Thoughts after the big RV trip of June 2019
RV pros and cons
I’m a camper at heart but do not have much gear at this point in life. I like minimal gadgets but I also like comfort and don’t even have a waterproof tent these days. Anyway we went for the rental RV.
Pros:
1) Room for the siblings to get space from each other
2) Bathroom! Don’t have to stop every time someone has to pee.
3) Food- cook your own, wash dishes, cheaper and less waste, also easy to eat while moving. Saves stops.
4) Amazing views out the windows where we went- mountain ranges, rock formations, snowy peaks, waterfalls, the Grand freaking Canyon!
5) can park it anywhere for free, like rest stops and big store parking lots (where permitted, not everywhere, in fact we got kicked out of one parking lot). RVs are self-contained with water, sewage, and a generator for electricity. Of course, you do need to get fresh water and dump sewage every so often.
6) We rented from an individual who has the vehicle stocked with towels, linens, silverware, pots and pans, a microwave, everything!
Cons:
1) 8 miles a gallon!
2) Big- as in tall and wide. Scary for me to drive it. And ours was 25′. Some are much bigger! Difficult to maneuver in cities and narrow roads.
3) Slow- someone always wants to pass you. We couldn’t go much faster than 65 mph.
4) No rental apartments and limited meals out to justify the cost of rental. I like renting apartments and eating out. For this trip it was great but probably not for every trip for me.
5) lots of systems- water, sewage, electric. Need to empty sewage tank and fill water tank. I’m not sure how electric generator works, but we plugged in when we stayed at sites with hookups.
I will always remember the stunning views out the windows. We saw a rainbow once, out the large side windows as we drove for miles. And most places we went had landscapes like paintings, just seemed too beautiful to be real. The U.S. southwest is really ideal for the RV experience.
A word on KOAs, aka Kampgrounds of America.
We stayed in several of these and I became suspicious, looking around at all of the white, middle class, happy, friendly, heterosexual people kamping around us. Were we supporting some kind of right-wing conservative Christian organization? I hoped not. Sometimes it seems they have the market on wholesome things. Anyway, not to worry. Research showed me that the business started out with a cattle entrepreneur renting riverside space for camping in Wyoming. He offered people a desirable alternative to the state parks and sketchy campgrounds that were the only options at the time. The year was 1962 and people were heading to the Seattle World’s Fair. The one that introduced the Space Needle! The current CEO is a woman. Apparently, the KOAs are highly regulated and we did find them pleasant, comfortable, well-located, and affordable. Several had pools. A surprisingly huge hit with our big kids (ages 13-18) was the bounce pillow. Also, we noticed plenty of dogs and people seemed to be responsibly enjoying the odd alcoholic beverage. We liked it so much we are considering staying in a tent at one sometime, especially if they have a bounce pillow. Anyway, that is what I have to say about that.
I stand by the cat thing because, you know. Black cat, 13, etc. Also, daughter #1 is about to go to college where the mascot is a big cat, the Pitt panther (I believe) but we ended up with something also spooky for lucky #13- a big spider.
It was much a shorter, wider structure than in other years. It burned beautifully.
So then I realized I hadn’t written anything about last year. It was a very wet year and we talked about water creatures. The final decision was …
Whaddaya mean you can’t tell what it is?! Its a seahorse, obviously. It was super tall and required an elaborate, scary rope system to raise the head.So there you have it, when Burning Chicken is discussed years from now, and people wonder about the post- world trip celebrations, you can tell them we had a camel, a seahorse, then a spider.
Tripping Fantastic 2 