Life in an RV - By Curt Curtis

I have to say that staying in an RV is fun and rewarding and SO MUCH better than any hotel - even if it is for work!

I recently went to Quartzsite, Arizona to participate in an RV show. We display our vehicles for sale for customers to purchase. Our company has been doing this every January since 2000 and we have had good success. The last couple of years, I decided to forgo the hotel in Blythe, Ca and stay in a fifth wheel in Quartzsite, AZ.

This year was a little different as I stayed way out in the desert away from town. Let me first tell you that when you are moving in to a fifth wheel for the first time (Remember, I usually "Hotel It") there is a lot of preparing to do! I packed everything I thought I needed from home into my car and did some shopping to help stock up on incidentals and "manly" food. You see, I knew I was going to be bach'n it for three weeks and making all of my own meals! This in itself was exciting because, guess what, I got to eat whatever I wanted! You may think I'm kidding, but for me that was half the fun of it. I bought Captain Crunch, potato chips, dip, Cheez-its, cookie wafers, cornbeef hash, chili - you get the idea. Upon arriving in Quartzsite, I stopped by the show and then went to buy more food (steak, hot dogs, sausage, pasta, fruit, tortillas) to go in the refrigerator.

I suppose I should mention that I am the Vice President at Paul Evert's RV Country, so for all intents and purposes this puts me in charge of the show. You would think my fifth wheel would be perfectly ready then, right?! Well, sorta.

I finally arrived at my new home away from home in the evening. After a 7 hour drive, I was mistaken to think I could show up (in the dark) and just move in, eat, and go to bed. NOT! The refrigerator was not on and I had just purchased perishable foods at the grocery store! No worries, I have turned on an RV refrigerator before. Well, that lasted all of about one minute before the buzzer went off, telling me it had turned back off! I made a phone call and an employee came to my rescue and changed the battery for me. All seemed good, I ate, got ready for bed, and sat down to watch some TV. (I purchased a satellite/receiver and used my father-in-laws account to get channels for the month.) No TV...

Oh well, it was late anyways and I decided to wait until the morning to deal with it. Off to bed I go, UNTIL 3am, when my refrigerator buzzer goes off again! UGH! I tried to reset it, but to no avail. I waited until 5am to bug anyone. (My employees love me, I hope!) They said the battery was dead again and that I also had a converter problem. Welcome to the world of RVing. We hooked up jumper cables from the battery to a truck so I could get hot water for my morning shower and then off to work I went.

I have to tell you, once I got settled in it was truly a wonderful relaxing experience. I had some great evenings of cooking and socializing with other people in the park. I also went running a number of times and found it so peaceful to be in the desert. I got to look at stars you would never see in town and it made me appreciate all that God has created. The mountains, the coyotes, the moon, and the serenity of being by yourself. I can see how people can RV for extended periods of time and really look forward to doing that myself. I would be amiss to tell you that I never had any other RV issues, but you know what, that's part of the experience and it all works out in the end.

I also must mention that, one evening, I made this incredible dinner that would rival anyone's! I started with some cut up spicy sausage that I sauteed in garlic. I added in and simmered a can of stewed tomatoes, salsa, and cream. I also boiled water and cooked up some pasta. There is an exact time when pasta goes from a little chewy to perfect, and the stars must have been aligned because that part came out amazingly tender. I also had the broiler going with some garlic bread. (Extra butter, of course!) I grated some fresh parmesan and put it in the sauce and poured it over my pasta. The only thing missing was wine, but juice would have to do. It was amazingly delicious and I still think about it! I don't brag about my meal too much now that I am back home because I like to have a home cooked meal waiting for me at the end of the day. Ha! That meal was SO GOOD though that I had leftovers (I hardly ever eat leftovers) two days later.

Live the dream, buy an RV, and travel this wonderful nation because the memories you create cannot be replaced. No amount of money and fancy trips will ever top what you can experience on the road. I got a taste and I loved it and I highly recommend this wonderful lifestyle!