Thursday, April 22, 2010

Life in the RV Lane--the speed of kids!

Moving at the pace of a 4 and a 5 year old is not bad. Of course, as grandparents, we have to move pretty fast to keep up with them! While a repetitive, 'wait, Grandy, wait' is sometimes annoying, there are other times when they run out in front--'catch me, Grandy, catch me.' But the best times are when, as you stroll along, you feel a small, soft, usually sticky, hand take yours.
We left Texas behind today and stopped in Arkansas after only about 5 hours on the road. We stopped at a less than ideal place. This is not a great RV park. I would not even say it is good. However, the boys did't care. The weather was good. They got to swing and learn to play horseshoes. There was a field behind us where they spent time exploring and found deer tracks and pockets-full of shells. They spent another hour cleaning their shells and displaying them on the picnic table. Hot dogs and ice cream (don't tell their mom) are always better outside as it begins to get dark. Then as they watched the clouds drift by and saw the moon---the pronouncements! The 4 year old said, "This is the bestest day ever!" The 5 year old folded his hands in prayer, closed his eyes and said, "Thank You, God for the Earth. I like it. Amen"
I'm not an environmentalist and this isn't Earth Day, but I think we celebrated life the right way!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Life in the fast lane? this ain't it!!

Traveling by car is easy. Get up, get dressed, grab some coffee and a danish as you leave the motel. Stay ahead of the truckers, swing thru the drive-thru for lunch, travel until you see a vacancy sign. You might get in 5 or 6 hundred miles in 8 to 10 hours.
Travel in an RV and things are a little different. Get up, move the toaster so you can plug in the coffeepot, move the printer so you can make the toast. Get dressed after digging thru the closet to find the last clean sweatshirt (why is it always cold here?). Unplug from shore power, disconnect the hose--no, wait--I still need water to wash dishes. Reconnect the hose, take the dog for a walk. Wash dishes, disconnect, pull in the slides, hook up the tow vehicle, check the lights. Wow--we hit the road at 9:30 this morning!! Stop for fuel, ignore the icy stares of the truck drivers (not always friendly to RVers) and get in the 'I can only get my rig to 50 on this hill' lane. Stop at a rest area for lunch, take a nap, walk the dog, and get back on the road at 1:30. Drive until you wonder why you ever thought this was a good idea and begin looking for an RV park. Discover if you don't stop at this one you'll have to drive another 6 hours to the next one. Get the RV pulled in, hooked up and ready for the night. Check the weather--freezing temps mean you need to shut off the water. Walk the dog. Get the lawn chair out and have a cold one--it's 3 pm. Congratulations--you made all of 200 miles in 5 1/2 hours. Are we having fun yet?
Like I said, "This ain't the fast lane!"