Getting our truck was no easy feat. We knew we wanted a Diesel Dually to pull our fifth wheel because of the towing power, engine break, and sheer fact that Diesels especially Diesel Dually’s do better. Something I was unaware of before we started the shopping process was how expensive trucks are. Holy Moly. A new Diesel Dually Truck was almost as much as our brand new trailer was. No way we were paying that much, so the hunt for the right used truck began. We searched high and low online and around Central Florida for a Dually Truck in the years of 08-09 (mainly because of body type, quality of accessories/features on the interior, and price). We found one truck that seemed perfect and was in Longwood (about 30 minutes from where we were parked) but it sold the day we arrived to check it out. So the search continued. Dennis found a truck in Benton, NC (small rural town about 45 minutes from Raleigh) that had a truck that had everything we were hoping for. We didn’t want to drive or fly up to NC just to check it out and discover it actually wasn’t in good shape, etc. so we asked one of Dennis’s friends who drives tractor trailers and often passes through Raleigh on his route. He was super knowledgable about diesel trucks and has a dually himself, so we felt confident if he gave it the green light that it was a solid truck. After Robert checked it out, we got the O.K. and booked a flight to Raleigh.
We found a cheap flight on Allegiant Air out of our local airport, which was nice because of the proximity. On our way to the airport we got an alert that said our flight was delayed because of weather. No biggie, let’s grab some dinner before we head out. Dinner was delicious but as we were leaving we got another alert that moved our flight back up to the original time! We had about 20 minutes to get to our flight. This meant we had to park at the airport (we wanted to take an Uber and park at a friends house nearby). We parked in the first lot we could find, which was rather expensive for overnight parking but there were no signs for additional parking. We “rushed” through security – we were the only people going through security and ended up sitting about 30 minutes before boarding. We totally had time to Uber but oh well. Our flight arrived late into Raleigh and we were fortunate enough to stay with a family friend who lived there.
The next day she took us to an awesome breakfast in downtown Raleigh, Big Ed’s. It was just the home town country breakfast we were hoping for. The food was delicious and you could tell this restaurant was the same as 40 years ago. It’s clearly a staple for locals in Raleigh. After breakfast she dropped us off in Benton so we could finalize paperwork and drive away with the truck. We had to wait about an hour for FedEx to arrive with the overnighted check from the bank, Alliant Bank (we suggest going with Alliant if you need a loan on a car/truck that has over 150,000 miles which is most banks limit). Unfortunately the check was for the wrong amount. We spent the next two hours frantically calling the loan officer at Alliant to get this fixed. We ended up being able to get the remaining amount owed on the truck sent to the dealership next day mail, and the dealership allowed us to walk with the car after getting proof the check was coming. All in all, we waited around at the dealership trying to solve the issue for 5 hours, but WE GOT THE TRUCK!
Because of the delay and frustration of the day, we decided to head back to Raleigh in our new truck and stay the night. What’s a girl and a guy to do after a long day of waiting, calling, and figuring-outing? Well grab a cold glass of beer of course! We found a bar nearby the home we were staying at, Hoppy Endings. It was a local bar and bottle shop that had an amazing variety and selection of craft beers and cocktails. We both enjoyed a $3 pint (Happy Hour of course) talked with some local guests then headed to a local Mexican Restaurant that had good reviews online but ended up being sub par to our standards (so we’re not mentioning the exact location here).
The next day we headed back to Florida. The drive took us about 10 hours with stops (including Savannah for dinner). We love Savannah and were super glad we got to stop in for dinner. It also made what we are doing, buying a truck so we can embark on a unknown ending RV trip across the US feel real. We were in North Carolina that morning, now in Savannah grabbing lunch, and later back in Florida. It made us realize this will be our new norm. We will be in all new places all the time! Dinner was killer! We stopped at Flying Monk Noodle Bar & got the Duck Ramen and a Vegetarian Noodle Dish from Singapore. Both were on par and gave us the fuel we needed to finish the 4 and half hour drive back to Sorrento.
It was definitely an exhausting three days and was way more challenging and time consuming than we expected but that’s life right. Twist and Turns and things pop up when you least expect or want them. It was weird at first to drive away in a truck that is so enormous, Dennis reminds me all the time “don’t forget you have a big ass”. Turns, parking, and backing up are all things you have to consciously be aware of as your doing them until you become acclimated to the size of this baby. Now that we’ve had our truck, “Giddy”, for about three weeks we’re getting used to driving her and are getting better each day. The next hurdle; driving Giddy with Mo attached. That’s a whole other story for another post. Hope you enjoyed reading about our adventure in getting Giddy!
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