December 2nd ~ Buckley Cove, California

Ellie Mae Camp-it

Delivered: November 30th at 4:00 PM

Weight: 9,564 pounds

Length: 24′ 11″

Proud Parents: Tim and Joanne Joseph

Well, we did it! After a relatively painless delivery, we are taking home our new baby girl – a 2017 Prism (by Coachmen) 2200LE motorhome!!!

Introducing our new baby, Ellie Mae Camp-it

On Tuesday evening we picked up an Avis Rental Car (VW) in the San Fernando Valley and drove seven hours up to Sacramento. We found the best deal through American River RV. Tim had pre-arranged the pricing, finance terms and insurance before we ever left home, so off we went with cashier’s check in hand for the deposit.

Arriving at their satellite store on Wednesday for our appointment at noon we found a bit of chaos, but still the people were friendly. We had already seen the interior of a coach with the floor plan/configuration we wanted, but not the color scheme. All we had seen so far were pictures of the nickel colored interior.

So upon arrival the first thing I asked to do was see the actual unit we were purchasing. A bit disappointed that it had not been cleaned BEFORE our appointment time, they were just starting the cleaning process and we were asked to wait. I managed to at least stick my head inside to see the colors and decided I liked them even better in person than via pictures.

Next step was the painfully long and drawn out paperwork. It really should have only taken about 5-10 minutes, but because the cleaning crew needed 1-2 hours, the finance guy simply spent the time-sharing stories, and general BS while occasionally placing a form in front of us to sign.

Two hours later the coach was ready for us to inspect, do our walk-thru and learn what the different hoses, lines, etc. did and connected to.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 4:00 we drove off the lot and the Ellie was officially ours!

But we still had a rental car to return, so Tim drove the RV and I drove the VW and we navigated to the Sacramento Airport which was their only drop off point for one way rentals.

When that was crossed off, we FINALLY both jumped into the RV and headed to a local RV park to spend our first night.

With the sun setting early, it was already dark by the time we arrived at SacWest RV Park and Campground. Tim had asked for a recommendation of where to stay, and found out that Jerry, the guy who had done the walk-thru with us was “year-round” there. We wanted someplace close by so that we could do our hookups, try things out and be able to get help if needed.

As it turns out, our new unit is a breeze to hook up. It literally took only a couple of minutes to plug-in a power cord and connect the water line. We have not attempted the clean out hook ups just yet.

When you are actually staying in the unit, you quickly discover things that were missed during the initial inspection. The most serious item was a black pixel line that ran through the picture on the TV.

The next morning we called Jerry and he told us to drop by the lot at noon. They popped our TV out and installed a brand new one on the spot for us.

There are some other minor items that Tim will take care of over the next week or so, such as: blinds that are not aligning properly, a cabinet door that does not stay closed when driving down the road, the entry door opens/locks hard, and a privacy screen that does not fit right. We probably should have caught some of these during our inspection, but I think in the excitement of the moment that we were not as thorough as we should have been.

The bed is comfortable and I slept fine but Tim thinks it is a bit too hard, so I will order a 2″ memory foam for it.

We brought some initial supplies with us in the rental car which gave us a starting place for creature comforts including sheets, heated mattress pad, comforter, towels, paper towels, plates, cups, TP, toiletries, and a few items of clothing.

Time for a trip to both Wal-Mart and Trader Joe’s to pick up some additional supplies.

We have most of the basics now, either here or ordered and will be waiting for us at our shop when we return in a day or two.

We took a few pictures to show the inside and where we are now camped along the river at Buckley Cove in Stockton. The wind was kicked up something furious and we were rocking like crazy. Thankfully it has now died down considerably. Hope we don’t get blown into the water.

U-shapped dinette which will convert into a bed

You can’t tell from this picture, but where the TV is, that end piece of wood is another slide. It will move forward, into the coach to expose some additional pantry storage, and provide more privacy for the bedroom area. The TV will also pivot to allow it to be watched in either the main part of the coach or in the bedroom.

Bigger wardrobe than most of the Class C models we looked at

The freezer/refrigerator are on the far left of this picture, then the bathroom door. The first cupboard is for linens, but I have already blurred those lines 🙂 The two cupboards on the right open to a nice hanging rod with more room than most of the small units. The full drawers underneath give us each a place for socks, undies, sleepwear, etc.

Freezer and Refrigerator

Bathroom

I am fairly used to a small refrigerator/freezer from our cabin, so this was not a huge obstacle for me. Still I will need to plan accordingly to have some simple items on hand that are easy to fix – especially keeping Tim’s finicky tummy in mind.

The bathroom is very tight quarters. But at least it has a medicine cupboard with two shelves as well as storage under the sink. The shower will be OK for quick rinse offs, but I will probably want to use the larger ones at decent campgrounds when I need to wash my hair.

I kind of like my tiny kitchen

A few things that I wanted were dual sinks, three burners, and both a microwave and an oven. Believe it or not I got ALL of them in this tiny unit.

Even TWO sinks!

In the far left back corner on this last picture is a pop up charge station for all our electronics. There is also a USB port in the “cockpit” and one in the bedroom.

Our view along the river in Stockton

High wind warnings for tonight and part of tomorrow have been announced, so we are happy to stay put here at River Point Landing Marina Resort and enjoy getting to know our new baby!

GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful for something new to learn – and it will be a learning curve, as neither Tim or I have ever owned an RV before. So excited for the many new destinations right here in the USA and across Canada that are waiting for us to explore. Hope you will join us!