“That there is an RV!” This an iconic line from the screwball character Cousin Eddie in the classic 1989 movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”. Eddie, in a braggadocios tone, persuades Clark Griswold “not to fall in love” with that there RV in his driveway - insinuating that he was living the dream and you should be totally jealous.
Fast forward to 2017.
“That there is an RV Nicole!” This NOT so iconic line was being blurted from my mouth an excessive number of times at the local RV dealership; so many times in fact that my wife Nicole had to tell me to “STOP” because it was becoming “incredibly embarrassing”.
I couldn’t help it, I was excited to finally be RV shopping. Giddy at the thought of being able to pull a mobile family command base around the country.
I reluctantly stifled my fun little movie quote game and turned my focus back to signing the paperwork for our brand-new recreational vehicle. Who knew going into debt could be so exciting? With a handshake and a quick walk-around tutorial on trailer basics, we hitched up the ol’ F-150 and we were off. Ready to start exploring the American landscape in 24 feet of pure adventure following me in the rearview mirror.
Now somewhere in the official handbook for being a Colorado family is a section dedicated to camping. It’s a law here ya know. You MUST take your kids camping. Period. It’s in our DNA, I spent my entire youth hitting the hills with my family pretending to be vagabonds by roasting hot dogs and marshmallows on dirty sticks, chopping firewood with a rusty old ax, and sneaking off to dig a hole in the ground for your mile high bathroom break.
It’s funny that we count possible Giardia outbreaks from brushing our teeth in a dirty stream as quality family time. And of course, camping allows you to use hip and trendy exercise buzzwords like “active lifestyle” and “health conscious” because you get all hot and sweaty during an afternoon hike. Make it a competition to see who smells the worst when you arrive back home on Sunday evening.
However, now that I’m getting older and wiser the days of lying on rocks and praying that your tent doesn’t blow away during midnight rain storms are well behind me. I’m perfectly fine with raising a couple of spoiled campers and totally embracing the “glamping” lifestyle. Many of the RVs out there right now are larger than most of our first apartments. This summer we’re going to be able to stroll into campsites push a button and roll out the automatic awning - for just the right amount of shade, and then fire up the outdoor Bluetooth speakers with a little Chris Stapleton country music to set the mood.
If the kids get hungry throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave while they relax on their own bunk beds, catching up on their favorite Netflix shows on the iPad with the built-in Wi-Fi. And don’t forget to fire up the heated floors and heated memory foam mattress for Mom and Dad so it’s nice and toasty at night! We’ve entered a new era of camping that includes granite countertops, jetted tubs, built-in fireplaces, and leather recliners - the idea of roughing it is long gone.
So if you happen to roll into a campground this summer and see a family of 4 enjoying a little Filet Mignon with their feet up in electric massage chairs out by the campfire – please stop by and say hello - I might show you around the digs, because that there is an RV!
Photography credit: Jeremy Padgett
