Today was the first time we towed the Jeep. After checking and re-checking all the connections and carefully following the instructions in the Jeep manual, we finally got going.
The first stop was the Aldea house, where the only items left are what we plan to take in the motorhome. The loading took only three hours and there was nothing pretty about it. We knew it would take weeks to sort things out, but at least we were out of the Aldea house.
After the loading, we drove to Valencia Village, an RV park near Magic Mountain. It was not the nicest place to stay, but it was convenient to the San Fernando Valley and to the storage facility in Oxnard. I still had to be available for the house closing. Explaining that we are new to the RV lifestyle, the RV Park mercifully gave us a pull-through.
Contemporary note: Connecting the Jeep was an interesting process and required a leap of faith. Basically, you make the tow-bar connections, unlock the steering, put the transmission in park and put the transfer case in neutral. That’s right, the transmission is in Park — as in locked. Putting the four-wheel drive transfer case in neutral unlocks the rear wheels. Unnerving as it sounds, it was clearly described in the owners manual and a call to Jeep confirmed the process.
Eventually we developed a hook-up-the-jeep checklist and kept a laminated copy in the glove box. Jeanne handled the transmission and ignition settings while I wrestled with the tow-bar. We then checked each other’s work. It worked well since we never had a problem.
A wise tip — if you’re ever around someone hooking up a tow vehicle, leave them alone! The procedure needs full attention.