WHAT WERE WE THINKING?
I’m sure you’re dying to know how it went getting our Motor Home this week … Well you’ve come to the right place.
Wednesday we headed down to Vegas two hours later than scheduled. We had to be there in time for the people to show us the nitty gritty … how to make it all work. We thought we’d have plenty of time until we got into construction on I-15 when we got there. We couldn’t get off the freeway and we weren’t moving and it began to get nerve wracking. I started to get claustrophobia thinking about all the traffic and how awful it would be if we were in a great big motor home. I looked at Lynn and he looked at me and I said, “WHAT WERE WE THINKING?”
We missed the turn off and got off the freeway as soon as we could and promptly turned in the direction we knew we were ultimately supposed to go … and got lost. The road took a slow curve off into nowhere and try as we might we could not get there from where we were, wherever we were! We were in Las Vegas an hour and a half and two phone calls before we found Johnny Walker’s RV. By then I wanted to call the whole thing off! I had terrible visions of us trying to travel across the U.S. in something bigger than the little Saturn we’d been driving and they were pretty ugly.
They did a quick trip around the motor home with us … inside and out … showed us how to hook up, unhook, pull up, pull out, level it, un-level it. Actually they were awesome and kind and helpful. Really. Every single person there was nice to us but our heads were swimming and we were too timid and overwhelmed to tell them we hardly understood a word they’d said.
We’d arranged to stay at the back of their lot where they had it set up for new RV owners like us to stay for a couple of days until they feel comfy about it all. They gave us a key to their gate and told us the closest, easiest place to go find something to eat was straight down Boulder Highway … no turns whatsoever. We could go straight there and straight back. Yeah right.
The place they told us was a casino and neither of us had the nerves left to park the car and walk through the crowds to find our food so we thought we’d just head on down the road until we found a Chinese Take Out place. An hour and a half later we have some Chinese food … about ten pounds of it … but we are lost again. Suddenly we are driving towards the LDS Temple which was no where near Johnny Walker’s RV place.
I’m thinking … if we get lost like this in the motor home it is going to be very, very, very bad. The people on the road don’t have patience with out of Staters driving slow looking for directions and they don’t let itty bitty cars change lanes how in the heck are we going to maneuver a 34 foot train hauling a Saturn behind it?
When we finally make it back to the gate I have made a decision. They said we could stay until we were comfy so I think we should just forward our mail and live there. As we drive to the back where the other old couple’s are mulling around their new and used RV’s I notice that our motor home really stands out from all the others. Ooops … It’s dark now and ours is lit up like a Christmas tree with all the lights on and all the curtains open.
By the time we layed our wee little heads down on our pillows that night we were dead tired but could I sleep? No! The mattress was comfy enough, the temperature was fine, there wasn’t any noise …. Maybe that was the problem. There wasn’t enough noise. Soon that wasn’t the problem, though, as hubby began sawing logs like they were going out of style. Me, I preferred to toss and turn. There is a lot for my little brain to think about apparently. Is it really okay to use the terlet?
Better say my prayers … “Heaven help us,” I mumble.
But not to worry … there is always “tomorrow”, right? It can only get better. Did we remember the Alka Seltzer?
Sounds like quite an experience. It always is when you make a big life altering decision like that. You’ll have a great time this summer. It will be ok. Wish we had one and were going with you! Sounds like so much fun. Good luck to the both of you.
Oh dear! I hope you have enjoyed your time in the Las Vegas RV lot and made it home safely! Can’t wait to hear about your road adventures…
Did I tell you my aunt and uncle actually sold their home and lived in a motor home for about 10 years? They traveled yearly from Washington to Florida (between daughters) for the summer/winter.
They’ve finally gotten to old for that and bought a home in Florida, but I bet they could tell you some stories!
They used to be campground hosts every winter while in Florida near their daughter’s house! You should try that some time!
Edna, when we bought our new car 3 years ago (a hybrid civic), we opted for the one with the GPS and satellite radio much to the chagrin of our soninlaw who thought we were wasting hard earned money. Guess who has the last laugh when we go on our driving trips now? Wherever we are we just program in where we want to get to and this nice lady tells us with advance warning exactly where to turn, and just so we don’t forget it, she reminds us when we’re near the exit we need. So at the very least, I would recommend you purchase a good GPS! They really do work.
And by the way, that casino on Boulder highway you didn’t go into?If that was the Boulder HIghway casino, they used to have the best strawberry shortcake!
It’s an adventure! Just think, soon you will never have to worry about a timetable again. You get there when you get there.
But always say your prayer. A couple times a day.
It sounds like you had an adventure already. I agree with Alice. Buy a good GPS. It wouldn’t have to be the highest end unit. But go with the lowest either. We have a Garmin 660. It has guided us all around Hawaii, Washington, California, and yes, even right in our own area. We have found food, motels, friends, it is so much nicer than hunting. We use it a lot.