Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Kuwait City, Kuwait on March 31st.

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Goodbye Sherman... it was a great run!

Yesterday, we drove an hour and a half away to drop off Sherman to his new owners. The drive was fine, and he didn't let us down on his very last day with us. Rather than being sad, all I could think about while driving was "please don't break down now, buddy!"

And we are not sad. The time had come, and we knew it. But, we sure do have lots of memories... and photos! In fact, if I go into our photos file and search for "Sherman", 1,400 photos are displayed. Sherman has to be the most photographed motorhome on the internet!

The first time we met Sherman was on August 19th, 2007, So, almost 13 full years ago! When we picked him up, he had 25,000 miles (40,000 kms) on the odometer. Driving him yesterday, the odometer was reading 134,500 miles (216,000 kms).

The first day we met Sherman. August 19, 2007.

We paid $12,500 USD for him at the time. We thought it was a great deal! But, we bought him in New York state and had to "import" him to Canada. The exchange rate was a little better back then, but by the time all was said and done and he was licensed and driveable in Canada, we had $16,500 CAD into him. Still, a great deal considering we put 109,500 miles (175,000 kms) on his clock and still managed to sell him for $6,500 CAD. Of course there was also a lot spent on repair and maintenance along the way!

And what adventures he took us on. We weren't gentle with him... we bought him to be used, and use him we did!

A little bit of winter camping.

But we quickly learned that RV's are not suitable to survive a Canadian winter. I know, a lot of people try to do it (and there will likely be many new ones attempting it this coming winter!) but it's not for us. I remember in the photo above that it got down to -10C (14F) that night. Brrr!

We learned that Sherman likes Mexico winter temperatures better, so he spent 11 winters taking us to all 32 Mexican states.

Sherman, in Baja California, Mexico.

Boondocking in Mexico.

He also took us to most of Canada. He was in nine provinces and two of the three northern territories. Our only regret is that we never made it to Newfoundland with Sherman.

Sherman in New Brunswick in late March 2011. We were headed up to Nova Scotia early in the season to be there for the birth of our grandson Cameron on April 1st of that year.

Sherman at Meat Cove, Nova Scotia.

Sherman, overlooking Mexico's Copper Canyon.

Sherman saw many fantastic sunsets.

And of course we were all over the United States. We are pretty sure that he made it to 48 of the 50 states. Obviously he never made it to Hawaii, but we also think he never made it to Rhode Island!

Sherman, at Quartzite, Arizona.

Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

He took us to lots of wonderful places, but the most epic trip was definitely the journey to the Arctic Ocean. 2018 was the first summer that you could drive that far north in Canada. They had completed a gravel road that led to the village of Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean, and we decided we wanted to use it the first summer it was open.

Sherman at the Arctic Circle.

He made it!

Including the trip back, we did 1,700 kms (1,050 miles) of dirt roads... in varying states of repair. I bet there is still some Dempster Highway mud on his undercarriage!

And here is our final picture of Sherman, parked at his new owners place in Quebec...

Our final picture of Sherman.

Goodbye Sherman... it was a great run!

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And in Canada...



28 comments:

  1. Who knows maybe one day your paths will cross again.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The memories always excite, but the future is exciting.
    After all these wonderful years, you guys are on to a new adventure.
    Do it while you can.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we always love looking back at our pictures and having wonderful memories of certain places, times and people but we are always looking ahead and never sure what new experiences we might encounter.

      Life is wonderful and we always want to live it to it's fullest. :-)

      Delete
  3. Fue una buena época. Y ustedes buenos dueños. Lo cuidaron y le dieron mantenimiento. Saludos amigos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fue un buen momento y conocimos a tantos amigos maravillosos en el camino que no te habríamos conocido si no hubiera sido por Sherman. Extrañaremos verlos a ambos durante algunos años mientras viajamos por Europa, pero no se preocupen, volveremos a México. :-)

      Delete
  4. We had hopes to get our RV to Newfoundland this summer...Instead we've been working on our back uard.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. COVID sure squashed many people's plans this year but the nice thing about all of this is that Newfoundland will still be there for next years adventures. It just means you have more time to plan the perfect trip. :-) That and the fact that you will have a great looking backyard!

      Delete
  5. What new adventure are you on now? I have not read your posts for a few months.-Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have tickets to fly to London, England in October and then on to Germany where we are going to buy a motorhome. We haven't decided yet whether we will just buy one and put into storage for the winter and then come back and use it next spring or to start using it right away. Our plans aren't set in stone yet, so many things can change before then.

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. It was a little sad and we had great adventures in Sherman, however we knew we wanted to travel abroad and explore Europe and Sherman was just not part of that plan. It was better to sell him now than to have him sitting around doing nothing for a couple of years.

      Delete
  7. goodbye Sherman. What great travels you had.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Barry and Jeannie and yes, we sure had some great travels with Sherman and you were both part of that one winter down in Mexico. :-)

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  8. What great adventures you have had in Sherman and now onto the new adventures for you and Sherman. Thank you for the experience of staying with you in Sherman for a couple of weeks in 2016. Fun times.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We sure did have some great adventures. Sherman was always up to the challenge that we set before him.

      We are glad that both you and Tony were part of those adventures, even if it was only for a short time. Too bad that you never got to make it down to Mexico with us though.

      Delete
  9. We will look back at your blogs and remember Sherman fondly! He is the most traveled RV I think in the past 13 years!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sure we will do the same over the years. The blog is great for that! We think he is a well traveled motorhome too, maybe not the MOST travel but he is definitely up there. :-)

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  10. Think of all the wonderful people you have met along the way. We were hoping for one last look but everything that has come down kept that from happening. As I said in another post, good food, good friends and great conversations! A bottle or two of scotch went down between us as well. Too much fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, we sure did meet a lot of people over those 13 years! We would never have met you and Juan if it hadn't been for Sherman. We are sad that things didn't come together this winter to meet up with you both but we have many fond memories of eating, drinking and laughing in Sherman. :-)

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  11. He has been an amazing companion...I remember the day I sold Ramona felt like you..lucky for me she is only five blocks away and I can see her when ever...safe travels and adventures..les

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sherman certainly has been a fantastic companion. We will miss him but at least we have the blog and our pictures over the years to fondly remember him by. You are lucky that you still have Ramona close by.

      Delete
  12. Hope the new owners have as many adventures with Sherman as you did. Sort of gonna miss the old guy. ;c)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We hope that they will too but I doubt they will be quite as adventurous as ours but you never know!

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  13. We too are sad to hear that Sherman will no longer be tooling around the wilds of Mexico with you two. At least we were fortunate and honored enough to have been a small part of the good old days. I constantly dream of the fun we had with the three of you. Wishing you the best in your continuing adventures sans Sherman.

    Jim, Gail and Weenston

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sure he will miss his nice mild winters in Mexico, unless of course his new owners decide to take him there sometime in the future. Sherman had a great run in Mexico and he saw so much but we really think he is best suited for shorter travel trips. It was definitely the right time to part ways knowing that we were wanting to travel through Europe for a couple of years.

      We are glad that you and Gail were part of the our adventures in Mexico and that you got to travel with the legendary Sherman. :-)

      We hope you are both doing well. Give Weenston a hug and pet for us.

      Delete

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