RV traveling is so new to me that every time we take off, I learn a different lesson or two. The purpose of our recent cross-country trip was to celebrate my husband’s milestone birthday where he would hike through the Grand Canyon, from rim to rim.
I honestly do not see the fun in getting up at the crack of dawn and climbing up and down the inside of the Grand Canyon, for 11 hours or so. Heat stroke, dehydration, muscle cramps, the risk of breaking a leg or dying, are all on the menu. However, after seeing how many people were there doing just that, I realized it was a “thing”. This is his idea of fun and I must respect it, although not follow it. So off we went, cross country, from Louisiana to Arizona, in 24 hours. We stayed in an array of state parks, RV parks, and some in-between parks. All added to the experience and the lessons learned.
Lesson #1
To make your life easy, plan your journey according to your comfort level.
This new world of traveling with your small house is, and should be, a fun adventure. If you are not the adventurous kind, it might not be your cup of tea. Unless you are clear about the site you are renting, you might end up with an annoying surprise. Campgrounds, state parks, hoses, hookups. Learn the lingo of RV life. Such as BI (back in, when you know you will probably have to back your UPS truck-sized vehicle in the space of a Smart Car). Or PT (Pull through when you can easily drive directly into the site, this should be a no-brainer choice if available). The one thing I dread is backing up a vehicle. Any vehicle. Call ahead and ask if the ground is level (important if you want your refrigerator to work correctly), if there are trees around the site (shade is always good), and most important, if they offer full hookups (electricity, water and sewage lines). Unless you enjoy living off the grid, which is fine for many people, all these amenities will make your life more comfortable.
Lesson #2
If you don’t like driving through mountains in a car, you will like it even less in an RV.
I didn’t realize that rim to rim would mean driving through some steep territory at one point or another. My husband and his hiking group had to be dropped off on one side of the rim of the Canyon and I had to drive the RV by myself (the sleepy Pomeranian does not count), for four hours, through the mountains to meet him on the other side at the end of the day. If he made it alive that is. Or if I made it alive. This was definitely not part of the deal when we first bought the RV!
I half-heartedly took off in the desert and put the radio on the only station that I could connect to. I must admit that at first, on the flat part of the road, while listening to classical music, it felt pretty good. I relaxed, maybe this would not be so bad. It was liberating, powerful, the scenery was breathtaking! I was actually driving this large vehicle around the Grand Canyon!
Then, the easy part came to an end and the rugged part hit. As I clutched the steering wheel like my life depended on it, and it did, I carefully maneuvered the big rig and took special care around the turns as I drove higher and higher. The signs on the road indicated the altitude, 4,000 feet, 6,000 feet and it could only go up! I looked back and saw the long line of cars behind me, impatient faces in my rearview mirror, I did not care. The speed limit was my friend and they needed to follow whatever limit I set since they were behind me! Suddenly, around a sharp turn, I saw it. The steep cliff. The extremely steep, mind boggling, life threatening canyon cliff. I told myself not to look down. Don’t look, don’t look. It will pass. But I looked, much like you try to avoid looking at an accident scene, the curiosity is stronger than your common sense. I could not see the bottom of the canyon, much less any barrier on the side of the road. My grip on the wheel got tighter if that was even possible. My hands were soaking wet, but I could not let go a second to wipe them down on my jeans. I slowed down even more. This time, however, I noticed that the other drivers had slowed down too: they had looked. Their fear as clear as mine, we were all together in this terrifying journey. My left hand hurt so much; I knew I had sprained something in my quest for hanging on for dear life.
For what seemed a lifetime, my left wrist burning in pain from the strong grip I had had on the wheel, I drove with a purpose: survival. As I finally arrived at the camp, 8,000 feet high, I took a deep breath of relief for having conquered the Canyon. But my elation lasted just a short moment when I looked at the reservation and realized my husband had rented a BI site. Now I would have to back up this contraption. Did I mention how much I hate backing up vehicles? After this trip, I would never need an EKG again, my heart had already had a great workout.
Lesson # 3
Tyler State Park beauty
All campsites are not the same.
On our 13- day trip, (with a five-day respite on a houseboat on Lake Powell), we had the time to try out all sort of campgrounds. From state parks, to the “resorts”, to the mom and pop places, to the commercial campgrounds, we tried them all.
State parks, by far, are my favorite. Our first stop was Tyler State park in Texas. Pristine, wild, untouched by unnecessary human advancement (this means no tv reception), it was gorgeous! Everyone had ample space to set up camp, you did not even notice you had neighbors. Because I made a reservation over a week in advance (a must for State parks!), we had a spot with a spectacular view of the lake!
But state parks fill up very quickly and reserving so far ahead of time can sometimes take the spontaneity away from the trip. Next, as we drove through New Mexico, we were, after all, on the famousRoute 66, we called ahead and got a spot in the Route 66 Resort park. Now that was a name I could look forward to!
Located outside of Albuquerque, we arrived in what was a large, very large park, behind a casino. We were told that because of Covid, we would not be allowed in the Casino and we were to stay in our assigned spot. We were quarantined in an RV park! This was the true desert, brittlebush all around, not a tree in sight. The sites were level with ample room for our RV and all the amenities required for a comfortable stay away from everyone. Our neighbors waived from afar and we had a brief socially distanced conversation about our dog and the fact that theirs had recently died. RV people are dog people, all parks are very dog friendly, and Bouchon knows how to be the center of attention everywhere. There was even a “dog wash” on the premises, which we could not use because we were “isolated”. No matter, Bouchon is not into public baths anyway.
On to our journey, one desperate night, while looking for a place and tired from driving all day, I called a campground in the middle of nowhere. The friendly owner gave us directions and waited for us in front of the place in his pick-up truck. We used his headlights to find the way in because there was no sign. He had a makeshift park (with all hookups and electricity) for about four vehicles in front of his house. We spent one of the most peaceful, relaxing evenings, grilling under the stars, watching a field of cows across the road from a porch swing, surrounded by dozens of wind turbines providing heavenly white noise.
Cowboy greetings 
Cadillac Ranch on Route 66
On our way back, we decided to take Route 66 one more time and randomly called the Cadillac RV park. An elderly man answered the phone and said, yes, they had room, they would be closed by the time we got there but just take the exit and look for the 50 foot cowboy in front. “You can’t miss it, take spot #32 and leave the money in the trust box”, he added. The cowboy was very imposing, gloriously lit up with neon lights, three pink Cadillacs in the front yard. We found the place, the spot, and the trust box. This place had a good feeling to it. Quirky and trusting. The next day we drove half a mile to see the famous Cadillac Ranch with the graffitied Cadillacs buried into the ground, and spray painted our names on them.
Lesson #4
Remember the rule of two. Spend at least two nights somewhere that you are trying to explore.
I feel this way about hotel stays. When all you do is pack and unpack, check in after 4 pm, check out by 11 am, you see nothing, you enjoy it even less. In an RV, you have the advantage of traveling with your closet in place and your kitchen and bathroom in tow. But if you only run from one campground to the next, you are missing the point of the entire journey. Give yourself some time to go on a trail, relax for a picnic, or even better, sleep in. Try to stay two nights in one place if possible. Longer if it turns out to be a great place! After this trip, I learned that staying in some places a little longer would have added to the whole experience. It would mean that I would have known more about our “resort” neighbors and their dead dog story, we would have known why that man built an RV park in his front yard and perhaps, I would have seen the face of the man in the neon Cowboy park.
This was our longest RV trip so far; we drove an average of 6 hours per day. But the experiences made the journey worth it. The end of the story is that my husband’s rim to rim hike was a success, I survived the hellish drive through mountains, and even through a pandemic, we got to travel and explore new and wonderful places!
P.S. We are already planning our next RV adventure!