2016 RV Trip USA

Two moms unplugging their kids and hitting the road

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Final Thoughts

This trip was as we thought it would be in lots of ways, and not at all in others. We all agree that we learned so much. About the country of course, about each other and ourselves, our tolerance for being out of our comfort zones, about how quickly data gets used up, how small of a space we can reasonably live, bathe, and sleep in, how to cook ramen and breakfast burritos while barreling down the highway, how to maintain and back up 32 feet of RV, what to look for in a campground and truck stop, our individual levels of tolerance for heat and dirt. We allowed for extra time on each leg, but didn’t know how long it would truly take to get places with eight people and a big clumsy vehicle. We were later than we thought we’d be almost always, but only had to skip a couple stops. We laughed at ourselves for bringing scrap books, nail polish, and board games. Those things don’t appeal when your seats are hot and bumpy, and of your things fly off the table at regular intervals. The kids loved Cedar Point Amusement Park, Yellowstone (specifically the Grand Prismatic Springs), and Vegas. The baby loved all the time she wasn’t in her car seat. Kim loved the drive through Clifton on the way out, when we were buried in an avalanche of dish ware from a cabinet above and we were all such newbies, the drive across the north, the Badlands, Yellowstone, all of Wyoming, our Nashville dinner for Harry’s birthday, and our last night of camping when we finally got to sit around a fire. The moment that keeps coming back to me is holding my baby girl as I waded into perfect, wide, gentle Wyoming river on a sunny day in Yellowstone. It wasn’t a main attraction and there were no other cars pulled off. But the water sparkled just so as it ran past me, and the weather was perfect. Everyone was happy. Also being behind the wheel in South Dakota, and when I got to see a Bison in its natural environment. And Grand Teton and a cold Wyoming morning. Real Cowboys at the gas station. Actually all of Wyoming. I agree with Kim on that one. We all wanted more time exploring our stops and less time driving. We left many places before we wanted to. We saw things we couldn’t believe. From the dry hot jagged horizon of the badlands rising from hours of plains, to the magical wonders of Yellowstone, to the lights of Vegas, to the tall red rocks of Zion, to the Grand Canyon, to the sparking Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, the were lots of exclamations and pointing out of the big RV windows. Each state seemed more beautiful than the last. There were also a lot of long bumpy hot miles. We have improved geographical knowledge and a true appreciation for the vastness and variety of the country. Ups and downs, highs and lows, but as these two crazy moms drove along, we found ourselves planning the next big crazy RV trip…

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Day 21. August 5th. The end

We (mostly Kim) cleaned out and scrubbed the RV for its return. Besides the broken windshield, she and PJ were able to fix everything that took a beating along the way. We had to return to Bull Rum for a final flush of the septic, as we'd had problems getting it fully empty and didn't want to be charged an extra dump fee. Once again, PJ to the rescue. That boy had the engineering mind of Macgyver. We had to teach him who that was. After that, we dropped her off at her home, and just like that, we were regular, non-nomadic people who lived in a house again. I was a bit sad, but I might have been the only one.

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Virginia and the last dump 😝

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Please don’t feed the Salvage Dog.

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Day 20. August 4th. Virginia

There was a thought of hopping out of bed early to finish out the trip, but a late night of around the campfire had us sleeping in a bit this morning. We rested a few minutes with or coffee at our last picnic table. We bumped the RV in and stowed the hoses for the final stretch, leaving Bristol, Tennessee for a last long day on the road across Virginia. Many of us were getting tired of the road and looking forward to the comforts of home, our pets, and missing family members. Only one of us could have kept going for another month. Me. We finally left highway 40 and traveled up 81. Kim and I couldn't resist geeking out at one of our favorite places, Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke. We can't pass by and not stop, and thought it would make a good final break to stretch out. Harry and Emily got to pet Sally, the resident black dog, and we picked up a couple salvaged items to bring home for our own houses. It was an eventful and slightly chaotic stop, as are most of them. From there it was the last leg to home, at least for most of us. We had to swing by Bull Run park for our last dump station to avoid being charged the $99 dump fee at the rental place. We pulled into Clifton and the Economon driveway having traveled more than 6000 miles and having seen 20 states. The RV and its inhabitants were dirty and tired, and ready to rest. Except Emily. She partied til midnight. The unpacking of the RV was a feat in itself, no one believing the amount of stuff that poured out of every cubby, much of which we had long forgotten was even there. We had to get it out, the RV was due back the next day.

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Last night of camping

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Yee Haw!

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Early morning trip planning session in Nashville.

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Day 19. August 3rd. Tennessee with a side of Hazzard County.

We hung around our great campsite for a while this morning and ate breakfast at their little grill. As luck would have it, just down the road was Cooter's Place, a free Dukes of Hazzard museum that was just as much gift shop as anything. Emily will be decked out in 80s tv show gear for years to come. The big kids got an education on Bo, Luke, Jesse, and why they're called Daisy Dukes. Kim and I were both big fans growing up, and the kids are still wondering why. From there we hopped back on 40 headed east. Our goal was the Virginia border but because of our late start and the general restlessness of the RV's inhabitants, we quit just short of it in Bristol, Tennessee. We pulled in to our chosen campground after hours and chose a site. "Lake View" RV park over sold itself a little, but we were also spoiled from last night's stop. We arrived in plenty of time for some swimming and a great fire, a few cold Tennessee beers (if you keep up with the blog you will have noticed a theme), and some roasted chocolate stuffed marshmallows. Harry also got to enjoy the rest of his massive birthday dinner from the night before. We called it a night around midnight on our very last day of camping.

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Tennessee

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Graceland

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Day 18. August 2nd. Memphis, Nashville, and Harry's birthday.

We got an early start for Memphis. This kind of driving is a favorite for Kim and me. Quiet roads and coffee, kids sleeping in their bunks. Today we had Sophia up with us though, drowning the inside of the RV with red streamers (Harry’s favorite color) for his birthday. We arrived in Memphis about 11:00 and headed straight for Graceland. It was a must see along our route, even though the biggest fan of the family, Paul Sr, (who makes a perfect Elvis on Halloween) had already escaped the trip. He was missed. Tickets include an iPad tour with John Stamos narrating in your ear, which sounds great unless you also have to carry a one year old around for two sweaty hours who pulls on your headphones and mashes on the iPad so you can’t hear, or a four year old who runs under ropes and screws up your tour sequence. It was very much enjoyed by some of us. All agreed the mansion and grounds were impressive and moving. Bonus included the car museum and private jet, and good ac. Back in the RV, it was three hours to Nashville, our destination for the night. We found the KOA, a group wide favorite for its sparkling facilities, fabulous pool, lawn games, and all around wonderfulness. We had a great plan to celebrate Harry’s birthday with a perfect restaurant next door (it served shrimp, the only requirement), but like so many of the best laid plans, it crashed and burned. The restaurant closed at 8:30. We arrived at 8:40. We rallied though, and almost took the shuttle into downtown Nashville, but it was full. Then we almost called an uber, but I was sure they wouldn’t have room for seven people and a car seat. So we decided to pull in the bump outs, unhook the hook ups, and pull around front to pick up the kids. We were not to be denied a decent birthday dinner. However, we didn’t tell the kids this, so they piled on the shuttle, which then kicked them off, and came to look for us at the RV, which was gone because we’d already pulled it out to go find them. Finally we made it to Santa Fe Cattle Co. just down the road ( it serves shrimp and was open). We were the only customers at 9:30. All I wanted at this point was a cold beer, but was denied for lack of an ID. I’d left it in the shorts I changed out of earlier. I cursed myself and the waitress for 15 minutes before PJ reminded me that our home was in fact parked outside and I could just go to the parking lot and get it. Harry got his pile of shrimp, we sang and had cake, and there was eventually cold beer in a mason jar. A success at last. Back at the KOA, backing into our spot was more difficult in the dark and with a new camper in front of us. PJ expertly curved all 36 feet of RV and bike rack into place with one movement, and we were home again.

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Too much highway 40, camping in Arkansas

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Day 17. August 1st. Oklahoma and Arkansas, and a whole lot of highway 40.

We must have needed the rest because we over slept and missed the free breakfast buffet at our hotel. The cool darkness of our comfy rooms was just too much to overcome by 9:30am. You haven’t seen disappointment until you’ve seen a bunch of kids lined up for free unlimited french toast sticks that aren’t there. We had to make up for it with Denny’s but Kim was concerned about the parking. I had confidence though, and she parallel parked “the big car” as Lou calls it with one smooth maneuver. It was day 17 after all, she needed a challenge. We made our way out of Oklahoma and into Arkansas without a real plan for the night. We changed drivers at Sonic where we had an ordering debacle with Emily squawking at the top of her voice into the speaker. We ended up at Burns park in North Little Rock where I backed the RV into our spot for the night. It was a good driving day for all. It was muggy and buggy and a bit smelly, but the ac worked well, we were allowed to hunt in the forest for firewood, and we finally had time to make a couple smores. Sophia figured out how to make brownies without an oven in preparation for Harry's birthday the next day. Most importantly, we had good cold Texas beer in the cooler.

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Checking the oil in the generator.

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Erick, Oklahoma