Flip flops and dish towels

Glacier National Park, June 2021

Back on I-15 in an RV, this time on our way to Glacier National Park. We rented Eddie the Winnebago Revel from Kellville Vans in Salt Lake City again (although this is technically Eddie II, newer, with only 11,000 miles on him when we pulled out of SLC). We drove in our Honda CR-V from Wenatchee on Friday 6/4. The tradition is to stop over in Boise for a night, and have a dry-aged steak at Lock, Stock, and Barrel. This time, celebrating Won’s birthday.

Packing for an RV trip is now streamlined. There are plastic bins we keep in the garage that contain the dedicated RV necessities: the mini Instapot, electric kettle, microfiber towels, RV linens, small trash bags, etc. They just get loaded onto the CR-V. Then there are packing lists in the Notes app to remind us to grab the correct charging cable to connect to CarPlay, and the Sherpa indoor slippers. Credit to Won for making sure everything gets packed, and for remembering even the dashcam, the bear spray, and the America is Beautiful national park pass! In spite of the obsessive attention to detail, we inevitably need to find a Target for something we forgot. This time, I need shower flip flops, and dish towels for cooking (they’ve been added to the Notes app list for next time!!)

The usual stop at Trader Joe’s on the way out of SLC. We have a well-honed shopping list, so can be in and out of the store in 15 minutes. The biggest delay is generally due to arguing in the snack aisle over which road trip snacks are the healthiest (Won) versus tastiest (Cheryl).

We made it just past Pocatello, ID for our first night. I am grateful for: bungee cords, the RV charcuterie plate, and the ritualistic post-arrival dram of Scotch.

With each passing mile marker on the Interstate, I can feel my root life, with its relentless obligations and to-do lists, slipping away. RV living is by nature transient. It’s hard to plan more than a day in advance. The refrigerator can hold enough supplies for maybe 3 meals. Many RV campgrounds are first-come, first-serve. The weather can go from 90+ degrees in SLC, to 50 degrees and windy in Pocatello, to 30 degrees and snowing at high elevation, in just a few hundred miles. I start to focus more on the moment, maybe think of the next Flying J we need to stop at for diesel, but otherwise relaxing until the next destination.

June 6, 2021