Second Vehicle IV: A Ray of Hope

Hmmm. Maybe a motor scooter isn't such a bad idea after all. I surf the web looking at scooters. Honda has nothing that really fits my situation, but Yamaha does: the Vino 125. Bigger engine than a moped, but smaller than a motorcycle. A practical compromise — enough power and speed for my needs, no more.

So I pay a visit to the Yamaha dealer in South Minneapolis, find the Vino and sit on it. Feels good! Looks good. Seems like a pretty good match for the Travel Adventure. I talk with a young salesman, Pete, (all names have been changed) who is amiable and helpful, and go home to think about it.

How would I bring this thing along? A carrier rack for the back of the RV is out of the question for anything this heavy — it would pull the back of the RV down. So I search for trailers. They come as fancy as you could want, upwards of thousands of dollars, but I want something small, simple, and appropriate to the task. Finally, I find one for around $500 shipped, but it would arrive as a box of parts and have to be assembled. When would I have time to do that? In the hot sun? Does this make any sense? I decide to think about it.

A couple of days later, I am struck with a Ray of Hope. Suddenly, it does make sense! Yes, I can do it! Yes, this is it! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Inspired, I revisit the Yamaha dealer, where I find that Pete is out sick that day, and Ralph can help me, but he's with another customer right now. OK, I sit on the Vino some more and wait. And wait. And wait. I go looking for Ralph and find that he's still in animated conversation with his customer, and shows no sign of acknowledging my existence on Planet Earth. So I inquire at the desk if someone else could help me, and follow Stu to his desk.

Stu is an amazing sight. It's only June, the season has barely begun, and already he's bored with selling motor scooters and motorcycles. He leans back in his chair, puts his hands behind his head, yawns, and answers my questions, but has no intention of selling me a Vino. I leave.

What's wrong with this picture? Don't they want to make sales? Don't they want to make money? Why would they brush off a person with a credit card in his pocket, ready to buy? My friends clued me in later. I don't fit the profile of their customers. I am, after all, a senior citizen.

Second Vehicle III: Reality Check

1. Bicycle. When my bicycle was stolen in St. Paul a few years ago, I said "Good riddance!" I hadn't been riding it ayway, so that simply concluded my lifetime of bicycling. Since I'm not in shape to ride a bicycle and it wouldn't be of much use for a day trip or going for help, it isn't really a good choice, which is too bad, because it's the easiest and cheapest option.

2. Moped. Next step up from a bicycle, and certainly better than pedaling, but how do you carry one? Google says racks are available to mount in a hitch receiver, but my RV doesn't have one of those. (I think my ancient RV was built before the hitch receiver was invented.)

3. Motor scooter. Ha ha, very funny. I had one of these when I was a teen and have always associated them with youth. Do I want to ride one as a retiree?

4. Small car. The possibilities are many, including a Geo Metro or a VW Golf, but the most interesting suggestions (thank you Riley) were a Porsche or a Mazda Miata. I leaned toward the Miata, due to better expected reliability, apparently towable with four tires on the road (if it has a manual transmission) and advantageously light weight for towing. (Dreams of riding around with the top down, admiring the Canadian Rockies...)

Reality check: Towing a car requires a class 3 or 4 hitch, meaning it's got heavy steel connections to the RV chassis. I looked at my RV hitch — it's just bolted to the bumper! D'oh! So towing a car would require fitting the RV with a big, expensive new hitch and outfitting a Miata with expensive towing hardware. Plus finding and buying a used Miata. Too much, too much.

Second Vehicle II: The Possibilities

Over several days, the possibilities danced above my head.

1. Bicycle, carried on a rack on the back of the RV, as I have done before, so I know it works.

2. Moped, carried on a rack on the back of the RV? Don't know about this.

3. Motor scooter, carried how? Rack? Trailer? Don't know about this.

4. Car, towed behind the RV. I've never done this, but have seen cars being towed behind RVs.

Second Vehicle I: The Seduction

It hadn't occurred to me. It came in a friend's remark, "Gee, wouldn't it be nice to have a second vehicle along?"

Sure, it would be great. It would let me park the RV in a nice spot and be able to go to town for groceries or take a day trip. If I got stranded in the RV, I could go for help in the second vehicle.

It would be fun. It would add to the pleasure of the adventure. It would be the frosting on the cake.

Sightseeing in Minnesota

Starting to daydream about the trip.... beginning with Travels Across Minnesota to the North Shore. I must stop by Grand Marais and the Gunflint Trail.

What else to see in Northern and Central Minnesota? Your suggestions are welcome! In fact, I'm soliciting your ideas and suggestions. Please tell me about your favorite spots, restaurants, scenic overlooks, and fun things to see on a vagabond journey between Minneapolis and Grand Marais. (Leave a comment here, or go to my Profile and click Email.)

One Month to Launch!

Only one month left before setting off on the trip. So much to do....

Ripped out the aging car radio from the RV, now preparing to install a new Pioneer radio/CD player I bought on the web for $95. Tore up the old carpet (chartreuse shag, heavily saturated with 1970s nostalgia and cigarette smoke from the previous owners) and will soon lay down some new carpet I obtained for free from the Magic Dumpster in my apartment complex.