If you have seen National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, then you have no doubt heard Uncle Eddie’s famous line. “That there Clark is an RV.”
About a year or so ago my husband and I decided to take to plunge and purchase a 5th wheel; it’s a recreational vehicle that you tow behind your truck. While the idea of having your own vacation spot pulled behind you is awesome, it’s also a lot of work.
The idea was to travel to all kinds of places and show the kids a little more than their own backyard. So far, we only seem to travel to a lake resort that is ten minutes from our house in the city we live in. Which is fine for two reasons, one it is a gorgeous spot on the lake and two because as we’ve learned, anything and everything can go wrong while RVing. As beginners, it is nice to be just around the corner when it does go south.
But we have taken more extended road trips; in fact, we went about two hours from our home to a Jellystone Park which has RV options as well as cabin rentals.
Hitting the Open Road
When traveling with a 38-foot rolling apartment behind you, there is a lot of prep work that goes into it. There is the loading of the trailer, there is the checking of all the systems and making sure all your tires have air in them. Then after you feel like you already need a vacation from your vacation, it is time to load up the kids hit the road.
If you have darling littles that ride quietly or sleep or keep themselves occupied, I salute you. My little loves usually last about 20 minutes before they are fighting over something. Which escalates to us issuing empty threats about turning around, and let’s be honest that ain’t happening because it was too much work to get to this point.
Alas, we arrive at our destination with dozens of other families on the same quest for family fun and connection.
Trying to Park While Kids are Going Bananas
When you are the proud operator of a travel trailer, you have to be a pro at backing up. This means in just about any type of terrain and in a small space surrounded by trees. You will do this while the squeals from the back over swimming pools and Yogi Bear sightings reach deafening levels. Wondering why we signed up for this yet? Well, because once you’re parked, everything is secure and you’ve got your mom beverage the magic happens.
You stop, you look around to see all the tall, gorgeous pine trees, and blue skies. When you stop you get a peek of the pure joy on your kid’s faces as they chase each other. And you the wonderful sound of them giggling wildly as they run free in nature.
Then you smile at your husband and relish the moment of happiness you all are in. And that will get you through the times when you’re driving down the road, and a tire blows out.
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