My husband’s idea of a fabulous vacation is to tour the Western American states. Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Utah, etc. And he wants to do this is an RV.
I drive all day in my real life job. My idea of a fabulous vacation is anything besides driving around all day, every day, just to sleep in a tin can and have to prepare the food myself, clean the dishes, and make the bed. Yikes.
I agreed to look at campers though, and he agreed to let me choose the one I would be comfortable in.
Big mistake!
Have you seen the new RVs, travel trailers, and campers? Where have I been?
There were several that seemed really nice – lightweight, rock-like tile flooring, nice neutral colors. Then there was the ONE!
Do you recall the scene in ‘Christmas Vacation’ when Sparky – played by Chevy Chase – spies the tree in the forest that he desires to take home even though it was way too big? Well that was what it resembled.
A huge light beam from heaven illuminated the whole space and I knew this was it – the camper even I could be happy in.
It was a Montana fifth wheel with master suite – king bed, tv over bureau, cedar closet, bathroom right off the side – skylight over shower, double door refrigerator, granite countertops, cherry cabinets, a desk with chair, four chairs around a granite table, two recliners in the back, ceiling fans, a wide screen tv, and a fireplace! I could totally see myself sitting at Yellowstone or Alaska, a little fire going in the fireplace, having a glass of wine in the recliner, my computer sitting at the desk, watching a movie on the wide screen tv.
I ask again; where have I been?
With the camper selected, we moved to pricing. This is where I needed a tranquilizer. It was nearly $70,000.00. I’m not joking.
If we were retired and we planned to spend half the year traveling, I could justify the cost. But to take one vacation and a few long weekends a year in a $70,000.00 trailer seems ridiculous. Besides, we have the cabin in Virginia and rarely get there except when work needs to be done.
But having seen what a camper can be, I don’t think I can ever be happy in the basic pull behind.
As for the Winnebagos, the $250,000.00 RV, I knew better than to even look inside.
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Writingfeemail's Blog 
Wow…that is a lot of money, but I guess you have to look at it as a house on wheels. I can understand how it doesn’t seem like much of a vacation to you. Traffic jams, making meals, cleaning up after everyone. Yikes. The only thing I can offer in defense is that my family took a road trip to Wyoming and Colorado last summer. We ended up staying at an amazing place called Lakeside Lodge on the Fremont Lake in Pinedale. If you do decide to go on this adventure, think about a stop at this place. An enormous lake with fish the size of Buicks, wonderful hiking trails, and a rustic cowboy town that you might fall in love with.
Thanks Annie, I noted the Lodge in the event we end up near there. Sounds pretty neat!
I think of an RV as never having to see the inside of a gas station restroom again, never having to haul your suitcase into and out of a hotel, never worrying about whether those sheets or those blankets really were laundered just for you, or whether you dare to walk barefoot on the carpet. For all the amenities you saw in that 5th wheel, I’m not surprised at the price. I’ve got a more modest one I’m willing to sell, mainly because my inclination to snooze off while driving makes me doubt whether I should still be RVing. I’ll really miss it.
Thank you too Lee. That’s definitely a good perspective. And after all of the luggage hauling you’ve been doing lately, you can probably appreciate the hotel on wheels.
Even grown men staggered under the weight of my suitcase. Actually, for the first time, grown men came to my rescue at difficult suitcase-handling moments. I only had to get it up one set of subway steps, and there was absolutely no one around to even offer there.