6 month road trip May 09, 2017, 06:05:25 pm Just over a week ago, my two kids, (our dog) and I arrived home after an almost 6 month trip in our Lazy Daze. We originally planned to be out about three weeks.... but we were having just too much fun. On our trip, we went through about 20 states and covered 11,627 miles. 😲 We met several other LD owners (all of them extremely nice and kind to my kids -thank you), as well as seeing friends and family all over the country. We traveled from the west coast to the east coast, down south, across to CA, then back up to WA again. We traveled on all sorts of roads, including one "off road" experience that I do not wish to repeat, and two "white knuckle" experiences - that are just a reminder for me to check the weather before I drive. We experienced weather from the mid 90's to the low 20's (possibly teens). We stayed in parks ranging from $100/night (outside of NYC) to free (Walmart parking) to everywhere in between. We even had one night where we were the ONLY people in a state campground (in Nebraska)! Overall, the Lazy Daze far surpassed my expectations! This is the first RV I've ever owned or traveled in. It's a 2016 MB that we picked up almost a year ago (May 12th to be exact), and before this trip we put on about 5,000 miles. Almost immediately the LD felt like home to my family, and fit 4 people nicely. In the 6 months on the road, not once did my kids seem like they were "trapped or confined" in a space too small for them. Yes, we got out a lot, but there were also times when we were sick, or stuck inside due to weather. In terms of driving, I did ALL of the driving on our 6 month trip..... without a toad. There are times when I felt a toad would be helpful, but with the way that I tend to drive the LD (like a car) I think I am better off if I just rent a car instead of trying to tow one around with me. In terms of quality (i.e. things breaking), I did have the opportunity to stop by the factory to fix two issues (that were 100% my fault), while there Vince looked at a couple of cushions that were starting to show wear and tear, and felt that they should be redone. A few weeks later while we were in OR, we had the pedal on our toilet break (I had posted about that when it happened). Other then the toilet and the cushions, everything seems to be working great! Now that we are home, I am still in the process of giving our LD a thorough cleaning, and tying to keep it mouse free, until I can get it back into storage. I am also getting used to driving my car again.... even though its an SUV I feel like my butt is dragging on the ground, and I may have taken a right turn or two a bit wide, and the first time I stopped for gas, I may have pulled a bit far forward (thankfully not too embarrassingly so😉). I'm including a photo of our RV at our cabin, and a photo of one of the pieces of Irish Spring that I put in the engine as a mouse deterrent (but apparently worked as a mouse attractor). 8 Likes
Re: 6 month road trip Reply #1 – May 09, 2017, 06:19:46 pm Quote from: Rebecca Winters - May 09, 2017, 06:05:25 pmJust over a week ago, my two kids, (our dog) and I arrived home after an almost 6 month trip in our Lazy Daze. We originally planned to be out about three weeks.... but we were having just too much fun. On our trip, we went through about 20 states and covered 11,627 miles. 😲 We met several other LD owners (all of them extremely nice and kind to my kids -thank you), as well as seeing friends and family all over the country. We traveled from the west coast to the east coast, down south, across to CA, then back up to WA again. We traveled on all sorts of roads, including one "off road" experience that I do not wish to repeat, and two "white knuckle" experiences - that are just a reminder for me to check the weather before I drive. We experienced weather from the mid 90's to the low 20's (possibly teens). We stayed in parks ranging from $100/night (outside of NYC) to free (Walmart parking) to everywhere in between. We even had one night where we were the ONLY people in a state campground (in Nebraska)! Overall, the Lazy Daze far surpassed my expectations! This is the first RV I've ever owned or traveled in. It's a 2016 MB that we picked up almost a year ago (May 12th to be exact), and before this trip we put on about 5,000 miles. Almost immediately the LD felt like home to my family, and fit 4 people nicely. In the 6 months on the road, not once did my kids seem like they were "trapped or confined" in a space too small for them. Yes, we got out a lot, but there were also times when we were sick, or stuck inside due to weather. In terms of driving, I did ALL of the driving on our 6 month trip..... without a toad. There are times when I felt a toad would be helpful, but with the way that I tend to drive the LD (like a car) I think I am better off if I just rent a car instead of trying to tow one around with me. In terms of quality (i.e. things breaking), I did have the opportunity to stop by the factory to fix two issues (that were 100% my fault), while there Vince looked at a couple of cushions that were starting to show wear and tear, and felt that they should be redone. A few weeks later while we were in OR, we had the pedal on our toilet break (I had posted about that when it happened). Other then the toilet and the cushions, everything seems to be working great! Now that we are home, I am still in the process of giving our LD a thorough cleaning, and tying to keep it mouse free, until I can get it back into storage. I am also getting used to driving my car again.... even though its an SUV I feel like my butt is dragging on the ground, and I may have taken a right turn or two a bit wide, and the first time I stopped for gas, I may have pulled a bit far forward (thankfully not too embarrassingly so😉). I'm including a photo of our RV at our cabin, and a photo of one of the pieces of Irish Spring that I put in the engine as a mouse deterrent (but apparently worked as a mouse attractor).What an inspiring report, Rebecca. Thanks for sharing it with the group.Chris 1 Likes
Re: 6 month road trip Reply #2 – May 09, 2017, 10:01:29 pm 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻Yeah for you.Ed, Carol and Gopher the Dog. 1 Likes
Re: 6 month road trip Reply #3 – May 09, 2017, 10:16:10 pm Glad you had such a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing. Where to next? 🚐😊 1 Likes
Re: 6 month road trip Reply #4 – May 09, 2017, 11:57:42 pm Rebecca,As one of my college professors would say, "Kudos for a job well done". It takes a lot of gumption to hit the road in a new rig and just keep on going. Your children have a very positive role model to look up too.I always enjoyed my families journeys. Some of those adventures I have shared on LDO. You have undoubtedly impressed your kids with some very memorable experiences. What a grand adventure. Now...it's time to wax on wax off. Have fun with that. 🤗Kent 1 Likes
Re: 6 month road trip Reply #5 – May 10, 2017, 01:58:57 am Thanks all......it was a great trip! I now feel that I can conquer anything. 😀 Next on my list (as Kent said) waxing......that happens tomorrow. As for our next trip, I have no idea. We like to wing it. 😉 2 Likes
Re: 6 month road trip Reply #6 – May 10, 2017, 12:03:19 pm Wow, what an amazing story. I'm impressed and it gives me hope for our upcoming summer/fall on the road. 1 Likes