It actually all started with a Google doodle about two weeks ago; one of those “wonder if” searches for something you are halfway interested in. There was a picture, which I thought looked interesting. There was more research followed by a bit of a buzz about the possibilities, and now, we have seen one. A 1975 GMC Eleganza. Twenty six feet of aluminium and fibre glass with a seven and a half litre V8. It was a symphony in beige, with a gold go-faster stripe on the outside and acres of corduroy and shag pile on the inside. It was somewhat musty, full of old boxes and in need of a good clean, but it was totally original, having done less than forty thousand miles since new, and still wearing its bell bottoms. We loved it. Its for sale by a gent in Woodbridge Virginia who spent an hour in the rain with us standing in a mulch of wet autumn leaves telling us all about these wonderful old motorhomes – and they really are extraordinary. GMC designed them in the early seventies in the same way that they built cars, using wind tunnel tests and automotive stylists. Their mission was to create the ultimate RV from the ground up, rather than simply getting a truck chassis and sticking a little house on the back as most small motorhomes are built now. The sharp styling (think a longer version of the van in Scooby Do), and big windows were revolutionary at the time and influenced van design for decades. I could go on about the design, but for the sake of the eye-rolling reader I will stop. Suffice to say that wifey and I arrived for our first look at one of these things in the metal, ready for our little road trip fantasy bubble to be popped and as soon as we got in this funky-smelling, be-shagged cartoon vehicle we looked at each other, and We Knew…

So, who knows. We don’t know where we will be next summer – probably London, but if we are still here I can see us in one of these on another great road trip. And if we aren’t, this journey will have been fun all the same.