She's Home

She's home at last, two months later than usual thanks to the new driveway. Unfortunately that makes an already short season even shorter, but we will get out on the road this summer even if it's only local trips.

She's sporting new tires/tyres (Michelin LTX replacing the original Goodyear STs) and a pair of new batteries. She tends to eat batteries, and I know why, but it's cheaper to replace the batteries right now than fix the larger issue. She's also looking a bit worn in places, externally at least; that's what eight winter months in a field will do. There's a big patch of filiform corrosion on the rear end cap and the Clearcoat is looking a bit bedraggled in places. However, these are just cosmetic issues and after a wash and polish she'll be looking a whole lot happier. The good folk at CanAm RV resealed some of the roof last year, at the places where things protrude, like skylights and vent pipes, so we're hoping for a leak-free season.

It was a lovely tow home, too; mid-twenties, clear and dry. We took the back roads, rather than the Highway, and just enjoyed the 80kph/50mph almost traffic-free dawdle westwards. For my UK chums, this back road is mostly as straight as an arrow, wide and fairly flat, not at all like a British back road. The bikers amongst you will be pulling a face at the thought of long and straight, but when towing two and a half tons of trailer, long and straight is good.

We did the run in a little over an hour and managed to keep the fuel consumption sensible (16.8 litres per 100Km/14 miles to the US gallon/16.81 miles to the Imperial gallon). That Imperial gallon reading looks a bit scary when cars in Europe will regularly achieve well over 50 miles to the gallon, but over here many of the much loved pickup trucks will only get 17mpg normally, and that'll be without towing an Airstream. We reckon to use twice as much fuel when towing so our 3.5 Litre V6 Toyota engine is doing quite well at 17mpg.

So, we'll spend the next week re-packing Towed Haul and we have a trip planned already, even though it's going to have to wait  until our other summer commitments are done. You never know, Mrs T may even use her as an exam marking nook this week, free from the distractions of the house. Sounds like a plan to me.

And, of course, she does look quite nice just sat on the driveway.

Our "back road" from London to Chatham