We have Airstream in our heads and know how we travel. Food in the fridge, clean sheets on the bed, clothes in the correct places and the doggie set to go. WAIT! no silver coach. Uh oh, so we pack a cooler, pack two small suitcases, doggie bed, 24 bottles of water a basket of snacks two Arbonne (32 oz) water bottles with fizzy sticks for energy and gifts for the grandkids all into a Ford explorer 10 years old.
Ok, first mistake – leave for the trip after working all day and head for Henderson Nevada first stop! Whose bright ideas was that, uh my husband. I took the car in for service and doggie in for grooming. The cooler had ice cubes in baggies sealed. We packed for two weeks gone and total of 4-5 days on the road. All the way to Ft. Lupton Colorado.
The winds were gusting all the way to Henderson. We knoshed on tortilla rolls sliced and filled with bacon, lettuce and tomatoes, cold coffee drink for the driver and so it went. We forgot we couldn’t stop on the road side as we would with our rig.
We arrived in Henderson looking like we were in shock from an alien abduction! We should have known better but . . . . So early the next morning off we go to some mid-point towards Colorado through Utah. I must say, the landscape after north Las Vegas was stunning! We had our coffee and Cheerios before lift off and lots of water, doggie piddled and resting.
We were feeling cramped because everything we packed was IN the car not the rig. Oh yeah, it’s the little things. Potty breaks are the worst. Utah does have some of the cleanest rest stops we have seen. The vistas were a Wow no matter where we were on the road. It was as if all the photos and videos in the world were almost as good as the real thing. The colors, the geological shapes and variations made me remember bits of my college geology class and made it even more impressive.
We have always traveled off I-80 towards wherever but because we drove the southern route we took I-70/76 toward Ft. Lupton, Colorado. What a treat. We were adjusting to not having our Airstream and were counting how many silver coaches we encountered on the road. It was like the counting car game but silver things! In total for our entire trip to and from Colorado we saw 17 Airstreams of every size and vintage! We can’t wait to be another one on the road.
This little road trip without a rig really impressed on us how having one makes travel so much more comfortable. The rig increases your options of where you can stay and rest. It truly is luxury on the road. I also think it was far easier on our doggie to have her own place to rest instead of strange places, sounds and smells. Our Kona was exhausted after this adventure as she never was when we traveled in our Airstream.
Canned Comfort 