Ambivalent about re-joining RV lifestyle
Hello, folks, I wasn't entirely sure where to post this, so, I thought I'd throw it out in the beginner section. Here's our story. In the late 90's/early 2000's, we had a 21' Class C motorhome and...
Forum Discussion
Interesting dilemma. My experience is quite different, so it may not really be of any value to you, but, it may...so here goes.
I grew up camping in RVs; truck camper with my parents or a small RV with grandparents when we were kids, once married we started out of the back of a minivan and eventually moved onto class C RVs. Currently own a Class A. But camping was never about the mode. For us, it was going to the desert to jeep, ride dirtbikes/ATVs, or going to the river to boat, water ski, jet ski. None of those activities really lend themselves to hotel rooms. We saw Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Canyon De Chelly, Lake Powell, Yosemite...Or even just out in the boonies of nowhere!
Growing up, those trips left such lasting memories that not only do my (now adult) kids continue to go with us, but I now have a grandson that goes as well, and my dad, at 80, occasionally goes as well; 4 generations, still all making those wonderful memories together. Sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows and laughing about the day's adventures, bacon & eggs cooking outside on a crisp morning, actually seeing and spending time in some of our nation's most beautiful natural areas both day and night... Those are the memories that I will carry for a lifetime, as will my kids, and now my grandkids.
Oftentimes we boondock, sometimes we go to campgrounds, occasionally we even go to fancy RV "resorts". We infield at NASCAR, spend Superbowl Sunday on the beach in a remote coastal campground near Lompoc, go 30 minutes away to the mountains just to get away from the heat for a quick weekend, and of course still the desert and the river for off-road adventures and boating. They are all worthy of long lasting memories that staying in a motel just can't provide (yes we've also done motel trips...but I hate not sleeping in my own bed, having to go out and buy every single meal, and especially putting the "trip" on hold while we are holed up in that room every night, sitting on the edge of the bed watching TV rather than looking up at the stars with S'Mores in hand).
My point is that memories are not just about the day's activities. They are also about the entire trip; getting there, setting up, campfire time, sleeping under the stars, preparing meals, and yes, even tearing down camp and heading home. If you can swing it, I say to take the plunge. Maybe you only have a couple of years before your grandkids stop wanting to go, or maybe they will get hooked and want to continue going for years to come (could anything be better than that?), perhaps even dragging their parents back into it as well; the more the merrier! But those memories, whether for 1-2 years, or 5-7 years, or a lifetime, will be priceless.
I grew up camping in RVs; truck camper with my parents or a small RV with grandparents when we were kids, once married we started out of the back of a minivan and eventually moved onto class C RVs. Currently own a Class A. But camping was never about the mode. For us, it was going to the desert to jeep, ride dirtbikes/ATVs, or going to the river to boat, water ski, jet ski. None of those activities really lend themselves to hotel rooms. We saw Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Canyon De Chelly, Lake Powell, Yosemite...Or even just out in the boonies of nowhere!
Growing up, those trips left such lasting memories that not only do my (now adult) kids continue to go with us, but I now have a grandson that goes as well, and my dad, at 80, occasionally goes as well; 4 generations, still all making those wonderful memories together. Sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows and laughing about the day's adventures, bacon & eggs cooking outside on a crisp morning, actually seeing and spending time in some of our nation's most beautiful natural areas both day and night... Those are the memories that I will carry for a lifetime, as will my kids, and now my grandkids.
Oftentimes we boondock, sometimes we go to campgrounds, occasionally we even go to fancy RV "resorts". We infield at NASCAR, spend Superbowl Sunday on the beach in a remote coastal campground near Lompoc, go 30 minutes away to the mountains just to get away from the heat for a quick weekend, and of course still the desert and the river for off-road adventures and boating. They are all worthy of long lasting memories that staying in a motel just can't provide (yes we've also done motel trips...but I hate not sleeping in my own bed, having to go out and buy every single meal, and especially putting the "trip" on hold while we are holed up in that room every night, sitting on the edge of the bed watching TV rather than looking up at the stars with S'Mores in hand).
My point is that memories are not just about the day's activities. They are also about the entire trip; getting there, setting up, campfire time, sleeping under the stars, preparing meals, and yes, even tearing down camp and heading home. If you can swing it, I say to take the plunge. Maybe you only have a couple of years before your grandkids stop wanting to go, or maybe they will get hooked and want to continue going for years to come (could anything be better than that?), perhaps even dragging their parents back into it as well; the more the merrier! But those memories, whether for 1-2 years, or 5-7 years, or a lifetime, will be priceless.
