We had already decided the Travato 59K made by Winnebago Industries was the perfect camper for us from now on. We searched 100 miles in every direction around our town and found only a few for sale. But none were just right for one reason or another. For the amount of money these cost we were not going to settle for less than what we wanted. These are built in Forest City, Iowa. The manufacturer does not sell them directly but a dealer, Lichtsinn RV, is one mile from the factory and sells the Winnebago RV’s so we contacted them and secured the perfect one for us at a good price. And they would accept our current RV in trade. So ROAD TRIP

This was not a leisurely vacation, we were on a mission. Forest City is 1,500 miles from our house. It took us four days to get there, driving the big rig on Interstate 90 most of the way. The trip was mostly uneventful.

Lichstinn RV has several parking spots with electricity for their customers so we parked there when we arrived and plugged in. The next morning our Travato was parked next to us and we got our first look at it. It was perfect! By the end of the day all the paperwork was done and we transferred all of our belongings from the old to the new.

Old vs. New

And we made some new friends also getting their Travatos! One drove in from Michigan and the other drove all the way from North Carolina to make the trade. Customers come here from all 50 states to buy their Winnebagos.

New Friends

On the way home we drove a bit of the Great River Road down the Mississippi River before turning and going back east. It was another four days of driving but it was a lot more fun than the trip west. The Travato handles very well and is a joy to drive.

On the Great River Road

The Great River Road

We stopped briefly at the RV/Motorhome Museum in Elkhart, Indiana. We have been here before but stopped again just for kicks.

RV/MH Hall of Fame

We got a kick out of seeing this old hippie-style camper bus. My, how things have changed.

Different Generations

The Travato is only 21 feet long. This allows us to buy gasoline at any gas station and go anywhere and park anywhere a car can go; places we would have bypassed before.

Overlooking Lake Erie

It’s easier now going the back roads and the two-lane state highways, roads we thought twice about previously. Vermont is gorgeous! And this saved us several miles that we wold have had to drive had we stuck to the Interstates.

Driving Through Vermont

And now we can park the camper in the garage! It was a tight fit!  🙂

A Few Inches to Spare

Once we unpack and repack in a more thoughtful and efficient manner we will be taking more local trips throughout the summer and fall. In the winter we have bigger plans.

The big camper got about 7.5 miles per gallon. I think we got about double that but we need to check it out further. The Travato is built on a Dodge Ram ProMaster 36L 280 horsepower V6 front wheel drive gas powertrain.

More to come!