For our family vacation this year I had dreams of a lovely hotel on a tropical island. Not that my men wouldn’t have loved the beach but they had other ideas of their own. They were thinking of something a little more hands-on. Like an RV hands-on. I was out-voted 4 to 1 so off we went across country on a RV. If you follow us on Instagram you’ve been up to date on our RV-adventures that started in Indiana and ended in Salt Lake City, UT thanks to the awesome folks at Access RV Rentals. (Read on…I’m co-hosting a giveaway for a 5 night RV vacation valued at $2150.)!
Now I’ll be perfectly honest…sitting in a RV for hours on end had little appeal to me at all. All I could envision was Cousin Eddie and that awful RV from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Instead what we got was a brand new Sunseeker RV with 12 miles on it.
We flew to Chicago and picked up the RV in Indiana. From there we stopped in Nauvoo, IL, Carthage, IL, Kansas City, MO, Omaha, NE, Sioux Falls, SD, Sioux City, IA, Thermopolis, WY, Salt Lake City, UT.
The sites we saw were knock-your-socks-off awesome.
We walked along the Navy Pier in Chicago…
Visited holy places that held great historical significance…
We jumped for joy at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, MO.
And had an epic melt-down at Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
We celebrated Mother’s Day complete with grilled cheese sandwiches and a spilled soda in dad’s lap.
We were told by the National Weather Service “Take Cover” during a tornado threat which cased damage to several states that day.
We rode out the weather in some po-dunk motel complete with smelly red carpet that I’ve never been so grateful for…ready to grab pillows and jump in the bathtub at a moments notice.
We watched the weather channel for hours and were bored outta our minds.
Unfortunately we had to skip Mt. Rushmore due to a winter storm warning and park-wide power outage…instead we visited Thermopolis, WY,
home of the world’s largest mineral hot springs. They were fascinated that boiling hot water could come right out of the ground.
The mineral smell of sulpher took some getting used to…we soaked, swam and water-slided at the Star Plunge for hours. Ancient Native Americans call them the “healing waters”.
Despite my initial reservations about being on an RV, the excursion ended up being the best trip we’ve ever taken as a family. Surprise, surprise! Traveling in an RV was a lot less constricting than traveling in a car. We played games, jammed to music, ate (a lot), talked about the places we visited and laughed hard. Seeing a chunk of America the Beautiful is eye opening…especially for boys who have lived in only two places their whole lives. Gives us all perspective how tiny our little corner of the world really is.
Ever toyed with the idea of RV’ing? I would HIGHLY recommend it!
Now for the exciting news…
USA 5 Star RV Rental Network is giving away a free 5 night RV Vacation!! (A $2150 Value!)
If you are ready for a fabulous RV vacation, Access RV is providing a 5 night RV vacation in one of their current year model motor homes to friends of the USA 5 Star RV Rental Network. Access RV is located in both Salt Lake City, Utah and Jackson, Wyoming. You can take the family to the scenic wonders of Yellowstone and the Tetons. See elk, moose, bison, bear and other wildlife that wonders freely through the park midst the natural geysers, paint pots and steam springs. See the jagged Rocky peaks of the Tetons towering over the beautiful Jackson Lake below. Or visit the uniquely beautiful rock formations of South Utah’s Mighty Five National Parks of Zions, Arches, Bryce, Canyonland and Capital Reef. Traveling in an RV is the best, most affordable way to experience the National Parks up close.
Winner will get 5 Nights with 800 miles in a 2015 31′ C-Class motor home with double slides. This 4.5 star motor home comes with HD TV/DVD player, 5.1 surround sound, GPS navigation, iPod dock, back up camera, Serta pillow-top mattress, power awning, air conditioning, unlimited generator, final cleaning and dumping and much more!
The lucky winner will have until June 1, 2016 to take their incredible vacation!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Fine print details: The vacation give away does not include insurance which can be provided by your auto insurance company or by purchasing optional protection through Access RV. Drivers must be at least 25 years old with a valid drivers license, proof of insurance and VISA, MasterCard or Discover. Additional miles over the 800 free miles can be purchased at $1.55 per mile. A refundable deposit is required at the time of reservation. Sales tax of $156.47 is the responsibility of the winner. For additional information, floor plans, etc. visit our members website at www.accessrvrental.com Disclosure: My 4 men and I want to extend a huge thank you to Access RV for providing the RV’s for us and a few of my blogging buddies to travel across the country in! We will forever be grateful for the opportunity and memories! To see more pictures of our trip check us out on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter.
Check out some of my bloggy friends who also did the trip:
Hey there! I’m Michelle; I’m an Passionate DIY’er and in constant pursuit of how to bring beauty to my house full of men (3 boys + 1 hubby). Stick around and see what I’ve got up my hard-working sleaves!
Can’t wait for the fun! Thanks for the giveaway.
Oh what a fun trip! I live in Omaha and am from Sioux City! Hope you enjoyed our city and got to go to the zoo in Omaha and try Mexican food in Sioux City! 🙂
So fun, we did this years ago and our kids beg to do it again. They loved it!
This looks like an awesome trip! We used to travel up and down the east coast with my husband when he worked for a Nascar team. My youngest was too small to remember, so we have promised her that we will spend some time traveling the country in an RV. We had such a great time before and would love to do it again. Hope my lucky # comes up so we can take advantage of this giveaway!! Thanks for the opportunity.
my husband would love everything about your trip!
What a fabulous opportunity to see the other side of the country with my family! Thanks for the contest. Fingers crossed!
What a fun trip and what amazing memories you’ve created for your kids. I’ve done the road trip from Toronto to LA a few times when I was a kid and it was eye-opening. There’s nothing quite like seeing the nation by road.
Read the article about your trip and was swept away with excitement over the prospect of our family being able to travel this way! We have a son in a wheelchair and have never taken a real family vacation because it is so challenging with him. I have always wanted to try an RV get away because we could have his wheelchair and other special needs items already with us and would not be restricted with places to stay! He would already be set up in the RV and we could care for him without relying on what each different hotel may or may not have. We also wouldn’t have to worry about the airline loosing luggage with important breathing machines or other medical necessities as they would just go with us in the RV! Sounds like a heavenly and most convenient way to travel and allow all our children the opportunity to see some of our beautiful country!
Yes, yes, yes! I love this. It really is a convenient way to travel…especially in your situation it sounds like. 🙂
This is one of my bucket list to do’s and hope to win the trip. Looks like a lot of fun for 1/3 of the cost. Will definitely look into this.