Jay Honeck wrote:
When I was a kid, my dad would take 3 weeks off every summer, and we
would go on long, meandering road trips around the American West and
Southwest.

We never did it in an RV, but my parents did the same thing. Most of
the time we drove the whole trip, but once we flew commercial and rented
a car; eastern Kansas to Seattle was a bit far to drive.

One possible solution: Fly Atlas to Denver, CO, and pick up a big ol'
rental RV.

Having driven one a very little bit, I've got a couple of suggestions:

1) Get some "dual" locally before you go.

It doesn't have to be exactly the same model as what you're going to
rent, but at least approximately the same size. IMHO, the main
difference between most large RVs and other vehicles is that the front
wheels are at best under your butt and at worst a few feet behind you,
which necessitates a different technique at street intersections. It's
not hard, just different. If you know somebody that has an RV, it's
probably worth buying them a couple dozen dollars' worth of fuel (or
giving them some bucks off of a night at the hotel, or whatever) and
driving around with them for an afternoon, both in town and out on the
freeway.

2) Get a good briefing on how all of the gadgets work.

It seems to me that even a big RV with all the toys is a lot like an
airplane - there are only a few controls that are absolutely critical
to making it go and stop (stick/rudder/throttle, steering/brakes/gas),
but a lot of other stuff that you have to know how to operate to have a
safe and enjoyable trip. On an RV, this is stuff like the dual battery
system, propane tank, fresh and waste water tanks, HVAC, kitchen
appliances, etc. Again, most of it is simple, but it's nice to have
somebody that _knows_ show you how to do it. You can learn some of this
locally, but ask when you pick it up for the specifics of the one you're
getting.

There is one argument for renting a car vs. renting an RV. Renting a
car means that you need to tent-camp or stay in a hotel, but since you
know the secret handshake, you can get hotel rooms for like $10 a night,
right? On the other hand, staying in somebody else's hotel, for
you, might be like some of the small-plane pilots I know that hate to
fly commercial - not because of the money or the hassle, but because
_they_ aren't in the left seat.

Matt Roberds