Farewell, Red Tail Lodge
It is bittersweet to say good bye to our Red Tail Lodge, our VanDOit camper van. We purchased a new rig, Red Tail Lodge Two (a Winnebago EKKO), at the end of Season Four, so we are looking forward to a few more creature comforts as we travel in Season Five. However, we are sad to send our original Red Tail Lodge on its way. It has served us well.
When we returned home from Season Four, we prepared our Red Tail Lodge for sale. After unloading our belongings from the van, we winterized it since the temperatures were already dipping below freezing. We replaced the two tires that we were unable to replace when we were in Anchorage. The carbon monoxide detector was due for replacement and we had already purchased a new one. While Keith was replacing it, he installed connectors to make the detector easier to replace the next time, for the new owners.
Despite being coated with poly, the wooden holders for the water jugs and stack of drawers were moldy underneath and mold was starting to form on the wooden holder for our clothes hamper. So we removed all three of them and threw them away.
We removed our logos from the exterior of the van. They came off rather easily with heat from a hair dryer. It was at this point that the reality of letting the van go hit home. The van looked rather naked without our logos. We left the picture of the red tailed hawk on the sides of the van, so it didn’t look too bare. We’ll leave it up to the next owners whether they want to keep the hawk or not. After completing a deep clean of the van, both inside and out, along with an oil change, Red Tail Lodge was ready for a new home.
Red Tail Lodge had been our home for 569 nights over the past four years. It took us 60,588 miles, through 49 different states, three Canadian provinces, 29 different national parks, 26 other national park service units, numerous state parks and small towns. It was our shelter in national park campgrounds, state park campgrounds, city campgrounds, private RV parks, boondocking sites, beaches, and on friends’ driveways. In addition to us, Red Tail Lodge hauled our bed, our kitchen, our hiking gear, our bikes, and our kayak. It kept us cool with its air conditioning when it was hot and kept us warm with its Espar heater when it was cold. But, most importantly, it took us to places where we created so many memories, through hiking, biking, kayaking, getting close to nature, seeing different sights, and meeting fellow travelers. Our Red Tail Lodge will always have a warm spot in our hearts.
Our friends, Dave and Sandy, were considering buying a camper van. When we returned home, we loaned them our Red Tail Lodge for a two night camping trip to a nearby state park so they could try it out. They enjoyed it so much, that they offered to buy it! We are so excited that our Red Tail Lodge is going to great new owners. Now we can keep tabs on the future adventures of our Red Tail Lodge. Perhaps we’ll even share some adventures together. We are looking forward to seeing what changes they make to the van to make it their own. Best wishes on your new rig, Sandy and Dave!
As one chapter ends, another chapter begins. Farewell, Red Tail Lodge. You are in good hands.
For more details about why we gave up our beloved Red Tail Lodge, see our previous post: Red Tail Lodge Two. For more information on both of our rigs, go to Our Rig page on our web site.
Check out our related video as well: Farewell, Red Tail Lodge
(Ann)