The following is intended to help the undecided and enfuriate bozos
who disagree.   Enjoy, and let the flames roar.

    ===============WHY RV?===============

People who don't understand often ask: "How can you justify such an
expensive. . . uh, mobile home?" Not pretending to speak for all who
own/use RV's [many of whom would disagree with me if I wrote that
civility was a good thing!] here are a few of the reasons the RV
lifestyle is popular in OUR family:

We *enjoy travel* as much as the destination. We are thankful to live
in a free country where one can explore almost any road without being
hassled by checkpoints (except of course at the CA border!)  or
attacked by bandits. We can stop at a country vegetable stand and talk
about the harvest. Try that from Flight 203! Unlike untold thousands
of "campers", we do NOT want anything to do with squatting in
"campgrounds" that are really rural slums loaded with moss-covered
"rv's" and their semi-permanent porches and tarp-covered Stuff. If
THAT environment is what people escape to, we wonder where they LIVE
that makes this look better!

We love to *see the rural landscape*, way far away from huge
metropolitan areas - and where there are few if any motels, convention
centers, and restaurants. This country has vast reaches of beautiful
farmland, spectacular mountains, forests, grasslands, lakes, rivers,
etc....  Have ya heard the one about where can an 800# gorilla sleep?
Anyplace he wants. We can easily refuse to stay in places that have
rules we think are idiotic, and if we are assigned to a site with an
obnoxious neighbor, it is not the end of the happy hour.. we can move.

We enjoy *sleeping in our own bed*, not wondering to whom it was last
rented and what their medical status was, and without having to haul
suitcases in and out. Our 'motel room' is as warm, cool, or well
ventilated as we like.

We enjoy *solitude*, away from honking horns and roaring jets - places
where the most raucous noise is the cawing of a crow.  Where the most
pungent odor is that of wild flowers.  We stay OFF the interstate
system except to get through a crowded metropolis, and as a result we
arrive slower but without the stress of being caught up in the
thundering herds of almost-outa-control vehicles hammering along well
over their personal skill level - to say nothing of the (hahahaha)
speed limits.

We *enjoy visiting* friends & relatives - whether or not they have
spare rooms or a convenient motel - and having our own bathroom and
privacy while we're there.

We love having *choices*: breakfast/lunch/dinner in the motorhome, or
that really nice-looking restaurant.  Ponder THAT as you hammer down
the interstate in your car, wondering if they used 40-weight Havoline
instead of salad dressing at the last take-it-or-leave-it diner with
its cardboard cuisine!

We love the *secure feeling* that a traffic tie up will not create a
crisis for us and stir up the personal stress level. War story: Once a
freak fall snowstorm virtually shut down New England as we were
returning from Maine.  Stranded by downed trees and traffic for a
time, we were warm and dry, with plenty of food & water.  Contrast
that with a friend's true horror story about how he and his family
very nearly perished in a freak snow. How's the restroom in your
Ford Taurus?  8-)

*Flexibility* is the key advantage for us - being able to decide on
the spur of the moment to go north instead of west, and not worrying
about being at the motel before 6, or wondering if they overbooked.  

We like *saving money*. After all, until we finally (6 years ago)
bought something new, our rigs didn't cost any more than a typical
car. We get 15 mpg (terrible by car standards) but we don't HAVE
to eat in restaurants all the time, and we don't EVER pay $75 or $100
for a motel room. When the trip is over we have spent less money than
if we went by car, not to mention all the other benefits.

    CAVEAT: Don't try to *save money* buying an rv unless you use
it a lot! We do, and we save a bundle, but you won't if you only get
to travel a couple of weeks per year.  In a way, it is very much like
the old membership CG debate: you gotta use it a lot to *actually*
save money.  Same logic applies to buying an "economy car" - makes NO
sense to spend $20k on an econobox to save $500 on gas.

We like going to *fairs & flea markets & bluegrass jam sessions*. It
is NICE to have one's own bathroom & a place to take a nap, instead of
standing in line at the banks of Porta Potties!

What's YOUR special reason for enjoying your RV?

     --------------------

Will ---- the Curmudgeon of Sill Hill
I post to help rv'ers and annoy the snot out of morons,
idjits, fools and bozos - - and to irk their ilk. Often, I do both
at once. If you feel annoyed, check your status.