RVin' it

I've written before about our dream to travel the country by RV. And right now it is just a dream...a dream that will only come true if when we win the Mega Millions. However, this fall, Larry and I took an amazing ten day RV trip through Colorado, Utah, and Arizona with our close friends, Sarah and Sean.

It was our first taste of the RV lifestyle...and we loved it.

From being able to pick up and go wherever we wanted, to sleeping in some of the most beautiful places in the country - we loved it all.

Arches National Park:

Dawn at Goulding's Campground, with Monument Valley in the distance:

Larry loved driving the RV.

We had sandwiches for lunch every day - meat and cheese on bread has never tasted so good!

And Larry and I slept in Mother's Attic (the bunk above the cab). It even had a skylight (which dripped on us all night).

For the trip, we rented a 25' RV, which slept two couples (and a baby). However, while we were on the road we noticed a lot of enormous RVs - the type of rigs that you expect rock stars to travel in. We were so curious as to what they were like inside.

So, last weekend, we jumped at the chance to check out a local RV and Camper Show...just to satisfy our curiosity.

I hate to label people, but I've found that there are three types of people interested in the RV lifestyle:

1. Rednecks
2. Hippies
3. Senior Citizens

I'll let you all figure out which group we belong to... (and while we're not senior citizens yet, I do hike with a cane trekking pole...)

I'll also let you figure out the primary demographic of the attendees of the RV Show. (Hint - 95% of them were wearing camouflage.)

Considering that only one of the above groups of people can probably actually afford an RV, it should come as no surprise that the interior decor of these vehicles can only be described as Nursing Home, Circa 1990.

However, RVs can be modernized and beautifully decorated - I've followed the Janssen family's blog for several years and they have renovated several RVs with gorgeous results. So if when Larry and I do win the Mega Millions and can afford an RV before we're senior cits, all we need is a can of paint and some reupholstery fabric and we'll be good to go.

A lot of the RVs were what we called "Family Vans" - they had bunk rooms so you could bring all your kids along. We don't have kids...but then we realized the bunk beds would be perfect for our pups!

The most affordable RVs are tow-behind trailers. Of course, much to Larry's delight, towing a trailer would require owning a truck.

This one was about our speed (minus the dirty cereal bowls). Love the pop-out bed, though obviously this would only be practical in warmer weather.

These little pods were cute, but you could only sleep in one if you were under four feet tall.


Then we checked out the interiors of the big rigs. Can you believe this is the inside of an RV? Flat screen TV, fireplace, kitchen island...! And what exactly does one keep in that cabinet with glass doors? Smashed tea cups?

However, one of the coolest features of these upscale RVs was that they had a compartment for a flat screen TV on the EXTERIOR - so you could set up lawn chairs and have movie night outside! They also had exterior kitchens - awesome.

The Airstream trailers were gorgeous (and extremely overpriced!). What's up with the fake ficus though? Is that supposed to make you feel like you're out in the woods?

I love the modern interior (and no tacky vinyl wallcovering to be found!).

Anyway, the RV Show was an interesting experience and hopefully someday we'll be able to embrace our inner redneck hippie and live our dream before we're ready for the nursing home...