plentiful, some of it a bit awkward and there was a distinct lack of drawer space, but again, nothing I couldn’t make work.

Walking to the back, we passed to the bathroom. Sink to the left and water closet and shower to the right. Both worked well, had storage, and were roomy and well laid out. We were impressed, which was worrisome. The bedroom was next, and it was beautiful! Queen size island bed, closets on both sides with cabinetry above. Functional and roomy. Venturing outside, the large storage compartments sealed the deal.

This was it. We both knew it. I wanted it. He was the voice of reason. We walked away, and I knew we’d never get it. I was crushed. But I kept asking, something in me knew we were meant to have this motorhome. A couple weeks later, we went back.

SOLD. But… They could bring one up from another location, but it had a darker colour palette. We discussed it and decided to proceed.

While we’ve questioned and been questioned on buying a brand-new RV. Over the years, as we come up on the ten-year anniversary of that purchase, it was a good decision. I love the memories we have made in the RV.

Our son was six when we brought it home. The first trip we took was out to a popular spot not far from home and we knew then, it was the right choice. We played games, the boys went fishing, we read books, did crafts, napped, and enjoyed the weekend more than we could have dreamed.

Over the years, we have had some amazing trips. One of the most memorable was a month-long trip to Vancouver Island. The boys took surf lessons, and we went on a wildlife watching tour where we saw sea lions, sea otters, raccoons, and bald eagles. We have spent time in southern Alberta with my mother-in-law (who has since passed away) watching the solar eclipse in 2018 – as an avid RVer herself, she had an amazing time sharing her love of the outdoors and nature with her only grandchild.

We did a number of trips to the mountains, our favourites being in the late fall, just before the closed the campgrounds for winter. We encountered snow and freezing temperatures, which made nights around the fire making popcorn and marshmallows a memory our son will not soon forget. The parks were quieter, nature seemed to stand still, unlike the time with our son.

The picture above was taken at a campground in British Columbia. We returned here a couple of consecutive summers. The campground was well treed with an adventurous bike park at one end, our son loved riding his bike through the obstacles. To my horror, he went off the bridge at the park into the small ravine below – into the prickly bushes, bending the derailer on his bike, and scraping up his knee (and his pride). Like many lakes in BC, it was beautiful to swim in, and we spent many hours beach-side splashing and swimming.

The other picture is Thunder Lake in north central Alberta. Close to sunset, the boys had been exploring the beach for twenty minutes or so as I sat watching from a bench. They’d been talking, laughing, and quietly learning from each other. The lake was perfectly still – it was a beautiful evening.

All these moments, a small moment in time that we would never have had, and will never have again, if we had never decided to not go to a movie that night all those years ago.