RV Hometown

Last year, I started planning a 47-city cross-country "See America 2002" RV tour to promote Chicken Soup for the Traveler's Soul.  Now, please understand that I had never even been in an RV before, so this was going to be a whole new adventure for me.

I did know that with the hectic schedule of a tour, I would need someone to drive the 37-foot Coachmen motorhome.  Fortunately, I had met Janice Lasko, editor of the Escapees magazine, who placed a short blurb in the publication inviting members to apply for the position.

I received over fifty replies, whittled that number down to a shortlist and ended up interviewing the prospective drivers.  One husband and wife team was Cathy and Tony Cirocco.

Cathy and Tony have been full-time RVers for more than eight years and, from the moment we got together, we hit it off.  We seemed to have a natural ease with one another and, most importantly, we enjoyed good food and copious amounts of laughter-the perfect ingredients for a three and a half month excursion across America.

We met up in New York City at the end of April and a couple of days later, we headed upstate to get "the Rig."  By that point, I had learned about RV life enough to call it "the Rig," but I was still, in fact, an RV virgin-I had yet to step foot in one.

Arriving at the Campers Barn in Kingston, New York, we couldn't miss the rig if we tried-it was bright yellow with a 12-foot high chicken on its side.  Tony and Cathy quickly dubbed it "the big, yellow chicken."

Our inspection complete, Tony took his place in the driver's seat.  It was a cold, rainy day but I had the biggest smile across my face.  I sat at the dinette table and couldn't wait to hit the open road. 

One turn of the key and the diesel engine kicked in.  Tony shifted into gear and, slowly, we made our way out of the parking lot and onto the pavement.  We were on the road… in an RV! 

I screeched with joy.  Tony and Cathy wondered what all the fuss was about.  They too were excited to begin the trip, but my joy was about much more than that.  It was the joy of feeling the power and comfort of being in the rig, the thrill of being in a home--on wheels.  I had traveled through more than fifty countries on six continents but never like this.

For the first couple of weeks, we were on a whirlwind schedule through the Northeast.  In the space of a few days and hundreds of miles, we learned to work together and have a whole lot of fun.

As we headed across the Midwest, our camaraderie deepened as we found a natural and comfortable routine.  Of course, we had our differences but we talked them out and worked them through, as RVers do.  Committed to the journey, we were committed to each other.

At times, we'd be apart for a few days and then hook up again-at a hotel in Des Moines, in a campground near the Grand Canyon, or on the beach in Monterey.  It was a wonderful feeling to spot the "big, yellow chicken," open the door, and feel at home with my newfound friends.  Eagerly, we'd catch up, share a meal, and continue as if we'd never been away.

I learned that RVing is about people, places, and adventure.  I saw firsthand that RV life is ripe with stories of laughter, caring, and most especially, friendship.  

This splendid collection is about all of that and more.  RV Traveling Tales: Women's Journeys on the Open Road will fan your wanderlust and serve as a rich oasis for your roving soul. It is a magnificent tribute to its many contributors, celebrating a life of passion filled with an insatiable curiosity for what lies around the next bend.

As for Cathy and Tony, after more than 8,000 miles, we celebrated the end of one phase of our friendship and looked forward to our next adventure.  We gave each other a great big hug (I've also learned that RVers love to hug) and said our farewells… until the next time, somewhere on the great open road.

Writer Tim Cahill must have had RVers in mind when he wrote, "A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles."