I like my creature comforts.
We had family caravan holidays for many years growing up. There was no electricity or running water so used candles and fetched water in bottles for cooking and cleaning. The accommodation was very basic. We either had barbecues or one pot meals cooked on a single gas flame.
So, when my son suggested hiring a recreation vehicle (an RV) I wasnât very enthusiastic. I know times have changed and they come with showers and toilets, electricity and running water but I still had my doubts! At least with a caravan you could unhitch it from the car and explore. With an RV you have to lug your home around with you!
My sonâs enthusiasm did eventually rub off on me. My husband liked the idea so I could either miss out on spending quality time with them or bite the bullet and join the intrepid travellers. That bullet was hard to bite but I bit it!
We flew from Boston to Bozeman in Montana. Five hours later we were introduced to what we thought would be our home for the next four days. It was immaculate and still had that ânewâ smell. The manager asked if we could wait until another family arrived so that we could go through the instructions together. An hour later the family joined us. I wasnât impressed especially when the manager told us that the RV I had already bonded with was theirs. Ours was outside in the sun, baking hot!
Finally we loaded up our luggage and set off to the supermarket where we had placed our order for collection. We drove past fields of cannabis which filled the air with a strange, pungent aroma. Itâs legal in Montana so freely available. Our camp site was three hours away. We arrived at the entrance to Yellowstone National Park after about an hour. We had to slow right down to adhere to the speed limit so immediately were on the lookout for wild animals! I sat at the back peering through the centre of the windscreen and had clear vision on both sides. I stretched out my legs and relaxed settling down to enjoy the drive and looked forward to the next few days.
We saw a family of bears in the distance and pulled over for photos. My son reminded us that we each had a can of bear spray to take on our hikes so would be safe. This worried me. They looked huge and had cubs so would be even more dangerous. However, I didnât want to dwell on the negatives so soon relaxed again. We stopped to watch bison peacefully grazing alongside the road. They were powerful beasts so, once more, happy to be sitting safely inside our RV! It didnât prevent me from having another panic attack and wondering how many people had been killed by bears, bison, snakes, moose or any other wild animals over the last year. Made a mental note to google that night.
Reaching our campsite in the dark we climbed out of the RV, stiff from hours of inactivity. I inhaled sharply. It was really cold. This was August, their summer, the same as ours! But we were 8,000 feet above sea level, up in the mountains, so should have expected a drop in temperature. We were all ravenous and looking forward to a hot meal.
It was when I opened the door into the bathroom that an awful smell hit me! The toilet was filthy! Obviously it hadnât been flushed, never mind cleaned! I was horrified! The smell was enough to put us all off our supper but it got worse! We had ordered mince to make a quick chilli but none had arrived! We hadnât had time to check our order at the supermarket because we were so late. We just presumed that all supermarkets sold mince!
My son had a menu for our four nights away so we moved on to the following nightâs one. He made us tacos. The men had a beer and I had a glass of wine. We soon began to feel better but ready for a good nightâs sleep. It had been a long day! This was a very basic campsite. The shower in the RV was tiny and the toilet had that unfortunate aroma. We had flushed and tried to clean it with what he had in the RV but made the decision to drive to the shower and laundry facility. It was a couple of miles away so had to pack up the RV and take our house with us. Not ideal!
When we got there the place was in darkness. Checking the notice board we saw that it closed at 10:00 pm. It was 10:10, ten minutes late! The men showered in the RV. I washed in the kitchen sink. I couldnât face going into the bathroom. Luckily we werenât too far away from the toilets so that was one blessing.
There were signs telling us not to leave food out to encourage bears. A number of tents were dotted around the campsite with their guide lines and tent pegs quite a distance away from the tents. It was an obstacle course going to the toilet with the added danger of meeting a marauding bear along the way! I kept on asking myself why I was there? Did I have a death wish?
Finally we were ready for bed. We found two sets of sheets but no blankets. The RV was warm so we werenât too bothered. My son climbed up the ladder and pushed the roof open to make his bed. It was like a tent and significantly cooler than downstairs. We closed the blinds and darkness descended on three exhausted people. I eventually drifted off to sleep.
I was woken up by a noise and the bright light of a torch. I saw my son scratching around for something in his bag and asked if all was ok.
âIâm freezing, Mom,â he replied. âItâs like a fridge up there! Iâm putting on layers to try and get some sleep. Iâm sure we should have had blankets! I saw a load of them on some shelves at the hire company.â
We had air conditioning so he tried to set it, hoping that, as hot air rises, it would drift up into his tent. Alas, it didnât! At 4:00 am he sent an email to the manager complaining bitterly about the state of the toilet and lack of blankets. The next morning we werenât able to make coffee because the microwave and hob didnât work. We had no electricity. By 8:00 am he was ringing the manager insisting that they either send another RV or someone to sort out all the problems.
Many phone calls later we managed to get a cleaning tablet to clear the toilet, but it remained smelly. We bought blankets, and got the electricity to work. My son was really annoyed as he had wanted this holiday to be really special. He finally spoke to the owner of the company who charged us half price for the four days and we had another promise of a half price holiday next year.
So, did I enjoy that trip ? Actually, a lot more than being in a caravan but still prefer my home comforts. Itâs the company which I really enjoyed and our hikes and seeing the animals, primarily from afar! We carried our bear spray and made as much noise as possible to keep all the wild animals at bay. We saw Old Faithful very early one bitterly cold morning. Yet again I hadnât packed the right clothing!
My standards plummeted. I hardly wore any makeup and gave up on my hair. I sat in the back seat, relaxing as I watched the world go by. We couldnât find any mince in the local stores so ate sausages for the next few evenings. We laughed a lot and really enjoyed each otherâs company. Iâm feeling less anxious about next yearâs holiday. Weâre wiser now and will ensure that everything is how it should be before we head off into the great unknown!
Iâll also make sure that I pack suitable clothing and will scrutinise the RV before we leave. A decision has already been made to get a bigger one so weâll be less cramped and my son wonât have to climb up into the roof. The grocery order will be checked. Our campsite wonât be as basic so electricity and running water will be readily available.
Thatâs everything covered. Next yearâs holiday should be a doddle!đ
Jenny Burrell 