RVing

By Fred Ruiz

So, our typical family vacation is planned months in advance. I tend to plan our vacations early so that there is no issue getting RV spots and Park reservations. Like the saying goes “the early bird gets the worm. The thought of leaving “Murphy” (google “Murphys Law”, if the term is not familiar) to his imagination when hauling a fifth wheel, three dogs, two kids and my wife around the country is…a terrible idea.

These vacations have been epic, or at least in my mind they have. They have been a great time of joy, learning and stress all wrapped into one. Overall, they have been, or at least I hope, an important part of the fabric that has made us who we are as a family. These vacations can be best likened to or falling somewhere between a Griswold family vacation and the explorations of Lewis and Clark.

Our travels have taken us to the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee to the sands of Pismo Beach, to Glacier National Park. We have put over 50,000 miles on the road in the cab of a diesel truck that is no longer with us. We have visited over twenty National Parks and did our share of hiking and picture taking. But most of all we have shared stories, talked to each other and yes argued with each other. The countless hours of being with each other is by far the greatest gift of these many miles together (albeit it takes some time to realize this).

These trips will always be a special to me in many ways. When I stop and look back at these excursions I get a glimpse of my kids at different ages. I see them excited about riding bikes, climbing, hiking or making smores. I remember the fun of just being out on our own. I remember pointing at the giant Sequoias and staring at panoramic landscapes of the Tetons and Grand Canyon. I recall pulling into the campground in Grand Teton setting up camp and then walking feet away to view the mountains and the lake. I could not stop looking at the beauty and awesomeness of this natural wonder. This overwhelming sense of amazement and curiosity I have experienced throughout our travels has always been worth the miles and dollars associated with these vacations.

I hope that these trips have been gifts to my kids. A glimpse of not only what the world’s natural beauty looks like but what it sounds like, smells like and most of all, what it feels like to stand at the edge of these magnificent mountains, prairies and canyons. These expeditions serve as a confirmation that this world is immense and full of wonders worth traveling and witnessing in person. That escaping the trappings of our daily lives to observe the world, is and can be life changing. I think that being able to feel firsthand the presence of the natural world can give us perspective on so many things about our lives.

This connection to our natural world is becoming more difficult these days. Just the motivation to go outside is more and more challenging with the world at our fingertips. I hope that our vacations have planted the seeds of curiosity and urge to travel and see the world firsthand.

Currently we are between RVs and a way to get out on the open road. Although there is a plan to resume our travels in a couple of years when we finally retire, I am anxious to get back on the road. I figure this “time out” is way to regroup and reassess the next chapter of our life. As usual I have begun to put a plan together and of course that includes sharpies, three ring binders, power point…you get the picture. Since the Army, I have been a planner to the nth degree. The ingredients for our new adventure are a Jeep, a diesel pusher, selling our house and traveling or being on the road for a couple of years. We have about two years to get everything in order and even though that equates to 17,520 hours or 730 days it will be here quicker than we imagine.

Though we are in a hiatus of sorts we are planning some journeys around the state just to get out and hike some and spend time together as a family. And although I enjoy these outings, I really miss the RV trips and am excited about what the future holds in that regard. I know it will be different with the “kids” now being adults and that most of these travels will be just Amy and me, I still look forward to our future adventures.

The past can be bittersweet as we look back and wish we could go back in time. I realize how truly blessed I was to have spent the countless hours in our truck and RV exploring and traveling with my family. The hikes through the Rocky Mountains, the witnessing of Old Faithful unleash, and the beholding of El Capitan will always be locked in my memories as I hope it will be in theirs. Good times and blessings are impermanent and should never be taken for granted. As the song says…

“You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today. And then one day you find ten years have got behind you. No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.”

Mason, Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Time

Monarch Pass, Colorado (Elevation 11,312)

So don’t wait, start planning, start doing, get outside and see this beautiful natural world. And… if you can share those moments with the ones you love, all the better. The gift of traveling and sharing the majesty of the natural world is priceless and can be life changing for everyone, if you give it a chance.

Go explore, be safe, be human.

Fred

The River Book

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