Come on in

What everyone says when they first step into our little home is -- "Wow!  It's so big!"  Followed with -- "It doesn't look that big on the outside."

The funny thing is ... it looks HUGE on the outside.  Can we say, "behemoth"?  Forty feet long and 12' 9" high, to be exact.  It's tall enough to cause uneasiness going under overpasses or through tunnels.  You know you'll clear it, but still you find yourself ducking, as if that would help.   Yet everyone expects it to feel small and crowded on the inside, and are taken aback when they see it isn't.

So let's go on a tour.

Our motorhome is ten years old and so the decor is a bit dated.   The price of these rigs when they're new, as well as their notorious reputation for first-year glitches, not to mention the horrendous instant depreciation within minutes of purchase, has prompted many a buyer to opt for used.  As did we.   We went for a good brand with (extremely) low miles and meticulous care by the one previous owner.  We hope we chose well.   Trendy, it isn't.  But at least we avoided 1980s brass fixtures, birds and flowers etched in the mirrors, and grandma-ish oak trim which RV manufacturers were installing well past the 90s.  We enjoy tile floors, solid surface counters, and real cherry wood cabinets.

We have three "slides", meaning walls that move outward when parked, to give more space.  Two in the front and one in the bedroom.   We replaced the original TV with a new HD model that picks up a few local stations and when we have wifi, the world opens up with Netflix.  Otherwise we hit up Red Box, the library, or friends/family for movies, and become reacquainted with books.  One sofa is a hide-a-bed and the other flattens out like a futon.  Technically, we can sleep five.  But if anyone asks, our answer is -- two.

If we were planning to live in this long-term, I'd campaign for swapping out one sofa for a recliner and computer desk.  But for now, our table doubles as a desk for my laptop.  The table has an extra leaf and can be expanded to seat four, if needed.

I love my little kitchen.

There's a stove under there and yes, I just did the dishes.

Our former house had a huge kitchen with a pantry and an island.  And I filled it all. Moving into this tiny space meant paring down, to say the least.  And this is where I discovered I LOVE minimalism.  All that rarely used equipment stayed behind.   I have one fry pan, two sauce pans, and a stockpot.  I also bought an electric fry pan at Goodwill and now wonder how I ever survived without it.  My big Kitchenaid mixer is in storage, as are the 87 other small appliances I thought I needed, which means I now make cookies like I did as a child ...  by hand.   I still have my bread machine, toaster, crockpot, and popcorn popper to prove no one is roughing it here.   And surprisingly, there's plenty of space to store it all out of sight.  I keep only a few pieces of Tupperware-type containers that fit in one small drawer.  Lids from cottage cheese containers no longer breed like rabbits in my cupboard because they go right into the trash.  Talk about freeing!   This is one change I hope carries into my future home.  I honestly don't miss a dishwasher.  The fridge is spacious, makes its own ice, and even keeps ice cream reasonably firm.  What more do we need?

Then there's the bathroom.

We used to spread out on a long counter with double sinks which, 90% of the time, was cluttered with my stuff and the day's contents of Husband's pockets.  (I believe one never needs to apologize for the state of one's bathroom counter nor one's sewing room.  They both count as creative work spaces.)  But now .... everything stays out of sight behind mirrored cabinet doors and inside drawers.  Who knew I could be so tidy?  A lot of the stuff is gone and for some reason it's just easy now.    We have a comfortable single-stall shower and separate space for the commode.

This, in my humble opinion, is a terrific floor plan for a motorhome.  There's plenty of privacy and/or space when you need it.

Our bedroom had a second TV and a washer/dryer which we removed.  We don't need two TVs and there are plenty of laundromats around.  I now store a small ironing board and vacuum in that cabinet and extra towels and blanket where the TV was, covered by a curtain that I made.

We added a memory foam mattress topper on the queen bed.   (Note:  If you are still sleeping on a regular mattress, go immediately to your nearest Costco.   These toppers are a must!  Your bed will instantly transform from mediocre to luxurious.)   Finally, a full-wall closet isn't exactly the large walk-in I used to have, but it's enough.  Off-season clothes are packed away and we all know we only wear a fraction of what's in our closet.  Am I right?

Underneath our motorhome you'll find large slide-out storage compartments, called bays, where we keep the BBQ, camping chairs, mats, a few tools, and various items pertaining to Husband's current list of hobbies.

So that's it.  You've had the full five minute tour.   Everything is convenient and cleaning takes just minutes.  We have front and rear air conditioners and the water heats in just seconds.  Do I miss my big house?  Only when we gather with our kids.  Otherwise, not at all.  I no longer fret about a messy garage, weeds in the backyard, or dust gathering in the basement and guest rooms.  We've been on wheels for five months now and I'm still smitten.  It's a beach house, mountain cabin, or vacation retreat depending on where we're parked.  And no matter where we go, we're always home.

Walmart camping

Most RVers and truckers do it.  Including us.  But those of you who are unfamiliar with this lifestyle, may be a little shocked that respectable people actually sleep in Walmart parking lots.

The unwritten rule is -- RVs are supposed to just look parked.  No slide-outs, camp chairs, or unhooking any attached vehicles.  You arrive at night and leave first thing in the morning.  Etiquette is important because the few who push the limits, can ruin it for everyone else.  There's no cost and it comes with the convenience of stocking up on groceries and supplies while you're there, which is how Walmart hopes we'll return the favor.  It's the perfect overnight spot if you are just passing through.

The several times we've done it, we've felt perfectly safe.  The parking lots have adequate lighting and are patrolled at night, and we were tucked in amongst truckers and fellow campers.   The only downside is that the trucks can be noisy.

Some Walmarts don't allow it, so a phone call ahead is a good idea.  I have an app called Allstays that tells me which Walmarts welcome overnighters and which ones don't, along with reviews.  (The app tells me where just about everything else camping-related is, as well.)  I've heard that the reason some don't allow it is that their town has a rule against it.  AND I've heard that those rules are promoted by campground owners, who don't like the competition.  Although we've never tried other stores, most Cabellas and Cracker Barrels are also camper-friendly, and I've read that Costco, K-mart and some grocery stores let you stay there as well.

So next time you're on an evening Walmart-run to pick up milk for breakfast, notice the RVs and trucks, quietly parked on the outer edges of the parking lot.  If there are none there, that means you live in one of those towns where the No-Overnight-Parking signs are posted.  Our closest Walmart, sadly, is one of them.  Being just a few miles from home, I'd never have need of sleeping there, but all the same, it seems a little sad to me.

Rushmore, et al

We camped on the wrong side.  The fun, touristy towns like Custer, Hill City, and Keystone, along with the scenic mountains and valleys of Custer State Park and Black Hills Nat'l Forest were on one side of Rushmore and we were on the other side, parked in a shadeless field.  (Think of the prairies in the movie, “Dances with Wolves”.  You might even hum the John Dunbar theme.  It helps.)  Sad occurrences like this can happen when you don't know the area and are lured, sight unseen, to campgrounds offering discounts.  But we were relatively close to the Badlands, to which we went first, so I’ll start there.

Husband found a long loop from Rapid City through the Badlands which he figured would make a great motorcycle ride.  And it would have been, if not for the monstrous headwind.  It tried its best to blow us off the road every exhausting inch of the way.  The route took us 60-some miles from Rapid City down to Wall, another small South Dakota town.  On the way we became well acquainted with Wall Drug, a store which, many years ago, decided to become better known.  So it did ….. with signs all along the freeway every minute or two.   

http://www.lisagiulietti.com/?p=423

This constant, yet light-hearted advertising probably made it the most famous drugstore in America.  If you’re ever in the area, you must go.  Not for any good reason, just for curiosity.  The town has eagerly jumped onto the bandwagon with a western theme.  It’s cute and corny and appears to sell every silly souvenir and cheap T-shirt under the sun.  I did notice a small section of actual medicinals in one corner of the sprawling complex, to give it sufficient credibility for being a drugstore.  (I look awful in the obligatory photo in front of the store, so it's not getting posted.  Blaming helmet hair.)

The Badlands.  The only pics I got were from the bike as we rode through the pounding wind.

In my opinion, having been to scenic giants like Bryce Canyon in southern Utah, the Badlands were worth seeing (I suppose) but once is enough.  Just my opinion.  It's well named, though.   Our trip back, however, rewarded us with a tiny ghost town called Scenic, that featured one small functioning store and post office.  The rest looked like this:

Notice the cattle skulls hanging over the sign.

And there was even an old jail.  So cool!

The store proprietor said the town dried up when they stopped selling alcohol.  It went, he said, from rowdy to peaceful, almost overnight. 

The next day we wound through narrow mountain roads and single-lane tunnels to the wonderful and incredible Mt. Rushmore.  When you’ve seen something in pictures and movies throughout your life, and then… finally ….. see it in person … it has impact.  

And wow.  It was Grand Central in the middle of nowhere.  There was a huge, multi-level parking garage, cafeteria and other eateries, gift shops, visitors center with two theaters, a large amphitheater, and enough displays to keep a very large crowd busy.  All colorfully bedecked with the flags of our 50 states.  But all trappings aside, the carving of the four men on the mountain is truly a masterpiece, an engineering marvel, and worth the trip.

Selfies -- rarely our thing.

I have never before noticed that the carvings included more than just their faces.  Do you see Washington’s lapel and Lincoln’s collar?  We learned that it was originally supposed to go down to their waists as you can see in the model below.  I did some googling to see why they didn’t finish it. Later I heard a tour guide say the rock had too many faults and cracks further out in places where, for example, Lincoln’s ear should be.  They feared it might eventually break off.  So they stopped carving.  It wasn’t due to lack of funds, as per comments on the internet.

(Lincoln is holding a pipe.)

They say ya gotta go see Crazy Horse while you’re there.  “It’s HUGE”, they say.  So we did.  If it is ever finished, it will definitely dwarf the four presidents on Rushmore, to say the least.  But in over 60 years, what is meant to be the top half of a man on his horse carved from a mountain, is yet only his face and the beginning of his outstretched arm.  It was started in 1948 (shortly after work stopped at Rushmore) by one man, a sculptor, who was invited by a group of Native Americans to create a monument to show the world that they too, have heroes to honor.  He worked on it mostly alone with old, worn-out equipment and few tools, while his devoted wife bore him many children.   As the years went by, those children took up the cause and to this day, his descendants (none of whom are Native Americans) continue to spearhead the work.  To their credit, they refuse any government funds.  It’s all financed by donations and entry fees.  ($11 per person)  The lovely knotty-pine visitors center shows a somewhat longish film meant as a tribute to the family and to promote support for their cause.  But to be honest … it was kind of sad.  It seems like such a futile effort.  You can’t help but notice in the display photos that it has hardly changed in the last 20 years.  

Sufficiently visible from the road.

We wound through Custer State Park and saw buffalo, deer, antelope (still no moose) and traveled some very winding, high, mountain roads.   We held our breath as we squeezed our Jeep through more VERY tight tunnels, feeling glad we had left our motorhome behind.  We saw another RV in a pullout along the road between two of those tunnels that were spaced a mile or so apart with no escape road between them.  We have no idea how it got there and how on earth … it will get out.  The thought of it still haunts me a little.

With that, it was time to point our caravan west and trek home.