From Sailling to Steering, we'll be Wheeling Around this H-Season.

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When I took a Journalism class way back when, we were taught to thoroughly investigate the Five W's when researching and submitting all of our written words.

And the reason I didn't continue to be a Journalist? My work was constantly and consistently returned with half of the wordage crossed out and noted as unneeded and unnecessary. My creative ingenuity got forcibly squashed for that semester and I passed the class with the Professor's words echoing in my ears: "My work was great, but I was way too wordy".

"Can you believe that?" I asked of Dave, who simply raised his eyebrow, and shrugged his response, not quite knowing what to say to all those words!

However, the need to delve deeply into the 5 W's remains with me to this day. The 5W's are: The Who, What, Where, When and Why of any story, especially ones with Spoiler Alerts and Teasers.

All our Adventures thus far have been chronicled in these blogs that you have been hopefully enjoying, and all culminating to the last few hair-raising and much anticipated Spoiler Alerts, Teasers 1-5.

"Did anyone get the Driving to do Something Different" hint asked Dave?
"I'm not sure" I replied. "Or even the red herring I planted with all that "up the creek without a paddle" wordage?"

And with that being said, we'd first and foremost like to take a moment to thank all our friends, fans and followers !! For patiently sticking with us and for playing along. We've simply LOVED your support, arising in every single comment, message, e-mail that we've received from you. Without further Ado, here's our Season Premiere.

Allow me to briefly recap the 5W's of our New Wheels.

WHAT

When we were back home in Canada last summer, and driving along the highways en route to visit family and friends, we were zoom-zooming along in our rental car, totally minding our own business, when...

We both immediately turned, pointed, gasped, and said:
"Whoa, what was that?"

"A Leisure Travel Van!" we both exclaimed.



WHEN

Back in Nova Scotia, on a lazy afternoon with nothing better to do, we went to visit Autho Wheels in Motion/Atlantic RV/Boat, the sole LTV dealer in the Atlantic Region, which is where we met Terry.

She told us a bit more about this strange and small Travel Van, and was as helpful as she could be, responding to our many questions. Especially hard to do when you're an LTV dealer, and don't have one on the lot. As much as we looked, there was not-a-one that we could find and see with our very own greedy eyes.

It being summertime, the few LTV owners who lived in the area were out and about enjoying the short summer season, and phone calls for possible viewing went unreturned.

"It just wasn't meant to be" we told each other as we sat on the return flight back to Grenada, yet, our curiosity remained piqued. We just couldn't get the whole idea out of our minds.

What followed was weeks and weeks of online-based research. We questioned our future cruising plans, revisited our list of things we needed DO, which was quickly followed with a list of things we wanted to DO.

Hence our Bucket O'Dreams.

Given all of our answers to the above, we chose to morph ourselves into a Snowbird routine, and to buy a brand new unit, direct from the factory.

And that's where the: "If they build it, we will come" originated.



With that we were faced with one large looming detail, one helluva snafu.

"If you purchase it now-ish" said Terry, "there's a chance that you might have it by end of May".
"What?" we both exclaimed in surprise. "But it's only September?" we said.

Which is where Yoda came in, and reminded us to either " Do, or Do Not, There is No Try". We had to decide, and we had to decide now.

The daily dinging of incoming email answers to our questions, and ensuing chaotic frenzy of a multitude of open websites on our laptops heated up Banyan's cockpit as we hemmed and hawed and painstakingly agonized over both the interior and exterior features.

"It's hard to choose a colour, or fabric swatch when all you have are online photos" I complained over morning coffee.
"And do we really need an exterior ladder?" asked Dave, "And how about a Diesel Generator for Boondocking?"

And that's where the Out on a Limb came from. Our option was to buy one of these Sight Totally Unseen.

We sailed Northwards in excited anticipation, waiting patiently for that moment, in that anchorage, when the email finally dinged its arrival announcing the date we'd been waiting for : May 16th.

WHERE

Where did we first see it? On the Corner of,



in Winkler (Manitoba). That's in Canada, eh?



WHAT

What is it? An LTV Unity, IB. A Touring Coach. A cottage on wheels?

She's 25.1 feet long, 10'6" high and 7'10" wide, and sits on a Mercedes-Benz 3500 Sprinter Chassis, with a 3L V6 BlueTEC Turbo Diesel engine.

We didn't want sliders. We did go with the Diesel Generator, and 2 solar panels on the roof. A/C is ducted in, as is a heater. Fridge/Freezer and Microwave/Convection Oven. The only thing missing? A watermaker !!

You can read all about her here : Leisure Travel Van, Unity, Island Bed

WHO



The Tripe E Recreational Vehicle Company. The more we researched what they stood for, the more we liked what we saw. You can check them out here.

WHY

To keep Exploring.To stay faithful and loyal to our "See you Somewhere South of Somewhere" moniker. To explore our own country, something we've always wanted to do. To visit our family and friends without being on a limited timeframe in a rental car. To have our very own Cottage. To live life in Canadian dollars for a bit. To do some TLC work on Banyan and live in the comfort of our Coach while doing so. To do something Different this H season.

Six Wheels, AND a Keel. We be Sailling, and now we be Steering.

Adventure, On On !!


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Note: Special thanks to our friends Liz and Gwen, who helped with some of the wordage in this blog. You guys rock!