Written by Pamela Stephens

I was just thinking…I’ve posted a lot of our RV photos taken throughout Canada here on the FMCA website, (see Album “Oh Canadaâ€) and it really made me feel like I had just taken the trip all over again! And it put me in a very nostalgic mood remembering some of the things that we spoke about in the days before it took place!

During the planning of our trip, all of us got together to consider what we wanted to do “as a group†to make it a terrific experience! It’s always good to do this when traveling in a caravan or shall we say RV-avan! We would have two fifth wheels and one 38’ motorhome and you just don’t turn these things around on a dime, you know! But yes, you DO know if you’ve been doing this longer than one time!

We had not gone on a RV trip together any of us, however, that is not to say that we were strangers! You see, there were three siblings: two brothers and a sister and their spouses! Now, I want you to know these are not wishy-washy siblings. These people are decisive, forthright, not shy, and certainly no one need ever wonder what they are thinking! So to sit down and talk about where we were going and what we wanted to do, the only ones who were pretty laissez faire, were the three spouses of the three siblings! The Siblings-- all had an OPINION about everything!

But in the end, we knew generally, where we wanted to go: the Jasper-Banff area, because “Lake Louise is wonderful we hear,†and Glacier Park, (after which we would all head for our separate home states) and anywhere in between! Now, one of these brothers (he is the oldest-therefore out of respect for him and his dear sweet wife, he shall remain nameless) has often regaled the others with his stories of adventures on vacations. Well, adventures might not be the right word! Think Perils of Pauline here! Not necessarily “Oh boy, we had a great time†stories, but the “OH my Gosh we were nearly killed stories!†This brother could have taken Robin Williams’ place in the movie “RVâ€..if you’ve seen it, you understand! In fact, it’s possible the movie was based on his life! If we were writing about his escapades, some of the chapter titles might be: “December’s Festival of Lights in Newportâ€â€”or better known to us as, “Jumping in the ocean NAKED to push the boat off the sandbar in December;†or “How to avoid shipping lanes, while fishing in the Pacific†known to us as “I told him not to fall asleep while on watch for large ships!â€; or even ‘Whose Dingy Is It, Anyway?†known affectionately as “How not to lose the only dingy while on an island;†or “How I almost personally eliminated a son-in-law, a daughter and a fifth wheel on one day while attempting to park!†I digress! (But stay tuned for further adventures in upcoming blog entries!)

The two other couples (ourselves and Sister and husband) made a pact that we would have E.B. (Elder Brother) go into all “campsites†first, get parked and then WE would come in! Also, if E.B. said “I’ll fix it,†“trust me!†we would all RUN!! Well, we had a great time on that trip, but we made E.B. sit down and watch the movie “RV†with us at our first opportunity! Needless to say we all laughed over it..and I am still not sure E.B. sees the “connection.†Do you have similar stories?