Editor’s Note: This post is written by a member of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.

Editor’s note: The modification ideas on this page were submitted to Triple E Recreational Vehicles by an independent third party and has not been verified or tested by Triple E Recreational Vehicles. Please do your own research before implementing these, or any other modifications. You must always use a qualified professional to make any modifications to your vehicle, and ensure that any changes you make are safe, and in compliance with all applicable laws. Modifications may void certain aspects of your limited warranty, as well as affect resale values. Consult your warranty for details. Triple E Recreational Vehicles is not responsible or liable for any actions you take after viewing this page, or for any modifications you make to your vehicle.

Anyone who’s owned an RV for over five minutes probably has the “best” gadget or upgrade. As time goes by, more “bests” will emerge, and if you, dear reader, are like me, you’re always looking for other owners’ good ideas and recommendations to see if they can be applied to your rig and your way of camping. Heck, that’s why you’re reading this article because all of us are always looking for the next “best” thing.

Our “best” upgrade to our 2018 Unity FX ticks off a few of the more important boxes. It was relatively inexpensive, and I was able to install it myself without too much effort. It is a BIG improvement in safety, and overall, it makes driving more comfortable, which leads to us being more eager to be on the road. What is this “best” upgrade? It’s a rear camera setup.

Let’s face it; the LTV is a beautiful and amazing RV. It’s easy and small enough to drive around in, yet roomy to live in for extended periods, but one thing we quickly noticed was we don’t always have good situational awareness as we drive down the road. The side mirrors can be adjusted to cover the blind spots on your flanks mostly. But, when we added this backup camera, we have a close-up view of what we could potentially hit.

So, while there is a rearview mirror, and it’s our second nature to use that while driving, I quickly learned that what’s in my rearview mirror is not the road but rather the rear of my LTV and this didn’t tell me where traffic was or could be.

Nice to look at, but not very helpful when driving

After a few trips, I thought something must improve that view, so I started my research. Checking LTV forums, I found some people would keep their backup camera on all the time, with a slight shift, to try to see more of the road than the 12 inches behind the bumper. Internet searches turned up cameras with separate monitors, some connected wirelessly, although the monitors were big and bulky and suited more for giant Class A RVs. Neither of these options really fit what I was looking for, so I was pleased when I came across the mention of a rear camera where the display hung over the existing rearview mirror. This was what I was looking for. Now I needed to figure out how to install it.

The Main System

Luckily I didn’t have to figure this out on my own. On one of the LTV social media owner sites, I saw a post where the owner had selected all the parts needed to install the camera. I would love to give that owner all the credit here, but I’ve long since lost the post and can’t remember who made the post. If you’re that person, then I offer my whole-hearted thanks for what you did for me and for everyone else, maybe you can follow what I’m about to tell you.

The camera setup I picked was the VanTop H610. As this was a few years ago, there are probably newer models out there. My model isn’t even sold on Amazon anymore, but you can find it at Walmart and Best Buy. If you don’t like this one, there are many other brands (Wolfbox is one that comes up a lot in searches). These are the reasons I picked the one I did:

• The display hung over the existing mirror–right where I’m used to looking. It also had a 10-inch width and was a touch screen. There are ones with a 12-inch width, so depends on what you personally want.
• The camera itself had a wide field of view, showing everything behind me.
• The camera was small and looked easy to mount.
• It wasn’t too expensive and looked like I could install it myself.

Other features weren’t as important to me. It has a forward-facing camera, the ability to record video on a microSD card, and a “night-enhanced vision” for the front camera. All these may be features you want, but as I was getting this for a rearview mirror “replacement,” they were just add-ons for me. I suggest you look at many different models and brands as you may have different needs or desires. The bottom line is there’s a system to meet everyone’s needs.

The VanTop system I bought, which is similar to others, contains the display (with the integrated front-facing camera) to hang over the rearview mirror, a rear camera, a power cord that plugs into a cigarette lighter (do they still call it that?), and a cable to connect the rear camera to the display.

The Other Essentials

It seems the complete package, but an LTV is slightly longer than your average car, so an additional item needed was an extension cable. I used the 4-pin dash cam cable from YQMAJIM, which is 33 feet long and would give me plenty to work with to go from the camera at the back to the engine section. For whatever system you get, make sure the cable for the rear camera is at least 30 feet long, or else get an extension cable that will work with it. This may require a bit more research based on the system you’re getting or even a call to customer support to make sure you get the right connections (4-pin vs. 5-pin, etc.), but most of these rear camera systems are designed for cars, and you’ll need these extension cables for your RV.

Since the camera would be mounted to the back of the RV, the cable would have to run to the front.  There’s no way to run it inside the rig, so it must be routed under it. I also ordered 100 feet of ¼ inch “loom” protective coating to protect the cable from any breaks.  Add some good quality zip ties to secure the cable as it traversed the undercarriage, and I had what I needed to route the cable.

Since my extension cable only went to the engine section, I needed another extension cable to get up into the cab and to the actual display. I got a 10 ft cable, 2.5mm Male to Female 4 pin, also from YQMAJIM. As I said earlier, if the system you’re getting doesn’t have a long enough extension cable (either with the package or as an option), you may want to call their customer service to get the details of what will be needed.

Once all the parts arrived, the first thing I did, which I would recommend, was to connect everything before unspooling it all and make sure it all worked. Trust me on this–you don’t want to find you have a faulty camera or wiring after you’ve installed it all.

Installation

With everything checked out, it was time to install. I started at the back, figuring out where to mount the camera. I held the camera to different heights while my wife looked at the display to see the coverage area but, the fiberglass outer shell at the back offers only a few locations where mounting would be easy. Directly above the license plate turned out to be ideal. It was high enough (and centered) to give a full view of the area behind the RV, and on our 2018 Unity FX, that location has a gap between the outer and inner fiberglass that I could reach from below. Mounting the camera was easy with the provided screws and was the only time I did any drilling into the RV.

I hooked up the camera to its connector and then screwed it onto the back. I also put a lot of electrical tape around the connection to ensure it wouldn’t come loose and make it thicker than the hole. This way, if the mounting screws fail, the camera will hang and not fall completely off. So far, the camera has held up well. My only post-installation concern has been if we ever get an external storage box to mount on the hitch, it will likely block the camera. I guess I’ll have to figure out how to raise the camera if/when we ever get such a unit. If you already have external items on your hitch, you may want to look at mounting it higher.

With the camera mounted, and before running the cable, I put the extension cable inside its protective sheath. This is easier to do before connecting it all up. Then it was time to crawl under the RV and start routing it towards the front. If you haven’t spent much time under your rig, you may be surprised how many cables are under there. I didn’t have a set path and stuck to following existing cables as much as possible. This allowed me to zip-tie my cable to existing cables, struts, and connectors as much as possible.

It’s essential to ensure your cable is snug and doesn’t hang down under the rig. With the extension, I knew I had plenty to work with, so I didn’t have to take the most direct route. My end goal was the engine compartment on the driver’s side. I used a lot of zip ties to be as secure as possible.

Only missing the red shoes to be the Wicked Witch!

This was the longest part of the installation, as I didn’t want to rush it, and I did have to constantly re-position myself. Still, it only took a little over an hour. Once I got to the engine section, I coiled up what was left and then moved inside the cab. I hung the display up over the rearview mirror. Now I had two cables to route–the power and the rear camera. I connected them both to the display and then ran them up above the front window and behind the plastic to the driver’s edge of the window. Then I pushed them behind the plastic cover and down to the footwell of the driver’s side.

At this point, the two cables split. The power cable I routed above the pedals to the center console where it could be plugged in. Obviously, any excess wiring was gathered up, and I made sure no cables were hanging down where they could interfere with the driver’s foot. The camera cable needed to go into the engine section. On our Mercedes chassis are rubber seals in the footwell that cover up holes leading to the engine section. I made a slice in one of them and could easily push the cable through.

Hopefully, you also have these pass-throughs to the engine section

I still had a lot of excess cables, but there was plenty of room in the engine section. I coiled it up and securely tied it inside the compartment, ensuring the connections were tight.

Excess wiring and cables, all coiled up and secured in the engine bay

At this point, everything was connected and ready to go. I plugged the power into the cigarette lighter, turned on the engine, and had an image on my display. I did have to read the instruction manual on how to set it up with the date and time, default camera image (rear for me), etc. But the installation was over, and now we could test it on the road.

Much more helpful than seeing the dog

Wow, it sure does work well! The field of view is nice and wide, and with the side mirrors, there are zero blind spots. Best of all, glancing at the rearview mirror shows what’s behind me, and I am much more aware and confident when driving.

Conclusion

As I continue to follow forums and read articles like this, I’m well aware that rear camera options exist. Some people have installed systems with blind-spot monitors for the rear and side, and some hard-wire their systems to the battery, so they don’t have to worry about knocking the power adaptor loose and briefly losing the camera view (that’s happened to us a few times). Others also have rear parking assist lines or have a wireless camera (but be careful–it still needs power from somewhere to work).

There are multiple options for displays like ours besides the VanTop we got. You should pick whatever works best for you. But I would strongly suggest looking into getting something, and if you’re even halfway handy, this is not a difficult installation to do yourself. Some upgrades make it more comfortable to use the RV, and some make it safer. For us, this does both, and while we’ve done other things, big and small, to make the “Zephyr” our own, we both agree that this is, by far, the best upgrade we have done and make our trips more enjoyable.

Editor’s Note: This post is written by a member of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.

To set the stage, it is now the beginning of May. In Part 1, we chronicled the “There” part of our inaugural cross-country journey, going from home base in California to New Jersey (with a non-RV portion in New York City). Due to our schedule, the outbound trip took 8 days, resulting in long driving days. We were more flexible on our return trip, so we made sure to allow plenty of time to drive a little less, see a little more, and have a more relaxing vacation in our Unity FX we call “Zephyr.”

Day 1: Back on the Road

An example of our more relaxed trip plan was our first leg – going from family in New Jersey to another family just outside Columbus, Ohio. This could easily have been an 8-hour, one-day drive, but we weren’t in a rush anymore, so we broke it up into two parts. That meant on this first day, we could sleep in, have a nice breakfast, say goodbye to family, and even meet up with a good friend for lunch and pizza. Our stop for this night was a Harvest Host, but it wasn’t a winery for once. We had picked the High Country Creamery in Grantsville, Maryland, because it was: A) about at the halfway point to Ohio, and B) they made cheese!

Apollo was happy for some “grass time” when we stopped

Even with our later start, we pulled in well before dinner. We had the place, and the parking lot all to ourselves, so we shopped around, picked up some homemade cheeses, and settled in for the night, looking out over rolling farmland as clouds started coming in. It was a picturesque spot, and we got a good night’s rest before …

Day 2-4: Heading out to Ohio and into the Rain

Those clouds were still around as we headed out the next morning. With only a few hours’ drive, we made sure to locate a dog park to give Odin, Thor, and Apollo the opportunity for some run-around time. As we got closer to Ohio, the clouds started to get darker – literally and metaphorically. As the rain started, we also heard that a family member in Ohio had to go to the hospital, so we made the best time to get there. Luckily it wasn’t life-threatening, and we were glad we were already planning on being there, so the trip so far wasn’t hugely interrupted. But between the medical issue and the rain, we didn’t get to do any exploring around the area. It was great to be with family, which was the main thing, and the dogs didn’t mind (although WE minded having to take them out in the rain. We missed our doggie door during this trip!) On the last day, everything was brighter. The family member was home from the hospital, and the sun came out, so we took advantage with a walk in the (muddy) woods and a trip to a large dog park. With the good news, we felt comfortable resuming our scheduled trip without any interruption, so with clear skies, we were off to…

Day 5:  Aim High for Wine Time

Our first stop was only an hour away. The National Museum of the Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, was on our list of “things to do” while in Ohio. Circumstances had kept us from visiting earlier, but it was on our way out of town. On this first day back on the road, we had planned for a short driving day, it gave us plenty of time to visit the museum, and what a museum that was! If you’re an aviation geek or just appreciate the history of the Air Force, this is a must-see stop. Four very large hangars house planes, missiles, and historical artifacts going back to the Wright Brothers and includes famous aircraft such as the Memphis Belle from WWII, the SR-71 spy plane, the XB-70 Mach 3 bomber, four presidential aircraft, and even a full-size Titan III space launch vehicle.

The Memphis Belle

One of the historic “Air Force Ones” in the collection

In the Missile Gallery

The F-117 Stealth Fighter

We spent over two and a half hours here, and it was enough to only scratch the surface. As someone who built model airplanes as a kid, standing in the gallery was like looking out into my childhood bedroom – just on a 1:1 scale!

We could’ve spent all day there, but we still had some miles to go and a winery waiting at the other end. Our stop for the night was Tuscan Hills Winery in Effingham, Illinois. Not to knock Illinois wine, but it isn’t quite what we’re used to coming from the Central Coast of California. We had tasted other wineries in Missouri and Ohio on our way out, so we knew this would be different than our regular varietals. While a bit too sweet for our taste, they might be perfect for others. There were two big differences between Illinois wineries and our California ones: 1) they served food, which most of our wineries don’t (and quite good flatbreads for dinner), and 2) they’re open late – 9 pm for this place. We’re used to the agriculturally-licensed wineries, all closing by 5 pm, so this was a pleasant surprise. We stayed in the air-conditioned comfort of their large tasting room before we all settled back into the Zephyr for what was, unfortunately, a hot night. We do like camping at Harvest Host sites, but the lack of hookups can be…uncomfortable when it’s hot outside. Ohio’s nice weather started to warm as we headed west. It’s a fate we’d suffer the next night as we journeyed…

Day 6:  We Keep Wine-ing

Okay, we’ll whine a little about the heat. We know it was May and not the scorcher it can get later in the summer, yet it was still hot as we left the winery and headed into Missouri and another winery for this night. We kept our eyes peeled for antique malls with a light travel day. When we’d stop for a bit, Hilary could take her time searching for treasures, and I’d go back to the Zephyr to fire up the generator and give the dogs (and me) a little A/C, and it worked out well. Even with antique shopping, we made good time and searched out another winery in the area before we drove up to our final stop of the night at Arcadian Moon Winery in Higginsville, MO. Although it was still warm, a nice breeze kept us comfortable as we sat on their porch by a pond and enjoyed some good food and wine. Again, the wine might not have been our cup of tea (or “glass of vino”), but that didn’t stop us from getting a couple of bottles and enjoying the sunset.

Hilary and the pups enjoy the evening.

It was another hot night, but we knew we’d have hookups the next night. Although we didn’t know where we’d be, we’d be winging it the next day on our….

Day 7:  Road to Nowhere

Technically, not “nowhere.”  It was Kansas, and while I’m sure there are wonderful parts of the state, the truth is they’re hard to see as you barrel down I-70. This was the one night on our return trip that we didn’t have a reservation for, and that was on purpose. We figured we would let the conditions, and our desire, decide how far we’d go. We stopped in the cute town of Abilene, Kansas, and while we didn’t visit the Eisenhower Presidential Museum there, we did visit more antique shops! But as the miles went on, we kept making good time and soon realized we would be into Colorado before we’d need to stop for the night. So that’s what we did, as I used our RVLife app to research and find a small RV park for the night. It had a dog park (good for the boys) and hookups (good for all of us). Finally, we had A/C for the night! Driving a little longer today also meant a shorter drive tomorrow as we headed towards…

Day 8:  Pikes Peak or Bust

Colorado Springs was our destination and would also serve as a longer stop-over for us. We lived here several years ago, so we wanted to spend a few nights as a break from the road and a chance to catch up with old friends. Before settling into our campground for the next few days, we visited the Garden of the Gods. Sitting right below Pikes Peak, this rock formation stands out from the surrounding land and is a great sight to see if you’re in the area.

Unfortunately, we’d forgotten that parking there is limited, and I had hoped to take the dogs for a nice walk amongst the rocks (great picture opportunities), but we were thwarted at nearly every stop. Only at the last stop, as we were leaving, did we find room for Zephyr. We got our pictures but no place to hike, so we settled for the memories and drove a half hour south to our campground.

The only place we could get them to pose for a picture

View from one of the trail heads

Mountaindale Cabins and RV Resort is only two miles off the main highway, yet seemed a world away. Many of the campsites there are filled with permanent residents, and the grounds are beautifully kept, and even has a café, a dog park (yay), and large, wooded spots.

We were pleasantly surprised as we pulled into our spot to see another LTV next door. We had spotted some LTVs on our outbound trip but hadn’t seen any heading west. We chatted with them a bit, and they gave us one piece of important advice – don’t stay out late, as they had seen a bear in the campground the night before. We took that warning to heart and kept the dogs close to us for our first night there. We had time to relax, as we were staying put for…

Days 9-10: Camp Life

We had three nights at the campground, actually the longest we’ve ever stayed in one place. This gave us a good time to unwind from a few days of driving, and while it was still unseasonably warm, we were plugged in so we could get comfortable whenever we wanted. Best of all, we had friends who came out to visit. Some brought their trailer, one rented one of the small cabins, and others came just for the evening. We stayed out past “bear time,” catching up with each other, drinking wine, eating pizza and goodies, and having a wonderful time. The next day, Hilary went with some of them to a local town for an antique fair, while I was happy to keep the dogs company and read a good book.

Odin, Thor, and Apollo are wondering where everyone went.

Most of our days traveling in the Zephyr are spent moving – going from one place (often a winery) to another (more wineries). It was a little unique to just sit still for a few days, but during this long journey, we felt it was very beneficial. The next night was spent with friends, a homemade casserole, more wine, more fun, and, luckily, no bears. A good respite from the road because the next day, we were picking up and off to go…

Day 11: Up and Over the Mountains

Our destination for this day was Grand Junction, Colorado. More specifically, Palisade, CO, next to Grand Junction. This was our stop because it was a good, but not too far, distance to travel, and there were wineries. We’d had Missouri, Ohio, and Illinois wine so far, so we figured we might as well try Colorado. But we first had to go up and over the mountains to get there.

This is where driving an LTV is so much better than a larger rig or trailer. We passed a few other RVs, slowly making their way up. We weren’t zooming, but we could keep a good speed as we made our way up and eventually over the Monarch Pass. The elevation was so high, we were in the snow! This was the first time Thor and Apollo had even seen snow, so we were excited to see their reaction.

Apollo could ALMOST blend into the snow

Thor strikes his “winter wolf” pose

It was anticlimactic.  They sniffed it, probably wondered why the ground was colder than normal and posed for some pics. Granted, we couldn’t let them off leash to run around, and it wasn’t soft snow for them to play in. We’ll make a trip out to “real” snow some other day. We ate a quick lunch at the summit and then started down to a more reasonable altitude.

The “Zephyr” at Monarch Pass. All downhill from here!

We pulled into Palisade early enough to try a local winery before our Harvest Host stop for the night. Not expecting much, we were pleasantly surprised to find good, not just decent but really good, wine! I guess the climate in this area does grow good grapes, and we were happy to pick up some bottles. Our stop for the night was Sauvage Spectrum Winery. It was still hot outside, so we took advantage of their frozen wine drinks as we waited for it to cool down.

Sipping our frozen wine concoctions at the winery

View from our spot

When the sun went down, we were treated to a lunar eclipse over the hillside. But the next day was the one I was looking forward to, as we were headed towards…

Day 12: Canyons and Views

A bright day greeted us as we headed out to an early start. We didn’t have far to go for our first destination – Canyonlands National Park, Utah. We’d swung through Utah years before on our pick-up trip with the Zephyr, but Canyonlands was a no-go due to no visibility. This time we didn’t have that issue and rolled into Canyonlands with only high clouds in the sky. For those who haven’t gone, Canyonlands National Park is huge, and we stuck to the “Islands in the Sky” part of the park, which has some of the best views. Getting there early paid off, as we found parking spots for the Zephyr at all but one of the viewpoints. Alas, being a National Park, dogs aren’t allowed on the paths or trails, but at the first stop, they were, so we took them out for the obligatory pictures.

They are unimpressed by the very impressive view at Canyonlands

There are quite a few stops along the tour route, including the Mesa Arch. Although there are many trails, we didn’t want to take the time to hike them (plus the “no dogs” rule). Yet that didn’t stop us from seeing magnificent scenery at every stop we made.

Although we didn’t do it, many people try to be at Mesa Arch at sunrise.

After a few hours and lunch with a view, we had a short drive to the park next door and our stop for the night – Dead Horse Point State Park. Don’t let the name, or the fact that it’s a “State” vs. “National” park, lead you to skip this place. This is one of our favorite parks. While smaller than Canyonlands, the views are just as, if not more, spectacular (and, in many cases, simply the view from the other side of the canyon). We also found the parking lots to be bigger, with actual RV spots, and overall, the park was less crowded.  There are easy trails to walk, and, best of all (for us), dogs are allowed everywhere!

Family Photo time

And now, just the kids

We were staying on the park property, which had large, separated spots with easy walks to either rim. All the walks are level, although some can be close to an edge and none are very long (the East Rim trail from the visitor’s center to the Dead Horse Point Overlook is only 1.5 miles long).  Each rim has different and just as spectacular views and is worth it, even if you don’t hike the whole trail. There’s a reason this park is referred to as a mini-Grand Canyon.

The Dead Horse Point Overlook is our favorite viewpoint

The West Rim views are pretty great, too (although you do have to walk a little)

We had an electric hook-up, which was nice as it was still warm. The spots are large, with plenty of separation from your nearest neighbor. No water, though, so if you stay here, top off your tank before coming.

Our site in the Kayenta Campground

When the sun went down, it got dark, and I hoped I could get some good night sky astrophotography over the canyons. Unfortunately, it was a full – and very bright – moon. But while the pictures may not have come out, it was very peaceful to sit in the perfect stillness of the night, looking at the moon and stars, with nobody else in sight or sound. Truly a magical place and a great way to spend one of our last nights on the road before we were off to…

Day 13 -14: Viva, Las Vegas!

At this point, we’d seen the “sights” we wanted, and home was what lay ahead. But before getting there, we had a long day’s drive from Dead Horse Point to Las Vegas. While there are campgrounds in Vegas if you want to stay and play, our destination was more subdued, visiting good friends that live out there.  We planned for one night but wound up spending two as it was too much fun to relax and hang out with them in their pool.

The corgis are pooped in the heat.

They have two dogs, and the combined pack of five got along great, even if we couldn’t coax our dogs, or even Apollo the golden retriever, into the pool. Maybe next time. But this trip was coming to an end as we left Vegas for our last segment…

Day 15:  Finally, we’re “Back.”

An easy, although long, driving day got us from the heat of Vegas to the cool climate of our home here on the California Central Coast. We pulled up, emptied the rig, and put our feet up with a glass of wine as we enjoyed being home and tried to sum up this trip.

The Zephyr back at the home dock

A lot of miles for us. Longest trip (so far)!

Conclusion

For our first cross-country trip and the longest time spent in our LTV, it was a definite success. Other than the wind (we REALLY didn’t like the wind!), the driving was easy.  We never got tired of being “cooped up” in the RV.  The dogs took to it like champs and got into their routine of driving, stopping, pooping, driving, etc. Probably our biggest complaint was not having the luxury of a doggie door and therefore having to take them out on leashes multiple times during the day and night.

When we take longer trips in the future, one thing we’ll try to repeat is having breaks from driving now and then. Having our stops on the east coast, then in Ohio, and even in Colorado and Las Vegas gave us a few nights off the road and sometimes out of the RV and into a house. Some of you do much longer trips, or even full-time, and hats off to you. But for us, these small breaks made the whole trip more enjoyable. The shorter driving days are always better, as it gives more flexibility to stop along the way. Dog parks are a must, giving our furry kids time to stretch their legs. We cooked and froze food in flat Ziploc bags before leaving (saved space in the freezer) but wound up eating out more than we thought, which just meant our food lasted longer. We used apps such as GasBuddy to find our next gas stations, RVLife for campgrounds, and Google Maps to plot our routes and look for stops along the way. We had some audiobooks but also found that podcasts made the driving days easier. We planned a lot of the trip but had a few days of improvisation, and in the future, we’re going to try to do a little more of that.

Most importantly, this trip opened our aperture for what we can do next. Maybe a trip along the southern route of the US? Head to Texas to see friends out there? Perhaps a Mississippi River “Cruise,” where we take the Zephyr instead of a river boat?  There’s so much to see in the US and Canada, and now that we’ve taken our first step into longer-duration trips, we’re ready to keep on exploring.

Editor’s Note: Mark and Hilary Steves are members of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.

Just over three and a half years. That’s how long we’ve had the 2018 Unity FX we call “Zephyr.” In that time, we’ve taken quite a few trips in it, but with the exception of our pick-up drive from St. Louis to California, we’ve kept it close to home. Weekend trips up to wine country areas near us, maybe a local campground, and even day trips have been our normal. Last year we expanded a bit with a 10-day trip up into Oregon and back (which you can read about here), and that made us feel more comfortable planning a longer journey. So this year, we decided to finally make our first “big trip” – cross country and back in 30 days.

As mentioned in a previous story, I am a planner, so for my own sanity, this trip had to be planned well before we hit the road. A family wedding in New York provided a set date of where we needed to be and when. We also had a “no earlier than” departure date because of family visiting from overseas. That left us 8 days to get out to the east coast. Coming back, we would have more time, so we could take a different path and allocate for shorter driving days and more sightseeing.

I used RV Trip Wizard as the program/app to help plan the trip. There are other options out there, but I find this one to be pretty useful both in planning and when on the road to find campgrounds, get reviews, and figure out a path. My only issue with the program was their time estimates were quite a bit longer than actual (by over an hour in some cases). Maybe the program just doesn’t comprehend how easy it is to drive an LTV!

Our route, from coast to coast

Finally, after months of planning, making spreadsheets, getting reservations, and preliminary packing, we were at the “day before,” where we put all that prep to work and loaded up the Zephyr. Bright and early the next morning, we climbed aboard with Odin, Thor, and Apollo, headed out the driveway, and were finally on our way to…

…Day 1: Kingman, Arizona

Our first stop was Kingman and was only picked for the purpose of seeing family, which was where we would spend the night. For our first day, we made this a long one by covering 500 miles in about 8 hours, and the drive was easy. We arrived in time for drinks and dinner and got a good night’s sleep before continuing the next day to….

…Day 2: Holbrook, Arizona, and Standin’ on a Corner

The plan was to drive a little less for the next two days so we could see some sights. First up was Meteor Crater in Arizona, the world’s largest preserved crater.

That is one BIG hole.

There’s a nice visitors center with displays that provide general information about meteors and this site. There’s also a simulator “ride” with a talking jackrabbit that we’d recommend skipping unless you have young kids. Total time at the crater for us wasn’t long (after all, it’s a big hole, so not too much to see), but it was worth the side trip. We were able to keep the dogs in the LTV as it wasn’t hot, although monitoring their safety at stops was a prime concern wherever we went. I imagine this place could be brutal in the summer, so keep that in mind if you travel with a furry family. Later in the day, the wind was also starting to become a factor, so driving was becoming a bit tenser. Luckily we didn’t have far to go.

Just up the road to the east of Meteor Crater is the small town of Winslow, Arizona. If that sounds familiar to you, imagine yourself “standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.” Yep, it’s a fine sight to see, as immortalized in the Eagle’s hit “Take it Easy.” The town has embraced their tangential link to that hit song, with a “Standin’ on a Corner” park, complete with a building façade, a statue of “Easy,” and even a flat-bed Ford. When Glenn Frey died, they added a statue of him too.

Just “Taking it Easy” while “standin’ on a corner”

With Eagles music playing outside, and a few gift shops catering to the Eagles and Route 66 in general, you can spend a little bit of time here. Plus, you simply MUST take your photo there! We even got a good shot of the Zephyr making a slow cruise past the corner.

Crusin’ on Route 66

For us, that was pretty much the end of the day, with a short drive to Holbrook, AZ, and our RV park for the night. The next day our plan was to head to a forest.

…Day 3: Petrified Forest with a Wee Bit of Wind

As travelers with dogs, we are well aware that most National Parks limit where our four-legged companions can actually go. That’s why I was excited about Petrified Forest – no restrictions on dogs! They can walk on all the trails there. I guess since the only trees there are rocks now, they’re not as worried as they are in other parks. So, we were ready to do a little bit of walking that morning after we pulled into the park at the southern entrance. Unfortunately, it was a little windy when we got out, and when I say “a little bit,” I mean 40-50 mph (65-80 kph) winds! It was tough to stand, let alone walk. We did get the dogs out and tried to walk at the first stop but quickly realized that it wasn’t going to work. We got a few pictures, and then back to the Zephyr we went.

We had to be VERY careful opening the side door, or the wind might rip it off the hinges. One of us (Mark) had to go out first to literally hold the door when it opened, and we quickly determined that A) we would only go out the front cab doors, and B) we wouldn’t go out much at all. We continued the drive and pulled over for some scenic spots and picture opportunities. The park isn’t terribly big for those visiting, and there’s a good road connecting the south end to the north end. The south end is where the actual Petrified Forest is, but the “painted desert” of the north end is pretty fantastic. There is also a nice gift shop at the north entrance.

We did see another LTV in the parking lot (the same one on the road and at our stop for the night) but never got to meet the owners. Although we saw the park, we were in a bit of a hurry to get on the road. We didn’t have far to go that day (just to Albuquerque, New Mexico), but we expected the winds might get worse, and we could tell it wouldn’t be fun to drive, and we were right! Not fun at all! While LTVs are small(ish), they still have large flat sides that don’t react well to wind. It was white-knuckle driving down the interstate as the gusts were reaching up to 70 mph (112 kph), and the wind would blow up dust storms that reduced our visibility to near-nothing.

Yep, not what you want to see driving down the road

We eventually took a break at a highway gift shop an hour or so out of Albuquerque and realized that continuing on was not only exhausting but also dangerous. Luckily this was the one night on our outbound trip we didn’t have a reservation, so there was nothing to cancel as we looked for a closer spot. Just a few miles up the road was a casino with full hookups that had plenty of spots and cheap prices (only $17/night!), plus they would drive us to and from our site and the casino. We breathed a very big sigh of relief when we stopped. Leaving the dogs safe and sound in the Zephyr, we had a good dinner, played some craps, and even won $90! Overall, a good day overall, but exhausting. We hoped the winds might die down before we hit the road the next day on the way to…

…Day 4: Oklahoma is OK

Our sightseeing days were almost over, and it was time for serious driving. The winds weren’t great, but not as bad as the past two days, so we got an early start, drove past Albuquerque (we’ll see you next time!), and pushed our way east. Out of New Mexico, into Texas, where we stopped briefly at the Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo, Texas.

Somewhere under the paint, there might be a tire

Colorful Caddys

It’s an art installation where 10 Cadillacs were planted in the ground back in 1974. Today, you are encouraged to add your own paint to the cars (they even sell paint there if you don’t bring your own), and I think the many layers of paint are all that keep the cars together. It may not be everyone’s idea of “art,” but as a roadside attraction, it’s an easy, free, and quick stop. Back on the road, we got out of Texas into Oklahoma and an overnight stop at a nice-but-generic campground. After a long driving day, we were ready to sleep for the night because tomorrow would also be a “driving day, but we did have an overnight stop planned in Missouri for…

…Day 5: Superman and Ice Cream

We drove through Oklahoma City and left I-40, heading northeast towards St. Louis. The day turned a little overcast with periods of rain as we made our way to Carterville, MO, and our stop for the night at a Superman Museum and Ice Cream Parlor called “Supertam on 66”. This small shop has room for an RV behind the store as a member of Harvest Hosts. Inside, the place is filled floor-to-ceiling with Superman (and the occasional other Justice League members) memorabilia.

The new owners have kept the collection of the previous owner and still continue to serve super-delicious ice cream and brownies! Chris, the owner we met, was super-nice (pardon the pun) and not only chatted with us about Route 66 but also helped me get hooked up with power for the night (a rarity at Harvest Host locations). Down the street was an amazing Italian smokehouse with some super-delicious (pardon) entrées and drinks. The town is a little empty, a sad sight we saw at many small towns along the way, but it was a super stop for the night (okay, last pun).

In the morning, we had sun and a short day planned out to get us to another casino at…

…Day 6: Meet me in St. Louis

Our host at the Ice Cream Parlour had recommended some Route 66 attractions to stop at, and as we didn’t have a full driving day today, we took advantage of his know-how. We stopped at the Uranus Fudge Factory, and if you can get the pun in the name, this place could be for you.  Many witty and naughty puns are all over the items in this store (“the best fudge comes from Uranus”, etc.) – and the fudge is pretty damn good! Connected to the store is an Oddities Museum, with many remnants of the old sideshow carnival and freak shows that used to exist. While it was bigger than it looked from the outside, this was a neat place to stop and see some of these items from a bygone age.

The Fiji “Mermaid” at the Oddities Museum

Where the best fudge comes from

We didn’t have a lot of time to do the “Route 66 thing” on our trip as we were mostly on the interstates, but if you’re driving on the Mother Road or close to it, we’d suggest taking some time now and then to pull off and see some of the local history and color.

We approached and then passed western St. Louis, crossing the Mississippi River to the other side, where we went to Centennial Park. Directly across from the arch is a good viewpoint to see the famous landmark. After the obligatory pictures, our stop for the night was right next door.

The DraftKings at Casino Queen has a large RV park which is mostly empty at this time of year. We had reserved our spot and were sent the gate code, so we could simply drive to our site. The casino itself is pretty big, although the table limits were a little expensive for us (we’re not high rollers), and there were good views of the arch as the sun went down. Only two more days to go, and the next day would be a long drive to…

…Day 7: Finally, a winery!

For those who follow our other blog posts, you know we (really) like our wine (or the “red juice,” as Odin the corgi describes it). Yet we hadn’t planned any stays at wineries on this outbound trip, with the exception of this night at Sand Hollow Winery, which is just outside of Columbus, Ohio. From St. Louis, this is a long drive, and the drive got “longer” when I realized that we were going to lose an hour due to time zone crossing resulting in an earlier start. Along the way, we did a quick dog park stop, but even that was cut short when I realized we had to move fast to get to the winery before they closed. When we arrived, we were the only customers there and were greeted by the owner and parked in a field before tasting the wine.

Our spot on the hill

The dogs don’t look near as excited as their dad to be tasting wine

I’ll be honest – Ohio wine is not what we’re used to on the California Central Coast, but there were some decent wines, and we found a couple we liked and purchased. Tomorrow would be the last day of the outbound trip (in the RV), as we headed towards…

…Day 8: New Jersey, New York (and the non-RV portion of the trip)

This was another 8-hour driving day, but we squeezed a dog park in before arriving at my brother’s house in New Jersey, where the Zephyr would be parked for a few days. We had already decided the RV wouldn’t be feasible for the next portion of the trip. After some rest and family visits, we dropped the dogs off in a pet resort (very posh!) and headed up to Long Island for the wedding festivities. I would issue a strong warning for anyone considering heading that way in your RV. There’s a reason we saw no other RVs on the road up there because, on the parkways, it quickly became apparent that if we had driven our RV, we would have come out of some of the underpasses without our air conditioning unit, Winegard receiver, solar panels…and the Zephyr might have become a convertible (seriously – clearances were around 9 feet in some places). So having the car made life a lot easier, especially when we went into the city itself for one day because that is DEFINITELY someplace an RV shouldn’t roam. There’s so much to see in NYC, but for this trip, we went to the Top of Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and then a Broadway show and dinner – a fantastic single day in the city.

The view from the “Top of the Rock” on Rockefeller Center

A bustling Times Square

However, this brief respite from the road had to end, so after our day in NYC, we were back in New Jersey, picked up the dogs (who were EXHAUSTED after playing constantly for three days), had another day with family, and then set our sights westward and the beginning of our return journey.

…To be Continued

Without a doubt, I’d rate this first part of the trip a success. We saw the sights we had planned, some we hadn’t planned, and made good time. We had strong winds, which caused us to modify some of our plans, but it was better to be safe than to stick to the spreadsheet. The dogs handled the trip like pros, and we made sure to reward them with dog park stops when we could.  We ate at more restaurants than planned, but the food we had stockpiled would still be good for the return trip if needed. Gas was expensive, although everything seemed cheaper after leaving California!

Part II will cover the return, including more wineries, our visit to Utah parks, and more, so stay tuned!

The Return Journey was a little more relaxing.

About Us

We met in 1999 in Sunnyvale, California where I (Mark) was stationed while on active duty in the Air Force. We were married the same year, and over the next 17 years, we went from coast to coast on our assignments, living in Colorado, Arizona, and Virginia (twice) before ending up at Vandenberg AFB (now Space Force Base) on the Central Coast of California. We instantly fell in love with this area of California and often ask ourselves “what’s snow?”, “what’s rain?”. And with the low population, close proximity to Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles (where Hilary’s family lives, and of course the world-class wineries; we knew that this would be our forever home.

In 2017 I retired from the military and Hilary had left her defense contractor job behind a while back and was now working part-time at local wineries. Best of all, we expanded our family with the additions of Zeus, the most wonderful and best golden retriever ever, and then three years later came Odin, the not quite as great, but still wonderful corgi.

The Question That Planted Our RV Roots

Everything was going great in our lives until one day Hilary asked “have you ever thought about getting an RV?” It was an out-of-nowhere question, but it planted a seed that grew. Why not an RV? We did a lot of day trips, especially to the local wine areas, but always had to return at night. With an RV, we could plan an overnight trip with our dogs. We love traveling with our dogs, but finding places for them can be challenging and not to mention expensive. Plus there’s all the pack, unpack, repack that you have to do with traveling for multiple days so maybe an RV would be a better fit for us? But neither of us had ever had an RV much less traveled in an RV so before we made the leap, we were lucky to borrow a friend’s 35-footer for a long weekend up the road in Paso Robles wine country. From that trip, we learned two important lessons: #1 we loved the concept of the RV. It allowed us to take all of our stuff, bring the dogs, and go around to different places and not have to drive home afterward, and #2 THAT RV was not for us. It was too big, too hard to park, and had horrible gas mileage. So, it was time to hit the internet and see what choices were out there. We learned that Leisure Travel Vans quickly became the standard by which all other RVs were compared. Long story short, and what seemed like not much time later, we were driving the “Zephyr” back from St. Louis to our home in California and the start of our RV life began. You can read more about this choice and our first adventure in our very first LTV blog article at https://leisurevans.com/blog/start-with-the-best/.

Our Style

While reading other LTV posts, we learned that everyone has a different way they travel. Some are full-time, some like long treks across the country. Others, like us, tend to stick to shorter vacations. Some can meander where the road takes them while others (again, like us) might need to plan more of our trips. And some will settle down for long stretches while others tend to move constantly just like we do. We have also found ways to use the RV in non-traditional ways such as day trips to the beach, date nights (especially during the great lock-downs of 2020 and 2021), and even while going to the doctor. It also makes a great guest house as we have the luxury of being able to plyg in and park at our house.

Most of our trips to date have been short ones. I mentioned that Paso Robles is just up the road, and while we did lots of day trips, once we found Harvest Hosts (which we HIGHLY recommend) and the ability to stay at a winery for the night, that’s become a go-to trip for us, especially on short notice. Only once have we stayed multiple nights at the same campground. I tell people that we don’t really go “camping” with our RV – we go “exploring”. That’s the kind of travel we like – seeing different things along the way and moving from place to place. Even when we took our first long trip, a 10-day journey up into Oregon and back down the coast where we moved every day to see new sights new adventures. You can read about that trip in our blog post called The Oregon Trail…Tail…Tale. Wine-related trips are a staple for us, whether local or up to Napa or other areas in California. And of course, the dogs come with us everywhere we go. Odin has become quite the author with multiple LTV blog posts which you can read here. He’s even been recognized by other LTV owners! We, unfortunately, lost Zeus, but we have added Thor (the other corgi) and Apollo (the English cream golden retriever) to our pack and our travels.

How RVing Has Impacted Our Lives

There have been no regrets since getting our RV. We love the LTV as well as our floorplan and options with the Unity FX model. We enjoy taking the whole family (humans and dogs) on trips. Sometimes we’re seeing new places and sometimes just getting away for a night or two. Having an RV has certainly allowed us to take more of those trips. And we’re just starting to get our feet wet with longer RV journeys. First, we had our Oregon trip last year, and this year we’re being more ambitious and taking the Zephyr across the country and back again. I’m not sure if that will be the norm but once I fully retired, I think we’ll be taking more trips. We already have a list!

Favorite Travel Destinations

Bryce Canyon, Utah

Bryce Canyon is like nowhere else we’ve been. The views are amazing and there are different things to see from every angle. Walking down into the hoodoos brings a whole new viewpoint and scenery. It can be difficult in an RV, so we had to park it at the visitor’s center and take a bus around (no dogs on this trip), but we highly recommend it.

Paso Robles, California

This is a short drive up the road for us, but there are literally hundreds of wineries with some of the best wine you’ll ever find. Not as crowded or as expensive as the more famous Napa area. We especially love it for the multiple Harvest Host wineries where we can taste and then spend the night in the vineyard. Our go-to place for a quick weekend getaway.

Oregon Coast

There are so many tremendous sights along the Oregon Coast. We traveled the lower half of it, pulling over at many of the turnouts to see the dramatic coastline. There are a few campgrounds and parks – we especially enjoyed Beverly Beach State Park. And while you may get a soggy day or two, it’s still worth the trip.

Editor’s Note: Mark and Hilary Steves are members of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.

Last year we posted an article on the LTV Blog page about tips and tricks we’ve learned for planning a long RV journey. As an example, we used our upcoming trip from California into Oregon and back. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented us from going last year. But luckily the plans remained, so this year we dusted them off and told Odin the corgi (the experienced traveler and blogger) and his new brothers Thor (the other corgi) and Apollo (the golden retriever) that it was time to hit the road for a 10-day trip – the longest we’ve ever taken in our 2018 Unity FX we call “Zephyr”. What follows is a record of that trip, from many different viewpoints.

Day 1 – Lompoc to Lodi

Mark & Hilary (M&H):  Today we start our trip with a long drive north from our home in Lompoc on the Central Coast of California up to Lodi, CA. Why Lodi? For one thing it’s a good distance (about 5 ½ hours) for Day 1 when we’re all fresh, but it also has some excellent wineries. We’ll be spending the night at one of them, at a Harvest Host site.

Odin:  I’ve been watching Mom and Dad fill up the mobile house for the past week, so I know we’re going somewhere. When they open the door and tell all of us to climb aboard, I’m off, with my brothers jumping in behind me. And then we’re rolling! And we keep rolling…for a long while. I guess this is longer that the trips we’ve been taking lately, so I’ll just take a nap until we get there.

Thor:  Oh goody, we’re finally stopping. That was a long time in this mobile house. I guess I should have followed Odin’s lead and just taken a nap, but I was excited. We’re stopped now, but boy, it’s hot outside. Hope we can go inside where it’s cooler.

Apollo:  Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy…we’re here! Where is here? I don’t care, we’re somewhere!

M&H: (Apollo is still a puppy and very excitable). Our first stop is at Mettler Vineyard in Lodi. The doggies get to come inside and rest on the cool floor, which is good because it’s about 93 degrees outside. And of course, they have to pose for pictures, both for us and others. After a very pleasant tasing there, it’s off to Harney Lane Winery for more of the same.

The paparazzi come out wherever we are

Odin: It’s tough to be a celebrity, but I put up with it.

M&H: Our next stop is Klinker Brick Winery, our Harvest Host location for the night. We enjoy the wine, and meet another couple staying there and their dogs, which are…

Thor: Corgis! These other dogs are just like me and Odin. And there’s a nice patch of grass outside to play on. So far this is a fun trip. Wonder how long we’ll be gone.

M&H:  Unfortunately, we run into a problem when our propane regulator springs a leak right after I put the jacks down. So, we are without propane for the night, which meant no generator, no stove top, and the fridge/freezer was thawing. This could have been a disaster, and we were already thinking that our second attempt at this trip might be over after day 1. It was a hot and worrisome night, but we’d lined up a repair place for the morning…fingers crossed.

Day 2 – We’re Not Done Yet

M&H:  In the morning, after a somewhat sleepless night worrying if we can continue, we quickly pack up and head over to the repair shop, which was only a few miles away. They do a quick look to confirm it’s the regulator. Good news, it should be an easy repair. Bad news, he doesn’t have one, and nobody else local does either. I can either turn around and head home, or find a place north, in the direction we’re going, to see if they can fix it. Another turn of good luck, and we find a place about 40 minutes north that says they have regulators and can fit us in.

Odin:  Not sure what this stop was about. We were in a parking lot for about a half hour while someone climbed under the mobile house. Then we load back up and head out again, where this time they take away the mobile house and we go inside a waiting area. Dad seems very relieved, so I guess this is a good thing. We also meet another person who says they own a similar mobile house….and as she talks to Mom and Dad she asks “is that Odin”? I’m recognized for my articles! First time. I feel like I’ve finally made it.

M&H:  It’s a quick fix with the new regulator, and we meet a fellow LTV owner (who also recognizes Odin from his blogs). Less than $200 later we’re on the road and the vacation is saved. We may need to expect these kinds of “hiccups” while on the road, and luckily, we didn’t have any big plans today. This was a “driving day”, which is now longer, but we have a reserved camp spot in Grants Pass, Oregon as a way station before tomorrow when we enter Oregon’s Willamette Valley and their wine country. Turns out to be a nice campground on the Rogue River, and we get Mexican food from down the street and settle in for the night.

Day 3 – Time to Start Wine-ing

Thor:  I liked where we stayed last night, as it was right on a river, although Mom & Dad didn’t let us play in it (something about “wet dog smell”). I’m ready for another long driving day, but we only go a few hours today before our first stop and Mom & Dad are ready for some of that red juice they seem to like.

M&H:  We only go to three wineries today. First stop is Pheasant Court Winery, which is small but they have a large variety of wines. They suggest our second stop, Airlie Winery, which is super dog friendly!

Apollo:  So far I haven’t been able to really run around (and I need my runs!), but this place is awesome! There are dogs walking around and Mom and Dad let us all off the leash. I get to say hi to everyone, I get lots of pets, and there are other dogs to play with. I love this place!

Thor:  They even have a big swimming pool (which dad says is a “pond”) and I take a little dip. Mom wasn’t happy.

Odin: My two little brothers do run around a lot. They don’t have the experience in this “wine tasting” that I do, but I enjoy walking around as well. Soon we’re off to another place where Dad makes the mobile house bigger, which means we’re going to spend the night here.

M&H:  We spend the night at Emerson Winery, another Harvest Host site, and our pups get to play a bit with the wine dogs there before we pull them inside and they finally crash hard for the night. Overall, a great day. And we have another day in the Valley to go.

Day 4 – Cruising up the Valley

M&H:  We start the next day with a surprise for the pups. We figured they’ve been cooped up in the RV and on leash for a while, so we find a local dog park and start the day there.

Apollo:  Oh boy! More run around time! And other dogs to play with!

Odin:  What a nice way to start the day. It’s fun to stretch the legs and run around a bit. Then we’re back in Zephyr and soon pulling into another winery. They have a nice big (and cool) inside place, and after the obligatory pictures, Thor takes a nap while Mom and Dad enjoy some red juice.

M&H:  After Eola Hills winery, we head into the Dundee Hills area to Ghost Hill Cellars. Then we walk around the cute town of Carlton, which has more tasting rooms. But we don’t taste there, as we’re heading to our final stop, another Harvest Host site called Plum Hill Vineyard at the northern end of the Willamette Valley.

How did they know Thor was so Big and Bold?

When can we go back to play in the dog run?

Thor:  I’m starting to get the hang of this, and I’m thinking this place may be where we spend the night. Dad seems super happy that he can plug in the mobile house here so we have “power”, but me and my brothers are happy about the area for us that we can run around in. Odin says he’s never been at a winery which has a fenced in area like this for us. I just like to play with Apollo in it.

Apollo:  What a fun day. I think I’m liking this mobile house and where we go.

Day 5 – Swing to the Coast

M&H:  Our good weather doesn’t hold, and we start getting rain so the doggies don’t get more time in the dog run area in the morning at Plum Hill. Instead, we pack up and drive west to the coast. First, we must stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory! Pretty amazing to watch the cheese being made, and while they’re not giving samples these days, we do pick up some treats for later. And then it’s over to the coast to finally see some of those sights.

Inside the Tillamook Cheese Factory – where the good stuff is made

Odin is wondering how long we’ll be in there

Odin: After Mom and Dad leave us to go inside some cheese place (but they do bring back treats for us!), our next stop is cold and windy. I’ve been to the beach a lot back home, but these waves are much bigger and I don’t want to go swimming here.

Windy on the coast

The Devil’s Punchbowl

M&H:  We stop at Devil’s Punchbowl and watch the stormy seas for a bit. Then we head south to Beverly Beach State Park, our campground for the night. It’s a nice park, and our spot is among the trees with a short walk to the beach. This beach has two things going for it:  there are fossils here that you can collect, and…the dogs can run free.

Apollo:  Oh boy! We get to run on the beach. Thor and I take off and have a blast. I love running on the beach and playing with my brother. Mom and Dad are looking at rocks, which seems pretty boring, so we just run around and get dirty. What fun!

Fossils in the rocks at Beverly Beach State Park

Dogs on the beach – not interested in the fossils

Odin:  Sometimes they embarrass me. But they’re puppies. They’ll learn to be more dignified at some point.

“Youth can be so annoying” – Odin

M&H:  The boys (mostly Apollo and Thor) really enjoy themselves. It’s nice when they’re tired! Not so nice they’re so dirty. But we have full hookups so we can wash them off and towel them dry. Tomorrow we may hit the beach to look for more fossils and then we have sightseeing to do.

Day 6 – Sunny Skies and Sights

M&H:  We take another walk on the beach in the morning, minus the dogs (don’t need them all wet and dirty again), and then head down the coast with our first stop at Yaquina Head Lighthouse. It’s a short walk from the parking lot up to the lighthouse, and while the dogs can’t go right up to it, we get some good pictures before heading down the coast to our next stops, the Devil’s Churn and Thor’s Well.

Odin:  We make short drives today, but we don’t get out at every spot. Sometimes it’s just Mom and Dad, and sometimes just Dad. So, we wait in the mobile house for them to return. Maybe if they left the keys, we would try to go somewhere ourselves.

M&H:  At Thor’s Well there’s a blow spout, which is fun to watch, and then we drive to a nice overlook at Heceta Head Lighthouse. Overall, this was a good day for scenery, and we get to our spot for the night in the late afternoon. Mill Casino in Coos Bay not only has a dog park, but we thought it would be a good spot to be fully plugged in and to give the humans a night for entertainment out of the RV. We do love our Zephyr, but having a “night out” every now and then is good.

Blowspout at Thor’s Well

Spruce trees are tall…until we get to the redwoods later

The Zephyr at Heceta Head lighthouse

Day 7 – More Coastal Sights

Odin:  This campsite has been okay, although Mom and Dad left for a while last night and didn’t take us with them. That’s okay, because we got to run around in a dog park so we were all tired. Today we get some more time in the dog park before getting back on the road.  Overall, we don’t seem to drive too far, but we stop a lot. There are some pretty views on this road.

M&H:  Today we enter the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor for some truly stunning views of the Oregon coast. We highly recommend it, especially Arch Rock and Natural Bridges. The entire coastline, and all the viewpoints, are magnificent and great for pulling over to admire the view and snap a few photos. If you have the choice of visiting the coast going either north or south…choose south! There are so many turnouts, and traveling south, you don’t have to cross traffic.

Arch Rock along the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor

Whaleshead Beach

M&H: As we leave Oregon and re-enter California, we stop for the night at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. We’re off hookups for the rest of the trip, so time to conserve water and power. It’s a quiet park with mostly tents (we’re the biggest RV there!). Luckily the LTV is small enough that we easily fit.

Day 8 – Redwoods

M&H:  Our second-to-last day is our “Redwoods Day”, and we drive through the Redwoods National Park areas down to the Avenue of the Giants. Today’s a short day, so we have some time after stopping at our campsite (Humboldt Redwoods State Park – Burlington Camp) to walk among these spectacular trees.

Odin:  I know I’m short, but these trees look REALLY tall!  And they’re all around us.

Apollo:  I like these tall trees. Since I’m taller than my brothers, they seem more “me”. Dad takes us all for walks around the campground, and of course we get our picture taken. Then we get to sit outside while Dad enjoys some wine and cheese. He doesn’t share, though. Not fair.

M&H:  Unfortunately Hilary isn’t feeling well today, but she does get to see the trees and, luckily, it was a short driving day. After the stars come out, Mark uses the astrophotography function on his phone to get a view of the stars…that you can just see through the gaps in the trees. It really does get dark earlier here when you’re surrounded by so many tall trees. What a nice way to spend the afternoon and night.

Looking up – Daytime

Looking up – Nighttime

Day 9 – Wine Some More

M&H:  Our last day of “fun” travel takes us into Sonoma County in California, and more wine country. We had planned to visit a few wineries before reaching our Harvest Host site for the night, but Hilary wasn’t really up to it, and I was getting a little tired as well, so we decided to just go to Mayo Family Winery to taste and then spend the night.  But first, we’ll make a little detour for a visit to a…

Thor:  …dog park! This is a nice big one, with lots of trees. Not a lot of other dogs there, but we can all run around, meet some new friends, chase the ball, and run around some more. It’s been nice of Mom and Dad to stop at places like this. Makes this long trip more fun for us.

Day 10 – Homeward Bound

M&H:  No more stops, no more sightseeing. Today is just a long drive (~6 hrs) to get home. And as we drive, we contemplate this entire journey. As our longest trip yet in Zephyr, it was an interesting experience. We had the bad (the regulator failure, Hilary getting sick) but had much more good. We got to try new wines in a new region and saw spectacular sites along the Oregon Coast and into the California Redwoods. We took hundreds of pictures and made many more memories. We also realized that long trips are not only doable, but fairly easy in our LTV. And yes, traveling with three dogs has its challenges, but they were all good, settled in nicely, and I think they enjoyed it as well.

Odin:  We did.

Thor:  Yep, it was fun. Especially the dog parks!

Apollo:  Oh boy!  When can we go again!?

The boys are ready for the next adventure

Editor’s Note: Mark and Hilary Steves are members of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.

This blog site has many articles about fantastic trips taken by LTV owners. We’ve posted a few ourselves (read our articles here). LTV owners take their rigs on overnight and multi-day adventures to campgrounds, national and state parks, beaches, forests, wineries (a favorite of ours), and many other exciting places. That’s why we all bought our RVs – to go travelling with all the comforts of home. But we’ve also found there are other ways to use your RV that might be considered “unorthodox”. While these types of activities could be done in a normal vehicle, we’ve found using our LTV to be a better way (and over this past year, an excuse to take it on the road, even for a little bit). Here are a few of our recent excursions:

Day at the Beach

We’re lucky to live on the coast of California, with easy access to some great beaches. One of our favorites is Avila Beach, and specifically the dog beach just to the north of the town (technically Port San Luis beach). Our dogs enjoy running free along the surf and getting to meet other dogs out there at any time of the year. We even meet up with fellow corgis as part of a Central Coast Corgi meetup group every other month. The beach is only about 45 minutes from our house, so we normally just drive up there, park next to the beach, hang out for an hour or so, and then drive back. We’re not big fans of sitting on the beach, and while the dogs would enjoy spending more time after a quick rest, we tend to just dry them off and head home. But when we got our 2018 LTV Unity FX, which we call Zephyr, we started wondering about bringing it to the beach. Turns out, it’s a fantastic way to enjoy a day at the ocean.

A nice spot to park.

Talk about a room with a view!

If you get there early, before it gets crowded, it’s easy to find a parking spot on the ocean side. This provides you a great view over the water and the harbor, and an easy walk to the steps down to the sand and water. The dogs play, we walk, and everyone gets tired out. But instead of going home, we’ve brought “home” with us! So we can dry them off and sit either inside or outside the Zephyr while we take a rest, have lunch, and relax a bit before heading back to the beach for round two. Is taking an RV on a 45 minute day-trip overkill? We don’t think so anymore. If you want to spend the day at the beach, or at a lake, park, or anyplace, we’ve found our LTV to be an easy vehicle to drive, park, and hang out in.

Date Night

RV “day use” isn’t limited to just daytime, either. Back at the beginning of 2020, we made a pact to have more date nights, going out to local restaurants, movie theatres, etc. Obviously, the events of 2020 put obstacles in that plan, especially with all restaurants closed for dining in. We thought about getting take-out or delivery, but unless the restaurant is really close, the food is invariably cold when it gets to your home. And “date night” just isn’t as special when you’re eating in your kitchen or in front of the TV like we do every night. So we thought, if we don’t want to bring the food home, how about we bring the home to the food? So, time to fire up the Zephyr, phone in an order for pickup, and then drive to the restaurant. Since they were all closed, there was no problem with parking. It’s a quick minute to set up the table, get out some drinks, and then grab our takeout. We could even take it out of the styrofoam containers to make it a little more “special”. And viola! Date night is achieved. We have great food, nice and hot, and a comfortable place to eat with just the two of us. We did this a couple of times and enjoyed it, whether it was at a very nice Italian restaurant or the local Cracker Barrel. When the prospect of leaving the house for any reason could be worrisome, we could still go out and enjoy ourselves in complete safety.

Only vehicle in the parking lot.

It may not be fine dining, but it was fun dining.

Short Term Parking

One time, we found ourselves using our RV on a day-trip for an unusual reason – surgery. I had to get surgery done for my eye, and while it was outpatient, I was still going to be a few hours and Hilary wouldn’t be able to wait inside. We had also JUST gotten our new puppy, Apollo, two days prior, so we couldn’t leave him at home all day. We figured he’d have to come with us, and our default was to drive the minivan. But then we got the inspiration to use the Zephyr. It would give Hilary much more room as she waited for me, including more room for the puppy to play in. A quick Google Maps search showed us the parking lot would be big enough, and the morning of the surgery we drove the hour north. We even got a surprise when we arrived and walked over to check in. Two people came up and introduced themselves as soon-to-be owners of their own LTV Unity FX. It turned out that we’ve connected on the LTV Enthusiasts Facebook page, and they have also read the other articles posted by us on this site, including the Odin Adventure series. We’ve never really come across another LTV in our trips before, so it was unexpected to meet LTV folks in the parking lot at a surgery center. Hopefully when Jessica and Jim get their LTV, we may even be able to meet up.

Guest House

The last way we’ve used our RV in a “nontraditional” manner probably isn’t that unique to many of you. We’re lucky that we can park next to the house, and have 30-amp and water hookups while we’re docked. That makes it easier to keep the batteries charged and to load and unload for our trips. But the added benefit is we have a “guest house” for visitors. As you know, it’s a very self-contained apartment, with its own power, climate control, water, fridge, kitchen, bathroom, bed, TV, etc., and privacy for our guests. We’ve used it as a guest house for a while now, especially if we had more guests than could fit in the house or just guests who wanted a little extra space.

We think it’s a first-class guest house.

During this past year, while we had much fewer visitors, on the few occasions when we did have a family member visit, the use of the RV allowed extra distance and spacing, making it a bit safer for everyone. And for one nervous night, when we thought one of us had been exposed, it provided a quarantine zone (luckily only needed for one night and nobody was actually exposed). In a way, it’s kind of a version of “moochdocking”, where RVers use friends’ or family’s driveways to camp in. In this case, the friends and family are the ones traveling to us. Oh, and a bonus? They get to “experience” a little of what it’s like to have an RV, and particularly an LTV, and everyone has exclaimed how nice it is. Who knows, maybe we can convince them to get one of their own for future travels with us!

I’m sure many of you have your own unorthodox uses for your LTVs, and I hope you can share in the comments. Without a doubt, an LTV is best when exploring new places or new experiences. But sometimes you can find ways to explore new uses for such a versatile vehicle.

Editor’s Note: Mark and Hilary Steves are members of LTV’s sponsored content team, The Leisure Explorers. Do you own a Leisure Travel Van and enjoy writing? Learn more about joining the team.

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Here’s another story by Odin the corgi, about our first trip in a while in our 2018 LTV Unity FX.

It’s been an awfully long time since Mom and Dad took us out in the mobile house they call Zephyr. Not really sure why we’ve been at home so long, although I haven’t really minded it – lots more time with them. Still, it’s exciting when I see them start to load up the mobile house as it sits in our driveway. Time for another adventure!

This will be the first trip we take with my new brother, Thor, so we’ll see how he does. Me? I’m happy to be on the road again, and curious where we’re going. The last few times we haven’t gone far, just up the road to wineries for some of the red juice that Mom and Dad like. I’m kinda figuring that’s where we’re off to this time, especially as that’s the direction we’re heading. And, sure enough, when we’re about 2 hours north at Paso Robles, we turn off the highway.

Hmm… I don’t think we’re going to those wineries this time. We drive past a few, but keep going farther out. After a quick stop for lunch, we pull into a place called a “campground.” Dad says we’ve arrived, and we’re at Lake Nacimiento. Hard to say (and harder to spell), but I see lots of water in the distance.

This campground seems nice, with lots of parking spots, and it’s EMPTY. I count only 4 other mobile houses there when we arrive (which is good, as I only have four fingers). We have a spot separate from the other mobile houses, and Dad does his setup routine, which is pretty fast. He presses one button and the house gets bigger. He presses another and it gets more level. Then he hooks up two cables to the outside and we have power and water. Other mobile houses seem to take longer. Not sure what they’re doing wrong. (Editor’s Note: We stayed at Oak Knoll campground at Lake Nacimiento Resort, which provides full hookups and was quite empty for the weekend we were there).

Thor and I are ready to explore!

Soon after we arrive, it’s off on a nice hike. We take a meandering path down to the lake, and while we’re kept on a leash the whole time, it’s a nice walk and soon we’re at the water. Unfortunately there’s no beach, and access to the water is pretty steep at most places. We walk back to a place where other people are putting floating cars into the water (Dad calls them “boats”) and we can get to the water’s edge there. It’s too cold for me, so I’m content to stay on dry ground. But Thor is happy to get into the water and splash around a bit, even trying to bite at some of the waves that come in. He’s just a puppy, so I’m not too embarrassed by his actions.

Thor likes playing in the shallow end of the lake.

Mom and Dad stay out of the water (as I said, it’s cold), although apparently this lake is one of the few in the area that we all could go swimming in if we wanted. Instead, we coax Thor out of the water and walk back on a nice 5K dog path. It’s a long walk, so we’re pretty tired after we get back. We all sit outside for a bit, with Thor and I taking a nap while tied up to a weight, and Mom and Dad open up some red juice they brought. After it gets chilly, we head inside for dinner. When it gets dark we go back outside so Dad can take some pictures of the shiny lights in the sky. The rest of us get bored quickly, so we head back inside and get warm for the night while watching a movie.

I figured the next day we’d pack up and move on. That’s pretty much what we always do, and Dad says it’s one of the reasons we got the type of mobile house that we got. Instead, we stay put. We sleep in, have breakfast, go for a walk, take some pictures, then come back and lie around while Mom and Dad play some games. Then we go for another walk, and then back for more games, dinner, and more games until we all go to sleep. That was a pretty calm and nice day. I don’t mind traveling around, but it’s nice to sit still now and then. And the mobile house is pretty comfortable for this.

The next day we start packing up, so I figure we’re going home. It’s a quick disconnect from everything and then we’re heading back to town. But we turn right before reaching the highway and soon are pulling into a miniature castle. There’s a moat and everything. (Editor’s Note: We started at Tooth & Nail Wine Company in Paso Robles, which has a castle look to it).

This place has an actual moat. But Thor and I weren’t allowed to swim in it.

We don’t get to go inside, but we have the large outside patio to ourselves as we sit down and Mom and Dad start tasting the red juice. We spend some time here before they buy a bottle and we head off… across the street. We park the Zephyr around the back of this winery. (Editor’s Note: This is Dark Star Cellars which is a Harvest Hosts site and where we spent the night).

Instead of going inside, we walk next door to another winery called Grey Wolf (although I don’t see any wolves, or even other dogs, there), where Mom and Dad get more red juice as well as some food for lunch. Which they don’t share. How rude. Then, back to the Zephyr to drop off some bottles (boy, the Zephyr sure is handy to have around!), and then we walk to the other side to a third winery called Midnight Cellars.

Even walking between vineyards, we have to stop for photos

Much better to sit and relax.

And… more tasting of red juice. Finally, we’re back to the place we parked at for one more round. After that, we’re back to the Zephyr where Dad makes the house bigger and more level, and Mom makes dinner. Thor settles on the bed with them while I enjoy my bed on the floor, and they watch a movie before it’s time to sleep.

When we wake in the morning we take a walk down the street after breakfast, checking out some other wineries that Dad says we may visit “next time.” We have a leisurely morning, and soon enough we’ve made ready for travel and are back on the road. Mom and Dad say we’re going home today, but have time to visit another couple of wineries before that. Our first stop is a nice place called Hunt Cellars. The person pouring the red juice is really nice, and gives them a bunch of tastings out of smaller bottles (Editor’s Note: We got a tasting of port wines, which were amazing).

A flight of ports. Mom and Dad say it’s not a bad way to start the day.

Even better, for Thor and me, they gave us water and treats! Then he took us down into the basement (he called it a “cellar”) where he poured some red juice right out of this big wooden barrel. Not sure why that’s more special than out of a bottle, but they seemed to like it. We spent a lot of time there, but eventually moved on, driving up a big hill to Croad Vineyards, which has amazing views and a large multi-level patio. We were the only ones there, so we sat on a balcony looking over the green hills. I could feel the calm coming off of Mom and Dad. I think they really needed this trip.

However, all trips eventually must end, so after this last winery we load up and drive home. Thor and I were pretty tired, so we were kinda glad to be back. Thor did a very good job while out on his first real trip with the family. I just hope that it won’t be that long until we’re on the road again.

About the Author

Odin the corgi likes peanut butter, meeting new people, and taking trips with his parents in their mobile house. With his new little brothers, Thor the corgi and the latest addition, Apollo the English Cream Golden Retriever, Odin looks forward to more trips in the near future. Check out his other stories on his parents’ Leisure Explorers page.

Some of you out there are really living the RV dream. Freedom. You pack up your RV, head out on the road, and drive where that road takes you. You detour when you want, stopping when something looks interesting. You’ve figured out the best ways to dump your tanks and fill up on water, and you’ve cracked the code on how to spend the night – from BLM lands in beautiful spaces to overnight campgrounds to Walmart parking lots. You drive with little planning and lots of independence. I envy you. I am jealous of you. I am not you.

And this article might not be for you.

Because this article is for the rest of us. The Planners. The ones that need to know – know where we’re going, what we’re seeing, the route we’ll drive, and the stops we’ll make. We need an agenda, a regimen, a schedule. We want to make sure we don’t miss the important things to see. We want to maximize our time. We don’t want to worry about finding a place to park for the night, or dumping our tanks, or running out of water. I’m a Planner. So, while I may look at those that aren’t Planners with some level of jealously, I also know that, at least for now, I have to plan.

So, if you’re like me, then this article is for you.

First, a little about me. Our 2018 LTV Unity FX (called Zephyr) is our very first RV. We picked it up in October of 2018 at Van City RV in St. Louis and immediately drove across the country, back home to the central coast of California. Did we plan for that trip? You betcha! I had a route laid out with some long days of driving and a few national parks along the way. We had reservations at campgrounds for every night. I planned for a Walmart stop at the start of the trip, to stock up on all of our supplies. And I had all the apps I thought I’d need to find whatever we’d need along the way. As a trip, it was very successful – you can even read about it in my first story on the LTV blog. As a plan? Well, as we like to say, no plan survives first contact. I had allocated an hour for that first Walmart trip – it took about 3 hours. And we had to stop at another one the next day to get more things. Our long days of driving were too long, with no ability to stop to see anything along the way (we really wanted to check out a Kansas winery – but no time to stop!). And then the weather came, pouring down rain as we spent our anniversary night at Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah, and totally ruining my dream of star photography over the canyon that night.

What I was hoping for…

…vs what we got.

I came away from that first trip knowing two things: we love RVing (and our RV), and I needed to get better at planning. Specifically, RV planning. Because good RV planning, to me, embraces a little of that unplanned freedom I talked about earlier. You have to plan for unplanned time. But in all honesty, I haven’t put it to the test yet. Our trips so far have been local; staying at state parks or wineries, never travelling farther than a few hours from home. We’ve had a blast, traveling with our two dogs, Zeus and Odin (you can read Odin’s views on his adventures in multiple blog posts on our LTV Explorer page here). But 2020 was going to be different – we were going to take our first big trip. And while our original date of travel in May was postponed (obviously), the trip is still on for later this year. Which means it needs to be planned.

So, I’m going to walk you through my method for planning a future trip we hope to take to Oregon. Maybe you’ll pick up on some helpful tips. Maybe in your comments you can pass on your own tips to others. And for the Non-Planners out there… I hope you enjoy this article anyway!

Step 1: Where to Go?

Photo of Gold Beach in Oregon by Paul Buffington on Unsplash.

For me, our first step started as an idea. We love our local wineries here, but we know there are also fabulous ones up in Oregon. We also know the Oregon coast is stunning. So, Step 1 was easy – where do we want to go? We want to go to Oregon. What do we want to see? Wineries and the coast. I think every good RV plan has to start with a goal. It could be a single destination or multiple sights to see. It could be an event you want to attend, or experiences you want to… experience. For us Planners, it’s the first step. And it’s the easy part, because now the planning really begins.

Step 2: Plan the Route

Photo of Oregon Coast Highway by Matthew LeJune on Unsplash.

Photo of Oregon Coast Highway by Tobias Tullius on Unsplash.

In Step 1, we decided we want to do wineries in Oregon and then the coast. In truth, there isn’t anything we need to see on the way there. We could just plan the shortest route to get to the start of our trip. But we learned on our first long trip that planning a route isn’t just looking at the shortest distance. Yes, Google Maps will show you can drive from our home to the Mt. Shasta area in about 8 hours. We’ve done that kind of drive before. Just get up early and start driving, only stopping for gas and lunch. But is that truly the best way to travel? For me, I would say no. RVing is about exploring, and if you plan correctly, you don’t need to make those long drives often. So set a limit – no more than X miles or Y hours on the road each day. For us, we plan for around 350 miles or 4 or 5 hours. For this trip, that puts us around the Napa Valley area. We’ve heard they have good wine there ?, so our self-imposed driving limit has already yielded a bonus, and we’ll start early to allow time to visit some wineries before settling in the first night. On the next day, we could push all the way into Oregon, but not with our limits. So, we’ll take time in the morning to maybe visit another winery, or sleep in, and then proceed to a halfway point just south of the Oregon border. Day 3 will find us driving into Oregon, and then we can spend two days in the Willamette Valley, enjoying their splendid wines. Next we’ll head to the coast, with a stop at the Tillamook cheese factory, because we love cheese and ice cream! Then it’s down the coast for a few days, crossing back into California to redwood territory, and then a final stop back in wine country, this time Sonoma, before heading home. Sounds good, right? The route is planned. Are we done? That’s silly. We’re only at…

Step 3: When to Go

For a long trip such as this, figuring out “when” to go is important. For many, the “when” might be dependent on other factors – job, family availability, etc. – that may determine when you can go and even for how long. But assuming you don’t have these restrictions, you are free to examine all the factors to come up with the best time to travel.

There’s obviously weather to consider. For this trip, we don’t want to go when it’s too hot, nor when it’s winter and too cold. Since coastal views are a big part of the trip, we want to avoid rainy seasons if we can. And we aren’t big fans of crowds, so we stay away from holiday weekends or large events.

Photo of the Oregon coast by Cristofer Jeschke on Unsplash.

Basically, we’re like Goldilocks – we want it to be “just right”. To help with this, I turned to an old favorite – the Tourist Information Bureau (or Chamber of Commerce). Their websites can show yearly weather patterns or when there are events scheduled (either to go to or avoid). I get visitor information packets in the mail or download them from websites. These allow me to start fine-tuning the trip: Where are the best views along the coast? What are the best wineries to visit? Where do we find good hikes? Whatever your pleasure, this step is where you begin to figure out your details, and we all know…

Step 4: The Devil is in the Details

If we were like those “other” RVers, we could be done at this point. We have a general route, some things to see along the way, and that might be good enough. But not for us Planners. No, we need more. We already set a limit on our travel distances each day, which means now we need to find places to spend the night. As you know, RVs offer a lot of options. Unfortunately, there are also a LOT of RVs on the road (especially these days). So, for us Planners, we want to have the security of a reserved spot to rest our heads each night. But what kind of spot? This is where the true planning comes into it.

I like staying at state parks when I can, so I start my search there. Google Maps is a wonderful tool, so I search for parks within our optimal driving distance for the day and see what comes up. Then more internet searching. I go to sites such as RV Parky and Campendium for reviews of the spots we’re considering. I consider all the variables – is it close to our route? Is it close to something we want to see? Is it quiet? Does it have hookups? Are the pads big enough for an LTV? Are they too close together? A really great site I found is CampsitePhotos.com. They have photographs of individual sites in many, many campgrounds, so you can see exactly what each pad looks like.

Everyone has their own wants and needs, so look for what’s important for you. For me, I found a perfect spot at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, which is close to some good wineries and has good reviews. So, Day 1 was solved, and now I needed to do that for all the other days. We are Harvest Hosts members, which allows us to spend the night at wineries, so I searched their site for wineries in Oregon to make that portion of the trip easier (and cheaper!). For the Oregon coast, my search for state parks came up empty, so I moved on to private RV campgrounds. Close to Newport, my search found a REALLY nice one, and I decided to splurge a little. We’ll spend two nights at a luxury site right on the coast. We’ll have been on the road for a while, and we want to make sure we have time to stop and see the sights along the coast. And there’s always the weather unknowns. Two nights at the same place gives us some of that planned flexibility I was talking about. We can stay at the resort and walk to the beach, or we can drive up or down the coast to see some sights before coming back for the night.

A satellite view gives you a good lay of the land.

And staying at this place also gives us another thing I plan for – dumping and replenishment. As I stated, we’re not expert RVers. That includes our ability to feel secure in multi-day boondocking. I worry about running out of water and/or filling up our tanks if we’re “off the grid” for too many days. So, I incorporate that into the plan. Some places, like our first scheduled stop, are dry camping. But the next night will be with hookups. That will carry us over the two nights at Harvest Hosts wineries, also dry camping, before the next night back with hookups and dumping. Right now, I try to go no more than 2 or 3 days before getting back to hookups. Can we go longer? I’m sure we can. I see many that do. But remember, planning is all about your own comfort level. For me, 2-3 days is my comfort level. In time, I’m sure that will get longer.

The rest of our trip is planned the same way, looking at Google Maps to see what’s in an area, looking at satellite view to see what the campground looks like, going to their website for more details (rates, availability, pictures), and checking out reviews online to see if it fits our needs.

Online reviews are great to get opinions from others.

Sometimes the plan needs modifying. I had done all the planning to select the best state parks in California amongst the redwoods. But when I went to make reservations – no openings. So, back to looking for other parks or other campgrounds. Sometimes this could mean a bigger change, even to the route itself. I’d much rather make those changes now than at the end of a long day. That’s why I’m a Planner.

Step 5: The Most Important Step

Enjoy your trip! That’s really all that’s left now. I’ve done the planning I want. I have a route, I have reservations for each night, and we have some sights we want to see, but we’ve left room for spontaneity. I’m not sure what wineries we’ll visit in Napa or Oregon. We’ll start at one, and then ask for recommendations or see what looks nice. We have some planned spots to stop along the coast, but we’ll also keep an eye out for what looks pretty and pull over. We have no set time to be anywhere, so maybe we’ll sleep in some days. We’ll get gas when we need it (Gas Buddy app is great for this). We’ll pack up with food, but dine out if the mood hits us (and food selection for a long trip is probably a whole other post). I’ve found a happy medium now between planning and impulsiveness. To me, that’s what RVing is all about. It really is freedom, no matter how you do it. I hope you can find your happy place, because no matter how much or little we plan, we’ll always improvise, adapt, and overcome as needed. After all, we’re RVing!

In this new adventure, Odin the Corgi has his first visit to an RV Resort in the wine country around Paso Robles, California, and then continues on to camp at a State Beach along the Pacific coast.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my first two articles chronicling the adventures that my brother Zeus and I have had in our mobile house, which Dad says is a Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX that we call Zephyr.

Resort Life

Our latest excursion wasn’t as far from home as our last trips to Napa/Sonoma or Lodi and Livermore. In fact, we started at a regular destination for us – Paso Robles. Mom and Dad like going to Paso Robles as it’s fairly close (only about an hour and a half away), and there are lots and lots of wineries, where Mom and Dad enjoy tasting and buying the red juice they like. Zeus and I have been with them to Paso many times, but only once before with the Zephyr, and that time was just for one night and we stayed at a winery. Based on the amount of supplies they loaded up, I suspected we might be gone longer than just one night. I get so excited when I see them loading up the Zephyr. I know it will be fun, so I can’t wait until they finally let us outside, point to the Zephyr, and say “let’s go!”

Once I overheard we were going to Paso Robles, I figured it would be another short trip and we’d stay at a winery. Not this time! We’re going upscale, and after a short stop at a winery on the way up, where we met up with some familiar friends (and got lots of pets, as we always do), we pulled into an RV Resort. This seemed different from our normal camping. The sign out front said it was Cava Robles RV Resort – I wondered what makes a “resort” different than the parks and wineries we’ve stayed at the other times?

“Camping” at the RV Resort.

It certainly seemed big. There were not really any trees around where we parked, but Dad says that is because it’s a new resort. Lots of other mobile houses were there, although I didn’t see any that looked like ours. [Editor’s Note: We’re always looking for more Leisure Travel Vans, but so far haven’t seen any where we’ve been staying. We know you’re out there!] It was pretty hot outside, so Zeus and I were very happy when Dad hooked up some cables, and the next thing we knew there was air conditioning flowing. Ahhhh… nice and cool.

It’s hot out there – we’ll stay inside for now.

Mom and Dad gave us an early dinner (not like we’ll complain about eating any time!) and then they headed off with their friends. Normally we go with them, but that first night they were going to something called a “concert” and apparently we weren’t allowed. [Editor’s Note: We saw Foreigner at the nearby Vina Robles Amphitheater.] Zeus and I were fine while they were gone, as we had air conditioning, water, and a comfy bed and couch to hang out on.

It’s our bed now!

When Mom and Dad came back, they let us outside to do our “business” and then we all climbed into our beds (Zeus joined Mom and Dad, I stayed on my own dog bed). Time to sleep…

Days of Wine and Sunshine

Morning was nice and sunny, and before it got too hot Mom and Dad took us for a walk around this large property. They even have a dog park where we met some other dogs while Mom and Dad talked to their parents. The dachshunds were fun. They’re kind of like me – down to earth.

Mom and Dad are always having us pose for pictures – it makes every walk into a photoshoot.

Then it was back to the Zephyr, cables disconnected, and we were off. We headed north to some new wineries we’ve never been to. Our first stop was called Graveyard Vineyards, and it wasn’t anywhere near as spooky as the name implies. There was a very friendly person behind the counter – and she had cookies! My new favorite place! They also have a nice pond out front, although Mom and Dad wouldn’t let us go swimming – no fair! It was so hot. So, so hot. [Editor’s Note: It was 102 degrees the days we were in Paso.]

Not a bad place for a “Graveyard” (winery).

I know one winery that we stopped at said we couldn’t come inside (for some reason), so Mom and Dad turned around and we went to another. It was air conditioned floors only for me that day! Mom and Dad brought some food into one of the wineries and ate cheese and crackers while tasting more of their red juice. I just relaxed on the floor. Did I mention it was hot?

This floor was so, so cool. Ahhhhhh…

We didn’t stay out too long this day, and before long we were back at the resort. We even got our same parking spot! With the air conditioning back on, Zeus and I were more than happy to take a nap while Mom and Dad went somewhere. [Editor’s Note: We went to one of the two pools at the resort, but we didn’t tell the dogs that since they weren’t allowed.] In the evening it cooled down a lot, so we could sit outside while Mom and Dad drank red juice and we all ate dinner.

Don’t judge me. It was a long day.

The next morning, after the all-important breakfast, Zeus and I got another walk to another dog park, and then on a nice trail that wraps around the property. We chilled out for a bit on our own while Mom and Dad went off by themselves, bringing their bathing suits and towels again. [Editor’s Note: Jacuzzi time!] Once they came back and took their showers (glad I don’t have to do that every day), we made the mobile house smaller and then we were driving once again.

From Paso to the Pacific

I figured we’d be heading home, since normally we’re just up in Paso for one night, and already we’d stayed two! But we didn’t head towards home, nor towards other wineries. Instead we went to the coast, stopping in Morro Bay to have lunch and see the otters in the bay. Mom and Dad liked looking at them, but they were in the water so Zeus and I were more interested in some of the squirrels in the rocks. Still, the otters looked friendly.

Pretty soon we were off again, heading to a place called Montana de Oro State Park. This was a new park for Zeus and me, and after a winding road through beautiful trees and ocean overlooks, we pulled into a bare bones campsite and parked. It was very different from the resort we had just been at. For one thing, there were lots and lots of trees. The spaces were also farther apart from the other people here, most of whom didn’t even have their own mobile houses.

It was a LOT cooler here by the beach than in Paso Robles.

As we arrived, Zeus and I were happy to see some old friends of ours, who were staying just a few spots away. But their “mobile house” didn’t seem so mobile, or very house-like.  In fact, it kinda looked like a large bag that they put sticks into in order to make it taller. Dad says it’s called a “tent” and that it’s where they sleep, but I much prefer our mobile house. There’s more room, and we have a bed we can sleep on if we want. There was no place to hook up the cables to the Zephyr, so there was no air conditioning here, but we didn’t really need it as it was much cooler than the previous two days had been.

We set up the Zephyr, with Mom and Dad being very amused at how high the front end was after we lowered the sticks on the bottom.

Mom is getting her morning workout in.

Our friends took longer to set up, so we headed out for a short walk to the beach. There’s a nice cove there where dogs are allowed (on leashes though, so no running around like we’re used to… Boo.). Zeus and I still got to splash in the (very cold) water. Zeus was fine with it, but it was too cold for me, so I was happy to walk on the beach. It’s not a big beach, so we all sat down and enjoyed looking at the ocean.

After our friends joined us, we walked back to the campsite. There are lots of trails in this park, but they have signs saying dogs aren’t allowed on them. [Editor’s Note: The park has miles of hiking trails, but they don’t allow dogs on any of them except the campsite and the beach.] I was okay not going for a longer walk, since Zeus and I were pretty pooped after the last few days. All six of us hung outside the Zephyr while Mom cooked steaks (which they didn’t let us eat! Not fair!) and the adults had some red juice and ate.

Eventually it got cold outside, so Mom and Dad turned the front chairs around inside and the grown-ups talked while Zeus and I got an early start on our sleep.

The next morning we walked back down to the beach. I guess since we were heading home we weren’t allowed in the water again, but that’s okay. Did I mention the water was cold? Mom and Zeus looked for shells and I hung out with Dad. Then we said goodbye to our friends and before we knew it, we were home again.

Another walk, another photoshoot!

I’m not sure when our next trip will be. Since this one, we’ve stayed in our home state of California, but there’s so much to do here that I’m fine with it. Look for more articles from me after our next trips – maybe I can even convince Zeus to write one.

About the Author

It’s hard to think of witty things to say.

Odin is a Welsh Pembroke Corgi and the top dog around the house. His older brother, Zeus, is a Golden Retriever, so he just wants to get along with everyone. Odin has become excited about blogging his travels in the Unity FX Zephyr, and has been encouraged by the great comments, so keep them coming!

Enjoy the continuing adventures of Odin the Corgi and his brother Zeus, the Golden Retriever, as they travel in their 2018 Leisure Travel Vans Unity FX (chauffeured by their parents, Mark and Hilary Steves).

Wow! My first blog post got a great response, so my parents are encouraging me to write another post to describe the first adventures my brother Zeus and I had in our Unity FX, Zephyr.

Our First Trip – Living it up at Lopez Lake

Mom and Dad brought back our new mobile house in October of 2018. They flew out to St. Louis to pick it up (and left us behind for a full week!), and when they returned they had this new silver mobile house parked in our driveway. [Ed note: Read about our first adventure in our Unity FX right here.] Since we hadn’t had a chance to go anywhere in it yet, we asked them to take us out for a weekend trip up to Lopez Lake in Arroyo Grande, a short 45 minutes away. You’d be amazed what you can ask for when you literally have puppy-dog eyes. [Ed note: True. So true.]

We’d never been to Lopez Lake. It was early November, so it wasn’t crowded but the weather was great. Mom and Dad got a great parking spot for the mobile house, which they call Zephyr, hooked up some cables to a box, and we started exploring the area. It was only a short walk until we were at the lake. Because it wasn’t too crowded, and there was another dog already playing there, my parents let Zeus and I off the leash so we could splash in the water. Zeus can go out much deeper than I can – I don’t have big legs like he does to paddle with. He can even swim! I just like splashing in the shallow parts.

 

After playing on the beach and meeting new people and dogs, we did more walking around and wound up at the general store. We couldn’t go inside (why do so many places that smell like food not want us inside?), but there was an outside patio where we could hang out while Mom and Dad got some food and drinks. That gave us time to dry out before heading back to our campsite to relax a bit more.

There are a lot of different creatures around Lopez Lake that we don’t get at home! These large birds Dad called “turkeys” were everywhere, plus a lot of birds that Mom called “woodpeckers” with funny red heads. We just sat outside with Dad while he took lots of photographs of them. Oh, and I did see some deer, but we see them at home all the time. I wonder if they followed us?

As the sun went down, we walked around while Dad took more photos of us. He calls this time of day “golden hour,” but he takes pictures of more than just Zeus, the Golden Retriever, so I don’t really get it.

Golden hour with a golden (and a corgi).

After the golden hour pictures, we walked up a little hill where we could see the lake and watch the sunset. I sat in Dad’s lap while sun set over the lake. Ahhhh… this is heaven.

After that we went inside the mobile house for dinner and then a nap while Mom and Dad watched some TV. I was so tired! The next morning was another walk and then before I knew it we were back on the road and then home. I decided that I liked this new mobile house, and wondered where we’d go next.

The end of a happy day.

Alas, the next two times that Mom and Dad took Zephyr out for a trip they didn’t bring us. [Ed note: We took a trip to Morro Bay and stayed at the State Park there for a night and then another trip to Cambria for their annual Christmas lights display and a visit to Hearst Castle. In both cases, we elected to keep Zeus and Odin at home as we weren’t going to be around dog-friendly places as much. I think they understood.]

A Wonderful Winery Weekend

The next trip with all of us was another short drive (I like short drives – they’re not as boring as the long treks), this time up to Paso Robles. Mom and Dad wanted to visit wineries to try the red juice they like. We’ve been up there quite a few times, but this was the first trip in Zephyr. Our first stop was at a place called Tin City, which is in an industrial-looking area with lots of different wineries. Mom and Dad were initially worried about parking Zephyr, but I don’t know why. It seems easy to drive and park wherever we go. We dropped into two wineries there, and most importantly, since they’re all friendly to dogs, we got some lovin’ from the staff and other guests. I guess Mom and Dad got to try their red juice as well. Then it was off down winding trails past vineyards and farms to visit more wineries.

Wineries always seem to be at the end of the winding roads we travel.

Penman Springs Winery was a nice one, with lots of people, cookies for me and Zeus, and cheese and bread that the winery provided for Mom and Dad. Eventually we wound up at a winery called Rio Seco, and luckily we got inside just as it started to rain. Although this was weird rain, as it was more like small ice cubes coming down. [Ed note: This may have been Odin’s first experience with hail.] Mom and Dad drank some red juice while we waited for the “rain” to stop, but then we didn’t pack up to go home! This was our first time to actually stay for the night at a winery! [Ed note: Rio Seco is one of three wineries in Paso Robles that’s associated with Harvest Hosts, allowing you to spend the night for free dry camping.] It was kind of cold, being February and all, and wet, and it had been a busy day, so we just had dinner and then relaxed before we all climbed onto the bed to sleep.

Sunset in the vineyard.

The next morning was a quick breakfast (gotta start the day right!) and then a nice walk around the winery. This place also had a really large pile of old vines, so Mom and Dad asked if they could take some and then filled up the back of Zephyr! Dad said they’d be good for woodworking projects. Thank goodness we were heading home; there wasn’t any room to move around, and they’d blocked access to our food!

North to Napa

Just a short month later and Mom and Dad were getting Zephyr ready for another trip. I thought this might be another one-night journey, but it turned out this would be a longer trip as we drove many (many!) hours up to Napa Valley. It took a while, plus lunch on the way, but eventually we pulled into our first winery of the trip, Raymond Vineyards. It was really big with multiple tasting rooms, and more importantly, lots and lots of people. I got mistaken for the “oh-my-god-its-a-corgi” guy again, but everyone wanted to say hi to us. I even think we held up something called the “wine train” while people stopped to pet us. And the folks behind the counter brought out cookies, so this became our new favorite place of the day.

It rained off and on all day, and there was a pretty rainbow as we pulled into one winery. But the next few wineries we stopped into weren’t as crowded as the first one, so not as exciting for Zeus and me. Still, Mom and Dad seemed to like the red juice they tasted, since they bought a few bottles.

The rain can bring out the beauty of Napa Valley.

I figured we weren’t driving back home after all that, so I wasn’t surprised when we pulled into a place to park for the night. Dad says it’s called Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. It was kind of dark and dreary when we arrived, so we just made the mobile house bigger (still not sure how that happens), had dinner, and Mom and Dad watched a movie while Zeus and I relaxed. All night long it sounded like it was raining hard outside, but then the sun came up and the sound was still there. Dad went out and then came back to get Zeus and me. Seems we were parked next to a stream and the running water was what we heard all night. It was very green and overgrown with moss. Zeus and I did the obligatory posing while Mom and Dad took photos of us. It was a bit too wet for them to walk around (Zeus and I were fine with it!), and so we very quickly packed up and then were off.

The stream right behind where we parked for the night.

We drove a winding road over the hills and now Dad said we were in Sonoma County. Why were we here? More wineries, of course!

It’s Special in Sonoma

We started at Lancaster Estate Winery, where I got my own glass of red juice (not really) and went inside a cool cave filled with wine barrels. We don’t even have a basement at home, so I like checking out caves. The folks there were very friendly, as we were the only ones there. They even asked if Dad could send them a picture to use on their website.  I’m still getting used to this whole “social media” thing.

My favorite varietal is pinot noir.

Next we went to Roth Estate, and they also had a cave! They were doing some kind of special tasting event there, but we had called ahead and were met on the road and told where to park Zephyr. Inside was more red juice for Mom and Dad and more pictures of us by the wine barrels – and some treats from behind the counter, wahoo!

My barks really echo in these caves!

Then we went to Chalk Hill Winery, but no cave here, and I was starting to get tired. We went to another couple of wineries in an industrial area which was full of people. One of the wineries, Donelan Family Wines, was having “barrel tastings.” Mom and Dad seemed excited, but I’ve chewed plenty of wood and don’t see why they’d get so excited over tasting barrels.

Next stop was our last for the day – a place called Spring Lake Regional Park. It was getting dark when we arrived, so we didn’t explore much, but the next morning we walked around the beautiful park that we basically had to ourselves. Dad really liked the rocks and the trees in the morning sun. This park even has a lake, although Mom wouldn’t let us go swimming… something about five hours on the road with wet dogs. I have no idea what she’s talking about.

So that’s the story of our first trips in the new mobile house. Zeus and I certainly enjoyed it, and it looked like Mom and Dad did too. Stay tuned for more stories, including our first visit to an “RV Resort” and a journey from inland wineries to the Pacific coast.

About the Author

Corgi’s gotta keep blogging.

Odin is a Welsh Pembroke Corgi and the top dog around the house. His older brother, Zeus, is a Golden Retriever, so he just wants to get along with everyone. Odin has become excited about blogging his travels in the Unity FX Zephyr, and hopes he can keep you entertained with his posts.