The Only way to Travel

Story by Kachina Starr

WE STARTED OUR trip on a beautiful day in May, which always makes it difficult to be enthusiastic about packing. That little voice in my mind says, "It's so nice today, why not just be lazy and stay home?" Four hours after our planned departure time (but at least on the same day) we set off from Gold Beach, Oregon. Our 40-foot, four-slide, diesel RV is always stocked with food, clothes, and toiletries. The idea is to have it up and ready to go so we can spontaneously take off when we get a chance. It's surprising how long spontaneous can take. Accompanying us were Pele and Nesika, both boxer dogs, and Naomi, our calico cat. A friend likens us to a traveling zoo.

Our first stop was Sisters, Oregon, in a favorite park of ours. On our next trip, the park will be gone, lost to a more profitable use of the beautiful setting. Our destination was through Oregon and Idaho to states farther east, a flexible itinerary making time for whatever interested us along the way.

Our goal was to relax, remove our business from our minds as much as possible, and thoroughly enjoy whatever happened. We do keep in touch with our office with a satellite dish set up on our roof, making us look a little like some sort of command center. The dish powers our large flat-screen TV and a TV in one of the outside storage compartments for outdoor enthusiasts who can't be without one. The dish lights up a very pretty blue at night. None of the techies can tell me why, but I found a good reason: locating my home on dark nights when walking the dogs and cat through the RV park.

Traveling in an RV means you can bring your pets along and enjoy all the comforts of home.

So what's it like traveling in this large home on wheels? We think it's the only way to travel. We do get people looking at us in disbelief, and hear comments like, "How long is that thing," or, "Did you see that?" A rather zany woman asked if we were rock stars, way too much attention! It's just the rig size, as our Itasca Ellipse is not a fancy, high-end RV.

We find it very convenient to have everything we need traveling with us. We enjoy adventures and different places during the day and come home to comfort and familiarity at night. We step out of our inviting bed and just out our door is an entirely new place to explore. Knowing every night we'll have a comfortable bed certainly helps to energize our day.

Our RV has an airbed whose firmness can be regulated. It's better than the bed in our stationary home. We don't spend time at laundry facilities as there's a washer/dryer combination on board. When we purchased it, I thought it was an unneeded luxury, but I was wrong. Who wants to spend vacation time in a Laundromat? We wash our clothes while traveling down the road. We don't have to spend time washing dishes either, since we have a dishwasher. Our double-door refrigerator has plenty of room when we stop at produce stands to buy regional produce. There's also a freezer/refrigerator below in our storage compartments so there's no excuse for eating out (even though that doesn't stop us). There's a wine-glass rack so we can sample local wines we find on the way. We often stop at scenic viewpoints for lunch, put out our dining room slide, and have a wonderful time. And we never forget our toothbrush or favorite shirt in the motel bathroom.

With such a big rig we do have to be watchful of dead ends and small spaces, even though the RV has a surprisingly small turning radius. Sometimes it takes my breath away when my husband pulls confidently into a small space that I am sure is too small, and we pull right out with no problem. Most RV parks and resorts can accommodate our size, though we literally can't get into some.

Our rig drives more effortlessly than any pickup and riding in it feels like you're in a gently rocking boat. The back-up and side cameras give full visibility for backing and passing. We have enough power to avoid long lines of cars behind us thinking nasty thoughts about RVs. If the sun gets in our eyes we push buttons to roll down large sun visors.

When we arrive in a park, setting up is quick and easy. We level with a computer-assisted four-jack system that works with the push of a button. Our slides roll out easily by switch, though both Pele and Nasika had to adjust to expanding and contracting walls. Our cat doesn't come out of her hiding place until the walls are in their proper place.

We enjoy the variety of RV parks, each one has its own flavor and character. There are destination-specific parks, club parks, private and public parks, even nudist parks. The big-rig parks are usually picture-perfect and provide many amenities. Some even deliver a complimentary newspaper to your doorstep every morning and/or a gourmet dinner to your table at night. We stay in all kinds and enjoy each for different reasons.

RVers are a friendly group. They love to talk about the art of RVing, offering many theories, advice, and lots of camaraderie. It's easy to strike up conversations with perfect strangers when you're in a park. Or, you can keep to yourself if you choose. Some parks have ice cream socials, dinners, potlucks, and other organized activities for kids and adults. Groups of RVers travel together. There are even tours in Mexico that load up RVs on flatbed trains or Hawaiian tours where RVers live in their RV on a ship.

We enjoy being by the water, looking out our window at beautiful scenes. And many parks are surrounded by forests or beaches that are great for long dog walks. Most accept pets, which is a necessity for our family.

Of course the large question on everyone's mind is fuel prices. It does take a lot of gas, but if we consider the price of motels, eating out, possible plane travel, saving the cost of pet boarding or extra pet charges, we figure it's less than traditional travel, particularly for families. And if we can resist the temptation of dining out, we really come out ahead.

Northwest Travel Magazine September/October 2007