The Plan So Far

It was January when the planning began. First was "when." The dogs are coming with me - there's no way I could leave them behind, so the weather has to be fairly cool, but not so early in the year that we'd run into snow. Memorial Day weekend seemed perfect.

With the dates picked out, it was time to search for an RV to rent. I plan to buy a truck and trailer in three years, so it just makes sense to rent an RV for this trip. Not only will I be able to decide whether the Rving life is the life for me, I'll also be able to take the dogs without having to find pet-friendly motels all along the way. Lots of motels say they are pet-friendly - if the pet happens to be a dog that's under 25 lbs. I have Winnie, Star and Tim, and only Tim is under 25 lbs. They're all great travelers, though!

The RV I settled on is a 24-foot, 2006 Gulf Stream Class B Touring Cruiser Double Slide (I would post a picture of it, but I don't have one yet. Be patient - I'm sure you'll see lots of pictures of it as the trip continues). I rented it through an organization based in Texas that basically brokers rentals all over the US. Later, after I met the owner of the RV, he told me I could have found him on CraigsList and saved myself $150. Go figure. Anyway, the RV itself is located in Omaha, a 45 minute drive from my house.

Next is the route. I'll show you that tomorrow.