My wife and I have a keen sense of Wanderlust. We're avid sailors; we want to see and sail the far reaches of this great country in our golden years. We plan to take our beautiful Anne Marie, a splendid Catalina 22 sailboat, tow it behind us and sail every inviting body of water we can find as we travel around the USA. And what better way to enjoy our travels than in our newest RV, a 43' luxury diesel pusher, a 2008 Country Coach Founders Edition Inspire 360 which we purchased in Sept 2012 and have named the Windseeker, also shown at the right. On the road just two years, it only had 16K miles on it and two years remaining on the platinum bumper-to-bumper warranty. Country Coach, originally one of the premier manufacturers of luxury motorhomes in the world over several decades, is still based in Junction City, Oregon, not too far from our home base.

For the past few years we have owned a couple different RV's, visiting lakes first in 2010 and 2011 with our smaller truck camper, and then in 2012 with our Gulf Stream Bounty Hunter, a unique 40' Motor Coach shown at the right. This Class A Motorhome was also a motorized toyhauler, and featured a unique 12' garage bay in the back. This way we were able to carry the perfect companion vehicle for this venture... a little Chevy Geo Tracker, the only 4WD car made which could fit snugly inside the garage bay of the coach, so we could carry it with us while towing our sailboat. With 4WD low range, the little Tracker could pull the Catalina up any boat launch ramp with ease. By all accounts, a pretty neat arrangement!

After 5 months of touring in 2012 we enjoyed the lifestyle so much we decided to take it to the next level. Everything in life is a compromise and we knew that the Gulf Stream was the only option where we could travel in one vehicle, tow the boat and carry a 4WD car on board. A larger, more luxurious motorhome, suitable for "full timing" would mean we would have to drive a separate car. After much discussion, we decided it was worth the tradeoff, and we sold the Gulf Stream and purchased the 2008 Country Coach Inspire 360 43' special "Founders Edition" at the right. We have the original full brochure online which lists all the great features of this amazing mega coach. Someone who saw the coach suggested it warrants having its own zipcode!

We decided we would have a lot more room in a larger motorhome with 4 slides, a spacious kingsize bedroom, larger kitchen, fridge, bath, etc. The Country Coach is designed for full time RVing and offers a commensurate level of quality, comfort, convenience and luxury. And we reasoned that if I drive the coach towing our Catalina sailboat , and my wife Libby drives our SUV, this will give us a more comfortable daily driver for local touring wherever we go, and one that can also comfortably tow the sailboat anywhere we want to go. And since most of the hops on our 2013 itinerary and 2014/15 itinerary are only a few hours apart, the issue of driving 2 vehicles is relatively small. We could also take non-boating side trips towing the right car.

So in October 2012 we decided that our future travels could be greatly enhanced if we upgraded our beloved Lincoln Aviator SUV to a flat-towable vehicle or 'dinghy' as they are referred to in motorhome circles. Reluctantly, we traded in the Aviator on a late model fully loaded Chevrolet Suburban 4x4 LTZ . Unlike the AWD Lincoln, the Suburban with with hi/lo 4WD is designed to be flat-towed behind our coach . We also needed something with a V-8 engine , strong enough to pull either boat through the mountains, with a comfortable ride for touring. And something large enough to carry our Hobie Outfitter Pedal Kayak and Thule Pod on top both for transport between lakes, and for kayaking day trips to local rivers and lakes... and to carry our bicycles on a hitch mount bike rack. For towing, I got the premium Roadmaster Blackhawk All-Terrain 2 tow bar & SMI Air Force One airbrake system installed... so now we have every option covered!

The Windseeker with its 10,000 lb. towing capacity is the ultimate Road Warrior, a super duty diesel pusher powered by a 9.3L C9 Caterpillar Diesel engine generating 425 HP and a massive 1350 ft-lbs of torque all covered by a 5 year, 200,000 mile factory warranty (till 2015). Windseeker was built to haul... but in almost decadent comfort. This is a true luxury Motor Coach built on a custom Dynomax air ride chassis featuring Holland/Neway double wishbone independent front suspension with IPD anti-sway bar, Koni shocks, large bus-style air springs, and air assisted ABS brakes coupled with a three stage exhaust brake. Power is delivered via the Caterpillar CX-28 6-speed transmission to the Ridewell drive/tag axle with ATC (Automatic Traction Control) running huge new steel-belted 295/80Rx22.5 Michelin tires on all eight alloy wheels.

This Country Coach land yacht's interior is designed to leave its wayfaring inhabitants wanting for little. It is 43' long and features 4 slides, two on the driver's side and two on the passenger side. Opposing 13' slides in front turns the main cabin of the coach into a very spacious 13' wide living room with an exceptionally comfortable floorplan. The front of the coach features two 6-way power leather captain's chairs, which can swivel all the way to the rear to add additional seating for the living area when parked. There is a kick out footrest for the passenger with a power step slide cover in front of the extra wide entry door, and two dozen overhead cabinets for plenty of storage. There are power sun shades on all front windows as well as driver and passenger side fans, a large power awning over the right side and window awnings on the other windows.

Behind the driver's seat is a desk and leather euro chair which I replaced with a custom king size ultra suede Lazyboy swivel rocker recliner, especially designed for the big boys. Behind that is the Corian® dining table which slides out of a side console, with 4 chairs and an adjacent hutch, for relaxed living in luxury. And with the side console the table doubles as a desk as well. Behind the passenger seat is an ultra leather convertible sofa and beyond that a large kitchen with double stainless sink, gas range, and ample counter space including a 3' slide out counter left of the stove top. There is a convection / microwave oven and a double door AC/Propane Norcold refrigerator. We also installed a new top-of-the-line Splendide combination washer/dryer next to the refrigerator in the hallway, making the coach completely self contained on the road.

The spacious main cabin has the very latest in electronic amenities. It features an upgraded 40" Sony Bravia LED 3D TV built into custom wood cabinetry above the dash and connected to a remote controlled Panasonic home theater system all wired in with the HD Dish Network satellite system and wifi internet capable Blu-ray player. There is also a surround sound CD stereo with 10 disc changer. Down the hallway past the kitchen, the bathroom is truly wondrous with a nice tall full sized hexagonal shower and sink on one side and a separate commode and sink across the hall. At the rear of the coach down the hall past the bathroom is the sliding door to the master bedroom which features a deluxe pillowtop king sized bed, mirrored closet, lots of cabinet space and a second 26'' HDTV with DVD Home Theater System.

Storage is always at a premium in RV life, and there is ample cabinet and closet space inside the coach to accommodate full time living, with large pass-through storage bins in the 'basement'. Our coach has three roof mounted air conditioners with heat pumps, two gas furnaces, 88 gallon fresh water tank and Aqua-Hot hot water heater with electric elements or diesel burner for an endless supply of hot water. The coach also employs rear and side backup cameras, HWH 4-point CAN automatic air leveling system, Garmin GPS navigation and a powerful 10 kW Onan diesel generator which can power all three A/C's, the microwave and various lights and other appliances. Also included is a 2000 watt Magnum inverter. A complete list of all installed features, taken from the factory brochure and highlighted in yellow, can be found here.

We also added a dual option Dish Network Satellite HD TV system with DVR, 4G Wifi Internet with Verizon, On-the-Go® Water Softener, onboard Viair 400P-RV tire inflation air compressor, and a Sanitaire Commercial Carpet Cleaner by Electrolux. We also installed a Hawkshead Talon Tire Pressure Monitoring system, and a ScanGaugeD Vehicle System Monitor. With our enhancements, this magnificent Country Coach offers plenty of comfort, luxury, convenience and utility. And loaded on the heavy duty road warrior Dynomax chassis and powertrain, it provides us with the ability to effortlessly cruise the U.S. highway system, with our Catalina sailboat in tow visiting as many lakes and waterways as we wish for the next decade and beyond. We have named our new coach the Windseeker, and designed a custom logo for the rear.

After a successful shakedown cruise with the Bounty Hunter in fall of 2011, we began our adventures in the late spring of 2012, setting out in the original Windseeker, sailboat in tow , to explore the great Pacific Northwest. We started with a month at Fernridge Reservoir in Oregon, and from there on to Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, Flathead Lake in Montana, and Lake Okanagan in B.C., before we returned to Hayden Island Marina for the fall sailing season on the Columbia River out of Portland OR. We wound up spending about a month in each place, but always remained flexible, never knowing where the wind might blow us! Therein lies the real adventure.

Our purchase of the new Country Coach prompted us to adopt a more conservative travel plan for 2013, one which kept us in the west, closer to home. Luxury also implies complexity, and we were just not familiar enough with this new coach to take off cross country yet. Having myriad Country Coach service options nearby in Oregon gives us a certain sense of confidence and security. So 2013 was a shakedown cruise with the Country Coach, towing the Suburban throughout the winter. On our 2013 itinerary we headed south through California and Arizona with our two indefatigable Westies to warmer winter weather. Then in spring we drove north to pick up the sailboat from storage and sail Clear Lake CA for a month before heading on to spend another summer at our favorite northwestern lakes, Fernridge, Coeur d'Alene, and Flathead.

In future years with the invaluable aid of the Active Captain's Interactive Cruising Guidebook, traveling in our new Country Coach, we'll set out with our two intrepid Westies to explore dozens of new lakes from coast to coast. In late 2014 we plan to have our boat transported the 3300 miles cross country to Florida while we head across in the coach to winter at Lake Monroe in central Florida near family. Our proposed 2015 itinerary will take us up the east coast with stops in Savannah GA, Charleston SC, and on to the Chesapeake Bay, Long Island NY, Lake George NY and the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway and up to Maine, perhaps, if time permits, before we head back down to Florida for another winter. Our proposed 2016 itinerary will take us up through the midwest and back down to Canyon Lake, Texas for the winter of 2016/17.

We feel most fortunate to have the time, health, energy, ability and the funds to live the dream. Traveling in our modest truck camper and then in our king size Gulfstream Bounty Hunter, we met many retired folks living in their motorhomes full-time as they travel around this great country. The lure of this joyous nomadic lifestyle was irresistible. Besides exploring all the wonderful lakes, we enjoy discovering new places and the incredible beauty this great country has to offer. Once we found this setup... this splendid Country Coach... enabling us to live and travel in luxurious comfort and tow our beloved Catalina sailboat with us, well, it seemed like an opportunity we simply could not pass up. As Walt Whitman so aptly put it in his Leaves of Grass: