The last couple weeks have been a flurry of activity—mostly good, positive stuff but mixed with one major setback. We’ll start with the good news, though….
The storage garage is steadily being emptied! Millie has quite enjoyed being a “junkyard dog” and watching me sift through boxes of stuff to scan, pitch, or sell. We are on track to finish this job in about a week and be ready to hit the road.
Yes, if you had your suspicions last May when I bought the Lynnebago Sprinter cargo/camper van, let there be absolutely no further doubt now-- I just bought my 3rd Sprinter!!! My Mercedes dealer service manager loves me!!! But my friends and family are now looking for a Betty Ford-style rehab clinic to check me into to cure my compulsive Sprinter-holicism!
Well, truth be told, I only had 3 Sprinters for one night.. when I was transferring all my stuff out of my 2008 H-model View and into the new Sprinter that I just traded it for—a 2007 J-model Winnebago View.
What? You’re going backwards a year??? Don’t most RVers upgrade to a newer model?
Yes, they do. But this “new” older View will now let me combine the “best of both” of my 2 previous Sprinters – better fuel efficiency, greater fueling options and easier maintenance, while still providing all the comforts of a skinny winnie View motorhome.
The first-generation T1N Sprinters (like my 2005 Cargo Van) got outstanding gas mileage and did not require ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) or additional expensive emissions controls that the newer Sprinters now require. These vehicles make outstanding choices for travel to Mexico, where ULSD is still not available in many portions of the mainland.
So, why do you need a T1N View if you already have a T1N van?
My summer progress with getting my and my mom’s houses ready for sale has been slower going than I had originally planned. Meanwhile, I was also incredibly indecisive over what to do with the Sprinter van conversion project (so many choices!). During the summer, I also followed the daily progress of To Simplify Glenn’s van conversion and gradually realized that my Lynnebago conversion was very likely to take a lot longer and become more expensive than I planned. That could seriously jeopardize my plans to spend this winter in Mexico!
So, around August, I started research a “Plan B” – to take the View to Mexico and store the van in Chicago over the winter. That plan would give me much more storage space for hauling 3 months worth of “only found in the US” foods for this vegan and her cancer-survivor dog! We’d also have more interior comforts with an RV if we happened to encounter any cooler/wet winter weather.
However, taking a newer diesel engine (like the ‘08 View) to Mexico would be a bit of a gamble (due to the lack of ULSD). While there’s not been much anecdotal evidence of newer US diesel engine owners having any problems with a few thousand miles of Mexican travel, it’s still something that US auto makers officially prohibit and, at worst, could cost many thousands to replace “fouled” emissions systems.
I was just about ready to take that gamble and bring the ‘08 anyway when I happened to peruse the Lichtsinn website a couple weeks ago in advance of going to Iowa for a weekend camping rally. This super-sweet looking ‘07 View popped up and it just instantly seemed to offer the best of everything! After a few phone calls with Lichtsinn, a great trade/swap deal was offered and accepted, and plans were suddenly altered to add an extra Forest City stop to my weekend Iowa travel plans!
Ever since seeing my friend Suzanne’s (TakeToTheHighway) J-model View a few months ago, I’ve been so envious of her light maple wood interior and classy-looking front storage cabinets with warm accent lighting. She continually raves about how comfy her permanent rear bed is, and that has also been a key criteria for my next RV (my sofa bed in the H has been a continual annoyance to make up every night and to sleep comfortably).
So, the minute I saw this new ‘07 View, I really, REALLY liked the interior colors and layout! But, who cares about me, this RV swap would ultimately come down to one final hurdle—Millie’s approval!
She never liked the ‘08 View. She tolerated it when it was parked, usually put up a fight and had to be coaxed up the entry steps, and was a stressed-out mess when we were driving (something about seeing her “home” swaying around like a continuous earthquake was highly stressful to her little dog brain!).
After spending most of the day in the corner of Lichtsinn’s lobby, the new RV was finally ready for delivery and tired old Millie was ready for a good long sleep! She eagerly trotted up the steps of the new RV without balking, and sprawled herself onto the comfy rear bed within a matter of minutes….yep, she LOVING her new home!
She’s also discovered that the carpeted floor beneath the new dinette is a much cozier “nest” than the previous vinyl floor beneath the H-model dinette!
The next day, as we drove home, she also much preferred the new raised floor between the two front cab seats—much easier for her to now look out the front window as we drive! So, overall, Millie approves!
I also enjoyed the solid 18 MPG we got on the drive home (at 65-70 mph)! This new View will definitely save me some dough at the gas pump!
So, now that you have a “Best of Both Worlds” View, what’s to become of the Lynnebago van?
For now, the van is still serving a very active and useful purpose to haul stuff between houses and around town. But once the house downsizing and moves are complete, I’ll probably sell it and just keep the View and Tracker for a while. I’ll need to feel out the new View this winter to see if I can forego a bigger rig awhile longer and just move my excess house stuff into storage next Spring when I officially move out of the house and start full-time RVing. The long-distance trips I’d like to take initially would sure be more economical with the View than a big rig!
Ok, enough about all the reasons for this rig change-- you probably just want to take the tour!!!
Well here she is, the “Tinnie” Winnie (named for it’s T1N chassis!)
I’m loving the big new front storage cabinets with accent lighting! Also love still having a big skylight that opens! Not crazy about having the TV positioned over the door (too high up), so I’ll need to ponder alternatives for that…
Almost everything in the J is reversed from the H—the kitchen is now on the curb side and fridge is on the street side.
The closet is taller and out in the main area of the RV (rather than the wider one in the bathroom of the H model). It seems much more accessible now. The bath sink vanity is about the same except that it’s now separate from the toilet/shower area. The J’s shower is a few inches shorter than the H, but still seems workable.
The front cab seats are covered in a soft ultra-teather and are much more comfortable than either my ‘08 leather seats or the van’s cloth seats. These will be great for long road trips as well as lounging!
The dinette is about 6” shorter in this rig, so not ideal for guests to sleep on, but much easier to prop your feet up on the other bench (since the table is narrower)! The seats are also a few inches wider making them more comfortable to sit on length-wise when watching TV or reading. Since this model does not have a pantry, I’m using the dinette cabinets and storage beneath one of the seats for food items.
The bed is surprisingly comfortable and softer than it would appear. Still, it is helpful to put a memory foam topper layer on top of the cushions. The only drawback is lack of a little shelf to store your glasses or watch/alarm. Any ideas?
Beneath the curved bed cushion is a giant concealed storage area! This will be great to hold extra bedding (and should also work perfectly for taking extra bulk-food supplies to Mexico!).
The J still has the same pull-out ice chest drawer and generator/cubby compartments as my H did. But, I’ve now “downgraded” from a diesel generator to an LP version (no big deal as the diesel genny was smelly anyway!). As the J’s plumbing compartment is much smaller, I can no longer carry the sewer hose or water hose in that bay, so have had to find temporary new homes for them. I’ll probably look into a sewer hose storage pipe thingy.
The rear external storage bay is about twice the size of my previous one! Oodles of room! The split bed also allows for the mattress to flip out of the way so that taller items can also be carried like a bike, golf clubs or skis. I doubt I’ll ever do that, but it’s nice to know it’s there “just in case'!”
The electric bay is on it’s own and about waist-high on the J. Much more convenient than having open the lower rear utility bay on the H model!
I also really like the extra flip-up ladder extension on the ‘07. No more need for a step stool!
The awning is a box-style and only 10’ wide (rather than 12’6” on my previous View). Can’t quite figure out why they didn’t provide a longer box-style awning to cover the rear window as well. I do like the fact that the awning material stays protected inside the metal casing—the awning fabric still looks brand new!
Perhaps the biggest drawback to the new View will be it’s reduced cargo carrying capacity. While it has larger physical storage spaces than the H-model, this ‘07 can only carry about 250 lbs less than the ‘08. Time will tell if that becomes its Achilles heel, but so far, so good!
P.S. If you might be interested in my previous ‘08 View (after all the “glowing” things I’ve said about it above…ha!), here it is all cleaned up on Lichtsinn’s website!
Six years ago, I signed up for my very first T@B Trailer camping rally unaware of the long-lasting friendships that would result. That 2007 rally in Minden, Nebraska was a heck of a fun time, and it lead me and a fellow T@B owner, Judi, to host two of our own T@B rallies in the Midwest during the next year where we met and formed even more cherished camping friendships.
While some of us have long-since traded our T@Bs for different camping vehicles, and others have taken over the duties of planning and hosting these camping rallies, the group continues to grow and and welcome everyone who loves to share good food at a potluck or good laughs around the evening campfire.
T@Bbers enjoy the insides of their tiny campers, but enjoy spending time outside of them even more—whether it be reading a book or playing cards beneath their awning, cooking outdoors, going for a hike or a paddle, or chatting with friends around the campfire. This group isn’t into catered dinners, guided tourbus excursions, or annual board member elections. We’re casual, come as you are, do as you like…everyone is welcome and accepted.
But, even so, I still thought I’d better bring my T@B if I was coming to a T@B rally!
It fit in nicely with the real T@Bs at Rock Creek State Park (in central Iowa).
While I could have easily taken the View, I decided to push hard to get the Lynnebago van ready for its first campout. Accommodations were pretty minimal, but were surprisingly comfortable (the LynnieViews blog has full details on my initial Lynnebago camping gear). There wasn’t a whole lot from the View that I missed (other than the bathroom with hot shower!), but then again, the weather was absolutely ideal for camping—low 70’s during the day and upper 50’s at night.
It took me much longer to sort through all my camping gear and pack the van for the first time, but by 5:00pm, we were finally on the road and headed to Iowa!
I stopped to get some dinner to bring back to eat in the van and realized I had forgotten to bring a Table-Mate tray table. But my new AC/DC cooler fridge was tall enough to serve as a handy side table when my driver’s seat was swiveled around. The passenger seat also made a nice footstool!
We arrived to the campground just before 11pm. Fortunately (or not), there were still some loud campers partying so my Sprinter diesel did not wake up the neighborhood. The van was easy enough to level with just one of my Tri-level ramps set beneath the rear wheel.
For my fancy electrical needs, I simply threw a long extension cord out the back door of the van and plugged it into the standard household socket on the campsite’s electric post. On the other end of the cord inside the van, I plugged in a basic multi-outlet power strip. Pretty simple!
Most of my stuff could run either off the AGM battery except for a ceramic heater (which I only needed to use one morning for a few minutes), and this lovely rope light that I ran around the ceiling line of the van to give the Hillbilly Hilton a more upscale look!
Outside, the next morning, I put up my new PahaQue screenroom to add another 100 square-feet of living space. Millie considered it her new dog house and enjoyed napping in there all day long.
Once camp was set up, I took Millie down to the lake to do what she loves to do best….swim!
Our nice garden flag post from my camper friend, Judi, made a nice place to hang Millie’s water toy to dry out!
On Saturday morning, the camp rally’s host, David, wanted to take me paddling to the northern section of Rock Creek. We had talked about doing this for a few years but I had never managed to make it to the Rock Creek rally until now. But this time I was ready and brought my inflatable Sea Eagle in the back of the van. I proudly got it out and ready to start pumping up when I realized I had forgotten to bring one critical element-- my paddle. ARGH!!!
Not to worry, though. David ran up to the concession stand, and the the gal that runs it scoured the storage room to find one lone, neglected kayak paddle in the back. That’ll do! We finally got onto the water around 9 am and had a wonderful 3-hour paddle across a beaver dam and up into the far narrows of the creek seeing lots of birds, raptors, and water fowl along the way.
Back at camp, it was time to prepare for the evening potluck dinner. Skies were threatening all afternoon, and my little Weber grill cooked my grilled veggies a bit slower than anticipated, but we managed to get the dish delivered as the first few raindrops started falling. The rain then stopped long enough for us to all enjoy our dinner and share a few laughs.
While crowded with lots of “weekend warrior” campers, the park was delightful and relaxing, especially in the early morning for Millie’s first walk of the day.
I left the rally on Sunday to head back towards the Quad Cities to camp overnight with my good T@B friend, Judi. On the way, I stopped to take a quick drive through the Grinnell College campus in Grinnell, IA where my grandfather had once taught back in the 1940’s and preached at their nice chapel. What a pretty little campus! It reminded me a lot of my alma matter, Stephens College.
We arrived to Scott County Park and found Judi waiting with her terrific little white stealthy Sportsmobile in a peaceful camping loop called Pine Grove. We did not let a few rain drops or a few thousand buffalo gnats deter us from a fun visit. We each took turns sitting in each other’s new van, and by evening, the rain and gnats had subsided and we were able to sit around my little LP campfire to talk the night away.
The next morning, Millie and I awoke to a magical fog that had settled into our cozy camp.
We said our goodbyes mid-morning and by the time we headed across the Mississippi river at Clinton, Iowa and back into Illinois, the sun was shining on a beautiful day.
My master naturalist class has recently been studying tall grass prairies, so I decided to stop at Nachusa Grasslands near Dixon, Illinois, a restored prairie run by The Nature Conservancy. No “prairie dogs” allowed, so Millie had to stay in the van.
It’s still a bit early in the season for the prairie flowers to bloom of grasses to get super tall, so I hope to return later this summer to do more exploration and photography. A lovely place, that gives one a real sense of what Illinois must have looked like before John Deere’s steel plow got a hold of it!
We meandered along the back roads all the way home (getting well over 20 mpg to boot!). A restorative long weekend for both Lynne and Millie, and successful maiden voyage for the Lynnebago!
