A story of life and lessons learned on the road from being newbies and transitioning to seasoned RVers.
By Ken Lailer, F483857
May 2021
Our adventure into the RV world started innocently enough with the purchase of a used pickup truck in 2015. Pickup trucks offer a wide range of automotive advantages, including the ability to tow an RV. This gave my wife, Marie, an idea. We could get into camping and traveling. She did the research, and before you knew it, we were the owners of our first RV, a 25-foot travel trailer with one slideout.
All was well until one rainy weekend when we were stuck inside and discovered the RV lacked windows and was dark, very short, and limited on space. At that point, we found ourselves traveling down the same road as many others who have owned an RV: We decided to upgrade. We wanted to try something bigger and brighter. We now own a 2017 Forest River Wildwood Heritage Glen 272RL travel trailer. It’s 30 feet long, with two slideouts and plenty of windows. Of course, this meant we also had to upgrade our truck so it could handle the extra weight.
In 2017, we set out on our first long-distance trip, a six-week journey from our home in Whitman, Massachusetts, to Blairsville, Georgia. My wife planned our round-trip route, researching via the internet for maps and to locate campgrounds along the way. We each took extended time off from work, and we set out on our journey with two dogs, both boxers, and one African Grey parrot. My cousin, Jack, had an extra seasonal site he let us use at Choestoe Valley RV Park in Blairsville. He was a great host, giving us the history and tours of the surrounding area. Plus, we enjoyed visiting family.
Ken and Marie Lailer’s journeys have included watching the Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron in Pensacola, Florida.
The following year, we got a little more ambitious. Our plan was to travel south to Pensacola, Florida, west to New Orleans, and then north to Elkhart, Indiana, before returning home. It would be seven weeks on the road with one dog, one bird, and each other. Pensacola showed us the white sand beaches and Blue Angels in flight. New Orleans introduced us to Southern hospitality and crawfish (a.k.a. mudbugs) boils. In Elkhart, we enjoyed our first RV rally and toured the Forest River manufacturing plant.
In 2019, with dog and bird in tow, our adventure took us to Savannah, Georgia. We stayed at CreekFire RV Resort, a fairly new campground that opened in 2017, and we toured the downtown Savannah area. We also experienced our most exciting RV moment when we witnessed an alligator being captured at the campground. The resort wishes to keep its camping community safe at all times and will do what is needed to ensure everyone’s safety, including wrangling alligators. We hope to return to this excellent resort in 2021.
Our plan is to eventually travel west of the Mississippi. So far, our short time as owners of an RV has brought us many travels, adventures, and friends we have met along the way. We have grown to like RV travel, campgrounds, and the friendliness of those who have crossed our paths. To be able to walk up to a perfect stranger and still have something in common is one of the greatest enjoyments of this lifestyle.
Our only regret: We wish we started sooner.