Travels With Charley

We started reading Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, and it made me realize, hey, Steinbeck's kind of funny. Also, hey, I'm ready to go on this road trip. Let's go!

Here's a couple of fine steeds we're reviewing on Craigslist as potential home away from home candidates:



The 24' Born Free President. 9500 smackers



A 1985 Minnie Winnie. $7000



A 1976 Winnabago. $2500



A 1976 American Clipper $5500. Pricy for something that old.

A 1977 Dodge Open Road Bulletproof! Could come in handy in a casino parking lot. $3800



The Bigfoot 9.5' Camper, $4900


Let the Vetting Begin. This here Bigfoot is OUT of the running. Because truck beds' width has changed, this puppy no longer fits in trucks less than a decade old. Thanks for playing!

However, the above American Clipper, "For many owners it is the motorhome of choice. The outside of the coach is made out of 5 monolithic pieces of fiberglass and with the proper maintenance these 24+ year old motorhomes can easily last another 20 years!"

Not only that, but the Clipper was invented by a guy named Irv Perch. Hard to beat that. According to a website devoted to the Clipper, "The American Clipper was built by the American Clipper Corporation in Morgan Hill, California between 1974 and 1980. Almost five thousand 21' American Clippers and twenty-five 24' American Clippers were built before the company went out of business in 1980. The American Clipper Corporation was founded and ran by Irv Perch, a man with a vision. ... Mr. Perch was recently inducted in the RV Hall of Fame. Currently, most American Clippers are still in great shape and continue to cruise the American, Canadian and Mexican highways.

A new candidate: another camper. $3,600


A simple and cheap camper with no bathroom, looks like. Will fit any small truck, so the ad says. $2500


Yet another nice camper, with a bathroom. This is the route Steinbeck went. I can't help wanting to be a little like him ...





Also, a 2004 Lance for $8500, an '89 Lance for $3,300, a 1998 shortie Lance for $5,900, a 1990 Lance for $5,600, a sweet 1982 Lance for $1,200. Now we're talking.