Adventures in an RV

Monterey Memories

2009-10-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Pictures are all up now. Thank you to my amazing husband, Rick, for all his beautiful photography! Here are a few more shots we wanted to share...

Thank you again, to for making this trip possible for us!

Gradually Getting Pictures Posted :)

2009-10-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm working my way backwards, from most recent to oldest posts, gradually getting photos added. Keep checking back over the next few days for more and more great shots. :)

Home

2009-10-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

We rolled into town mid-afternoon yesterday, giving us plenty of time to unload the RV, clean it up, fill the tank and get it back to Classic Adventures RV this morning. What a wonderful trip! We are exhausted, but it's a good kind of tired, the kind that comes with many happy memories attached. It seems that RV travel is truly all I hoped it would be, as a feasible way for me to vacation. (I'll post more about my own health through the trip on my personal blog later this week, for those who are interested.)

Once we could see the camp at Twin Lakes in full daylight yesterday morning, we discovered it was huge, with over 400 camp sites (dry camping in only $15 a night and full hookup sites are about $30, though showers will cost you a quarter for every 2 minutes of hot water) along with rental cabins, boats for fishing, a cafe and gift shop. The camp is located on Upper Twin Lake and to me the views there were almost as grand as anything we had seen in Yosemite itself! "Tame" deer would walk right up to you if you had anything that looked like it might be food. And because we dropped the names of the family friends who worked there, we even got to tour the fish hatchery for their stocked ponds. Less than 3 hours drive from home, I'm sure we will be back to the Twin Lakes Mono Village camp again.

Our week in an RV was a trip we will not soon forget and one we will carry in our hearts with very fond memories. I had worried that so much "family togetherness" would lead to some frazzled nerves and arguments, but everyone got along amazingly well and the only times we even used the TV were for movies for the kids while driving and for one bedtime family movie night. As we drove away from Classic Adventures, our 3-year-old let out a very sad little sigh and said what we were all feeling, "I don't want to give our RV back!"

Yosemite Day Two

2009-10-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

We are writing to you tonight from Annett's Mono Village in Twin Lakes, CA, near Bridgeport. After leaving Oakhurst this morning we headed back towards Yosemite National Park, with a stop at an old loggers' camp along the way. The big steam engine at the Sugar Pine Railroad had already taken it's last run of the season yesterday, so we just missed that, we we did get to ride a "Jenny Car" and had a great history lesson about the old logging community. The kids counted that stop as of one of the top highlights of our trip so far.

From there we headed back into the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park, this time turning left toward the valley floor. We took the turn toward Bridal Veil Falls, but when it took nearly 45 minutes to go just 4 miles due to road construction, we got back in line behind the "Follow Me" car and headed back out of the construction mess, eating lunch as we sat and waited. (More reasons to love an RV - we didn't have hungry kids while stuck in traffic and no potty accidents!)

The Wawona Hotel with its huge white porches and leaded glass windows was a worthwhile spot to stop and tour. I felt like a southern bell walking those lush, green lawns as we made our way to the formal, Victorian-style hotel lobby. Since it was a bit chilly, the kids had fun warming their hands by the fire. Rangers at the visitor's center let the kids play with a bear locker, stamp "passports" of their visit, then helped us plan out the rest of our day.

As we headed down into the valley itself, we had some breathtaking views of Half Dome and finally found a great place to stop and take pictures over Sentinel Bridge. Our camping neighbors back in Monterey had been through Yosemite just a couple weeks ahead of us and said they had seen both bison and elk (though we now wonder if maybe she hadn't been talking about Yellowstone rather than Yosemite?) so we were all set to see some big animals, but instead saw a large collection of squirrels, chipmunk and dear. Yosemite is an amazing place, but with my inability to take to the hiking trials, the lack of big game we had hoped to see, the kids getting tired, and the fact that perhaps we are quite spoiled in the fantastic natural views we enjoy regularly here in the Reno/Tahoe area and at nearby Grover Hot Springs, we found we had seen all we wanted to see by only about 3:30.

Back into the RV with our GPS set to take us over Tioga Pass. We had heard horror stories of the drive, especially in an RV, but Rick handled that diesel engine beautifully. He said that once again he was glad we had selected the 24 foot model, and we were thankful for good daylight, bright weather and low winds, but the drive really wasn't too hard, and what the road lacked in guardrails, it make up for in views! We were over the pass and to the eastern gate of Yosemite before 6.

We had heard that family friends worked at this camp near Mono Lake, so we looked them up, gave a call for directions and headed for Twin Lakes. On the way we passed several RV parks with vacancies and could have stopped at any of them, but it was definitely worth the extra 15-20 minute drive west from Bridgeport to find this little hide-away tucked up against the back side of Tioga. (And we had even greater appreciation for the mountain we had just passed over when seeing it from that position!) We counted dozens of dear on the way into camp and look forward to getting up to explore the lake in the morning.

It's dark, we have full tummies, the kids are all in bed and I'm not far behind them. When they wake up with the sunrise, I'm glad they are all falling asleep with nightfall as well!

Yosemite

2009-10-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

We pulled into Oakhurst about 3:30 or 4 yesterday afternoon. After registering and finding our camp site, we pulled back out and headed on up the road to Yosemite National Park, purchased our $20 one-week visitor's pass, and headed toward the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia Trees.

We found out an important tip for RVers, that only vehicles under 25 feet can access that road, so we were especially glad we had selected the 24 foot RV! (The same length limitation applied to parking at the Fisherman's Warf in Monterey, so a longer RV would have seriously limited some of our experiences.)

Even stopping for frequent rests, I was disappointed that my body just couldn't make it very far along the 2-mile trail to see landmark trees like the Tunnel Tree. I did get to see the Fallen Monarch as it's just at the entrance to the path, and I made it a bit further before sending Rick and the older two on ahead while the 3-year-old sat with me having a delightful time stirring up great clouds of dust with his stick in the dirt.

By the time the rest of our family rejoined us, you couldn't even tell what color his clothing had been and he had to be stripped outside the RV before we could even let him back in, but he sure had a blast! :D We drew lots of letters in the dirt and he identified all but one for me. When I drew it, he looked at me and said, "That's not a letter, Mom. That's an X!" (I guess buried treasure isn't marked with an actual letter.)

The older kids took their Dad almost all the way to the Tunnel Tree (found out after we made it back to the RV that they had been only about two tenths of a mile away when they had to give up the climb, but as there had been no maps available, they had no way to know that at the time). The hike was quite steep and exhausting. While the 9-year-old really wanted to push on and see that Tunnel Tree, we will just have to save it for another visit, but they did get to see sights like the Bachelor and Three Graces along with the Grizzly Giant.

To give the kids a bit of perspective, we held hands and tried to wrap our arms around one of the "smaller" sequoias at the edge of the path (in an area that wasn't roped off with instructions to stay on the path) and even with that relatively small Giant, our family of 5 could not come even half way around that tree!

We were back to camp by about 7, dark fell quickly as we ate dinner, and we were all in bed (and almost instantly asleep) by only 7:30! After being pampered by our great accommodations at Marina Dunes, I'm sorry to say that we were all pretty disappointed in the RV park here in Oakhurst, enough so that we plan to forfeit our second pre-paid night and either dry camp somewhere in Yosemite tonight or possibly even go on across Tioga Pass before dark. Again, the website description and the actual RV camp location were very different from one another, and while High Sierra RV Park had a slick website and great marketing materials, they just didn't live up to our expectations. Oakhurst itself seemed like a wonderful place to visit, we just won't be choosing this specific park again in the future.

(See the head of our oldest just beginning to pop up at the bottom of this picture? Gives a bit of scale to what you are seeing!)

Monterey to Yosemite

2009-09-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

We got up at sunrise this morning and bundled up for the chilly, windy walk across the dunes. It's been a beautiful stay in Monterey and it was sad knowing our time here was drawing to an end. We got to the beach before the sunlight really even hit the icy sand and we combed the beach looking for more treasures washed up by the storm last night. As the rays of light began to warm us, the kids and Rick got more daring and all ended up in the water at least up to their knees - the three year old was in up to his shoulders and had to hold on tight to Daddy's hand to keep from getting swept out to sea by the strong current.

After a couple of hours enjoying the sand and surf, we came back to camp and took long, warm showers before loading up the RV and heading out of camp for our final time. I have to say that the Marina Dunes was a great park and we would highly recommend them! Their website could use some significant updating, but "don't judge a book by its cover" because this is a wonderful place with friendly staff and great sites. We were on the road towards Yosemite by around 11 and will tell you more about this end of the trip in tomorrow's post, but now I'm headed for a nap to sleep off the rest of the ride.

A few fun memories from our time in Monterey that we have yet to mention:

Our 6-year-old, who knows nothing but the dry climate of northern Nevada, found humidity to be exciting. She said the toilet paper (definitely a cheaper quality than is found in our home bathroom) felt like "fairyland toilet paper" and we both loved the natural curls that sprung to our hair in the damper weather.

Kudos to the staff at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, especially Jim who went out of his way to see that all my needs as a disabled visitor were met! Our two days exploring the aquarium have certainly been a highlight for all of us.

On Monday night we strolled Fisherman's Warf and sampled clam chowder from just about every restaurant there. While we took advantage of being able to watch our budget and prepare meals in the RV for most of the trip, we had budgeted for one splurge out to eat and we selected our dinner location with great care. After the entire family had narrowed down our top three favorite chowders, we then selected our final dinner location based on best view from those three locations and had a delightful dinner from a second-floor table overlooking the bay.

Thw water's COLD, but the memories are well worth the chill. Who doesn't love a day at the beach!

Monterey Day Three

2009-09-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone got up early and prepared for the day by eating lots of bacon and breakfast rolls. We all then ran over and took showers at the RV parks showers.

We drove back to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, as we had drafted down a schedule of what to see for the day. When we got inside, we went directly to the Sea Otter exhibit so that we could watch the sea otters being fed. It was great to see them swim and dive as well as play with the items that their trainers supplied.

Then off to the Outer Bay Tank so that we could watch the larger speed swimmers feed. Over 85 pounds of fish and squid was dropped into the tanks as we saw blue- and yellow-finned tuna feed on the fish, as well as barracuda and dorado. Even the smaller sardines joined in on the feeding frenzy.

Then we ran to see the penguins and the hands-on exhibits for the kids. Finally we made our way through not one, but four different gift shops so that we could get everything that each person wanted to buy as a keepsake from our stay in Monterey.

We then made our way back to the RV to get lunch and map out the rest of the day. After having our fill of clam chowder, chicken, seafood salads, mac and cheese and hot dogs we made our way over to Pacific Grove, the next town to the south of Monterey and drove over to the monarch butterfly sanctuary, but found out that the butterflies had not been back to town yet.

We then headed to our of our favorite spots, Lover's Point, and enjoyed watching the local wildlife that tried to jump in your lap and steal anything you were snacking on. All in all we heard no less than a dozen screams from people in the park as the small and very fat squirrels tried their best to steal or beg food from the visitors to the park.

After that we drove over to the Dennis the Menace park, but were saddened to see that the city is closing it's parks on Tuesdays. (We guessed as a cost cutting measure.) Then back to the RV park for dinner, dessert and a movie.

Now everyone (including Jenni - this is Rick guest blogging tonight) is in bed and we are looking forward to the morning when we plan to do a little beach combing before we depart for the 4 hour drive to Yosemite. Actually we are staying in Oakhurst, just south of Yosemite, as it has full hookups. We chose to try only places with full hookups for our first family try at RVing. Maybe next time we will go for a dry camp experience. If this experience continues to be as wonderful as it's been so far, we hope "next time" comes soon. :)

Monterey Day Two

2009-09-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

Our first full day in Marina / Monterey was a joy. The staff at Marina Dunes RV Park were very helpful in sharing information about good RV parking locations in Monterey and we were pulling into a parking spot on Cannery Row only about 10 minutes after pulling out of our campsite. A few blocks walk (or roll in my case) and we were at the members' entrance of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (For our family of five, the $150 full year membership to the aquarium in only slightly more than a single day's regular admissions and the membership includes a year's subscription to their beautiful newsletter and is tax deductible!)

The kids especially enjoyed the touch pools and hands-on exhibits. Our 3-year-old was fascinated by the glass tunnel that let him stand on the under side of crashing waves. Sea horses held the fancy of our 6-year-old. The great white shark was a favorite for our 9-year-old. We all had a soft spot for the penguins too.

We were able to get through all the exhibits in a single day, but there are a few exhibits we hope to revisit again tomorrow, like the 11AM feeding at the Outer Bay tanks. We then hope to drive to the next town south, Pacific Grove, in search of the masses of migrating Monarch butterflies.

Please enjoy more of our beautiful memories. We will let these speak for themselves:

First Day on the Road

2009-09-27T20:27:00.000-07:00

Erik at Classic Adventures RV got us off to a great start Saturday morning as he gave us a tour of our RV and taught us all the tips and tricks for getting the most our of our rental. We brought it home, let the kids explore, loaded it up and headed for bed, then got up early this morning for our first day on the road. The kids were excited for Sam's Club jumbo muffins on the road and loved eating at the RV table as we traveled!

The kids started out the morning watching Wall-E on DVD while Rick drove, then the younger two and I headed to the back bed for a rest. I fell asleep with our little guy while our 6-year-old went back to the table and joined her big brother playing with their Leapsters.

We made our first stop at Petrick farms for produce in Dixon (can't beat farm-fresh prices!) and topped off the Diesel tank. In Fairfield, CA we took a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory and of course picked up some "Belly Flops". The kids were a little disappointed that there was no candy production to witness live on weekend tours, but their sorrow quickly ended when they found out they got free samples at each video tour station. Our 3-year-old road on my lap in the wheel chair and we all had a great view of the factory and jelly beans in various stages of the drying process in their 3 week journey to earning the Jelly Belly label.
Factory Tour Photo with Mascot Credit: www.SharpShooterImaging.com

After a quick lunch stop we were back on the road. I slept for a good chunk of the afternoon and am so thankful for the ability to rest during travel, something I haven't enjoyed since I was a kid riding in the back of my parents' station wagon! It was a little bumpy at times, but if I kept the curtain drawn around the bed, I had much less motion sickness than my norm!

We pulled into Marina about 4PM, quickly and easily set up camp, then took a pleasant walk to the beach. The waves were powerful and the misty fog rolled in as the kids tried to outrun the tide as they searched for kelp, shells and sea glass. Beautiful!

Around 6 we were back to the RV and roasted hot dogs for dinner. After another walk around the RV park, little ones were getting tired, so we came back to the RV, set up beds and got jammies on. Our 3-year-old was out cold before we even finished our bedtime story and the rest were asleep by about 8.

We've been taking pictures but can't get them to upload to the laptop, so we'll be updating these posts once we are back in Reno.

It was a great first day. We are looking forward to visiting the aquarium in Monterey tomorrow.

Checklist

2009-09-22T09:42:00.001-07:00

Mom and Dad set to house-sit and bird-sit - Check!

Meal plans and grocery list written out - Check!

To-dos of phone calls to make before we leave and last minute chores to be taken care of, all down in writing - Check!

In the process of doing laundry and starting to sort for packing - Check!

Printing off paperwork for RV rental insurance - Check!

Medical supplies and IV schedule all in place to hopefully avoid any unplanned trips to away-from-home medical care - Check!

Kids ahead in school work and homeschool supplies ready for the road - Check!

Rick asked yesterday if I'm excited about the trip. (Usually I'm really chattery about things I'm looking forward to, and I guess I've been pretty quiet about next week's plans.) It really hit me that I am very excited, just have been putting my thoughts down here rather than actually talking about the trip so much.

With the medical elements added to the planning, I've been a little nervous too, but I am ever-so-thankful for our family to have this chance and will be excited to have all the packing and prep finished up and actually get out on the road together. :) It could be pretty chilly on the coast and in the 90s in the central valley, so we'll need everything from shorts and swimsuits to sweatshirts and footed jammies. We plan to eat out at least once or twice on the trip (who could go to Monterey and not enjoy fresh sea food?) but our home freezer's been stocked with easily reheated foods as I've made extra batches of homecooked meals the last few weeks, and a trip to Sam's club will take care of the rest, so mealtimes should be easy, affordable and stress-free.

Yes, I am excited!!! We'll be picking up the RV in about 96 hours now!

To Speak of Many Things

2009-09-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite poems as a kid was The Walrus and The Carpenter. I especially loved the lines,

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings..."

Well, here we are, a little more than a week out from our first RV Adventure, and the time has come to speak of many things. No, not shoes (but that does remind me to add them to my packing list!) or ships, but of the specifics of RV travel.

Did you know you need special toilet paper for an RV? I just learned this little tidbit this week. My friend describes it as the kind that "basically starts dissolving in your hand as you are using it." Ewwww! LOL

While we were quite tempted by the huge luxury models, we intentionally chose a small 24-foot diesel RV for our maiden voyage, in hopes of better gas mileage and maneuverability. I just came across this video on Driving Your RV Like a Pro so hopefully that will give us a little more confidence as well. It's my hubby who is going to primarily be behind the wheel, but I want to be able to drive it if I have to.

I've been able to rearrange my IV appointments so I get them just before and after the trip but won't have to do any on the road. Hubby will get extra training in care of my PICC line this week, then I think we have our medical bases all covered.

I guess the big things yet to do are get our shopping and packing lists together and actually get ready. Any advice from seasoned RVers? We are getting excited to be on our way!

When and Where

2009-08-10T20:29:00.001-07:00

We have decided where to go and when to do it. In late September we are headed out of Reno to Marina Dunes RV park near Monterey. We will take in the Monterey Bay Aquarium and other seaside sights. Monterey is a very special destination, where we went on our honeymoon, first anniversary and tenth anniversary. I was pregnant with, and threatening to miscarry, our now 6 1/2 year old miracle last time we were there, so it will be an especially sweet blessing to share the sights, sounds and smells of Monterey with her, along with her two amazing and equally long-awaited brothers!

After a few nights at the coast we will move on to High Sierra RV Park just south of Yosemite National Park and enjoy a couple more days exploring the wonder of big trees and beautiful mountains before heading back home. We might take a ride on the Sugar Pine railroad and can't wait to see the look of awe on our kids faces as they stand dwarfed below 3,000 year old trees that put God's amazing creation into a bit of perspective.

Can't wait to share these adventure with you! Any "can't miss" stops we need to be sure to make along the way?

We Are Going on Vacation!

2009-07-17T09:48:00.001-07:00

I'm thrilled to share that we have been selected as the official Blog 4 RV contest winners at Classic Adventures RV! We are busy looking at maps, calendars, consulting with my doctors, checking out travel programs and exploring RV model features. Stay tuned to see where, when and how we will be going on vacation!!! :) (If you are a new reader, see why this is such an exciting experience by visiting my first post on why we haven't had a family vacation).

RVing, the affordable vacation option

2009-07-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

According to the Reno Gazette Journal, RV rentals are a great choice for tough economic times. Interesting interview with local RV dealerships. Erik Schultz, general manager at Classic Adventures RV, "is seeing brisk business."

Blog 4 RV Contest

2009-07-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Blog 4 RV contest winner was to have been announced yesterday, but due to some unavoidable issues, there will be a delay in announcing their selection. So as I wait to see if this blog will get to document our family vacation or not, I will continue writing!

What topics would you like to see me cover? Give me ideas about your travel questions, vacationing tips, RV-specific information, destination ideas and more. I'm here to serve, so please tell me what informaation you would like to read on this blog! :)

Where would you go?

2009-07-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

If you had a week in an RV and could go anywhere within 500 driving miles of home, where would you go? I would love to hear your ideas!

Our starting point is near Lake Tahoe. I'm currently thinking the Monterey Bay Aquarium sounds like a wonderful destination, about 340 miles from home. Or maybe even Disneyland, 480 miles away. With a drive of only 240 miles, we've also talked of taking in the sights of San Francisco with the Exploratorium as one of our goals.

Please shae with me, what advetures would you take in an RV?

Taking Great Vacation Photos

2009-07-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

Let’s start with the basics. And yes, I do mean basics, those things so simple that they are easily forgotten or overlooked until it’s too late. I know because I’m guilty of missing them myself. So even though you are probably much more organized than I am, thank you for indulging me with this basics checklist:

- Do you have fresh batteries in your camera along with a couple of sets of back-ups and/or a charger?

- If your camera is new, have you read the owner’s manual or practiced taking several pictures around home so you won’t miss those picture-perfect moments on your trip as you try to figure out the technology?

- Do you have a large enough memory card (or cards!) to capture all those treasured memories? Consider when you will be able to download your pictures to a computer, while still on the road or not until you are back at home?

Only once the basics are covered is it time to start considering your actual photos themselves. You will want to remember both where you went and with whom you experienced your trip, so be sure to seek out a nice mix scenery and society (your family, friends, or even local who made your vacation a richer experience) with your lens.

Candid shots are more likely to capture the true spirit of your trip than a “vacation line up”. Remember, the reason you are taking pictures is to capture real-life memories. You don’t want those memories to simply be, “Mom was always making us pose for pictures and we missed out on all the fun!” Especially when photographing kids, document them “doing” something (running, building a sand castle, flying a kite, throwing a ball…) and you will avoid many of those cheesy posed camera grins.

How many times have you come home from vacation with a camera full of pictures that were just too dark? If you want bright memories, give lighting some consideration. According to eHow photography expert Richard Burke, bright midday sun “is ideal for taking pictures of textured objects like rocks.” If your camera ha an F-Stop feature, Mr. Burke suggest setting it “to F-16 or smaller to increase the depth of field which allows you to get sharp focus across and through the textured object.” Be aware of shadows as details will be hidden in these areas of your photo, but when captured with care a strong shadow can actually add much drama to your image. To document scenery you may also find exciting low-light photographic opportunities at dusk and dawn; think sunrise, sunset and great silhouettes.

It’s actually OK to have the main subject of your photo placed a little off center. When processing visual input, the human brain looks for the brightest areas of a photo first, then scans top, bottom and sides before looking to the center of a picture. Placing the person or object you are photographing in one of these areas that draws the eye may evoke more powerful emotional response than a picture in perfectly centered balance.

None of these tips matter a bit though if you forget the most important basic of all, having fun! While the craft of photography can be exciting as you find unique angles and subject to photograph, don’t worry so much about posing your picture for perfection that you loose sight of building wonderful memories. The great thing about today’s digital photos is that you can snap a lot and save only the best, not worrying about the cost of film and developing. Out of 100 pictures you may find just five you love, and that’s OK. On the other hand you may capture dozens of treasures and the hard part will come in deciding what handful you love the most.

When your trip is over, don’t let your memories languish on your photo cards or hard drive forever. Relive the moments by uploading your favorite images to sites like Flickr, the site recommended by my photographer husband, or any of the multitude of similar services that you can find on a basic web search. Many of these sites will allow you to edit your photos, share with friends via email, order prints for home delivery, and some even provide tools to help you put together a memory scrap book online or for purchase as a coffee table book for ongoing enjoyment.

How to Find the Least Expensive Gas

2009-07-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

When filling up the tank on your RV, you want to make your money stretch as far as possible! Did you know that MapQuest offers a Gas Price Map? Type in your address and/or the address or your destination or points along the way, and find out where to get the most bang for your buck at the pump!

RVing Resources

2009-06-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

I've gone from knowing next to nothing about RVs to learning quite a lot this past weekend. I had no idea there were so many RVing resources out there! Here are a few I've found so far:

Classic Adventures RV - our local dealership that helped us catch the RVing bug!

RV Tips on Twitter

RV Bookstore

RV Trade Digest

49 ways to save money on the road

Do you have additional RV resources you can share? (Please note, I'm not looking for any additional RV dealerships as I want to support my local dealership with this blog, but rather RVing resources and tips to help newbies like me learn how to make the best out of the RV lifestyle.)

Family Vacation...

2009-06-26T12:15:00.001-07:00

We haven’t taken one in over two years. My health has been a huge factor as extended (or even not-so-extended) car trips are physically taxing on my body due to chronic illness. And air travel is too costly for a family of five. There are many places we would love to visit, but like everyone else, we are mindful of the economy and know that even if we can find a way to our destination, we will still face lodging expenses on the other side. So, beyond the simple “stay-cation” concept, is there any realistic way for our family to enjoy a memorable summer trip together?

When watching the evening news last night we realized that RV rental might be a great solution for our family travel plans! Because we would have the freedom of a “home on wheels” the travel part sounds much more doable both for my physical limitations and our budget restrictions. No need for extensive packing and unpacking as we lug suitcases in and out of expensive hotel rooms! No grumpy-from-hunger fussy kids due to waiting for overpriced (and often high-fat, lower-nutrition) restaurant meals or junky fast food.

My hubby likes to drive but gets easily frustrated with “kid noise” in our minivan. RVing would mean he could be up front and happy behind the wheel while the rest of us could enjoy family interaction farther back in the vehicle, not strapped in like ducks in a row, but able to read and play together without being a safety distraction to Dad.

RV vacationing is sounding more and more attractive by the moment. So I’m entering this blogging contest at Classic Adventures RV and will keep you posted if we take to the road in an RV later this summer! :)