From Germany With A Motor Home

“Have you seen the German Motor home?”  The question went through camp like a prairie fire. And yes, I had seen it when I walked Molly up along the main drag. The rig, had German license plates and was of a design unknown in this country. It wasn’t even a Mercedes Sprinter, but built on a FIAT basis. Of course I had to check them out. Now they have asked not to mention their real names in this blog, so we call them Reinhold and Jenny, which isn’t too far off. These two travelers are on a long-time journey. They had decided to travel North America and so they did. The journey started in Bremerhaven where this wonderful rig was rolled onboard of a containership. When it had arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Reinhold, Jenny and their dog Tessa came by airplane and took over their rig for it’s longest journey so far. Asked how they found the Hot Springs, they told me that they had seen a TV show about Quartzsite on German TV. That was the kicker and because both have relatives in Canada the the decision was really an easy one. Now, shipping your motor home across the big pond is not what we call cheap by any means. The price tag came to about $4,500.00 ONE WAY!! But of course renting a rig for 12 months doesn’t come cheap either. And the benefit was that they could take their own stuff with them and that this European rig’s 4cylinder 3.0l Turbo-charged Diesel engine makes between 23-25mpg. (Why we can’t get a rig like that over here is beyond me) Today I got the tour of it and I am deeply impressed with both the design, the quality and the technical standard, which is 10 years ahead of any American made motor home. Besides of giving room for 2 adults and a dog, the rig also offers a huge storage under the rear bed, big enough for 2 bicycles. There is a full kitchen, bath and comfortable seating for 4 people. Instead of an inefficient “dust-blower” furnace they heat their rig through a water-based radiator system, which evenly distributes heat from below the windows. The windows are not glass but double-pane clear high-quality Plexi and are equipped with insect screens, day shades and a completely tight aluminum night shade. They are top-hinged and permit efficient venting on a hot day. Of course you won’t find “caulking” on this rig and consequently it is absolutely tight leaving no chance of a leakage. Reinhold tells me that it weighs about 8500 pounds. The main components are the drivers cab by FIAT, a chassis made by another manufacturer and the living quarters made by Carthago Reisemobile. This motor home is also available in an extended version with a tag axle. But Reinhold’s garage wasn’t big enough, as he also needed space for his nice BMW Station Wagon. Needless to say we did spend some quality time with this couple, took them along to our New Years Party and a warming bonfire. The New Years Party started at 1pm with a costume competition. This time we did not meet up in costumes ourselves, but true to tradition I took a number of pics from what was going on:     Reinhold, Jenny and Bea    Our very capable Band…. Have a Happy New Year and thanks for stopping by again.