Out of the mouths of babes. If kids could retain that kind of pragmatism through middle school, before the relationship thing sets in, their high school years would be much more enjoyable and less angst driven.
I used to work for a major RV manufacturer, and took several different ones on “evaluations.” We took trips with Ms Zippy’s parents and niece to Mesa Verde and Carlsbad Caverns. Another time we took German relatives to Zion and North Rim.
Those were truly great times. It’s all in preparation. And there was no internet back then…
After much resistance I finally gave in and did the rented motorhome tour of BC and Alberta with my wife and niece a few years ago… Never again. 25 litres fuel per 100 km distance ( that’s about 9 1/2 miles per gallon for the metric challenged…) $1800 rental for 10 days, and an average of $45 per night for a campsite. I could have had a full sized sedan, and stayed in good hotels for less. Driving would have been less stressful as well.
smart RVers have the 3/ 300 rule. Drive three hours or 300 miles tops. Make sure to stop to stretch legs, eat at fun places, find the scenic routes. The RV park is for sleeping and chatting with the RV neighbors if they are sitting outside.
Used to be you could tell Johnny Hart had hosted his “B.C. Open” golf tournament for comic-strip artists by the profusion of golf jokes on newspaper comics pages six weeks later. I wonder when the comic-strip RV convoy was, and where they went? That’s at least three strips (Frazz, Edison Lee, Sally Forth) with RV-centric gag or story lines in recent days.
Of course, you could stay in one after you’ve been traveling. https://i2.wp.com/www.historybyzim.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Within-the-Mobile-Quarantine-Facility-Apollo-11-astronauts-left-to-right-Michael-Collins-Edwin-E.-Aldrin-Jr.-and-Neil-A.-Armstrong-relax-following-their-successful-lunar-landing-mission..jpg
We rented an RV to visit Yosemite one year and had a fabulous time. Yes, gas is expensive and we might have been able to stay in a hotel and eating at restaurants a bit more cheaply, but I wouldn’t exchange the experience for anything.
It was enough to encourage us to buy our own RV, which we used infrequently for vacations. Then we decided to live in our Class A motor home for about a year and a half. Big mistake. While we enjoyed the travel and saw things we probably never would have otherwise, it was very stressful. Between constant repairs, low gas mileage and too much driving, we decided the lifestyle wasn’t for us and sold it.
As a kid, we travelled in a station wagon with one or two adults and 5 or 6 kids (my mother was a saint). We kids may not have enjoyed the scenery as much as we could, but we sure saw all the signs because we were trying to find the alphabet, in order. Quaker State Oil was a godsend: QRSTU all on one sign! We also sang along with the scenery. One would sing “beep” for every sign, another “boop” for every power pole, “dit” for a fence post, “WOO” when a car passed… Then there was finding all the states on license plates, which meant we all piled out at big parks (and parking lots) to look for plates from distant states. It was a big win to get a Canadian or Mexican plate!
The best part of the trips… from one perspective… was the fact that motel rooms had TV (we didn’t, at home).
I’m old enough now to have accumulated enough dumb-ass mistakes to sift through them and come up with something that can, with a little finesse, be passed off as something like wisdom. Though it’s unflattering to realize how many of those pearls were there all along, as plentiful as dirt and nearly as obvious, but that I still had to learn on my own, the hard way.
One good example: Be careful what you wish for. That’s been around forever, and I’m still working on it. And I’m really working on its extension, Be careful what you wish for especially if you wish for it because it was hyped. I mean, seriously, right? Hype? Who can’t see THAT red flag? Exactly. Seeing red flags was never my problem. The problem is, you know who else can see red flags? Bulls. And sometimes it’s hard not to be the bull.
Gizmo Cat over 5 years ago
Poor kid…what’s the point of travelling if you don’t feel you are?
Bilan over 5 years ago
Apparently, the problem with motor homes is that you can’t ask Are we there yet?
You’re always there.
unfair.de over 5 years ago
“It such a beautiful wheather, why don’t you go out and play?”
“We’re on an interstate, mom!”
SusanSunshine Premium Member over 5 years ago
A friend’s daughter and her husband got a DVD player for the back seat of their car…. a small SUV.
It was supposed to just be back-up entertainment on a long drive.
They used all their accumulated vacation days to go across the country with their two middle school kids.
They wanted to show them America…. small towns, forests, mountains, deserts. And they saw it all.
The kids, though, according to their disappointed parents, saw about two dozen movies and full seasons of a few TV shows.
They barely even wanted to look out the windows, unless it was to look for a fast food place, and plead for a stop.
My friend asked her grandchildren what they liked best on their trip… they just shrugged….
then the youngest mentioned a motel that had a big swimming pool.
andyboda over 5 years ago
Kind of like eating at Mickey D’s in Europe.
sandpiper over 5 years ago
Out of the mouths of babes. If kids could retain that kind of pragmatism through middle school, before the relationship thing sets in, their high school years would be much more enjoyable and less angst driven.
zippy49 over 5 years ago
I used to work for a major RV manufacturer, and took several different ones on “evaluations.” We took trips with Ms Zippy’s parents and niece to Mesa Verde and Carlsbad Caverns. Another time we took German relatives to Zion and North Rim.
Those were truly great times. It’s all in preparation. And there was no internet back then…
starfighter441 over 5 years ago
After much resistance I finally gave in and did the rented motorhome tour of BC and Alberta with my wife and niece a few years ago… Never again. 25 litres fuel per 100 km distance ( that’s about 9 1/2 miles per gallon for the metric challenged…) $1800 rental for 10 days, and an average of $45 per night for a campsite. I could have had a full sized sedan, and stayed in good hotels for less. Driving would have been less stressful as well.
car2ner over 5 years ago
smart RVers have the 3/ 300 rule. Drive three hours or 300 miles tops. Make sure to stop to stretch legs, eat at fun places, find the scenic routes. The RV park is for sleeping and chatting with the RV neighbors if they are sitting outside.
DonLee2 over 5 years ago
Used to be you could tell Johnny Hart had hosted his “B.C. Open” golf tournament for comic-strip artists by the profusion of golf jokes on newspaper comics pages six weeks later. I wonder when the comic-strip RV convoy was, and where they went? That’s at least three strips (Frazz, Edison Lee, Sally Forth) with RV-centric gag or story lines in recent days.
Ubermick over 5 years ago
GAWD there are a lot of whiny kids in this school, where absolutely nothing can live up to their lofty expectations.
jmcenanly over 5 years ago
Of course, you could stay in one after you’ve been traveling. https://i2.wp.com/www.historybyzim.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Within-the-Mobile-Quarantine-Facility-Apollo-11-astronauts-left-to-right-Michael-Collins-Edwin-E.-Aldrin-Jr.-and-Neil-A.-Armstrong-relax-following-their-successful-lunar-landing-mission..jpg
Jan C over 5 years ago
We rented an RV to visit Yosemite one year and had a fabulous time. Yes, gas is expensive and we might have been able to stay in a hotel and eating at restaurants a bit more cheaply, but I wouldn’t exchange the experience for anything.
It was enough to encourage us to buy our own RV, which we used infrequently for vacations. Then we decided to live in our Class A motor home for about a year and a half. Big mistake. While we enjoyed the travel and saw things we probably never would have otherwise, it was very stressful. Between constant repairs, low gas mileage and too much driving, we decided the lifestyle wasn’t for us and sold it.
Concretionist over 5 years ago
As a kid, we travelled in a station wagon with one or two adults and 5 or 6 kids (my mother was a saint). We kids may not have enjoyed the scenery as much as we could, but we sure saw all the signs because we were trying to find the alphabet, in order. Quaker State Oil was a godsend: QRSTU all on one sign! We also sang along with the scenery. One would sing “beep” for every sign, another “boop” for every power pole, “dit” for a fence post, “WOO” when a car passed… Then there was finding all the states on license plates, which meant we all piled out at big parks (and parking lots) to look for plates from distant states. It was a big win to get a Canadian or Mexican plate!
The best part of the trips… from one perspective… was the fact that motel rooms had TV (we didn’t, at home).
JoeMartinFan Premium Member over 5 years ago
Going on a road trip, seeing beautiful new sights, AND having the comforts of home? Count me in!
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 5 years ago
BlogostsFrazz15 hrs ·
I’m old enough now to have accumulated enough dumb-ass mistakes to sift through them and come up with something that can, with a little finesse, be passed off as something like wisdom. Though it’s unflattering to realize how many of those pearls were there all along, as plentiful as dirt and nearly as obvious, but that I still had to learn on my own, the hard way.
One good example: Be careful what you wish for. That’s been around forever, and I’m still working on it. And I’m really working on its extension, Be careful what you wish for especially if you wish for it because it was hyped. I mean, seriously, right? Hype? Who can’t see THAT red flag? Exactly. Seeing red flags was never my problem. The problem is, you know who else can see red flags? Bulls. And sometimes it’s hard not to be the bull.
FrankTAW about 1 year ago
Bulls can’t see the color red. They just go for the flag.