Sometimes the craziest ideas are the best ideas.
In February of 2021 we got a dog (which is a story for another time). While this was kind of crazy, it wasn’t the craziest thing we did in 2021. We knew that in the summer of 2021 we’d need to spend a week in Utah for a National Trampoline and Tumbling competition, and then 10 days later we had to be out in Arizona for a wedding. It didn’t’ make sense to fly to Utah, fly home to Georgia, only to fly back to Arizona 10 days later. The cost would have been crazy and the dog, what were we going to do with the dog? She was a rescue and putting her in boarding for several weeks just didn’t seem fair.
So we decided to be a little crazy, throw caution to the wind, and jump head first into the RV life. That lead to a 33-day trip across the country. Two parents. One teenager. One pre-teen. And a 2-year-old rescue dog. We knew we were headed to Salt Lake City for Nationals and Arizona for a wedding but other than that, our type-A personalities decided to wing it (which is terrifying by the way). Because of this flexibility and commitment to winging it (not to mention having your house with you) we have had some amazing experiences.
Here are some stats on our trip:
Gone 33.5 days
Drove 5505 miles (Mike drove… we rode)
Went through 15 different states
Made 22 fuel stops
Filled up with 942 gallons
Spent $2930.95 on gas
Averaged 5.8 mpg
AND:
Spent lots of money on cold drinks as a luxury item
Didn’t make a kid walk alongside the RV (not even once)
Finally met an old friend & her amazing kids
Saw some of the beauty of Wyoming
Both kids and their teammate kicked butt at Nationals
Won a ski jacket
Visited East High (for you HS Musical fans)
Swam with friends
Saw the outside of the Mormon Temple
Had a campsite dinner with friends
Scout got to experience a dog park for the first time
Avi mountain biked in different locations
Kids got to ski jump with Olympians (into a pool – it was amazing)
Took the kids to their first concert and hung out with the band
Hiked Bryce Canyon
Rode horses & ATVs
Boondocked in the forest
Broke the generator
Fixed the generator (thanks Avi)
Saw shooting stars
Scout experienced social boarding (& did ok)
Hiked the West Fork Trail in Oak Creek Canyon
Danced and celebrated at a beautiful wedding
Experienced Sedona from Pink Jeeps
Toured the Grand Canyon
Had lots of good cousin time
Hung out with family, friends, & old neighbors
Got two Amazon deliveries
Experienced 117° heat
Flipped a bit to keep cool
Hiked Camelback Mountain
Enjoyed Bahama Bucks
Saw windmills
Experienced a fancy RV Resort
Kids made new friends
Scout made new friends
Avi arranged a game of flashlight tag for all the kids at the RV resort
Kids surfed in the Pacific Ocean & built sand castles
Saw a military jet fly by (& several helicopters)
Watched the seals and sea lions on the shore
Got bit by an ant (Alison)
Boondocked in the desert
Made one stop at Urgent Care & didn’t get seen
Hiked and sledded in White Sands
Scout played in the sand
Flew a drone in various locations
Watched huge trains cross the country
Got cozy with a tarantula and scorpion
Saw oil pumps & refineries
Kids paddle boarded
Talia spent time with her best friend
Alison visited her office
Kids got to try Torchy’s Tacos, Fuzzy’s Tacos and Buc-ee’s
Lots of math was done (thanks summer work)
A book or two was read
Tons of media watched (as we drove)
Slept at countless truck stops
Rented 4 cars
Did an incredible amount of laundry
And found the end of Spotify….
And we (Alison and Mike) managed to work all month and still accomplished all of the above giving our kids an amazing summer!!
I’m so glad we took the risk and did something so out of the ordinary for us. One of the craziest things we’ve ever done. But the experiences we’ve had and the memories we’ve made has been worth every penny!!!
