Three day weekends are an RVer’s temptation, and also the bane of his existence.
Why? Because, heading out on a Friday afternoon to a semi-local locale, knowing you’re going to spend three evenings and two and a half days just kicking back is both refreshing and liberating. You won’t be home, so that list of honey-do’s is a non-issue to be tackled another day – and you won’t even get in trouble for it, because the maker of the list is with you having fun!
There’s also something nice about having your stuff in familiar places – drawers and cupboards that are yours. You also know the sheets are fresh, and the bedspread won’t show ucky stuff under UV light. And, truth be told, it’s nice having a private bathroom that no one but your family has ever used.
Anything else? Yes. It’s your TV you’ll be watching, with a remote you know how to use. You can cook, if you choose, in your own kitchen with your own pots and pans. Basically, it’s like taking a trip in a mini version of your own home.
OK, those are the plusses. What are the minuses?
Well, whether it’s for a nine day weekend to weekend trip or just for three days, the work of loading, unloading, cleaning, and storing the RV is pretty much the same. The only break to be found, is that you don’t have to take nearly as many clothes.
Also, paying the fuel bill for the trip is a consideration. Amortizing that cost over eight or nine days is a lot more palatable than doing the same over three and a half.
Still, at least for us, we have occasionally decided that the pros outweigh the cons. Especially when absolutely gorgeous weather descends in mid-January for MLK weekend, as it just did in SoCal.
It’s 125 miles from where we live to Palm Desert, give or take – so when the weather went from three weeks of occasional rain and temps never getting out of the low to mid 50’s (and down to the high 20’s at night) to mid 70’s and not a cloud in the sky, a three day RV vacation became too good an opportunity to pass up.
We stayed at an old favorite – The Emerald Desert RV Resort. Their rates are a tad high during snowbird season, to be sure – but there’s something to be said for familiarity, and knowing you’re going to a first class facility that is clean, well maintained, and quiet.
What we got for our trouble was three and a half days recreating in the sun – unexpectedly getting to play in a baseball tournament for me; with shopping and lounging for the maker of the honey-do list. We also got to spend Monday morning at the Palm Springs Air Museum, scoping out all sorts of Warbirds. An added bonus was getting to have dinner all three nights with friends who were also out for the weekend.
So, what’s not to like? In the final evaluation, weighing the expense and hassle vs. the enjoyment and fun we had, the balance sheet came down firmly on the side of the pros.
Based on our experience, I’d firmly recommend you try it come the next three day weekend; and look, there’s one just a few days away! As they say in disclaimers, your results may vary – but if you already own an RV, you’re paying for it whether you use it or not – so why not use it?
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