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Although we purchased the Bounder in early July, we didn’t actually have it in our hands until August 21st.   The folks we bought it from drove it to Camper Clinic in Rockport, Texas for a thorough check  (that we paid for).   Once we decided to buy it, we left it with Camper Clinic to have all the systems and appliances checked and serviced, as well as having it cleaned inside and out.  Then it went to the Ford Truck Center to have the engine checked and then to a place in Corpus Christi to have the generator cleaned and serviced.  Sunday, the day we actually moved into it, was Terry’s first chance to drive it.  The length of it is a bit intimidating, but the secret is to just “keep it between the lines!” 

Sunday night was also our first night in the Bounder.  The only difficult moment was figuring out how to start the hot water heater.  In our last camper (circa 1976), the pilot light had to be lit from the outside.  Terry managed to find the hot water heater panel and open it, but could not find any place to light the pilot light.  Her computer adage, “when in doubt, read the manual,” applied in this situation as well.  She discovered that the new systems have an electronic ignition, but the challenge was to find the “on” button.  Tired after a long day, and looking forward to a hot shower, she overcame her reluctance to call the previous owner. 

“Go stand in front of the stove,” she was directed.  There at eye level was the “on” button.  A flick of the button and the hot water heater lighted up.

Rain dampened preparations and delayed our departure by an hour or so.  In fact, Gerry got pretty well soaked getting the outside hookups disconnected and stowed, and then again hooking up the tow bar and Saturn. 

Rain was pretty much a constant companion the whole day, some heavy downpours, but all the traffic slowed down considerably then.  We had hoped to make it through Dallas traffic and we did, hitting only a few spots that slowed to a crawl.  We debated whether to go right through the city or to take the beltway around.  Since we hit the beltway just before five o’clock, we opted to take it.  An hour or so out of Dallas at Melissa, Texas we found a nice RV park right off the highway with pull through sites.  That way we didn’t even have to disconnect the Saturn.

Since Terry already has a laptop, we decided to try the DeLorme Earthmate GPS receiver that attaches to a serial port.  The software comes with it, but we bought their AAA Map&Go software because of the printing features.  The sound is kind of garbled, but otherwise served us well.