We have had similar feelings, looking around at acres of RV's and campers and wondering if we ever passed them on the road on another trip. Sometimes - such as the AlCan Highway trip 11 years ago - we know we actually did. Though we were only caravaning with my parents, we would stay in one park for a night, look over and say, "Oh! They were in Dawson Creek with us!" We got to chatting with some, but eventually we didn't see them again. They went on the Top of the World Highway, and we chose not to try that one.

My parents owned a TT back in the 60s, when RV'ing wasn't quite so popular. I can remember days of pulling in with the truckers at a truck stop and having them be annoyed to be invaded by a family in a station wagon and TT.

Another memorable "break down": My parents spent last summer in one of those membership campgrounds over here in California while avoiding the summer heat of Arizona. (We call them 'Zonies over here.) Well, my dad got sick and was scared to drive the 350 miles home pulling his rig, Mom couldn't drive the whole way either. So my husband and I drove up to Riverside County one Saturday. He towed their TT home (using my dad's truck), with Dad in the truck with him, and my mom and I followed in our car. On the way home, I saw an "alligator" (piece of tire) and avoided it. We radioed up and my dad said they had avoided it too. Well, about 30 miles later, we pull into the one and only open rest area on I-10 in Arizona, just to use the facilities. Dad starts inspecting his trailer tires: One had completely lost its tread! My husband and I had just gone thru a tire-changing thing with our trailer, so he starts hauling out the tire changing equipment - he practically had the tire changed before Mom could haul out the Good Sam ERS card. (Well, not quite, but we knew it would be a 2 hour wait in 108F temps for a tow truck.)

Despite these little inconveniences, we are looking to replace our last rig. We sold the 5W last November. We hadn't used it much, and it was sucking up almost $100/mo in storage fees. Our girls are married and gone now, so we're looking for something a little smaller....maybe a truck camper (TC) but one with a slide-out. My dad and mom are also downsizing, as their RV'ing days are over due to health issues (Dad had a stroke in Jan). Their TT is on a sales lot in Sun City, AZ, and we are probably going to get their truck in a few months hence (and sell our older non-Power Stroke).

I'm sure I'll think of other harrowing adventures with road trips.

Where can one post book reviews? I just finished a book about cross-country road travel - a non-fiction called "Cross Country" by Robert Sullivan.


Donna