Yet another update from the family roadtrip! Gary, Kit and the kids are safely back home from their adventures but that doesn't mean we can't post their last entry from the road. Sure, it's late by a few days but heck, maybe posting it will help bring back that spirit of vacation...


Back in communication range again. We're on our last leg of the Tour de RV-America.

We've spent the last few days at Trout Lake, near Telluride, Colorado, hanging out with Randy, and his sons, Scott and Drew.

Gary's family first visited Telluride in the 1960's. The town has gone through a dramatic transformation. From dirt roads, a general store, and one room cabins, to fancy restaurants, boutique shops, and multimillion-dollar homes with celebrity owners.

Gary and Randy's parents made a rather spontaneous decision in the late 60's and purchased a few-acre lot ten miles outside of Telluride at 11,000 feet of elevation, for $1,000. The land sits undeveloped but we've enjoyed visiting the property this summer. Scott, Drew and Randy have been teaching us to fly fish. They showed us all how to catch and release just like the pros. Gary, Clayton, Lydia and I never actually caught anything but we all got one on, practiced a lot, and need to practice a lot more.

We also rode mountain bikes, hiked and did a little "off-road" exploring. At that elevation, you feel like you've done a lot by just getting up in the morning, so everything else is bonus activity. The kids did some very adventurous things with us. Clayton rode bikes with Gary up to the property, then we all hiked to the top of the peak behind the lot. An elevation gain of three-thousand feet, but when you start at 10,000 it's big!

The place is magical and the San Juans are a dramatic and imposing range of mountains. I'd like to spend more time there in the future. It did rain quite a bit and the lightning was really scary sometimes. It was really fun hanging out with Randy and the boys and our family.

Now we're making the big push to Truckee, CA. Yesterday, we woke up and left Trout Lake at 4:30 a.m. We drove for seven hours and then broke for lunch. After lunch, it was my turn to drive into the Salt Lake area and beyond. I didn't get very far because I drove over a chain and tow hook at 65 mph and ripped the entire muffler, and all the parts attached to it, off and got a flat tire. We spent 4 hours near Salt Lake fixing it and reading in a waiting room. A big delay, but unavoidable. Luckily we were near a big town and it was daylight. 

Everyone went out of their way to help us. Locals, Terry and his brother Trevor, stopped to lend a hand, gave us phone numbers for muffler shops and their home if we needed anything. They even went back two exits and tried to retrieve the damaged muffler and debris! The highway worker and the state trooper stopped four lanes of traffic, gave us the debris, and made sure we had a tow coming. Even the Polish tow-truck driver, Tomer, and the muffler guys working on it right away were all so professional and kind.

We did make it to Winnemucca and stayed at an RV camp but not before we almost had one of the kids demand to use the RV bathroom en route. We convinced him instead to try the "desert bathroom," he agreed and we pulled over in the middle of no where, avoiding, just barely, having to use our septic system.

It'll be good to get home.

Travel Tips:

• Avoid suspicious shapes in the road, even if they look harmless.


• Never assume an area is "unfriendly" as you will be surprised how helpful and kind people can be.


• Sometimes when traveling you will miss home and all the things you do there.

It's been so fun and a trip of a lifetime; part of me doesn't want it to end.

-Kit and family