“Wait a minute, my boarding pass says Dallas-Fort Worth. I thought we were going to Durango via Denver?” I said to Joe, as I stepped away from the American Airlines check-in counter. We were starting our van scouting trip to Durango, Colorado at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in the Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“Dallas, Denver — what does it matter as long as we end up in Durango,” Joe said with a shrug of his shoulder as we approached the TSA line.

“How is Texas on the way to Colorado?” I asked, before adding, “You know there could be a Durango in Texas. I might need to start checking your work.”

Joe pulled out his second boarding pass to verify our final destination, before saying, “It was the fastest route to Durango.”

Once Joe learned that the camper van build process could take more than a year, he started scouring the RV Trader website for used Sportsmobiles. He also sent a rental inquiry to Tonto Trails— a van rental company with the slogan “Your Adventure. Our Rigs.”

Our rental inquiry arrived at a time when the owners were reevaluating their business model. They offered to sell us a van in their fleet that was almost identical to the camper van Joe was hoping to order. In Durango, we ended up spending a day and half with the previous owners. We motored out of their driveway with a fully equipped van, operation lessons, checklists, ownership tips, campground suggestions and a Colorado atlas with a highlighted travel route. Unexpectedly we now own a second home on wheels, that’s capable of navigating over almost any kind of terrain. And thanks to John and Julie’s incredible hospitality we also have a new love for the residents of Durango.