A "Pleasureway" Journey to Remember – Part One
By: Agnes and Jean Claude Levesque
Who would have thought that a weekend tent camping trip to Long Beach on Vancouver Island with dear friends would become the opening chapter to a new adventure!
On a warm and wonderful weekend in May of 2006 we decided not to take our RV with us to Long Beach because it didn’t fit well into the beachside camping space that we had reserved. So off we went with our car stuffed to the gunnels with gear and our old tent.
For fifteen years my hubby and I had adventured around Canada and the USA in our 25-foot Class C motorhome gathering many incredible memories and enjoying all the comforts of our spacious home on wheels. However, as Lady Luck would have it, that was all to change. Thanks to Shannon Charlesworth, our incredible sales representative at Arbutus RV in Port Alberni, we now have at least another fifteen years of "wheeling" adventures ahead of us in our "new to us" Pleasureway Lexor TS.
On that trip to Long Beach several van conversions were seen snuggled into the beachside sites and were the envy of us aging "tenters". Around the campfire we chatted about various ways to get out and enjoy nature including the pros and cons of the various methods and the numerous motorized options available which included all the comforts of home. In the conversation someone mentioned that there was a new Arbutus RV Sales location in Port Alberni.
As luck would have it, hubby and I decided to stop by and see this "new" location on our return trip home. Having now spent a weekend in a tent and smelling like the campfire, we ventured, with trepidation, into Port Alberni and using the verbal directions given to us by a friend we attempted to find the dealership. We were unlucky and so after awhile we decided to head home to hot showers. But Lady Luck intervened and turning the corner there was Arbutus RV. Driving in we spotted a Pleasureway van conversion sitting front and center. 
Now, for several years we had admired these units but for a variety of reasons we never could part with our 25-ft. motorhome. But once again we decided to have a good look at this dynamic vehicle.
Thanks to Lady Luck, on June 7th…lucky 7, we became the happy owners of that incredible little bundle of adventure!
I never dreamed that a van conversion unit could pack in all the comforts of our older and larger model RV and then some. We now sit back on the rear sofa at the end of a day, snug in our chariot on wheels enjoying refreshments and catching up on a movie or news of the day on our LCD television. (Some day I’ll tell you about the first time we discovered the "surround sound", but I digress.)
As both of us were newly retired, we decided to plan an adventure for late summer and fall that would take us over 17,000kms from Ladysmith to Halifax wending our way across our incredibly beautiful and expansive country to the Atlantic and then returning through the mid-section of the USA following routes we had never ventured upon before. Our experiences refreshed old memories as we revisited some sites we had explored in the past and brought us endless new memories of places newly ventured.
 I would like to share some of those memories with you all as you set out on your own memory making adventures. Before I begin to tell you of special highlights we found I would like to share a few highlights regarding our Pleasureway 2004 model vehicle. In comparison to our older model RV we found many delightful bonus points and although I am still fiercely loyal to the memories of our older model, I truly enjoy all the pleasure we are getting from our new RV.
Firstly, our expenditures on gas were much less and with today’s prices that was the biggest bonus on such a long journey. Of course, by returning through the USA we enjoyed much cheaper gas prices.
Secondly, we could and did now enjoy all those cozy little camping spaces often right on the lake or river edge that we would have had to pass up in the past. Moreover, we often "dry camped" without hook ups as our little rig could easily go three or more days self-contained. No need to have power hook up, and our tanks for water and waste saw us through with ease. In fact we found that tanking up with mountain water before leaving Jasper area, we made it all the way to the shores of Lake Winnipeg before we need to test the "prairie" drinking water.
Cable hook-ups? We never once paid to watch TV. Up went the aerial and we could often get at least 4 channels.
Our on board bathroom with all the amenities was of course a treat. No more jaunts into the wild blue yonder with flashlight in hand in the night. The privacy provided by the unique door system is prefect for morning ablutions and showers.
For packing in everything we needed. I can attest that we had more than ample room for all our treasured inclusions. We used a duvet for the bed and pillows once placed in shams became sofa cushions. The rear sofa became an electric king sized bed. Many a night I had to search around to see if hubby was nearby. Far more room than we had in the past and we each had a window to open for fresh air at night and if we chose, we put up the blinds and watched the stars. Oh how beautiful the stars are on a cool crisp autumn night far from the city in a beautiful park.
The cupboards and fridge are more than generous in size and we could go for over a week without replenishing our supplies. The kitchen sink and two- burner stove proved perfect for our needs and breakfast coffee could be quickly prepared and enjoyed as we sat out under the awning watching the sunrise. The microwave provided soups and steamed veggies done to perfection on "lazy supper" nights. We carried a portable barbecue/campstove and tank under the rear bed and used it almost everyday to prepare meals. We also purchased a campstove oven to make roasts, or cakes or pies when the urge arose. Best of the entire oven made the BBQ self-cleaning. By the time the cake was baked, the barbecue section that it sat upon was clean as a whistle!
My hubby would tell you that the best part of this Pleasureway for him, is the comfort and ease of driving. He loves the comfortable seats and the driving was a pleasure…he should know…I never once could pry him away from the driver’s seat so I have yet to have the experience!
Enough about our Pleasureway. Our camping accommodation has never been better. |
