The Road Well Traveled: RVing with Two Parents, Two Kids, Two Dogs, and Two Cats
Prepping for the three-day trip from Louisiana to Massachusetts.
Since 2004, when we adopted our first child, we have traveled from Louisiana to Massachusetts every summer in a pickup truck. In 2020, with COVID, a new cat that the dogs hate, and an elderly grandmother, buying an RV to make the trip was a no-brainer, almost a necessity. We got a great deal on a 2008 Thor Four Winds with 35000 miles on it.
Prior to the RV, we had a system that worked. Everyone had their place in the truck. Our small chihuahua/pug mix, Oprah, was in her kennel on the back seat between the kids. The top of the kennel made a nice surface for Lego men vs My Little Pony role play games, which often turned into war games. “Ma, Evan won’t stop killing Flutter Shy,” many times signaled the end of the interaction.
Myrtle, our 50-pound mutt, stayed at the kid’s feet. Bare kiddie toes scratching behind her ear as she lay under the backseat. She would occasionally pop up to get an extra pet, placing her head in their lap, or to let us know she needed to stretch.
We were in the front, of course, rotating driving shifts every 100–150 miles. Having 1750 miles to go, your job, when not driving, was to sleep or at least rest. This gave us plenty of breaks, something kids and dogs need a lot of. With this pace, it was a two-night, three-day trip.
Hotels had routines of their own. Depending on the location and weather, the dogs either stayed in the car or necessarily came inside with us. The further north we got, the better the chance they could sleep in the car. Dogs walked, fed, watered, car rearranged to accommodate the dogs: back seat flipped up, all belongings stowed, soft bedding laid out, windows sufficiently down. We all had our chores, then hopefully, we were off to the pool to blow off the day’s pent-up energy.
As well as the system worked, I don’t think any of us miss it. Growing kids with long legs leave little room for Myrtle and role-play games have been replaced with Tik Tok videos and Instagram posts. Not much has changed for Oprah as she is still most comfortable in her kennel, even in the RV. And the best part of all is that your mandatory rest is done in a queen-sized bed more comfortable than the one at home with Kitty Boy, the dog-hated, people-worshiped cat, safely nestled in your arms. He often demands someone lay down with him when the RV is moving. We are all happy to oblige.
We have added a new member to the family since our last trip. Judy, the three-legged kitten that I found on a rural stretch of road will be joining us. We are all anxious to see her reaction to the Shaky House, a term coined by Kitty Boy on his first voyage. The RV has a door between the bedroom and living space that can keep dogs and cats separated if necessary.
Being that the RV is used, a 2008 model, we have had our fair share of things go wrong, but the benefits outweigh the nuisances. We can stop somewhere for the night and in less than half an hour our nightly dog walking/dinnertime routine is complete. No need to rearrange anything. Everyone still has their place, which expands once parked.
Finding a place to overnight for free is as easy as pulling up RV Parky on your phone. The app allows you to look along your route for places that allow overnight parking. Places like Wal-Mart, Cracker Barrel, Bass Pro Shops, Costco, rest areas, and casinos are listed and rated by people who have stayed there. A quick phone call to let them know you plan on staying is all it takes.
By far the thing that will make or break your comfort is the generator. If you are in a warm area, the generator allows you to run the air conditioning. Need to heat up a frozen burrito, the generator ensures the microwave will work. It is possible to boondock without the generator, relying on the house batteries but depending on your RV, not everything will work. The RV is split between AC and 12-Volt power. Without electricity or a generator, you’ll get only 12-volt power.
We have learned so much since we got the RV. YouTube channels like RV with Tito and RV know-how have taught us how to replace the awning, change the oil and replace the fuel pump and filter on the generator, and how to replace the skylight that I whacked with a tree branch.
As we prepare for this year’s trek north, I find myself feeling a strange mix of excitement and disbelief. The disbelief stems from the question, “Am I really getting to the end of the long list of to-dos and everything is really working properly.” The excitement is the sand I can already feel beneath my feet as I walk on the cool New England Nantasket Beach.
Sometimes an uneventful trip is the best trip, but hopefully, we’ll find a bit of adventure along the way worth sharing. Stay tuned….
The idea for this post had been bumping around in my head for a couple days while prepping the RV, the final push was inspired by a prompt from Ellie Jacobson.
Thanks for taking the time to read.