What's more Austin TX than a red-and-white Shasta AirFlyte? It was as charming as the photo and parked behind a cute cottage on a shady street just a block from groceries, a great wine shop and stellar Tex-Mex at Maudie’s. (Plus a cheap, 10-minute Uber to downtown.) The host, Sarah, was friendly and informative and greeted us with an offer to share her lovely back yard and garden, even welcoming the guitar! Add in wildflower season and it made for a cool road trip on the back roads from Dallas.
Couple cautions: although we are comfortable with close quarters and pretty familiar with RV quirks and limitations…this was something of a challenge. Pay close attention to the floor plan provided on Airbnb. The bed is ample and as is the refrigerator, but be aware that nobody over 5’8” can stand up in the combination commode/shower area. My partner is 6’2”. Ouch. He was a good sport about it though.
Also be aware that the host has multiple signs posted that shoes are not allowed inside the Shasta, even though the floors are covered with mats. (?) I can maybe understand banning high heels or cowboy boots…but rubber soles? And there are no chairs outside the RV to sit on and take off shoes. We simply couldn’t figure this one out. By the time we crouched on the concrete back steps of the host’s house and walked to the Shasta, dirt and grass and gravel were stuck to our bare feet as opposed to much cleaner rubber soles. It was dirty and painful and what exactly was the point?
A more serious glitch: the waste tank filled before our minimum 5-night stay was up. We were only in the Shasta mornings and late at night, took our showers at our friend’s nearby condo, knew to simply evacuate the commode (first-time RV users sometimes hold down the water pedal too much). I can’t imagine how people who are going to be there all day and night wouldn’t fill up the tank in at least half the time. The end result was that on our last night, we got back late in the evening after my birthday dinner to no usable toilet. Our text to the host was answered by a flat "No, I'm not home!" and she didn't text us further about what to do or even when she would return…so we had to pack up and check into La Quinta at 1 a.m. Not a great or cost-effective ending to our stay but maybe it’s all part of keeping Austin funky. No doubt it’ll be a funny story in time.