Hello, rPod owners! We are a small family in Oregon who were given a 2014 Hood River Edition rPod, 16', as a huge kindness. The trailer was purchased in 2013 by my friend Steve, who took it to some events where we had long collaborated on art projects, including the Burning Man festival. In September, 2014, he was killed in a freak car accident along with another collaborator-friend.
In the stunned aftermath of the accident, his wife and I became good friends, and part of my grieving process was going through camping and art-project stuff piled high in their garage. People live on in their possessions. Meanwhile, I was going through a lot of health problems, including a mold allergy. Western Oregon has been my home the majority of my life, but I basically have to get out of here.
Steve's wife Amanda very kindly offered to let my family borrow the rPod and travel in drier country this summer. We had loads of fun, and my health improved within two weeks. It was poignant, living in Steve's rPod and enjoying the decorations: he had kitted it out in a space theme inside. I started thinking of it as my "escape pod," like spaceships in Star Wars have.
Amanda gave me the trailer a few months ago, to keep. It was an incredibly kind gift and we are so happy to have it. Our rPod lives on a high hill near my parents' house in the country, overlooking a misty valley. We're preparing to sell our house in Portland, and plan to travel for a couple months in the rPod before renting our next house. The Escape Pod is amazing.
Meanwhile, this is my first real trailer experience. My dad is helping us learn, but we don't know a heck of a lot about what we're doing. Propane, blackwater, greywater, all those things. The dealership was terrible about getting information to us about the trailer, and they claim that Forest River doesn't communicate well about it. (I just wanted to know: what models are all the appliances? How can I find manuals for them? Etc.) I'm hoping that this forum will help us along the way! And I look forward to hearing all your stories.