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Souvenirs Don’t have to be Fancy. Why my Windex Bottle Is One of My Favorite Treasures

I love a good bargain.  Maybe that’s part of what drew me to RVing.   Then, of course, after I did the math of owning, storing, gas … not such a bargain.  Still, it’s my favorite way to travel!  One of the many pleasures of RVing is going to places that are harder to get to by airplane.  Most of the time, the places we go don’t have a luxurious resort feel.  We go to places with a vacation vibe … just different from a fancy resort.  

When you travel this way, souvenirs can be different, often less expensive, and sometimes quirky.  Sure, when you visit someplace like a national park, there are the traditional t-shirts and such, but what is it that you bring home that really makes you remember your trip and reminds you of a fun outing on the trip or a funny story?  My Windex bottle is one such treasure.

It was one of our first big trailer trips.  I think my son was five and my daughter was nine.  We were going to Glacier National Park.  We were excited!  We were also on a pretty tight budget.  We were coming from the Seattle area.  We dry camped a couple nights at Lake Wenatchee with the neighbors and then, made an overnight stop in Coeur D’Alene at an RV Park.   That turned out to be a smart move, because a few nights in a state park with a five-year-old boy created a need to do laundry!  After we had refreshed, we headed onto West Glacier, Montana.

If you’ve never done this trip, you should.  It’s a beautiful drive!  When we got to the Flathead Lake area, we hit a crazy can’t-see-the-car-in-front-of-your kind of rainstorm.  By the time we got to West Glacier, the Suburban and trailer had mud splattered all over them!  It was a mess!

We got the trailer all set up and sat down at the dinette only to notice that we couldn’t see properly out of the windows because of all of the mud.  Of course, we had no Windex with which to go out and clean the windows.  No problem!  We were staying at the West Glacier KOA (I highly recommend it!) and they had a little camp store.  I walked over and found not only a bottle of Windex, but a jar of Huckleberry Jam!  Jackpot!

I came back, got some paper towel from the trailer, and went out and set about my work trying to clean it up.  I decided to start with the door because I had a 5-year-old-boy who would be touching it a lot and I didn’t want to have to constantly clean up his hands.  Also, the window on the door was spattered in mud.  Well, I had no idea I had an audience.  Yep, there were two older gentlemen sitting in their camping chairs watching the whole thing and laughing!  They weren’t unlike the two guys from the balcony on the Muppet Show.   They finally yelled, “Do you really think you can clean that whole trailer with that little bottle of Windex?!”  I found them and the scene to be totally entertaining. 

I have had the same Windex bottle for 15 years.  It’s lived in three trailers.  I just keep refilling it.  Every time I use it, I think of those two funny old men in their chairs, the crazy mud on the trailer, and the wonderful trip we had to Glacier as a family.  I think I might still have the price tag on it.  I think it was $2.99.  It was some of the best money I’ve ever spent on an unlikely souvenir.   Not every souvenir or treasure needs to be an obvious one.

Now, some of you may be getting the false impression that I am low maintenance.  My husband says, I am the worst kind “You think you’re low maintenance, but you’re really high maintenance.”  That’s a quote from “When Harry Met Sally.”  I get accused of being Sally pretty much every time I order in a restaurant.  I like to think my standards for souvenirs are fairly low maintenance, or at least un-fancy.  Here are my requirements for worthy souvenirs:

Usefulness:  On one trailer trip to Crater Lake, we had money left in the vacation budget.  So, we decided to splurge on a Pendelton Throw Blanket that we keep on the end of the bed in the trailer.  It gets used all the time, looks lovely, and reminds us of time spent in National Parks.

Our Pendelton throw at the end of the bed was a splurge, but we use it a lot!

Will I wear it?:  I have a collection of “I-forgot-my-jacket” jackets in the trailer.  These are the bargain jackets you can find in gift shops for people who forget their jackets.  Since they don’t get a ton of use and won’t wear out, they make great, useful souvenirs.   Now, I don’t have to remember to pack a jacket because of my collection.  I’m not a big t-shirt wearer.  For me, unless a t-shirt has a dual purpose (i.e. is a good hiking shirt), it’s a no-go.  For my husband who wears t-shirts whenever he’s not at work, it’s a good souvenir.  If you’re traveling with a five-year-old-boy, you might need a t-shirt or two right right away …

Can I use it in the trailer?:  I have decorated the inside of my trailer with National Park art.  I love it!  I only use art from parks we’ve visited and whose art has colors that go with the trailer.  Most of the “art” purchased has been greeting cards that I frame when I get home.   My husband bought a Pendelton Glacier National Park mug in Glacier and uses it every morning in the trailer.  I like to buy cute dishtowels from places we’ve been and keep them in the trailer.  

I love my souvenir dish towels!

Can it be used for a gift later?:  This is where fancy-ness comes in.  My husband and I (O.K. mostly me) will point out things, jewelry for instance, and remind each other that we have an anniversary coming up and that might make a nice gift.   Then, we’ll make a sneaky purchase and save it for later.

Can we eat it?:  Maybe not so much a souvenir but, for us,  a fun tradition .. pie!  We always look for a place to get a pie on our trips.  Often times, we can find them at fruit stands and they’re delicious!  On our last Glacier trip, we got a Huckleberry Pie from a popular Truck Stop and it was fabulous.  It also came with a story that we quote often.  The pie was $30 and we were a bit aghast when the girl at the counter rang it up.  Her dead pan response, “Huckleberries aren’t cheap.”  I dare say the pie was worth $30!  We have other funny pie stories as well.  We also like to find things like Huckleberry Jam that we can’t readily find at our local grocery store.

Do I want to remember this trip?:  Sometimes we go places just to get away that aren’t so much vacation places.  Those trips are more relaxing than memorable.  Or, maybe the trip was a bust and you want to forget it.

We have gone plenty of places where we’ve come home with just memories and no souvenirs.  RVing is about all the things you get to see, the people you get to be with, and the adventures you get to have.  Take pictures!   Scrolling through pictures is a great memory jogger!  Some of my favorite trailer trip pictures are of my kids hiking and playing.  In fact, in addition to my Windex bottle, my other favorite souvenir of the Glacier trip is a picture of my kids at the Continental Divide.   What will spark memories for you?  Think outside the t-shirt and coffee mug box.   Make sure your souvenirs are worthy!   Wherever you go, have fun and make memories!  Don’t spend too much time in the souvenir shop!

Next Trailer Girl Blog – Things I’ve learned from Working With Kids Who Have Special Needs That Can be Applied to RVing … And Life

Traveling With Dogs – They Love Trailers Too!

In our 16 years of RVing, we’ve always had at least one dog who comes with us most of the time.  Our dogs love trailer trips!  Our trailer lives in a storage place.  When it comes up to the house to get it ready for a trip, our dogs know we’re going somewhere, and they get very excited about it!  Over the years we’ve learned more and more about bringing the dogs and when not to bring them.  I should probably point out that we are not full-timers.  Our longest trips are usually around 2 weeks.  As you’re reading this, take away anything that helps and leave the rest.  I know for a fact that some of this won’t apply if you’re full timing (sorry about that!).  Also, we have no experience traveling with cats.  I know people do, but we can’t help you with that.  (again, sorry about that!).

If you’ve read any of my blog posts, you’ll know I am a bit of neat freak.  I also don’t like doing extra work on vacation.  Bringing a dog or two along on a trip can be a bit of a struggle in this regard.  I’ve learned to reconcile my love of traveling with my dogs and inner neat freak.  Here’s how I handle things.  (Note:  check the bottom of this blog post for links).

Dog hair – I hate dog hair dust bunnies!  Whenever I leave to go to work, I tell my dogs, “Leave your hair on!”  They never listen!  I found a good vacuum for keeping after the dog hair and I use I almost every day.  I also use a swiffer to pick it up.  I have learned to not even bother trying to sweep it out of the trailer as it just floats back in.  I also brush out my dogs after our morning walk each day.

Mud prints – We live and travel in the Pacific Northwest.  Mud is a constant issue. We keep a mud colored (some people might call it “taupe”) towel by the door so we can wipe off their feet when we come in from a walk and before they track mud all over the trailer.  I also keep floor cleaner and a mop handy in case.

Rugs are your friends! – We have a Waterhog rug by the door.  It’s a big help with collecting dirt and mud from the dogs’ feet and ours.  I recently discovered Ruggables.  Ruggables are magical rugs that don’t slip and are 100% machine washable and dryable.  They come out beautifully!   I don’t have any in my trailer but have them in the house and I’ll probably never buy a rug that isn’t either a Waterhog or a Ruggable ever again!  

Dogs need their place. – Our dogs have their beds.  We had another dog that needed her kennel at night.  What does your dog need, so he knows where his spot is in your trailer? 

Behavior – I’ve heard it said, “A tired dog is a good dog.”  I totally agree!  We involve our dogs in our day as much as possible.  They love new smells, hikes, drives in the truck, and generally exploring with us.   We do our best to make sure our dogs are tired from having fun!  It usually makes us tired too!  We all sleep better!

Keep up with their routine – You’ll all be happier campers if you do.  My dogs go for a walk each morning after I get up.  I plan that into my trailer routine, or should I say, they plan it into my trailer routine.  They wake me up at walk time and let me know it’s morning … even if I try to explain that I’m on vacation and I’d like to sleep in.  An RV park gets low marks from me if I can’t find a nice, safe place to walk a couple of miles with my dogs in the morning.  My husband is the night guy.  He takes them on what we call, “Nine-O’clock gosies outsies.”  Every night at around 9 p.m., he takes them out on a little walk about for their last time before they go to bed.  

We don’t always bring our dogs with us.  We believe there are times when it isn’t really fair to the dogs if we bring them along.  We have been lucky to find great house and dog sitters in cases where we think it’s best to leave them at home.  Here’s how we decide.

Will we be going to a National Park? – If the answer is yes, then the dogs stay home.  Most National Parks don’t allow dogs on their trails.  The dogs would have to stay in the trailer all day.  It wouldn’t be fair to them and potentially, they could be a disturbance to others in the RV park if they bark or whine while you’re away.  Having said all that, check the website for the National Park you’ll be visiting.  They may allow dogs, or they may have kennels you can use.

Will we be going to an amusement park?  – We love to take our trailer to Disneyland.  We would never bring our dogs on an amusement park RV trip.  We are amusement park geeks and like to close the place down at night.  This would create a situation where the dogs would have to stay in the trailer too long during the day.  Again, not fair to the dogs or others staying in the RV Park.

How long are our driving days? – If it’s more than say, 4 hours, we leave the dogs at home.  This could change when we retire and are able to travel more at off season times.  We are usually traveling in July for our longer trips.  If we’re going more than 4 hours from home, it’s usually hot where we’re going.   We like being able to make stops along the way without worrying about what to do with the dogs while we go inside a restaurant for lunch for example.  We’ve seen people with dogs on long trips stopped at rest stops.  They do a great job with their dogs.  We just think our dogs (and us) would have a better time if the dogs stayed home and stuck with their routine.  

Are we going to be able to get them enough exercise? – On shorter trips where we’re planning a lot of hiking (where dogs are allowed on the trails), we love bringing the dogs!  For instance, we traveled to Winthrop, Washington and camped there for a week.  On the way, we ate lunch at a place on the way that allowed dogs on their deck.  Our dogs loved it!   We hiked all over the place in the North Cascades on trails that allowed dogs.  They got a ton of exercise and were in dog heaven!  They were also tired!   If we went out to dinner at night, they were quiet in the trailer because they were happy and tired.  We took another trip to Cannon Beach, OR that was a five night trip.  The dogs loved the walks, running and playing on the beach, and the campfires.  

Other things to consider:

Before you travel with your dog – Make sure your dog is good on a leash and behaves around other people and kids.  You can teach this by walking your dog in your neighborhood, introducing him to kids, and letting people pet him or her.  My dogs like to go to Starbucks!  I tie them up while I run inside and get my drink.  They often get lots of extra attention from other Starbucks patrons who are passing by them.  They love it!  It’s also taught them a lot about how to behave in other places.  Before ever leaving them alone outside at Starbucks, I took them with a friend and we took turns going to grab our drinks.  This way, they learned that I come back out and that they don’t need to fuss or bark – all under the watchful eye of my friend.  

Check the RV Park’s pet policies – You may have a “banned” breed.  Some RV parks ban certain breeds like Dobermans, Rottweilers, and German Shepherds.  We have a rescue dog who is a German Shepherd mix.  She is a submissive type dog who is timid around strangers.  As my husband says, “Try to get bit by her!”  We think it’s fairly impossible.  We were also told that she may be part Aussie.  So, when an RV park asks for breed of dog, we say that she’s an Aussie Mix.  Our little “un-banned” breed dog has a greater potential for being a troublemaker! 

Use a leash! – We stayed at an RV park one time and the people next door to us had Dobermans.  The people let them roam free off leash.  The RV Park didn’t pay any attention to what was going on in their park.  I’m sure the people trained their dogs and that they were good, but I wasn’t going to test it by bringing my dogs out of the trailer while their dogs were out.  It created a situation where we were “hold up” in our trailer.  Not cool!  Even if you have the best-off leash dog on the planet, put your dog on a leash in the RV park.  Not only is it usually a law, but it’s better for everyone in the park.

Dog Parks – Many RV parks have dog parks. If your dog is a dog park dog, you might look for this feature.  

Pick up after your dog – Bring lots of poop bags!  Always clean up after your dog in the RV Park, on hikes, etc.  

Is your dog a flight risk? – Our little dog is named “Chase.”  Chase is his favorite game!  If he gets out the door, we have to chase him all over the place and he’s fast!  We work really hard at “sit” and “wait” when I open the door, but every now and then, he escapes!  I have a “Whistle” on him.  This is a GPS tracker that pairs with an app on my phone.  So, if he gets lost, I can find him on a map.  It also tracks his activity kind of like a Fitbit.  I get a text every day that says, “Chase met his activity goal today!”  With the Whistle, I can make my house/dog sitter one of his “people” while we’re gone.  That way, if the dog-sitter has an issue, she’ll be able to hunt him down.  It’s also fun to see where they go on walks and runs.  Conversely, if the dog isn’t getting walked, I can see that too and check in to make sure everything is OK.  One time, our dog-sitter hurt her knee while running our dogs.  So, I had to enlist the help of a neighbor to get the dogs walked.

Our dogs have been a fun part of our RVing experience.  When they’re not with us, we miss them and catch ourselves trying to block them from coming out the door when we come back from our exploring.  Our dogs love the truck, the trailer, the hikes, the new smells, and everything about a trip!  I guess dogs need vacations too!

Dog Packing List

  • Dog dishes (mine live in the trailer – one less thing to remember!)
  • Dog Food
  • Treats
  • Leash
  • Brush
  • Foot wiping towel
  • Dog jackets (I use these when it rains – less dog to dry)
  • Poop Bags
  • “Place” (bed, rug, kennel – whatever your dog needs to have his own spot in the trailer)
  • Toys
  • Any medications your dog needs

Links that might be helpful

  1. Vacuum – Shark Rocket (corded so you don’t have to charge it) – https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Light-Anti-Hair-Technology-Steering-ZS351/dp/B07FWYLKSG/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3AZZAIUR0PQNV&dchild=1&keywords=shark+rocket+vacuum&qid=1591578435&sprefix=shark+rocke%2Caps%2C607&sr=8-5
  2. Watherhog Mat – https://www.amazon.com/WaterHog-Diamond-Pattern-Commercial-Entrance-Matting/dp/B008BW6NNW/ref=sr_1_8?crid=7OO82IS4YAJO&dchild=1&keywords=waterhog+mats+2×3&qid=1591578523&sprefix=Waterhog+mat%2Caps%2C424&sr=8-8
  3. Ruggable Rugs – https://ruggable.com
  4. Whistle GPS Tracker – https://www.whistle.com

Next Trailer Girl Blog – Souvenirs Don’t have to be Fancy or Expensive.  Why my Windex Bottle Is One of My Favorite Treasures.

The Value of Just Getting Away – Even When Your Trip Could be Considered a Bust By “Normal” People

If you already own an RV, I’m probably preaching to the choir.  If you’re just thinking about one, maybe these thoughts will push you toward a purchase.  One of the best things about owning an RV is the ability to pick up and go at fairly short notice.  Even if the trip is an apparent bust, there’s value in just getting away.  This is a tale of one such trip and it’s benefits.

It was during the middle of our current pandemic.  Both my husband and I were working from home … in the same office … (10’x10’).  It’s also just us in the house.  Our nest is empty.  For just the two of us, it’s a LOT of togetherness!  In fact, because we already know how each other’s day has been, we’ve given up having dinner together at the kitchen table and have moved to eating in front of the television with the Reagan’s (you know, the family from the show “Blue Bloods”).  As much as we love our house and what we can see out of our windows, we were in dire need of a change of scenery.  

Of course, during the COVID-19 pandemic, “they” decided that all outdoor fun should be stopped including camping.  Many RVers, including us, have been scratching our heads wondering why.  We are self-contained.  They can close off their restrooms, laundry, showers, etc. and just let us in!  As it turns out, many of the fun places didn’t want people from other places bringing germs.  Well, fine then!  We found one RV park open in McMinnville, Oregon which is about 4 hours away.  My husband was delighted because there is an In-N-Out Burger 40 minutes from the RV park and it was open.  It would be the highlight of his trip.  For me, just looking out a different window was going to help.

Pretty much everything in McMinnville was closed.  We could get wine from a winery if we ordered ahead.  There is what appears to be a fantastic air museum right next door to the RV park – closed.  Oregon was pretty much closed!  So what?!  

The RV Park was lovely.  It was beautifully landscaped and a really nice place to walk the dogs.  It was adjacent to the nicest mobile home park I have ever seen.  It was nice to walk around in there.  I am sure it’s home to some master gardeners.  Their yards were well maintained and gardens were gorgeous.  One thing I discovered on my dog walks was a path that led to the air museum.  Even though the air museum was closed, we were able to see plenty of planes they had outside and peek in the windows.  It was like a re-con mission for the next time we come.  The air museum is definitely on our list!

We made our trek to In N Out.  When we arrived, there was about a million cars.  (OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but not by much!  There were a LOT of cars!).  They were into the street and then, lined up into the sports arena parking lot near-by.  There were some In-N-Out employees directing traffic like the Disneyland parking lot.  It was an impressive operation!  That is, until we stopped moving.  We scrolled through our phones for a while and then realized it had been about ten minutes without moving at all.  My husband got out of the car and asked one of the In N Out kids how long it takes to get to the front of the line.  The kid told him it would be about three hours before we had burgers in our hands.  Not even my In N Out mongering husband thought a Double Double was worth a three hour wait!  We left and found our lunch someplace else.

That was pretty much the entire excitement of our trip.  A four hour drive for seemingly nothing!  But, wait! There’s really more!  Here are some things we found beneficial.

A beautiful drive – The Willamette Valley is beautiful!  It was nice to look at some different scenery.  

Together time – Yes, we’ve had way too much of that lately, but it was together time someplace else.  That changes things.  We end up talking about other things.  We see different things out the windows.  We look at different walls.  

Great food – We’ve been cooking a lot at home.  Trailer food is different.  We choose things that are easy to clean up and delicious.  Trailer food tastes like vacation!  

No computers – We rarely bring computers with us when we travel.  We are usually trying to get away from work.  This was no exception.  We each have ipads and can check email if necessary, but we avoid it.  It makes a nice mental break from work.

Nothing=Relaxing – Doing nothing can be quite relaxing!  We caught up on some reading and just enjoyed some down time.  It was nice to turn our brains off for a while.

When we returned from our trip, people asked how our trip was, and we said, “great!”  They asked what we did, and we answered, “pretty much nothing.”  Of course, we could have done nothing from home, but where’s the fun in that?  When you do nothing at home, you’re still looking at the same walls, the same windows, etc. and probably feeling guilty about not doing something like the laundry.

It doesn’t take a pandemic to get these sort of benefits from getting away.   In fact, during normal non-pandemic times, the benefits are even greater, in my opinion.  Getting away means getting away from even more than just working from home.  It means getting away from busy-ness, routines, and maybe a hectic lifestyle.  During non-pandemic times, here are some added benefits.

Outdoor recreation – I’m a huge fan of hiking, kayaking, and exploring the outdoors.  For me, all of the fresh air and exercise helps clear my mind and melts stress!  

Retail therapy – Some of the places we go are cute towns with cute shops.  I love poking around in these shops.  In fact, in one of our regular get away places, I actually put money aside and bring a list of things to shop for.  They have great shoes, my favorite jeans brand, a spice place, and a wine shop.  They also have fun art galleries to look in.

Local cuisine – You might eat out near home frequently, but if you’re like us, you have familiar places you go to eat.  We love checking out a restaurant near where we camp.  When we camped near Glacier National Park, we found an awesome burrito place.  In one of our favorite places, we have so many places we like to eat, we pretty much quit packing groceries except for coffee and some breakfast things because we like so many of the local restaurants.  

Time in the truck – Most of the time, when there’s not a pandemic where we are home alone … together …. all the time, we have been busy with our jobs, house and yard projects, and other obligations. The time in the truck allows us some time to catch up with each other on the way to our destination. Sometimes we just listen to music and make fun of signs and sights out the window. Sometimes, when we’re busy, and we know we have a trip coming up, we’ll table a discussion item and say, “we should talk about that in the truck.” Note: this would be for non-urgent items but things that need discussion such as, “should we fix the fence this summer, or do you think we can get another summer out of it.” The time in the truck is a great buffer between the stresses of home and the hustle and bustle of getting ready for a trip and the destination. It makes the destination that much more relaxing.

For me, a trailer trip is an attitude adjustment.  My stress begins to melt as soon as we’re driving out of our neighborhood.  (Of course, my husband is the driver.  I would guess his stress doesn’t begin to melt until the trailer is set up at our campsite).  I come back from trips more relaxed, well rested (because most of the time, I’ve gotten so much fresh air and exercise), and more ready to take on the challenges of day to day life.  I also come back ready to take my next trip.

Can you get the same benefits from say, a trip to Hawaii? Of course! And, you can get a tan to go with it!  But, can you take off to Hawaii once a month?  Can you get there in just a few hours?  I love a good “normal person’s” vacation just as much as the next person, but I always miss my trailer!  I miss all of my creature comforts, the easy access to the fridge and snacks, my coffee pot, etc.  I’m a trailer girl.  It’s how I roll!  You’ll have to make your own decisions about how you like to get away.  But, do get away!  You’ll be glad you did! As my good friend and neighbor once told me, “You never regret the trips you take. Only the ones you don’t.”

Next Trailer Girl Blog – Traveling with Dogs.  They love trailers too!

Easy Upgrades for Happier Camping

Are you stuck at home?  Are you chomping at the bit to go camping in your RV?  Are you watching for RV parks to open back up and thinking to yourself, “open … open….open!!”  That’s me!  Unfortunately, our 5thwheel is too big for driveway camping in our driveway.  We’re actually toying with the idea of taking it to a place with a big parking lot with take-out food just so we can have dinner someplace else.  We’re getting desperate…  Maybe the best thing to do right now, besides dream of the trips you’ll take soon, is to work on little upgrades that will make your future trips a little happier.  

We’ve done several small-scale upgrades over the years in our rigs that have made our camping a little happier.  There are lots of things you can do!  I’ve seen people paint the cupboards and walls of the inside of their rigs, take out tables and build new things where the table once was, re-configure bunk house areas, and other more involved upgrades. These sort of amazing transformation type upgrades are not small scale in my book.  The ideas in this blog are not those kinds amazing transformation types of ideas.  We like the easy stuff!  

Here’s our list of things we’ve upgraded over the years:

TV’s – If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, this is probably the third or fourth time you’ve heard about TV upgrades.  The TV’s that come with RV’s aren’t great!  We swapped them out with Smart TV’s and it’s awesome!  RV Park wi-fi is sketchy, but we run them through the hotspot on my cell phone.  We’re able to keep up on our favorite Netflix and Amazon Prime shows.  You may be thinking, “I bought this trailer so I can go out in the wilderness and enjoy the great outdoors.”  We enjoy the great outdoors as much as anyone, but at the end of a big day outside hiking, grilling a good dinner, and a campfire, it’s pretty great to flop out and watch something other than a pixelated episode of Friends that’s showing on one of two channels that you can get on your antenna.

Faucets – Our first trailer had the world’s dumbest faucet in the kitchen sink.  It didn’t have the “arch” and just stuck out over the sink fairly level with the top of the sink.  So, when you put a pan in the sink to wash it, you had to flick the water into it.  It was ridiculous.  Imagine my delight when we accidentally forgot to leave the faucet valves open after a winter trip and found the faucet broken off and laying in the sink!  YAY!  We got a new, much more functional faucet.  After that, we decided not to wait for something to break and just get a faucet we like right off the bat!  If you don’t have a faucet with a pull out in your kitchen, you’re missing out on some much easier dishwashing!

Cupboard hardware – Don’t like your knobs?  Are they catching your fingers and causing you pain?  Swap them out!  It’s easy!  Go pick out some you like and swap them.  Just make sure if you have two holed drawer pulls that your holes are the same distance apart on your new pulls.  

Towel bars and TP holders – You know when you go to Home Depot and look at things: the stuff on the Left hand of the aisle is more expensive and the stuff on the right hand of the aisle is the cheapest?  So, when you look at towel bars and TP holders, the nicer ones are on the left and the super cheap ones are on the right.  The ones on the right are the ones that come with RVs.  Sometimes they’re even fancy colors like gold that you might hate!  Donate them and buy some that you like!  If your rig comes with already installed towel bars and TP holder, make sure you’ll cover any holes that are already drilled into the wall.  

Hang a picture – Got a favorite picture from a trip?  Hang it up!   I collect National Park poster art.  My RV is a great place to put it.  I buy the smaller sized ones and cheap mats and frame them with inexpensive frames.  They look great!  If the mat doesn’t fit just right, you can use scrapbooking tape that matches your mat to hide the gap.  There are lots of ways to hang pictures.  Command Strips might work for you.  We drill pilot holes through the frame and then screw the frame into the wall with nice looking screws.  The downside of this is, when we’ve gone to sell a trailer, we have to empty out the frame and leave the frame with the trailer, starting over in the next rig.

Hooks – It seems obvious once you think about it, but usually isn’t something you think about right off the bat.  You don’t normally think about it until you’re wondering where you’ll hang the dog leash or your wet jacket you’re wearing.  So, think about it now!  Where might you like a hook to hang something?  We have a hook in the bathroom for our clothes while we’re in the shower, hooks in the “hallway” for dog leashes and wet coats, hooks in the closet to hang up our PJs, and a broom hook in the pantry for the broom.  That’s just us.  Put your hooks where they work for you.  We use $2 hooks from the hardware store that go with the metal in our trailer.  

Drawer and cupboard organizers  – No one likes to clean up a jumbled mess first thing when they get to their campsite.  Where are your jumbles?  Measure the area and find some organizers that fit in your space online (since you can’t go to the Container Store right now).  You can check my blog for earlier posts about setting up kitchens, bedrooms, etc. to get more ideas on how to organize and where to find things for organizing.

Mattress – Is your mattress kind of a rock?  Do you sink to the middle?  Our second trailer had a horrid mattress!  We slept on it one trip and ditched it!   Comfort is super important when you’re camping (fake camping as it were)!  Make sure your mattress works for you!  In our current rig, we’ve gotten by with adding a nice topper to the mattress that came with it.  In our second trailer, we went to Camping World and bought a memory foam type mattress.  Camping World was a good place to shop because it was a short queen bed. 

Drawers under the bed – We keep the dirty clothes and laundry supplies in the storage area under the bed.  In our second trailer, the hardware that made it so we could lift the mattress to get to the storage was … stupid …  We didn’t know it, but it was totally useless!  Now that we have our new rig, it’s easy to get in and out of under the bed because the hardware is more functional.  When we replaced the mattress in the second rig, the memory foam version was considerably heavier than the horrid mattress that came with the trailer.  It took two people to put a pair of dirty socks under the bed.  That got annoying.  So, we had someone make drawers for the under-bed storage.  That was a great improvement and made life much easier.  This was a bit spendy, but was totally worth it in the “quality of life” department.

Change your lightbulbs – We didn’t do this, but the guy who bought our second trailer swapped out all the light bulbs with LEDs and says it’s much brighter inside and it’s less strain on the AC/DC converter.  For the record, that information comes from my husband, the Electrical Engineer.  I wouldn’t have a clue about AC/DC converters.  I majored in Recreation.  We didn’t have that class!

It’s a tough time in our country right now, and going camping would do a lot to adjust my attitude!  I can’t wait to get out!  Even if we end up someplace where things are closed, I’d like to look out the window and see something different and maybe walk my dogs someplace different!  Or, maybe we’ll just have our take-out dinner in a parking lot in our trailer just to be someplace different.  I hope you’ll get out and about in your RV soon. Until then, enjoy thinking about camping and maybe doing some easy upgrades.

Next Trailer Girl Blog – The Value of Just Getting Away

Those Amazing Gadgets, Why I won't Pay for Most of the Them, and a Few That Have Won Me Over

With the Coronavirus going on, you might be home on quarantine wishing you could go to an RV show.  You might be doing the next best thing – shopping online for a new rig or maybe just dreaming for the future.  You’re probably looking at floorplans and features.  A lot of RV manufacturers like to show off some fancy features and try to woo you.

A little background for you about me. In addition to being a bit of a tight wad, I am also “Miss Fancy.” It’s a conundrum. My mom’s nickname for me was “Miss Fancy.”  That’s because I was kind of persnickety about a few things.  For instance, take me to an antique store and I’m in seventh heaven.  Take me into Goodwill, especially the clothing department, and my gag reflex starts going off.  That was the case when I was younger.  I’m proud to say that if I’m on a hunt for something, I can handle Goodwill.  So, maybe now, I’m “Miss Sort of Fancy.”  I say this because, the “Miss Fancy” part of me is the part that jumped ship from tent camping to camping in a trailer.  My fancy-ness has evolved over my 16 years of RVing to become a little more fancy.  Here’s my take on the fancy gadgets they try to woo you with at RV shows.  Remember, this is just my opinion.  Your needs and opinions may vary.  It’s my two cents … for whatever it’s worth to you.

Outdoor kitchens: Some rigs come with extensive outdoor kitchens complete with sinks, refrigerators, and a stove.  Our first rig had an outdoor stove.  Our second had an outdoor fridge and no stove.  I used the outdoor stove only a little and I mostly used it to cook things that would have a lingering odor in the trailer such as clams and bacon.  One of my favorite smells is bacon cooking in a campground.  Taking it outside to cook was kind of a treat!  Our second rig had an outdoor fridge.  We thought it would come in handy so we could grab drinks on the road.  As it turned out, it didn’t do a good job of keeping drinks cold while we were on the road because the fridge required electrical hookups to keep running.  So, we had slightly colder than room temperature drinks on the road.  It was kind of nice to have drinks cooling outside in the fridge once we were hooked up.  Then, we could transfer them inside the trailer as we had space.   It was an OK thing, but kind of a waste of space other than the spare key we hid in the freezer department.  My verdict on outdoor kitchens – not worth the money or the space!  I’d rather have the storage space to store something more useful.

Washer and Dryers:  I have friends that wouldn’t own a rig without a washer/dryer unit.  I don’t want one.  Here’s why.  The first problem is, they have plumbing.  It’s one more thing that can leak.  Leaks are one of the worst things for an RV.  I don’t like doing laundry so much that I would want it going constantly in my rig.  I’d rather pony up the quarters and get it done in one fell swoop at the laundromat.  I have no idea how noisy they are. I’m sure I wouldn’t like the noise either.  It’s also one more thing that has moving parts that could break.  I figure, if I’m using the laundry in an RV park or a laundromat, the maintenance and repairs are not my problem … unless they eat my quarters.  Space is always an issue in RVs and I would much rather have the space to store things than have a washer and dryer.

Dog bowl drawers: They look like a nice idea in a brochure, but in reality I think they’d be a trip hazard.  As one of the world’s clumsiest people and a person who has worked in rehab facilities, I have decided that falling down is basically a bad idea.  So, one less thing to trip over.  Also, if you have to put the drawer back in while there is still food or water in … eww!  What a mess!  No thanks!  I’d rather flip the dog bowls over accidentally in the trailer and be fully aware that I have made a mess instantly!

Dishwashers: My objections to these are much the same as my objections to the washer and dryer.  There is plumbing, it leaks.  Moving parts could break. It might be noisy.  They’re also small.  So, you’re going to have to wash some dishes anyway.  I really don’t mind washing the dishes.  It’s always been a teamwork thing on our trips.  

Theater seating:  I always thought theater seats were for wimps.  That is, until we had our second rig.  The couch was not floppable.  Watching movies together as a family was awkward.  It just wasn’t very comfortable.  Then, we went to a movie theater that had the reclining seats and I was sold.  That was going to be a requirement in our next rig.  We now have theater seats and I love them!  

Heated seats:  When we were looking at our current trailer, the dealer was proud to show us that the theater seats were heated and that they had a massage feature.  I thought, “Wow, that’s a little over the top, but OK.” Well, the heated seats … let me just say, I’m never going back!  I love them!  They’re especially great on the first night when it’s chilly out and the rig is still cold.  The massage feature just makes me laugh.  It’s not so much a massager as a jiggler.  When we were kids, my family went on road trips where we stayed at Two Diamond or less motels listed in the AAA trip book.  Sometimes these fancy places had beds with a little box you could put a quarter in and get a “massage,” which was more of a jiggle.  The massage feature in our chairs makes me think of those funny motel beds.  

Fireplace: Try to buy a fifth-wheel without one.  I was against them, but when I we started looking at fifth wheels I had to make my peace with them.  Luckily over the years, they have gotten better looking.  I thought we’d probably never use ours.  I was dead wrong.  I love that thing!  It heats up the living area great and adds a nice cozy feel to the trailer in the evenings when we can’t be outside with a fire in a fire pit.  Another plus to the fireplace, it runs on electrical power.  So, when you’re fully hooked up and on shore power, it provides heat to your living area without using up propane.   One of my favorite things with this rig is when we go to one of our favorite places, there is a place to order take-out chowder.  My husband gets the outside all set up and I set up the inside, make salad, and heat up the U-bake bread we bring along.  Once he’s done outside, he calls to order up some chowder.  I sit and wait in my heated seat and enjoy the fireplace.  Miss Fancy … there she is!

Outdoor shower:  Our first two rigs each had one.  I thought it was going to be a Godsend since we had dogs and a little boy.  I figured they’d need to be hosed off outside.  It turns out, we mostly used the outside shower for filling up the bucket with the clams we brought back from clamming.  In our second trailer, something went wrong and the shower leaked into the trailer.  We ended up capping of the pipe to stop the leak which disabled the shower.  We never missed it.  Our current rig doesn’t have an outdoor shower.  We actually could have used one recently when one dog hiked his leg and the other dog got her head in the way.  Gross!  We ended up working with the hose outside to wash the dog’s head.  Everything was fine without the shower! 

DVD player: Most rigs come with a built in DVD player.  Meh… they’re OK.  We’d rather they had a good place to put one that we pick out.  We’d pick one with a blue-ray player.  We keep talking about buying a blue-ray player for the trailer and never have gotten around to it.  We’ve been talking about it since the last trailer….

TV:  The TV’s that come with trailers aren’t great.  Don’t let them woo you with the TV.  We swap them out for smart TV’s.  We use my phone as a hotspot and we have access to Netflix, Amazon Prime and a lot of other things.  We love having a smart TV in the trailer!   You might think that you’ll never watch TV because you’re going into the great outdoors.  Well, if you’re boondocking, you’re right!  Your TV isn’t going to work unless you run a generator.  We generally stay at places with full hookups.  I am a big fan of the great outdoors and hiking, but I love to return to my trailer for an evening of flopping out after a hiking day if I can’t have a campfire.  

Outdoor TV:  I’m not really interested in these, but can see their appeal.  Maybe you want to watch a movie with the kids outside while roasting marshmallows.  Sounds fun!  Maybe you’re a tailgater.  Maybe you’re camping with people and want to watch a football game together outside.  Cool!  My husband is opposed.  He wants the space for storage (they usually take up some space in the storage area) and he’s absolutely against sitting still when he might get bit by a mosquito.  So, no outdoor TV for us!

I hope that’s given you a little food for thought.  If you want to make this long story shorter, I’d say if it has moving parts or if it might leak – think real hard about whether or not having it is worth it to you.  If it makes your time in the rig more comfortable, it’s worth it.  

Next Trailer Girl Blog:  Easy Upgrades for Happier Camping

My RV Kitchen – Sort of Minimalist – Sort of Not. My Favorite Must-Haves

I love to travel in my trailer and I love to cook.  RV kitchens can be a challenge with their small sinks, minimal cupboard space, and their weird ovens.  We are now on our third trailer and with each one, I have gotten more kitchen space.  I am currently spoiled with a pantry bigger than my home pantry, lots of drawers, and plenty of room for my dishes and pots and pans.  This wasn’t always the case.  My first trailer had very minimal kitchen space and I became a master of making everything I needed fit.

My first bit of advice for anyone setting up an RV kitchen is to figure out what kind of RV cook you’re going to be.  Are you an everything-from-scratch-kind of person or a pop-it-in-the-microwave kind of person.  If you’re the later, you are only going to be challenged by your freezer space and you won’t need much in the way of cookware or utensils.  If you’re a little more like me, an almost-from-scratch sort of person, you’re going to need to figure out how to pack your kitchen just right.  Here is how I have set up my RV kitchen and how it’s evolved over the past 16 years of RVing.

Dishes – I hate paper plates!  I am also not a big fan of plastic-y dishes and cups.  I want everything to feel as much like real dishes and cups as possible.  16 years ago, I bought a set of Corelle dishes that I am using to this day.  They make great RV dishes because they don’t break or chip and they stack compactly. 

My dishes cupboard in my trailer.

Mugs – Mugs are a very important piece of camping equipment!  We have a couple of good travel mugs for when we need to have coffee in the car.  Otherwise, we use regular mugs.  After 15 years of use, the stoneware mugs from my Corelle set finally died.  I have replaced them with some Starbucks mugs that look nice with my dishes.  I keep them in a drawer.  I find that mugs chip less in a drawer.  If you store your mugs in a drawer, you need to measure your drawer before you buy your mugs.  I looked a little weird when some kids I know caught me measuring the mugs at Starbucks.  You need to make sure they’re not taller than the inside of your drawer and steer clear of the drawer catch thing (I’m sure there’s an official name for it).  I lined the drawer with a non-slip liner and put a paper plate rolled up with some no-slip stuff around it in between the rows of mugs so they don’t bump into each other on the road.  The paper plate set up was going to be a temporary measure until I thought of something classier, but it’s working!  So, I think I’ll just leave it. 

My mug drawer set up. The thing in the middle is a rolled up paper plate with some non-stick stuff wrapped around it. It keeps everything in place.

“Glassware” – I use acrylic “glassware.”  I had some super cheap cups from Walmart for the first 10 years of RVing.  They finally cracked and I sprung for some nicer ones from Crate and Barrel.  They’re holding up really well.  I also have stemless acrylic wine glasses (because trailers jiggle and you don’t want to spill your wine!).  I found nice ones at Crate and Barrel.

Pots and Pans – My biggest piece of advice here is don’t cheap out!  That’s right!  Don’t go buying the cheapest stuff for your RV!  Here’s why.  You are on vacation!    Your sink is smaller than your sink at home. You don’t have a garbage disposal.  Your gray water tank is only so big.  The last thing you need is your food sticking to some cheap pot or pan and to spend time and gray water tank space scrubbing!   Get some good non-stick cookware for your rig.  You can find decent T-Fal at places like Target and Walmart.  Also, check places like Home Goods.  Sometimes you can find higher end stuff like Calphalon at great prices.  If your cookware has glass lids, store your lids on the pots or pans if possible.  I have a rack for mine now and it’s working well.  I’ve been traveling with glass pan lids for 16 years and haven’t broken one yet! 

You need one “beater” pot – You should have one “beater” pot.  Maybe one you’ve handed down from your home kitchen or bought used at someplace like Goodwill.  I store my “beater” pot in the bench of my dinette.  I use it when I need to cook outside or when I’m cooking something that might hurt my good pots, like clams.

Silverware – Get a good set you like and a silverware organizer for the drawer.  No one likes a jumbled mess in the drawer when it’s time to set the table.  You can find inexpensive sets of silverware at places like Target or Home Goods. 

Utensils – I used to sell Pampered Chef.  I am all kinds of picky about my utensils and it’s probably the one thing I have gone more overboard on.  I haven’t really given into the “it has to have at least two purposes” mentality for this.  For instance, I have an avocado cutting tool.  It’s important!  I also have a tomato corer and two different sizes of graters.  Very important!  The one thing I am persnickety about is that everything has to fit in its intended place.  So, it took me forever to find the right cheese grater that would lay flat in the drawer and not be a cheap, flimsy one.  After a couple months of searching, I found a great Microplane grater with a handle that doesn’t stick up.  YAY!  

Organizing your utensils – I have all of the utensils that I use near the stove (wooden spoons, rubber scrapers, tongs, etc) in a utensil holder on the counter near the stove.  I stow it in the cupboard below when we are traveling.   For all other utensils, I have them in drawers organized by size more than function.  That’s to prevent the jumbled mess thing from happening in the drawer.  I also have my knives in sheaths so that I don’t cut my fingers trying to find something else.  I hate bleeding…

Roll-a-Roasters – Don’t go camping without them!  They don’t take up much space!  You’ll be the envy of everyone at the campground!  Roll-a-Roasters are telescoping roasters for use with a campfire.  They have a little turning screw that you can twist with your fingers while you roast.  They make perfect marshmallows!  You can find Roll-a-Roasters at Camping World or REI.

Roll-a-Roasters. Don’t go to a campfire without them!

Small appliances – Our first rig didn’t have much space in the kitchen for things like appliances.  Our coffee pot was only a 4 cup coffee pot because we could fit it in the cupboard.  We didn’t have enough counter space to actually leave it on the counter while we were camping.  Because of that, I have learned to camp without any small appliances other than a coffee pot.  When we got a bigger rig, we got a normal sized coffee pot (with a stainless-steel carafe.  It’s not breakable and it keeps your coffee hot longer).  The coffee pot upgrade was one of the most exciting things about getting a new trailer for us.  We left our 4 cupper in the old trailer when we traded it in with a note about why whoever bought the trailer needed that tiny coffee pot.  Many people like having a crock-pot or an insta-pot in their rigs.  Now that I have space for one, I’m not sure I want one in the trailer.  I don’t even have a toaster!  If I want to toast something, I use a pan on the stove.  I’ve gotten used to my “trailer” recipes that don’t require extra appliances.  To be a good “trailer recipe,” the recipe must be fairly simple, not require more than two pots or pans, not be something that you have to spend too much time cleaning out of the bottom of a pan, and of course, be delicious!  

A good grill is worth every penny! – We have had some grill failures. For instance, on our first trailer, we bought a gas grill that was basically a giant grill pan on wheels.  While it worked OK, our steak had strange grill marks and it wasn’t as good as over an actual flame.  Our second trailer had a cool grill that hooked up to a gas spigot thing on the trailer and had a little grill shelf on the back of the trailer.  It was a great set-up … except for the part where the grill didn’t work for beans!  We had to be super picky about what we cooked on it and the outside temperatures and wind had to be perfect or it would take forever!  On our current rig, we sprung for a little Weber gas grill.  We love it and it cooks great!   My husband is the griller. It was hard to get him enthusiastic about grilling on the first two grills.  Now, he’s much more willing and enthusiastic about going out, setting it all up, and grilling.   

Grill pan – Funny story, since we had those first two grills that were sub-par and we do much of our camping in the rainy Pacific Northwest, we decided we should have a grill pan for the trailer in case our grilling plans were thwarted by weather or a lack of enthusiasm by the griller.  We frequently camp in a town that has two kitchen stores, a big grocery store, and a hardware store that sells some kitchen things.  Do you think we could find a grill pan there when we needed one?  NO!  It’s an artsy town.  Our working theory is, there are just too many vegetarians and they don’t grill much (clearly, they haven’t tasted grilled vegetables!).  I found a decent T-fal non-stick grill pan at our local Walmart after we got home from one of those trips.  It’s come in handy!

Stones – I mentioned before that I sold Pampered Chef.  I have several baking stones in my trailer that I think are a big help to RV baking.  RV ovens are weird.  The stones (along with tiles on the bottom of your oven) help distribute the heat more evenly and prevent burning on the bottom.  I have a pizza stone, a round stone (like a cake pan), and a 9 x 9 square baker.  

Baking sheets – Before you buy a baking sheet, measure your oven!  I have messed this up more than once!  My husband has bent baking sheets so they fit.  Another time I bought one that almost fit and we just left the oven door open a little.  Lame!  I should have measured first!  After you measure, go someplace like Home Goods or a kitchen store.  They’ll have a better size selection.  Buy heavier metal baking sheets to prevent burning on the bottom.  If you’re lucky, you might find a silpat mat to put on it that will help with clean up.  I haven’t been quite that lucky…. Yet…..  I love kitchen stores!  It’s fun to always have something to look for.

Cute dishtowels and pot-holders you like – Don’t go taking your old, stained dishtowels from your house and put them in your trailer!  Go pick out some that make you happy!  You’ll be seeing them a LOT while you’re camping!   Also, you’ll be using a lot of them if you cook!  Most likely, you’ll need to hang them to dry somewhere like your oven handle and it’ll be out where you can see it.  You want something you like there, not something stained and ugly!  Lately, have been collecting cute dishtowels from places I visit.  It’s fun to have reminders of past trips.  

I am the “scullery maid” on our trips.  That’s what my husband jokingly calls me.  I don’t mind because he’s the “hose master” and the driver.  This little division of labor gives us each some say in our areas.  He has veto power over what we listen to while on the road, for instance.  Saddly, there’s not much upgrading you can do with hoses, but he has the best he can find!  He likes eating well on the road and doesn’t question my choices in cookware.  It works!  Although, truth be told, he did look at me a little like I was crazy when I put bread in a basket with a cloth napkin liner on the table!  I finally had enough room for the basket and room in the drawer for a couple of cloth napkins.  Time to get a bread basket!  

Here’s my shopping list for setting up an RV Kitchen:

Serving:

  • Set of Corelle Dishes
  • Mugs that fit where you’ll store them
  • Acrylic “Glassware”
  • Set of silverware and silverware organizer

Cooking:

  • Set of non-stick pots and pans including; stock-pot, sauce pan, small sauté pan, larger sauté pan, and a skillet with higher sides than a sauté pan.
  • Non-stick grill pan
  • Beater pot
  • Set of nesting mixing bowls with lids (mine are stainless steel and I’ve had them 16 years!)
  • Pampered Chef Micro-cooker (great for cooking things like Costco chicken tenders that you’ll be putting in another recipe or for thawing the meat you forgot to take out of the freezer)
  • Pyrex type measuring cup
  • Nesting dry measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons

Favorite Utensils:

  • Chef’s Knife, smaller knife, paring knife, and serrated knife (I love my bread knife – works on watermelons too!)
  • Pizza Cutter
  • Rubber scrapers 
  • Wooden Spoons
  • Rubber tipped tongs
  • Flat silicone covered whisk (for stirring in non-stick pots)
  • Regular whisk (for things like scrambling eggs)
  • Cheese grater (or 2!) – my favorite are Microplane with handles that help them lay flat in the drawers
  • Roll-a-Roasters

Baking: 

  • Baking stones
  • Heavy baking sheets that fit in your oven

Other things:

  • Good Grill
  • Cute Dishtowels
  • Coffee pot with stainless steel carafe
  • Tea Kettle
  • Cutting Boards you like and that don’t slip while you’re cutting

A word about shopping.  I am a big fan of brick and mortar stores.  I like to touch things like mugs and glasses and see how they’ll feel in my hands.  I like to feel the weight of a pot, pan, or a baking sheet.  You can’t do that by shopping online!  I also like to support small businesses as much as possible and will buy something at a small kitchen shop before going to a someplace like Target.  I’ll even pay a few bucks more to buy something from small mom and pop shop than say, Amazon,  to help support their business.  I encourage you to get off your computer (when you’re done reading this blog post, of course!) and go to actual stores!  It’s fun and you’ll be doing the brick and mortar stores a big favor!  Additionally, you’ll be doing yourself a big favor by buying things that are more to your liking and that fit in your rig!  Win-Win!

Next Trailer Girl Blog – Those Amazing Gadgets, Why I Won’t Pay for Most of Them, And a Few That Have Won Me Over

Mrs. Lewis, I Believe You’ve Become Separated from Your Children. A funny story about losing our kids (and getting reunited) in a National Park!

We were on a 5 National Park, two-week (maybe a little longer) trailer trip.  We came from the Seattle Area, went white water rafting in Idaho, hit Utah and visited Arches and Canyonlands, went to Durango and met up with some friends and visited Mesa Verde, went on from there to the Grand Canyon, and came back up through Utah and visited Zion and Bryce Canyon.  Also on this trip, we had to replace the fuel pump on our tow vehicle and were stuck in a KOA in Kingman, Arizona for a couple days. We were on the last National Park, Bryce Canyon.  We were camping in our 25- foot trailer with no side slide outs.  It was a LOT of togetherness in a relatively small space.

My husband and I were geeking out on the different rock formations, not that we knew anything about them, but they all looked different.  We think it’s amazing how you can travel in the United States and see such different landscapes in a relatively short amount of time.  It’s awesome and part of the reason why we got into RVing in the first place.  The kids, on the other hand, had seen their fill of orange rocks.  They were done hiking and exploring.  We weren’t…and that’s how our story begins…

It was the last hike of the trip.  The Queen’s Garden hike down to the bottom of Bryce Canyon.  Who wouldn’t want to see a hoodoo from the bottom up?  Apparently, my kids!   We were at the rim of the canyon when we decided we’d make a pit stop.  We all went to our respective restrooms and when I came out, I only found my husband.  We waited around for the kids at the trailhead and they never showed up.  We tried texting and calling them, but the cell service was nil.  Since they had done some pretty bitter complaining earlier that day, we figured they went on ahead on the hike and were going to beat us to the end.  They were sick of us.  Whatever!  They’d be fine and we could enjoy our hike without any complaining.  Win-Win!

We began our hike, oohing and ahhing over the incredible rock formations.  Outside of the Calico Mine ride at Knott’s Berry Farm or the Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland, I’d never seen anything quite like Queen’s Garden.  It was amazing!  And, it was REAL!  God made it out of real rocks!  SO cool!  I took about 785 pictures!  My husband was even getting impatient telling me that the rock formation I was taking a picture of looked just like the last one I took a picture of.  It was probably a good thing he stopped me, or I might have 1785 pictures of hoodoos!  It was a fantastic hike!

We finished the hike expecting to see the kids at the end of the trail.  They weren’t there.  We tried the cell phones again.  No dice.  Dang!  We lost the kids!  We weren’t terribly worried considering it was early afternoon, it was light out, they were both smart and resourceful, they were 15 and 11 and together, and they probably had eleven dollars between them.  They probably wouldn’t starve.  They also knew where we parked the car and could take a shuttle back there and meet us.

We got on the shuttle and decided to get off at every stop thinking maybe they’d stopped to get a snack.  We didn’t find them anywhere.  We stopped and got off near the car.  Not there.  Suddenly, my phone rang (a miracle considering the lack of cell service!).  I picked up and this is what I heard, “Mrs. Lewis, this is Ranger so and so (I can’t remember his name).  I believe you’ve become separated from your children.”  Yes, indeed!  We had become separated from our children!  He let us know we could meet up with them at the Visitor’s Center.  As much as we enjoyed our complaint-free hike, we were pretty relieved to know where the kids were even though we knew they’d be alright.  When we met up with them, the Ranger , mtold us what great kids they were and how they’d done all the right things by finding a Park Ranger to get help.  We should be proud of them.   I have to say, we were a little conflicted.  We weren’t sure if we should be irritated with them for disappearing or proud of them for how they handled it once they figured out they were “lost.”  

We look back on this day with amusement.  Please don’t call Child Protective Services on us!  Our kids are grown up and they turned out just fine!  The 15-year-old in this story is now an EMT and can hold her own with the craziest, strung out druggies you’ll find on the street!   She has great stories.  Her wit and ability to think on her feet is serving her well.   Our son is serving in the Unites States Marine Corps and making us proud.  Perhaps this little adventure was good training.  Who knows? 

For the record, my daughter read this and informed me that she remembers it differently.  She maintains that the kids were under the impression that we were going on the rim hike (a two mile-ish, relatively flat and paved hike).  She also maintains that she and her brother were totally annoyed with their parents for being dorks and getting their hiking poles ready for that flat hike and that they went ahead because we were too slow.  So, they hiked the wrong trail.  We hiked the one to the bottom of the canyon, where trekking poles came in handy!  I know we talked about which hike we were going on prior to getting separated.   My husband remembers it like I do.  It will go down in our family history as an unsolved debate and probably make for some more funny family conversations … maybe someday with grandkids!  

There’s no real moral to this story other than when things turn out OK in the end, it’s much more fun to look back onto the story with amusement.   Every now and then, we’ll quote that Park Ranger, “Mrs. Lewis…. I believe you’ve become separated from your children” and get a good chuckle out of it.   I hope you got a good chuckle too.  

Next Trailer Girl Blog – My RV Kitchen – Sort of Minimalist – Sort of Not.  My Favorite Must-Haves

The Economics of RVing ….As Told by Someone Who Majored in Recreation

I will be the first to admit that I know very little about economics.  I’m also not the best at higher level math.  However, to my credit, I am the household bookkeeper and budget master.  I also run a small non-profit which I started from the ground up right before the big recession hit. It’s our 13th year and we’re still in business and growing!  All that said, I feel somewhat competent where small scale money is concerned.  Don’t even think of asking me a question about our nation’s economics.  I’ll give you a blank stare!  

The other important thing to note is, I majored in recreation.  I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation Administration, Therapeutic Option (or shortened up, Recreation Therapy.  Yes!  It’s a real thing people get paid to do!).  As a Recreation Therapist, I worked in several different settings including Psychiatric Care, Skilled Nursing, Drug and Alcohol Rehab, and lots of youthwork settings.  In all of my career life, I have worked with people of all ages and backgrounds.  This will all be important to my “Economic” theories related to RVing.

When we first bought a trailer, we had to buy a tow vehicle to go with it.  We bought a brand new Suburban because we couldn’t find a used one with low enough miles set up the way we wanted.  At the time we purchased it, there were so many kick-backs from Chevy and the dealer, we actually could get a brand new one for the same price or less than a used one.  It was crazy!  We also bought our trailer brand new because we couldn’t find a used bunkhouse model that didn’t smell weird and where you could pack both food and clothes.  It was a very strange time for used trailers!  They were just starting to get the idea that families wanted to travel and that everyone in the family would bring stuff and want a bed to sleep in!  

As soon as we bought our trailer and tow rig, we pretty much ceased any kind of travel that involved a hotel and an airplane.  We also began taking a weekend trip almost every month.  The tow rig also became my daily driver and was a great mom carpool-mobile.  

I don’t have a CLUE how to do the math to figure out the value of the tow vehicle to the travel vs what we paid for it, wear and tear on the trailer and rig, or whatever kind of math an economist would use.  Here’s the math I did when we traveled with our kids:

  • Gas – for a family of 4 was almost always less than airfare
  • Car – we didn’t have to rent one, so we saved on car rental
  • RV Park Fees – At $35 – $85 per night for a family of 4, this was always a better deal than a hotel
  • Food – At first, we almost never ate out.  This saved us a lot of money.  When we were able to go out a little more often, we still saved quite a bit of money on food.  We didn’t spend any more on groceries for a trailer trip than we would have staying home.  We always figured that just by eating breakfast in our trailer, we saved at least $50 per day for a family of 4 (with a Starbucks type breakfast).

Sounds like a bargain, right?  Now, figure in the cost of your trailer over the time you have it minus what you sell it for when you’re done with it (or in our case trade it in).   Then, divide by the number of years you use it.  That’s what you spend on your vacationing on just your RV.  Our first trailer, we had for 10 years.  We bought it for about $13,000 and sold it for about $6,000.  That’s about $700 per year.  Then, we pay for storage (let’s figure $100 per month).  So, there you have another $1200 per year.  $1900 is a pretty nice car trip hotel vacation!  I try not to think about that!

Here’s where the financial payoff improves:  when you take the weekend trips periodically throughout the year.  Yes!  You have to use it to get your money’s worth!  Our little 3 day weekend trips are a bargain!  Especially if we stay in a state park.  Even if we don’t stay in a state park, our the gas and RV Park fees for a weekend trip usually cost less than a nice dinner and a movie for two people.  If you’re just going to use your rig for your annual summer vacation, you might want to re-think your purchase.

You can improve the payoff even more if you purchase a used RV or trailer.  RV’s and trailers don’t hold their value.  As soon as your wheels hit the street from the dealer, it’s worth a bunch less than it was on the lot.  

As a Recreation Therapist and someone who has spent most of her working life working with youth in some capacity, I have seen what happens when people become unbalanced.  I don’t mean the lack of ability to stand on one foot without falling over (I am challenged in that area!).  I mean the lack of taking time out away from work, school, and stress.  I’ve seen what happens when people don’t take the time to do things they enjoy and re-charge.  It’s not pretty!  It can lead to all kinds of problems like anxiety, depression, and the over-use of substances to “fix” the negative feelings.  I’m not saying buying an RV or trailer will fix this.  What I am saying is, it’s helped us and other people I know un-plug and come back refreshed.  It helps maintain life balance.   When I worked in nursing homes as a Recreation Therapist, my residents liked to talk about their travels.  Not one ever said, “Wow!  I really wish I hadn’t traveled!”  Instead they told stories of their adventures and time spent with their families.  

We recently took a “free” trip to Hawaii for 8 nights.  We used airline miles to purchase the tickets and hotel points for the hotel.  We paid for one activity type thing, a rental car, and food.   Breakfast was included with our hotel stay (we still had to pay for a tip and if we wanted to eat eggs, that was additional).  Lunch and dinner was pretty much all we really had to pay for food-wise.  It was the most expensive vacation we have ever been on!   We were in a resort area with what I called “the resort fee.”  There wasn’t really an added fee, it was just more expensive.  When we drove around and visited other areas, it was a little less expensive, but not much.  It was Hawaii!  It made me think that RVing was an even better deal!  I had no idea how out of touch I was with resort type vacations!  We take our trailer to touristy places.  It was nice to be reminded that we are saving some money.

My husband is an engineer.  He’s really good at math and he can do crazy math in his head.  His theory on all of this is, it’s a wash.  If we didn’t have the trailer, we weren’t storing it, etc, we’d spend the same amount of money on vacations.  We’d just be traveling differently and less frequently.  Since he’s so good at math, I would have to agree with him on that!  

We are now empty nesters.  We’re on our third trailer, a 5th wheel that we love!  In the last 6 months, we’ve camped (fake camped) about 25 nights in it.  In some of the places we camped, we wouldn’t have been able to find a hotel for under $150 per night with slim pickings as far as restaurants were concerned.  I think the most we paid per night was about $75 for a swanky upgraded premium site.   We are doing our best to get our money’s worth by taking lots of trips!   If we didn’t have the trailer, we’d probably not take weekend trips that help us decompress.   We’d probably be crabbier, but I don’t want test this theory to find out!  Another great thing that happens on a road trip is conversation.  My husband and I get a lot of talking done in the car.  We talk about the kids.  We solve the problems of our government and other nations.  We make fun of signs we see on the road.  We talk about our hopes and dreams for the future.  We wouldn’t have these same conversations on a plane surrounded by strangers.  So, when this recreation therapist does the economic math for our RV travels, I come up with “priceless.”  You’ll need to do your own math with your calculator and your heart and see what you come up with.

Next Trailer Girl Blog – Mrs. Lewis, I Believe You’ve Become Separated from Your Children.  A funny story about losing our kids (and getting reunited) in a National Park!  

Visiting Touristy Places in Your RV

One of my favorite things about RVing is going to touristy places like Disneyland, Las Vegas, and National Parks.  I love having my creature comforts like a bed and pillow that I’m used to, a bathroom that I cleaned (so I know it’s clean!), a medicine cabinet where my stuff is, and my own food.  Winter time is a great time to start planning your summer trips and making reservations.  Here are some things we’ve learned along the way.

  • Most touristy cities have an RV park – If they don’t have an RV Park in the City, then they have one not too far away.   We’ve stayed in San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas, Durango, and lots of other fun cities.  Usually the RV parks are on the outskirts of town and you’ll need to drive in.  Do your homework!  Many cities such as Seattle, have RV Parks that are on the outskirts of town or in a neighboring suburb.   Most of the time you’ll need to unhitch and drive into the city.  If you’re traveling in a Motorhome, you’ll want a vehicle you can use inside the cities.  You’ll need to think ahead about parking in the city and coordinate it with whatever activities you want to do.
  • Not all cities have great RV Parks!  – Again, do your homework on the RV Park!  For instance, I’ve driven by and heard reports about the one that pops up first in Google for Seattle.  It’s the Kent KOA and I would never stay there!  There are others that are nicer that might be maybe a 10 or 15 minute longer drive into Seattle.   For instance, the one in Bothell, is really nice!  Even though it’s 40 minutes from home, friends from our town actually stay there for a get away!  Sometimes there are just slim pickings and you have to suck it up and close the blinds in the RV when you’re there!  One time, we were on a trip when one of the Harry Potter movies came out.  The kids and my husband decided they wanted to go see the movie.  So, they left me with the trailer.  I was going to do laundry and enjoy some alone time.  I gathered up the laundry, opened the trailer door, looked around, set the laundry back down in the trailer, locked the door, closed the blinds, made cookies, and watched TV.  Forget it!  I wasn’t going out there!  It was too weird!  I’ve seen way too many episodes of “Criminal Minds” and “NCIS” and  I’m sure my imagination was getting the better of me.  I’m sure I was perfectly safe doing my laundry there, but I wasn’t about to find out for sure!
  • There’s an app for that!  – Check out RVParky.  It’s an RV Park Review app.  I have found it to be pretty accurate so far.    Also, join RV Facebook groups.  People post pictures of where they are and talk about campgrounds a lot.  I have a list going in my phone of RV Parks in places that I’d like to go someday.  For instance, I can’t wait to stay at a place called “Flying Flags” in Buellton, California; Jim and Mary’s RV Park in Missoula, Montana; or The Devil’s Tower KOA… not to mention Disney’s Fort Wilderness RV Park in Orlando, Florida.  In the RVParky app, you can find out information about Walmart and Cracker Barrel parking lots where you can camp for free for a quick overnight.  That’s a silly thing that’s on my bucket list!  I’m not really sure why.  Maybe just so I can say I stayed at a Walmart.
  • National Parks and RVing – Depending on the size of your rig and the park, camping inside the National Parks can be a challenge – especially if you’re planning a summer trip!  A lot of National Parks have small sites, not enough hook-up sites, etc.  We have had great luck finding RV parks just outside of places like Yosemite, Glacier, Zion, and Yellowstone to name just a few that have full hookups and larger spaces.  When possible, I will pay for upgraded sites (KOAs often have Premium sites).  They tend to be wider, sometimes have patios, have fire pits, etc.  Do your homework!  When visiting a National Park, don’t try to do it in a day!  Allow at least a day to get to get set up and get the lay of the land, a day or more (I like 5 – 7) to explore the National Park, and then a get-a-way day.  Sometimes it takes a while to get inside the National Parks because there’s a line.  In Zion, we had to park in a lot just outside the gates of Zion National Park and walk in and then, take the shuttle once we were inside.  Take some time to get the hang of how the National Park operates and how busy it is.  Then, allow enough time to enjoy it.  (Of course, I’m a biased National Parks geek!).  I am looking forward to being able to go to National Parks during the off seasons.  We were in Yosemite in January of 2018.  We were staying at the Awahnee for my 50th birthday.  While taking sunset pictures of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge, we ran into a couple that was staying in one of the campgrounds with full hookups in a 5thwheel.  It was much easier for them to get a reservation in January than say, July.
  • Disney Trips – We love bringing our trailer to Disneyland!  It sounds insane, but hear me out!  We stay about 3 miles from the park in an RV Park called Orangeland.  It has citrus trees growing in it and you’re allowed to pick fruit and eat it.  When you want to get rid of your trash, you leave the bag on in front of your rig and someone comes to pick it up.  It has a nice pool.  It’s a fine place to stay!  The drawback is, you have to drive to Disneyland.  Also, I remember Orangeland being a little spiffier a few years ago.  But, for a place to crash after a long day at Disneyland, it’s just fine!  Here are the BIG benefits:  
    • Your own bed and pillows that you’re used to –  I can’t say enough about getting a good night’s sleep when you’re doing Disneyland!  I am a crazy amusement park closer!  So, I need my endurance!   A good night’s sleep is key to me having enough stamina.
    • Your own breakfast food – We usually eat lunch and dinner inside Disneyland or in Downtown Disney, but we make breakfast in the trailer.  With a family of 4, we figured this saved us at least $50 per day on breakfast.  We also have our own pot of coffee, “normal” food, and get a better and healthier start to the day.  It prevents what we like to call, “vacation gut,” a condition where you feel like you’ve eaten too much greasy food and you have a rock sitting in your stomach.  If you’ve read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” it’s like being the caterpillar that ate too much and needs to eat through a nice green leaf.  This is a great way to make sure your day is off to a great start and to prevent yourself from feeling like an overly stuffed caterpillar.
    • Your own stuff and a little peace and quiet – Hotels are nice, but it’s great to come back after a long day to your own stuff.  Your rig becomes your second home and coming back to it after a marathon day in an amusement park is restful!  I am a creature comforts person.  I like things like my bathroom drawer where I know where my stuff is, my kitchen and my cups, my fridge, etc.
    • It costs a fraction of what a hotel costs near Disneyland – It has similar amenities such as a pool, but no room service or maid service.  I’d rather save the money and make my own bed!

We can’t wait to go to Disney World in Florida with our trailer.  They have their own RV Park called Fort Wilderness.  As a Disney Geek, I have made this a bucket list item!  My husband is totally on board and is my partner in Disney Geek-ness!

Taking your RV to Touristy Cities can save you money!  RV parks are generally a fraction of what a hotel room costs per night.  Depending on how often you go out to eat, you’ll probably save quite a bit of money on food.  We often save money on evening activities because we capitalize on the opportunity to have a campfire and enjoy s’mores.  When traveling with a family, the cost of gas is generally less than the cost of airfare.  When it’s just two people, it depends on how far you drive and the cost of gas.  Sometimes if you can get bargain airfare, and it’s a toss-up.  

One of the best parts of seeing touristy places with an RV is the road trip!  You’ll get to see a lot more our great country out the window of your car than you would out of an airplane window!   You can also make stops along the way visiting bonus places, like maybe a winery or a chocolate factory!   Maybe you’ll stop at a fruit stand and buy a homemade pie (one of our road trip traditions).   The road is yours!  Start planning!  Enjoy the trip … and the destination!

Next Trailer Girl Blog –  The Economics of RVing ….As Told by Someone Who Majored in Recreation

A Few Of My Favorite Things – 10 Holiday Gift Ideas for RV Camping

I was originally going to write about camping in touristy places (like Disneyland!).  Then, one night I woke up in a Christmas panic and figured you too might need some holiday gift ideas for your favorite trailer enthusiast.  So, I’m running a re-run! Here’s my blog post from last year about this time. It seems I have a panic about this time every year. I compiled a list of a few of my favorite trailer things.  Many of these items are things my family have deemed necessary for trailer life as well. I promise I’ll get to the tourist town blog soon!

  1.  Camping Chair – One of the best parts about camping, no matter how you do it is hanging out outside on a nice day or evening.   It is 100% necessary to have a great camping chair.  I just got my new, fancy zero gravity reclining chair from Camping World for my birthday this year.  It is super comfortable.  I tested it out on a 40 minute phone call with one of my Trailer Girls while at Camping World.  I’m pretty sure the people who were shopping there thought I was obnoxious.  (They may have been right!) My husband, who had chair envy got one for Father’s Day this year. (He told me not to get it for Christmas because he won’t be able to use it on our winter trips in Washington.)
  2. Weather station – we love our Lacrosse Technology Wireless weather station.  We call it “The Guy” because there’s a little guy on it that tells you what to wear…. like you couldn’t figure that out for yourself.  At any rate, we love “The Guy” and when our first “Guy” died, we replaced it with another Guy.  Very important!  I found one on Amazon.  The remote for “the guy” we refer to as “the thing for the guy.” So whenever we’re setting up or packing up, someone always says, “Did you get the thing for the guy?” and everyone knows what we’re talking about!
  3. Games – We have two favorites.  The first is Bananagrams.  We have to play this Parents vs. Kids so that it’s sort of fair and so that all of the tiles fit on the dinette table.  If you have my daughter on your team, you’re sure to win!  Our other favorite game is called, “Smart Ass.”  I’m not kidding – that’s really what it’s called!  It’s a board game we found while on a trip with our friends.  It’s a blast!  You can find it on Amazon.  Other than the word “Ass” in the name of the game, it’s totally family friendly.  I would say it’s best for 15 and up.  It’s sort of an easier and more fun version of Trival Pursuit.  I feel a lot less dumb after playing this game than Trival Pursuit!
  4. Smart TV – This might be my husband’s favorite thing!  We bought a TV that has apps for Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc on it.  If you have decent Wi-Fi in your RV park, you can keep up with your Netflix shows, watch movies, etc.  If you don’t have decent wi-fi, you can use a device like your cell phone or an iPad as a hotspot. (Just be careful and keep track of your data!) It’s great for nights when you just need to flop out!
  5. Trailer Slippers – Mine are fuzzy on the inside with hard rubber soles. My husband thought I was spending frivolously when I bought a pair of slippers on a trailer trip one time.  Then, guess what… He got slipper envy!  By about 2 trips later, he had trailer slippers too!   When I asked my son what I should put in this blog post, Trailer Slippers were at the top of his list too. They not only keep your feet warm, but they keep your socks dry when your dog slobbers on the floor and you accidentally step in it!
  6. Trailer Coat – This might be best saved for a trailer trip purchase.  We got ours at the top of Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park.  There are a lot of tourist places that have cheap coats for people who forget bring theirs for about $30.  They’re nice and warm and shed water.  They’re great for trailer use!  In fact, when my first trailer coat that I paid $27.99 for, started to disintegrate after 10 years, I found a new one in Cannon Beach for $28.99!  A lot of towns that attract tourists or are near national parks have what I call, “forgot my jacket” or “forgot my sweatshirt” racks in stores with fairly inexpensive warm things.
  7. Headlamp – If you don’t already have one in your rig, get one!  It’s the best stocking stuffer!  We often set up in the dark and it’s a huge help! There are all manner of these available at Home Depot, REI, etc.  It all depends what you want it to do, if you want LED, etc.  
  8. Acrylic Wine Glasses – Mine are stemless because I’ve been fired from drinking out of wine glasses with stems in the trailer.  My family says that after I have 2 sips of wine, I start talking with my hands more and the stems are dangerous for the person sitting across from me!  My favorites came from Crate and Barrel.  The acrylic part is super important because actual glasses would break on the road.
  9. Silicone Dish Scraper – Sounds boring right?  NO!  Best thing ever … where doing dishes is concerned.  If you’ve washed dishes in a rig, you know there’s no garbage disposal.  So, you have the gross job of scraping all the goo off of your plates and into the trash before you wash them.  I got mine at the Container Store and went back and bought one for my mom.  I wish I could find the same one to show you all because, as she pointed out, the packaging says, “Fun to use.”  That may be an overstatement, but it beats using a bunch of papertowels or filling your sink up with floating grossness from your plates.  
  10. Rolla-Roasters – Everyone that roasts marshmallows with me gets Rolla-Roaster envy!  You put your marshmallow on it and there’s a little thingy (that probably has an official name, but who needs to be that technical?!) that you can turn with your forefinger and thumb to turn your marshmallow so they cook evenly.  I love s’mores, so this is one of my all time favorite camping tools!  You can get them at REI.

The best things about RVing really aren’t things, but the time together with family and all of the great places you can go and see.  The things mentioned above are things that might make that journey a little more fun and comfortable.  Below are some pictures of my favorite things!  I posted links above directly to some of my favorite things.  Happy shopping!   My next post will be about getting ready to roll, I promise!  

LaCrosse Weather Station with “The Guy”
Acrylic stemless wine glasses are one of my favorite things. 
Maybe this dish scraper would be fun to use like mine.
One of my all time favorite camping things!  Rolla Roasters!
My favorite camping chair is on the left.  My sister in law (another Trailer Girl) says my husband’s chair on the right looks intimidated!  I bought him a matching reclining chair this year for Father’s Day. The intimated chairs are for when we have company and need extra chairs.