As I wrapped up last week’s blog, I found myself on the hunt for an NRVIA-certified RV inspector. So off I went to the NRVIA website to begin the search. My first stop was A to Z Mobile Services in Tucson, Arizona. Their Google reviews looked solid, so I reached out to schedule an inspection.
And that’s when the first speed bump appeared.
They told me they were booked solid until the 27th. That wasn’t going to work—not even close. I asked if they could recommend someone else, and they suggested Every Inch RV. I contacted them next. No luck there either. They, in turn, recommended Deb’s RV Services, and once again, I was back on the web.
Here’s where things got a little weird.
When I first looked her up, it appeared she was based in Michigan. That immediately made me wonder why an Arizona inspector would recommend someone from Michigan. As it turns out, the answer was buried a little deeper on her website—she was actually in Quartzsite, Arizona, and would be in Tucson during the second week of February. Mystery solved.
I sent her an email to see if she might be available. While waiting to hear back, I noticed she had a YouTube channel, so I watched a couple of her RV inspection videos. Let me just say… thorough is an understatement. That gave me some confidence, and once again, I crossed my fingers.
Debbie got back to me and said she could do the inspection on February 9th. That cut things close—especially if the report came back like the last one and I decided to back out—but she assured me the report would be completed the same day and that she’d walk me through it. That was good enough for me. I told her to go for it. Fingers crossed… again.
While all this was going on, the dealer contacted me to get some paperwork signed so the sale could roll. They asked if I needed financing. I told them I was planning to pay cash. They said that was fine, but mentioned we’d need to go to the bank so they could count it.
That stopped me for a second.
I explained I planned to bring a certified check. There was a brief pause, followed by an “Oh…” and then an explanation that the check would still need to be verified by the bank. Fair enough. Out of curiosity, I asked if people really show up with actual cash. Apparently, they do. It’s rare—but it happens.
So now, while we wait for inspection day, I’ve started planning the trip home.
Originally, I had hoped to ease Mrs. Weeble into RV travel slowly—kind of the way NASA worked its way to the moon. Short trips first: Big Meadows and Assateague Island, our own Mercury program. Then something a little longer, like the Blue Ridge Parkway—Gemini. Maybe eventually a longer run to Maine—Apollo—before tackling Mars… also known as Alaska.
Well, this trip home is about 2,400 miles.
Looks like we’re skipping straight to the moon.
I just hope Mission Control packed enough snacks… and that the astronauts still want to talk to each other when we get there.
To be continued…