hello folks,
i chimed in a short while back with my big news of scoring a 13' CT from southern Cal and lots of hopes and dreams for bringing it up to spec. let me step back and say the one i really wanted in New York (which had been modified and had a real flush SeaLand toilet/bathroom to replace the front bunk area) - had just been
sold - right as i got up the nerve to buy something across the country.
well, it became quite the drama.
i got over losing the New York CT, and i drove 8 hours down to Riverside, CA to pick one up with guarantees of
Title and everything just peachy and the CT needing only a little TLC. well, i got there and it was now dark. luckily i had a mag
light and i could see it would need some work - but overall i was pleased as it was still a good deal. so the kid selling his grandparent's CT, says he couldn't find the
title after all... WHAT???? the listing said "Title In Hand!" ughhhh! i should have just turned around then ... but he was mellow and reassuring and i had already done all of my homework knowing that with a bill of sale, contact info and a
VIN number we could do the paperwork retroactively ... dummy. i decide to go for it thinking with my heart not my head. hell, i borrowed a V8, spent a TON on gas just for the trip, i knew i wasn't going to make the trip again, and honestly - the kid in me said there was no way i was leaving empty handed! i'd sort it out later. well, we go to hook it up and no
lights ... ok, so what the heck? he says i could go get a temporary add-on set and i'm like "its 10pm - nothing is open and i need to be at work in the morning." we turn out his garage and i found a set - he says "i'll sell them to you." now i am quite, well - pissed off (pardon my French) ... i said "how about no, you should have checked this, we hook up something that works, and i'll send them back to you?" (yeah right) ... as i was already walking out of the garage with
lights in hand. i hooked it up, paid, and got out of there.
i got the little fella home and still had many challenges ahead. i live in a tiny condo and am not allowed to park it in our lot, storage in the tiny town of Monterey is astronomical, and i bought this as a hobby egg knowing it would need a few weekends of work to get it up to my standards (but where to do it?) ... not to mention the impending
Title fun at the DMV ...
i spent days on the phone with the DMV and printed 5 different forms to legitimize the transaction, typed them all out, put little stickies with the "Sign Here" where his grandmother needed to sign, FedExed it with a SASE for an easy return, and .... then he moved out of state, took the cash, turned off the phone numbers and ... here i was with my 13' paper
weight. although despondent, i still spent weekends working on it getting it prepped for general use and for some serious
renovation hoping all would work out. one afternoon, so frustrated and with nothing to lose, i threw my hands up, walked into the DMV with everything i had to show for (a wrinkled bill of sale), and told the lady the entire story. she looked at me for a long time ... like i just landed on earth and finally said "here fill this out - and write everything you just said down in the section that says 'Other'." i was like "are you serious - i just tell my story and that counts?" feeling traction for the first time during this whole ordeal - i was cautiously optimistic now. i handed over the papers and she told me to give her some money and handed me a receipt and said the Title would arrive in 2-4 weeks and the PTI was renewed! i couldn't believe it was that easy. i think i scared her. 7 days later i was holding a brand new Title with my name on it!
as the first part of the saga drew to a close, the night after i went to the DMV, i got a phone call from New York... it was the fella who was selling the original CT 13' with the bathroom modification! yep, his buyer flaked and he remembered i really wanted it so he gave me first dibs. feast or famine! now i am looking at the possibility of having 2 CT's when i thought it would take forever to just get one! talked to my wife saying it would be easy to sell the first one, since we are in Central Cal and folks would come from north or south for it, realistically with my work travel it would take a while longer than anticipated to do my
renovation and most important was i still dont have a home or a garage to do it nicely. we decided to go for it!
i bought the NY CT and now my challenge was how to get it here. welcome to the world of vehicle transportation ... what a nightmare! i was immediately scammed by a bunch of crooks and lost money on a contract that was fake while waiting for weeks for someone to pick up the U Haul in vain. i finally found a really nice Irish transportation broker and he found me a nice trucker who would pick up my "wee lettle trayylurrrr" as the Broker referred to it in his heavy Irish accent. i had even considered driving out and renting one-way but the cost was just so ridiculous.i even discussed a crazy idea with our fellow egger here on the forums (Roy in TO) to meet half way as he wanted a VT in Nor Cal - but it got snapped up before he could make the deal.
finally a month after buying the NY CT, it arrived - and the trucker cut my distance in half when he realized how far i was going to pick it up from him and he had a drop off closer to me. BONUS! finally things were going my way! all the while folks at my office were catching egg fever too since it was all i was talking about. so much so that a couple of folks were wondering what i was doing with the first CT i bought ... so, it is now sitting at the home of one of the girls i work with and she has decided with her husband that they want it. meanwhile, this weekend - i took CT #2 out on its first trip to Big Sur and though i still haven't sorted out the water and
propane - we had a total blast!!!
the bathroom is such a HUGE plus for my wife and i (no kids yet) and now that the hard work is done (black tank, plumbing, etc.) i plan to glass up the interior of the bathroom, add a shower pan, a vent, and even add the little corner sink to make it complete. we love our little egg!
whew.
so, once again ... (re-)presenting (the 2nd Edition of) ... Thee Bald Eggle:
after a long journey to it's new home ...
"Baldie" at the (temporary) nest:
Looks like the curtains and cushion covers are all original!
view of the bathroom mod - awesome!
The Bac Pac (SOLD)
The Bac Pac (v.2) (SOLD)
The Bald Eggle (SOLD)
The Den
Bigfoot Silver Cloud
Howie - now sold
i am trying to be minimalist, but i agree that having a little bit of everything makes up completely self-contained and i plan to do a lot of 
Bean
"Suite Escape"
"OSOKOZY"
Bada Bing
Linear Mode
