Before buying the Winnebago ERA I looked at this unit. I really liked it and loved the layout.

Problem is that is was bigger than I wanted based on the kind of travelling I want to do.

I am a traveller and want to explore the back roads and country roads of North America.

I won't be parking in campgrounds week after week ... just not my thing.

The other major concern was that I would probably have to tow another vehicle behind me.

After considering all the pros and cons I selected the Winnebago ERA. It should meet my needs

for a few years ... once I get the travelling out of my system maybe then I will look at the larger

motorhome.

This was my first night camping in the RV on the road.

Found a vacant lot ... pulled in and set up for the night.

I have been reading the blog of another Class B RV owner and traveller. He has posted some interesting and informative posts in his blog. I thought, before I actually start my big trips that I would start something similar. Describing and detailing some of the features ... pro and con ... of my RV.

The main reason that I purchased the Class B, sometimes referred to as a van conversion, is because I am a traveller. I do not consider myself a camper at all. I can't see myself parked at a campsite somewhere, sitting in front of a campfire and toasting marshmallows over the open fire. I'm sure that it is a lot of fun ... it is just not my thing.

Before purchasing the Winnebago ERA I looked at some smaller Class A RV's. If I want to travel and explore the back roads of North America and the little town and villages ... then I need to be able to manoeuvre my unit. And the biggy ... I don't want to have to tow a vehicle (referred to as a "toad"in RV circles) around behind me.

After doing some research over the past several years I finally settled on the Winnebago ERA. It is 24 feet long ... only 7 feet longer than my Sienna van was. It is quite a bit taller at 10 feet. I'll talk more about that later. And it is only 6'4" wide. Not much wider than an SUV or van today. With just a little bit of a learning curve I found it is very drivable and I can manoeuvre it almost anywhere I can take my car. Even a Tim Hortons drive thru ... which is important as any good Canadian knows.

I have taken several small trips over the past few months. Kind of a shake down for the ERA to work out any bugs. Since I am a first time RV owner ... I had to learn a lot about the workings of the equipment ... both in the RV and the Mercedes/Sprinter chassis.

DEF ... does anyone know what the heck DEF is?? I didn't ... at least not till I had a warning light come on while travelling in Kentucky in December last year. When you are hundreds of kilometres from home, driving a new vehicle and a warning light comes on ... it's time to panic. Out comes the manual and after some frantic searching I find out the the new diesel engines require a Diesel Exhaust Fuel to help reduce emissions. I do recall the technician mentioning this when I first took delivery of my new ERA ... but I was on information overload and didn't remember. Thanks goodness for Walmart. A quick trip to the local Walmart and I purchased the necessary DEF and filled the tank. It is suppose to last for about 5000-6000 kilometres.

Overall all I have enjoyed my RV experience to date. I am planning to leave tomorrow on another little trip. I'll be gone for 4-6 days depending on the weather.

Over the next few weeks I will post more information on my experiences and the RV as I prepare for my first major travel adventure. My Maritime and Newfoundland Adventure. I will be gone for 2-3 months.

Till next time.

Located in Windsor, Ontario overlooking the Detroit River

and the Detroit Skyline.

To see more of my Lake Erie Shore Trip click the link below:

http://www.pbase.com/karsty/the_lake_erie_shore_trip

I was parked along the Niagara Parkway in Niagara Falls overlooking the upper Niagara River. It was a beautiful relaxing day ... except for the families that were celebrating some soccer game that their country just won. Why do grown adults find it necessary to yell and scream like little girls??

Here I was parked at a friends in Long Lake, NY. It is an excellent location along the route to Saranac Lake and Lake Placid for an overnight stop if one is so inclined.