Everyone Has a Story

 

I am a sucker for a good story. And I am convinced that everyone has a story worth sharing. I might also add, many things have a story worth sharing too.

While it would be foolish to make a major purchase based solely on its narrative, I must admit, it made me love this rig even more.

The day we went to see the coach for the first time, Geoff and I played our separate roles. Geoff walked around the exterior of the coach with the truck mechanic to learn the inner workings of a diesel pusher. And I made small talk with his wife. One question at the forefront of my mind was ... why did a 20-year-old rig have only 28,500 miles on it? Come to find out, there's a very good reason.

Photo credit: Thomas Hawk @Flickr

This coach was originally owned by Mickey Gilley - the country music star and proprietor of the famous Gilley's Bar from the movie, Urban Cowboy. He also remains a popular attraction in Branson, MO. He bought the coach to use as his dressing room --  and to allow others performing at his theater to use it as well.

Now I'm not into country music, but I still found the story fascinating!

This couple purchased the coach in 2017. They, like us, were recently retired and planned to tour the country in a Class A motorhome. However, life threw them a curveball.

In 2018 the wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. She fought hard and in a year, she was ready to hit the road again. Only to learn six months later she had developed lung cancer. 

She is now cancer-free but does not feel comfortable leaving her family (or her doctor) for long periods of time. They made the difficult decision to sell this RV (and their dream) in order to embrace a new reality.

While we typically don't name our vehicles, this special purchase seemed worthy of the honor.

We wanted something personal - meaningful - with a little bit of whimsy.

The idea for a blog came first. While we have enjoyed living in Kansas all these years, we are tired of the cold winters. And we want to see more of the country while we still have our health and energy. We're Not in Kansas Anymore seemed the natural fit.

I love alliteration and the moniker Travelin' Totoros seemed perfect. Simple, direct, with a touch of fun.

I thought about naming the rig Gilley. Not only would it honor the original owner, but it also happens to be the name of my golden retriever grandpup! However, I wasn't sure the grandpup (or her parents) would feel as honored. 😊

Then I remembered Geoff's frat brothers nicknamed him Toto. Not so much after the Oz pooch but rather the 70s band:

All the pieces seemed to fit together nicely to begin a new chapter of the story.

The Travelin' Totoros with their two rescue dogs crisscrossing the country in an RV named Toto.

Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?