One week ago we picked up our new Roadtrek Etrek. Our son brought us to the dealer and enjoyed his first solo ride home on the Garden State Parkway. Now we will have no excuse not to let him drive there when he is home this summer.
The paperwork took about fifteen minutes—although it was called a closing it was easier than many recent car purchases which seem to include endless pitches for add-ons such as tire protection. Then it was outside to the chilly, windy weather for the walk-through. I was in charge of filming. Fortunately, the technician has warmed up the interior nicely, using electric power. The walkthrough lasted about 45 minutes, so we were homebound well before commuter traffic.
The ride home was exciting as I tried to figure out how to use the navigation system especially why we could not hear any instructions, as well as identify various warning beeps, such as lane assist. The navigation system is still a bit of a mystery since no manual was provided. Karl would figure out later that we had the volume set too low, even though we could hear the radio fine.
The day after we brought the RV home we had a dusting of snow, so our 35-mile (don’t ask!)road trip to the dentist had to be postponed. (Our son was very relieved.) We didn’t end up taking it out until the weekend. In the meantime, we both studied the manuals and Karl created a new spreadsheet to summarize the various options and features.
We took the RV for a short drive on Saturday to do our usual errands. (i.e., what are we having for dinner?) We also warmed it up so we could investigate the various accessories, such as the provided induction pan, rear screen door kit, and tables. We practiced using the “on-board computer” to adjust some of the options, such as high beam assist.
On Sunday, we experimented with covering the beautiful leather captain chairs and sofa to protect them from the dogs. Unfortunately, the covers we ordered did not fit, so they were repurposed in our 2013 Volvo, secondary transportation for the dogs’ walks. We used an assortment of blankets and slipcovers for the initial ride with the dogs. Topper initially chose the rear sofa, but quickly relocated to one of the second row captain chairs. (Actually, he preferred the copilot seat, but since that is not covered he was banished.) Daisy rode on Marjorie’s lap in the other second row captain’s seat.
