Road Trippin

We are officially on the road. We have set off on our 14 day journey in honor of Don's milestone 60th birthday. For years, I have heard tales of the Coughlin family trip to Yellowstone. Don's retelling of seeing Old Faithful, a bear being stuck under their tent and other lasting memories inspired him to want to take our family on a similar adventure. 

There is much to say of our first days;  mostly photos of our days on the road. So far this is what we are experiencing and know about RV'ing and mind you we are only on Day 3.

Pro's:

It's great being self-contained; Unlike packing up to move from hotel to hotel, all we have to do is unplug our hookups, make sure things are secure (we learned the hard way about falling objects) and off we go.

It's really nice being able to make a quick PBJ or get some snacks without having to stop. That and having the bathroom has saved us several hours in pit-stop time.  As it was, we drove about 6-8 hours the first two days. Or rather, Don did. He rocks.

The RV communities so far have been supernice. Havana initially said "I don't want to make any campground friends" but by day two she made a friend who we ended up spending a good portion of the day with in and about Lava Hot Springs.

Con's:

The RV is a bit of a beast so you have to keep two hands on the wheel to drive and you have to be careful navigating turns and being mindful in parking lots.

The cost of gas is obscene. Yes, it hold 55 gallons but it only gets 8 miles to the gallon. Still, by the time you add up restaurant costs, hotel rates, car rental and air fare, the cost is equal to air travel.

Don feels it is not like 'real' camping and he has a point. But at this stage in my life, being older parents with younger kids, having all these comforts is appealing. 

We are currently in Lava Hot Springs. We spent our first night in Winnemuca, NV and then drove here the second day. We attempted to see a Ghost Town in Deeth, NV but it was a dud! Not one old house, not one Ghost! We did stop at a Casino where I played one slot machine and won .75 cents! Woo hoo!

Next post I will share our day river tubing, water park sliding and mineral springs soaking. Oh, that and losing my phone to water damage after I foolishly tried to take a photo by the river and it fell in. It was yet another lesson in letting go!  For now, we are going to hunker down and call it a night because we are all pooped after a sun drenched day of fun.