On Our Way!

Greetings family and friends! Welcome back to the latest chapter of Crazy Finkel Family Adventures.

We have just set out for a two-month journey through the American West, driving a new-to-us car and towing a very new-to-us camping trailer.

We will be traveling through eleven states, stopping in twenty-some National Parks and Monuments and a myriad of other points of interest.  

Sometime last summer, when we realized that it would likely be a year or more before our day-to-day activities were not drastically impacted by COVID, we had an idea:  Since we already spend all of our time together at home, without regular school or regular work routines, why not just make that home MUCH smaller, put it on wheels, and move around?

 I began booking campsites as they opened, because as it turns out, National Park Campsites are harder to get than highly coveted concert tickets. And, once I built an itinerary that would take us to some of the most amazing open spaces in the US, we decided to go for it.

 So, here we are!

We took three days to drive from Evanston, Illinois to Estes Park, Colorado, crossing the plains and getting used to what it feels like to be a bunch of amateurs trying to tow 5500 pounds along I80.

I have taken on the enormous project of understanding how to work all the systems and move the RV. I also spent about two months working on the trailer in our driveway to get it totally ready to go. I think I’m reasonably proficient and we’ve had a great start, but we’ve had plenty of snafus along the way already.

 Here’s one example: When we arrived at the campsite in Nebraska, we opened the door to be hit by the rotten-egg smell of propane and a blaring alarm. To try to understand what was happening, naturally I googled, “It smells like propane in my camper” and was immediately met with a series of suggested posts like “GET OUT IMMEDIATELY, THE WHOLE PLACE IS GOING TO BLOW!” So, anxious that we had a propane leak, I was able to reach a mobile RV repair person who came to the campsite to check it out. After an extensive investigation, he ruled out leaks and then discovered that the pilot for the stove had been switched on (likely when a bicycle bumped against it in transit) . For the bargain price of a $250 service call, we learned to check the burners if we smell gas. I also hope to write a different post about what to do if you smell gas and the first step won’t be to evacuate.

Overall though, we have been really pleased with the comfort afforded by the RV, the ability to travel with our own things, and the freedom of movement it affords during the pandemic – allowing us to travel while avoiding hotels and restaurants.

We arrived in Estes Park where we will spend our first four non-traveling days. Our (awesome) friends, the Pollacks, met us here to kick-off the fun. We are looking forward to getting into a good travel groove and spending time outdoors over the next few days!