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The Columbia River, WA/OR -- After five days and nearly 1,500 miles on the road, we're here to tell you what NOT to do. Don't go fast.
Normally, our "road pace" takes us off the road in mid-afternoon after dawdling along for a few hours with stops for fuel, food, exercise, an shooting pictures. This time, it's been anything but.
We're pulled out of Arizona with the "goal" of being in Washington state in short order. We were in the saddle early every morning, and pushed the pace hard all day. Stops for fuel were mandatory, of course, and we allowed time to pull out and grab a quick bite. But this was far from our usual way of doing things, for this time we'd set a "deadline" for where we had to be.
The navigator, sitting in the passenger seat has been about the only one to see much of the sights. The driver, piloting along and watching the gauges like a hawk (hot weather and steep grades at a quick pace don't make for happy drive train conditions) had little time to see much but the lane markers and semi trucks. Photos? Ha! Who had time?
Finally, last night we pulled off for a few days in a little poplar studded park on the edge of the Columbia River. We thought the hardships of a fast trip were over. Not! An attack of the angry lower digestive system soon sidelined the chief pilot. Too much greasy road food, too little time walking and exercising, and too much stress from too fast traveling laid him up for several hours, wracked with pain.
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| Zion National Park, R & T DeMaris |
Oh, new RVer, don't make that mistake. Part of the joy of having and using your RV is the ability to take your time. Yes, really, the journey can be more fulfilling than the destination. Allow yourself the time to pull out, smell the roses (or sea spray, desert wind, whathaveyou), and make some meaningful images. Don't drive so long and hard that at the end of your day you're too tired to fix a good, nutritious meal, and instead secumb to the siren song of the fast food joint. Not that we don't occasionally have a buck-a-burger when traveling, but night after night will surely lead you to a dietary collapse.
Take time to peep up that side road, stop and visit that schlocky roadside attraction (some of them really are surprisingly fun, not just schlock), meet new folks and otherwise enjoy life on the road.
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