The Great Vacation

As summer ends, I would like to reflect on what turned out to be a unique family vacation during a unique pandemic year. The key word for us was adapt. So, we adapted with “The Wheels of Justice” above.

And man were those wheels big! We are talking about a 44-foot beast with all the bells and whistles that is similar to driving a 5-story building. With planning books in hand, we headed west along the Main Street of America - Route 66.

And man were those wheels big! We are talking about a 44-foot beast with all the bells and whistles that is similar to driving a 5-story building. With planning books in hand, we headed west along the Main Street of America - Route 66.

We next stopped in Sante Fe for a rest at a scenic RV park. I think it was there I was appointed Sheriff of the trip. I was honored to receive my badge. What I didn’t know was I was the only employee and my other job duties included food services, sanitation, recreation, and maintenance in addition to my bus driving responsibilities.

We shopped around and ate in the arts district and then headed to the Grand Canyon for a day. The only problem getting there was you felt like the wind gusts were going to blow you over the side, but it was a sight to see.

Next up was Las Vegas – Griswold style. After viewing the Hoover Dam, Las Vegas was a sight to see pulling up at night. Our RV slot was not a “pull thru” that night, so it was up to me to back the Beast into the slot. With a lot of help from our RV neighbors (I overheard one of them say, “Do you think he got too much rig for him?”), we dodged a tree and got er' done. Of course, we then headed to the strip (luckily in an Uber with all the traffic).

The kids weren’t too impressed, so our next stop was San Diego, a favorite. We stayed at a RV park right on the ocean. There was the San Diego Zoo, La Jolla, and many nice restaurants.

We stayed there for three days (two extra) because the weather was great and there were many things to do. Of course, that also meant I had to drive 19 hours straight the last day to get home on time. Along the way back, we visited Phoenix, Yuma (whose high school mascot is the “Criminals” due to the large federal prison there and is also “The Lettuce Capital of the World”), and Albuquerque (missed the hot air balloon rides due to wind). We saw a lot of beautiful scenery along the way and got to spend quality time together as a family. We also met a lot of nice “RV park” people, became experienced at Love’s Truckstop (the real Love’s – the backside where all us big rig drivers hang out), and learned a lot (e.g., when you are the biggest thing on the road, unless it is an 18-wheeler, you are the traffic rules – so just put the blinker on and go).

Would I do it again? No. Well, probably in a few years Melanie and I would like to go along the top of the United States and see some national parks, but right now I am still recovering from what amounted to driving a house 5,000 miles.

– Darren