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As you know by now, we decided back in August to become full-time RVers with the intent of traveling around North America for about the next 3-5 years, along the way seeing every U.S. National Park (and some Canadian parks too) and traveling to all 50 states (yes, some Canadian provinces as well). If you know anything about an Airstream Basecamp 16x, then you know that two people, all their stuff, and a 90-pound Labrador Retriever are not going to make it very far for very long in one. So we decided to sell the Basecamp and buy a 30′ Airstream Flying Cloud (wanna know why?)
When we visited the Airstream dealer in Denver, David asked if they had any suggestions for us regarding how to sell the Basecamp. Their only suggestion was that we post an ad on Facebook Marketplace. As we drove away, we both scoffed at that idea and David promised to do his usual internet research to find the best places to sell RVs.
When we were ready, we deep cleaned the interior of the Basecamp, hand washed, dried, and shined up the exterior, found a nice empty lot off Cerrillos for a photo shoot, and then placed paid advertisements on all the big used RV websites. And, just to rule out the ridiculous concept of a Facebook ad, we created a new Facebook account for a person named Al Denty so that Mr. Denty could place a Facebook Marketplace ad for the Basecamp. Then we waited for the flood of calls, emails, and texts.
As we are sure you’ve guessed by now, the paid advertisements were a complete waste of money. Instead, we were contacted through Facebook Marketplace by a super nice couple from El Paso, one of whom is a Major/Chaplain in the Army. After corresponding on the phone, email, and text, we came to an agreement on price and agreed to meet midway between El Paso and Santa Fe at the Super Walmart in Socorro, New Mexico.
We arrived early and unhooked Al from the truck for the last time while we waited for the new owners to arrive. When they did, they were so excited about the purchase that we are not 100% sure that they paid that much attention to David as he tried to give them a complete walkthrough of the trailer and its systems, just as Madison had done for us when we picked it up from Airstream of Utah.
They also probably thought we were acting a bit strangely, which we were. This was our first time indoors (imagine four people in a Basecamp) maskless with people we didn’t know in quite a long time. Nevertheless, once the walkthrough was complete and we helped them hook Al Denty their Basecamp up to their 4Runner, it was time to say goodbye. It was bittersweet and Donna and David both caught each other taking one last look at Al as we left the parking lot. But we were so happy to know that the Basecamp was going to a good home with some super duper nice people.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: We mutually followed each other on Instagram, and it is clear that the Basecamp went to a great home. The new owners are absolutely enjoying it and taking it to wonderful new places, making new memories, and having great new experiences. We hope to meet up with them sometime down the road.]
But that’s not where this trip report ends, because on the way down to Socorro we spotted a sign for something called Salinas Pueblos Missions National Monument. Donna looked it up during the drive and it seemed like someplace we would both be very interested to see so, after trying (and failing) to find someplace with gluten-free food in Socorro, we headed off to see the National Monument. We are so glad we did!
As we said in our Instagram post, the Monument is several sites that contain the ruins of 17th-century Spanish missions, preserving the history and heritage of the Pueblo societies and Spanish missions of Abó, Gran Quivira, and Quarai, which continue to stand as reminders of a time when the cultures of the American Indians and the Spanish converged. Although we did not make it to every site in the Monument (did we mention the rain and thunder?), it was a fascinating visit and highly worth the trip if you’re in New Mexico.
From Salinas Pueblos National Monument, we pointed the truck North toward Santa Fe and continued to plan what to do with all of our “stuff,” how and when to move out, and all of the other details involved with preparing to become full-time nomads.
Total Miles: 140 (for a grand total of 16,000 miles traveled with the Basecamp)
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