Why, you might ask, are you going to drive nearly 6,000 miles in 21 days confined in a 31x9 foot space with 5 other people and you are actually excited about it?? Most people that I tell about our upcoming trip are like, "Wow...Great...Have fun with that!" in a tone that is a mixture of both jealousy and pity!! Here's the scoop on how this trip came to be a reality.
For several years, Michael's dad has been actively talking about going to California to see the "Big Trees". It seems that when his father was in the service many years ago, he was stationed in California and had the opportunity to see them and his stories made quite an impression on his son who has always dreamed of seeing them as well. Over the years I've known him, he would periodically mention going there. We began talking about making a trip out west probably three years ago but a series of surgeries and health issues for both Michael and his dad put the trip on the back burner. In the fall of 2007, talk began again of going in 2008. It went a lot like this:
"When are we going to California?" (Michael's Dad)
"California is a long way away, Pop, how you going to get there?" (Michael)
"If you're going to go, you need to start planning now." (Wendy)
"Let's all go!" (Michael's Dad)
"I'm not sure about driving all that way... that's a lot of driving." (Michael)
"If we're going to go, we really need to start planning!" (Wendy)
"Should we fly or drive or do some combination? It is a long way to drive and it will not be cheap. Are you sure you really want to go??" (Michael)
"Let's all go and drive so we can see the country along the way." (Michael's Dad)
"Can I start the planning now?!?" (Wendy)
So the decision was made to go ahead with planning a driving trip for all six of us. None of us have EVER been west of Texas so the opportunity to see the landscape of America along the way out west holds a certain appeal. Michael is blessed with a job that has very generous vacation benefits that will allow him to travel for that extended time with his parents. The girls are at a good 'travelling age' and are also old enough that this trip will become a permanent memory for them. We have done several vacations with the 'in-laws' in the past so travelling with them is nothing new. We enjoy them and they enjoy the companionship of their only son/grandchildren (and hopefully daughter-in-law!!)
Because of some health issues for Michael's dad (and for general family harmony), we decided that a driving trip in an SUV or large van would not be nearly as comfortable as making the trip in an RV. We looked around and decided to go with a rental of a 31 ft. "Class C" motorhome. The main reason for this choice was 'driveability'-- it is built on a truck chassis so it is more similar to driving a truck/van than it is to driving a bus (which is what a Class A would be). Of course, it's about 15 feet longer than a truck so I'm hoping that doesn't negate the whole 'it's easy to drive' thing!! Michael especially hopes this is true because I've promised him that as long as we are not in big cities or mountains that I will help with the driving!!
For those of you not well-versed in the RV world (which would have been me prior to say December 2007!), here is a photo of what a "Class C" RV looks like (outside and inside):
The overall plan for our trip (which I'll be writing more about in days to come) is to enjoy the trip-- not just the destination. In case you're wondering, three weeks may sound like a long time to make a cross-country trip but in actuality, it's about the bare minimum of time you should take to attempt such an adventure. Most of the 'experts' say you should take at least a month to two months... which would be fine if we were all retired or self-employed or independently wealthy... since we are none of those, we are going to make the best of the time that we have!
Hopefully this will be a true "Trip of a Lifetime"... which is not to say that we wouldn't consider doing it again (if it goes well!)... but more that it will be an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime.
