What is it like to travel fulltime in an RV? It is a total blast. We have a sense of freedom and independence that we have not felt
since childhood. But the wonderful difference between living like this and being a kid is that there are no grownups around to tell us
what to do. Each day -- every moment -- we do whatever we feel like. And we never know what will happen next. We structure
our overall movements by seasons: we'll spend spring here, summer there, and by fall we should be over there. We structure our
daily movements by how much we like a place, what chores need to be done, and the weather. Sometimes we arrive in a town to
discover there is an event going on, and we get caught up in the local excitement. Sometimes the highlight of a day is the hours at
the laundromat: we have met some great people while folding clothes. Sometimes we
have a totally quiet day, filled with reading, writing, napping and talking with each other.
However we spend our days, by the end of each one we almost invariably look back and
say, "What a great day!"
For me, the best part of this lifestyle is the
unpredictability. I like not knowing what I am going to
do after breakfast. I like not knowing anything about
a town until I get there. I like studying maps and
wondering about the views from the tiny squiggly
roads leading into the hinterlands.
ONE MONTH IN THE LIFE
During September, 2008 we had a series of outstanding adventures. Those few weeks form a perfect snapshot of what it's like,
how repeatedly stumbling into unexpected good times can be so much fun.
We had spent the summer near Bryce Canyon, Utah where we had settled into one idyllic location for a month. Gorgeous as it
was, while August began to wind down we felt like we were growing roots and were beginning to itch for new scenery. Our overall
goal was to get to Las Vegas, Nevada, by September 23rd for the annual bike industry trade show, Interbike. Then we would meet
up with family in San Diego on the 30th. In between, we had a month to kill and very little geographic distance to cover. That
month held the essence of all that is great about this crazy, traveling lifestyle.
County Fair in Parowan, Utah
We arrived in Parowan, Utah, September 1st. Missing
the turn to our planned campsite, we stopped in the
visitors center for directions. While there, we
discovered the town was hosting a huge Labor Day
county fair, complete with a 5K running race, in just a
few days. Mark signed us up for the race, and
suddenly we were immersed in the fair's rides, kettle
corn, crafts display and tractor show. We saw a terrific
seminar on local raptors, ran the race, talked at length
with various residents, and watched the parade. During the days of the fair we camped in a
mountaintop meadow near a beautiful reservoir, at 9,000 feet elevation amid aspen and tall pines.
When the morning air got too cool we found another spot at the base of the mountains, at a warmer
elevation of 6,000 feet, where we settled in next to a babbling
brook, just a mile from town.
New Friends
After the fair ended, we were doing our laundry, pondering what might come next in our lives
when, between washing and drying, we met a delightful couple from Arizona who live in their
24' fifth wheel in a local mobile home park every summer. They invited us to stop by, get
water for our trailer, and visit a while. What a glorious afternoon! Their fifth wheel had a
stunning view of the nearby mountains, and they were full of tales of their lifetime of
international travel adventures.
Great American Stampede in Cedar City, Utah
Still caught up in their stories, we packed up the trailer and moved a few miles south to Cedar City. We
decided to stay in the Home Depot parking lot which put us close to a lot of shopping that we needed to
do, and allowed Mark easy access to Home Depot for purchases and returns as he embarked on a trailer
project. After six weeks in remote areas, it was fantastic to get 22 high definition digital channels on TV,
so we sat in front of the boob tube for a few days, nursing our sore running muscles and resting up after
all the excitement of the fair.
We discovered the town was hosting a
western rodeo show over the weekend, so
once again we found ourselves caught up in
the small town celebrations of a rural
lifestyle neither of us has ever known. We spent many hours with the
Budweiser Clydesdale horses and handlers before and after the
parade, learning all about the recent purchase of Anheuser-Busch by
InBev, and learning about the life of these magnificent horses and
their dedicated caretakers.
More New Friends
While admiring the horses we ran into a friend we had met at the tractor show in Parowan, and he invited
us to stay a night in his driveway nearby. First we needed to watch the parade and sample a little more
kettle corn, but soon we found ourselves camped out in our new friend's driveway, learning even more
about tractors. He is an avid John Deere collector, and besides his many tractors, he has a house filled
with John Deere memorabilia: lunch boxes, quilts, vests, curtains, table cloths, coffee mugs, you name it.
His wife is a collector too, and our eyes were saucers when he swung open the door to a bedroom that
was filled, floor to ceiling, with Pepsi memorabilia. Posters, trays, cans from every era, pens, mugs,
buttons, statuettes, hats, clothing. Neither of us is a collector, and last year we emptied our lives of
almost all our worldly possessions. How amazing to stand in this house that is a shrine to all things John
Deere and Pepsi.
Pioche, Nevada - Living History
Talking a mile a minute about these amazing collections, we
made our way to Pioche, Nevada, a town of 700 where the
nearest grocery store is an hour's drive away. The town is so
far off the beaten path that their city RV park is free. Pioche,
NV, we discovered, is a living ghost town that is filled to
overflowing with real-life memorabilia of the town's rugged, wild-
west, mining past. As we pulled into town, we had to drive under
the ore-bucket tramway that was stilled 75 years ago but still has
buckets swinging in the breeze. Without the slightest nod to
tourism, this town is the real deal, authentic in its living history
and dying population. The caretaker of the historical museum
and courthouse has so many stories to tell, of living citizens and long-
dead historical figures, that I wished I had a notebook to take notes as I
listened to her. For three days we pondered the brutal lives of the
nineteenth century silver miners who lived in this once rocking town of
10,000 where 80 saloons and 20 brothels thrived. Everywhere we
turned in this quiet, peaceful town, we were surrounded by reminders of
its rugged history.
Echo Canyon and Cathedral Gorge - Nature's Treasures
Seeking a little exercise, one day we rode our bikes 15 miles out to Echo
Canyon, a delightful desert oasis complete with herons fishing in the
reservoir and sheer rock cliffs. Another day we rode fifteen miles in
another direction to Cathedral Gorge. We hiked among the sandstone
towers, climbing deep into their cool, shadowed crevices, our heads
thrown back as we gazed up the immense, sheer walls. We would have
stayed in Pioche longer, but Interbike was calling and we needed to get
to Las Vegas.
Bicycle Tours
We started our Las Vegas visit with a few days in Red Rock Canyon
where we enjoyed some gorgeous bike rides on the scenic road that
loops the western end of the city. The views were right out of a
bicycle touring company catalog. Once Interbike's Outdoor Demo got
underway, we joined the "Hangover" group ride on a stunning tour of
the eastern suburbs outside the city. I will never forget the thrill of the
peleton flying down the hill in Henderson, NV, going 40 mph and
more, as the stunning view of the bright blue lake set against the red
and brown mountains opened up before us.
Bike Gear and Lance Armstrong
The Interbike trade show is a five day blitz of shiny bikes, clever gadgets, cycling
celebrities, free beer, and endless free "swag." We test rode a Co-Motion tandem,
Co-Motion touring bikes with outrageously huge tires, top-of-the-line Lightspeed
titanium bikes (for the 24-mile "hangover" group ride), and an Orbea carbon frame
with the latest Shimano drivetrain. Mark studied Campagnolo's latest 11-speed
gruppo, and we each ended up with a free pair of Oakley sunglasses. Mark got free
custom insoles for his running shoes and a free set of Gore cables for his bike. The
supplements were flowing on every corner, and we left with a year's supply of
electrolyte drink additives and energy bars. The big surprise was the night we
aimlessly got on the free shuttle bus to go see a cyclocross bike race, and arrived to
find Lance Armstrong on the start line. He passed us on every lap, just an arm's
length away, close enough to see him grimacing as he fought to stay in the second
pack, a full minute behind the leaders. Why didn't I bring my camera?
California Casino Hopping: Tiki Bars, Farmers' Markets and Swimming Pools
Las Vegas is insanely hot in September, and we had a week to kill before meeting
Mark's daughter and granddaughters on their vacation in San Diego. We wandered
into California hoping to find some relief from the heat, but the road from Vegas to
San Diego is mostly through the desert. So we decided to casino-hop, planning on
free overnights in their parking lots and air conditioning somewhere in their buildings
during the days. We aren't gamblers, but one casino gave us money to play the slots,
so our meager winnings meant we were paid to camp at their place. Even better was
the delightful surprise that many California casinos are set up as resorts. We jumped
from one casino resort swimming pool to the next, soaking ourselves in the hot tubs
and enjoying the poolside tiki bars along the way. What a great way to beat the heat
for a few days while making
our way across the desert to the coast. Between tiki bar hops, we rode
our bikes to Old Town Temecula and happened to hit it on a Saturday,
the day of their farmer's market. We spent a happy hour talking with a
40-year resident who has been bringing her homemade wheels of
Gouda cheese to this market for 15 years. She told wistful tales of riding
her horses through the valleys where the freeways and housing
developments now stand.
Waterfront Life in San Diego
Once we got to San Diego we joined the local RV crowd that takes up residence
along the harbor-side streets on Shelter Island and Mission Bay. We relaxed on the
waterfront, checking out the latest yachts at the nearby brokers, and watched the
pelicans dive for fish while the
thundering Navy jets rumbled
our chests on every take-off
and landing. A perfect 80-
degree day of play in the
sand and sun at Coronado
Beach topped off an
incredible month of fulltime
RV living.
Couldn't Have Planned It Better...
Looking back, it is amazing to think about the variety of good times we had that month. I couldn't have planned a more ideal string
of 30 days, yet every great adventure was something we fell into by accident, completely unplanned. From a 5K running race to a
county fair, western rodeo and parade, to meeting some great people we never would have met at home, to watching Lance
Armstrong race his bike, to sitting in a resort hot tub quaffing drinks from a tiki bar, to body surfing on a white sand beach, we
experienced a little bit of everything. If I didn't mention any down times, it's because there were so few. Sure, the drive towing our
14,000 lb fifth wheel up and down the desert mountains was a white-knuckle affair. It was almost as scary as the rush-hour drive
down I-15 through Escondido, California, where I prayed nonstop that no one would rear-end us. The traffic jam on I-15 between
Baker and Barstow, California, really took the cake too, as we sat motionless in 102
degree heat and wondered if we would ever get the truck out of Park -- on the
freeway. Sure, it was a little mischievous to sneak into one casino pool knowing it
was for hotel guests only, and it was frustrating to sit in a casino parking lot with the
trailer interior at 95 degrees, unable to use the generator to run the air conditioning
because security forbade it. And it was a little discouraging to do that running race
knowing that if I were living my old conventional life at home I would be more diligent
about my fitness and would be closer to true "race shape." But those are tiny tiny
prices to pay for a glorious month of total freedom, unexpected adventure, and
countless great discoveries.
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...
During this same month, the US financial markets imploded. Lehman Brothers filed
for bankruptcy; AIG collapsed into government support; Uncle Sam pointed his finger
at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and said "I want you;" Washington Mutual had a
coronary, narrowly revived by a buyout; Wachovia went begging to Citigroup and
Wells Fargo, and everyone born after 1940 was talking "Great Depression."
Taxpayers were hooked for $700 billion to save their own skins when we didn't even
know our skins needed saving. Cover photos on newspapers showed Wall Street
rank-and-file with their heads in their hands.
What a great time to be meandering happily between historic western towns, exotic
sandstone cliffs, swimming pools, farmers markets, boat-filled harbors and the ocean,
making new friends along the way.
What is fulltime RVing like? This month says it all: It's a great life. We are very lucky to be alive and to be living this way.