Colorado...or bust...

Well, I have a new pet peeve. At least for this week. Whilst traveling along the byways from western Wisconsin to Colorado, we saw many, many huge motorhomes. These people obviously don't realize yet that gasoline is upwards of $2.25 per gallon. I suspect that our return trip will see many of them stopped by the side of the road, owners standing alongside holding signs that say "Will Wash Windshields for Gas," but I'm not stopping.

The motorhomes themselves aren't the real pet peeve--it gets worse. Most of these behemoths are dragging some additional vehicle behind them, for the purpose, I suspect, of escaping the scene when the motorhome runs dry. Many of these huge vehicles are pulling small dart-abouts, such as Volkswagen Jettas or Honda Civics, but just as many seem to be coming up to the pleasure of not only RV'ing, but four-wheeling as well. They pull such lightweights as Jeep Cherokees or four-wheel drive pickups. Sheesh!

But here's a real clicker. We passed one of these 40+ foot tin wonders that was pulling a king cab pickup--4-wheel drive, of course--but in the back of the pickup was a DISH Network satellite dish. At the next rest stop they pulled in behind us, and I wanted to see just who these people were. Then I wanted to slap them all. The 40-ish guy got out and walked over to get a map. The woman of the rig stayed put, as did the other occupants--presumably kids, but I couldn't see them below the level of the windows. I did see, however, the screen of the TV on which they were watching something animated. Somehow, "Dad! Let's go camping" didn't seem to mean the same as when we were kids, or when our kids were kids, which is a pretty short time ago.

I cannot imagine taking out a third mortgage to buy a house on wheels, so the kids wouldn't have to go outside or leave the TV or satellite stations at home in order to go "RV-ing."

Stay home. Save the rest of us from the fumes of your exhaust, the inflated gas prices that occur when demand is so high, and out of the way of other travelers on the road. You can find the same amenities right in your own home without even having to pack!!