Hello all,
I'm Anne and I am lucky enough to have gotten my 2000 SMB-West Quigley Ford E-350 from Ray (1der) a couple weeks ago.
My official residence is in SW Florida as of a couple years ago when my Mom needed extra help. Still, I'm a bit multi-homed, sometimes in Seattle (where I own a home) and sometimes in New England (where much of my family is), for weeks at a time during what I call my leisurely transition period to re-employment ;-)
I'd been looking at Sportsmobiles on and off for 2-3 years. My 2 1/2 month roadtrip last year in my '94 Honda Accord cemented my desire for a 4x4 and good clearance. We were in National Parks and Grasslands, Monuments and Seashores, and plenty of other state and public lands, in the west and southwest and south. The Honda took us down a few "4WD-recommended" roads. Still, there were places, particularly in enchanting SE Utah, that we were too prudent to explore (in that vehicle and during monsoon season).
I feel lucky on a daily basis that I was pulled/launched into the SMB Forum "brotherhood" by the super-conscientious and supportive Ray. He seemed like he actually enjoyed (gasp) educating this automotive/van life rookie who plied him with lots of questions. I was also very pleased to have met forum members Lance and Jeff (arctictraveller) during the first week of my SMB ownership, each of whom was recruited by Ray to help me out with one thing or another, and each of whom was a trove of SMB knowledge, kindly helping diagnose and tweak some things. Thank you all!
Ray did an amazing amount of reconditioning of the van, going top-of-the-line on parts, as he prepped it for sale. I suppose I'll start a "build thread" or "trip thread" to share what my rig has and what I'm doing. As a teaser, I'll point out one of my favorite upgrades; Ray put in a
brand new subwoofer! How did he know I like a lot of bass in my music? Best part: it has a dedicated volume knob right next to the steering wheel.
At the moment, I'm in Seattle prepping/provisioning the van a bit and taking care of business. I'll be driving east to New England in a week or so, stopping to see a few friends on the way. From New England, it's down to Florida, and then to a family reunion near Boone, NC. Perhaps I'll meet some of you along the way ;-).
Apologies in advance for all the rookie questions I'm going to ask! ;-)
Anne
Very cool Anne! Thanks for all the kind words, but it was your great personality and passion that made it all happen. You share the same keen interest in these "dream chasers" as the rest of us!! Have fun and keep sharing with the rest of us!!
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