Epic RVing with the Gradys - Day 1 - 9.5 MPG

We just arrived at our first stopping point, a modern-ish rest stop in far north Wyoming, near Sheridan. The rest stops are pretty nice here in Wyoming, and unlike Colorado, they allow people to park overnight at their rest stops. We weren’t really sure where we would stay, but after stopping at a rest stop earlier in the day, they seemed to be setup properly with enough people around that it seemed safe. Some basic research on the internet said that rest stops were valid for staying, though they recommended NOT parking in truck spotss they needed to stop for legal reasons, so if you took their last spot, they might not be too happy! Not really wanting a mid-night confrontation, I am definitely trying to keep on the right side of the truckers. I’ve titled this day 9.5 MPG as that seems to be the average efficiency this vehicle will achieve. No more, no less. We’re about 550 miles into the trip at this point and the entire time, even with a reset, Harvee has averaged 9.5 MPG.

The day started out early, though we didn’t get on the road until 1:30 when all was said and done. Our first duty for the day was to get our daily intake of cafeinne, purchase the last few items to ensure that Harvee was completely full to the brim, and pack the remaining items in the outside compartments so that, once we were stationary for a few days, we would have some outdoor, camping comforts, like chairs, a table, and a grill.

We found out early in the morning that the buyers of our house wanted to do a final walkthrough at 11:00, so that was an unexpected thing we had to prepare for, so we also needed to clean up for that, then take the whole family out and sign our papers to sell our home before we could leave for our 21 day trip. The closing went off without a hitch, from what we can tell. We won’t get the closing documents until Monday. Even thought it was a pain to have to do it before hitting the road, it was worthwhile for peace of mind on the vacation. Knowing that our house is SOLD takes a big load off. Quinton and Mireille got their first exposure to the “business world” at the fancy title company building. Quinton informed us that he would do all the talking, and once we were done, he informed us that he was pretty sure we got ripped off…

After signing some papers, we got some lunch, went home to pack the remaining items into Harvee, the got on board and… Waited for Quinton to finish another video game…

Finally, around 1:30 local time, we hit the road. As expected, the Denver traffic was terrible, though not as bad as it had been the day we picked up Harvee. It was actually kind of nice as I didn’t have to go any faster than 45 miles per hour for the first hour or so, between traffic and construction… At first I was pretty dainty with him (Harvee). I’ve made a habit of staying back from traffic more than the standard 3 car lenghts - instead I’m about 5 RV lengths back. I also make sweeping lane changes with ample warning. But after a few hours, particularly once we got out of Colorado, driving became pretty routine. It’s not easy to get Harvee over 65 miles per hour, which is frustrating in Wyoming where the speed limit is 80, but it’s fine.

Wyoming is an interesting place. It’s pretty hilly, and seeing as how there aren’t even 1 million people residing in the state, traffic is almost negligible. I would go for an hour at a time and see only 2-3 cars. That’s a good way to drive a 25 foot house on wheels! It’s also filled with interesing places, like Chugwater and Casper.

Harvee’s tank is pretty massive, which is good and bad! It was nearly 6:00 PM before we decided to stop for fuel in Casper. We pulled off at a Sinclair station that I can only describe as possibly the most impressive filling station I’ve encountered since the one I stopped at in Grand Lake, NE some years ago. There were plenty of fuel pumps, good parking, lots of food choices including a Schlotsky’s, and it even had a drive-through Tavern. Imagine that, a tavern at a truck stop!!!

The bad part about Harvee’s massive tank is that it is PRICEY to fill. Coupled with the requirement to use at least 89 octane fuel, this is going to lighten my wallet some as we trek across the west!

By 9:30 we finally arrived at Sheridan, WY and are now hunkered down for the night. Quinton is in the back in our bed since we don’t have enough room to bump out to make our bed big enough for two. Mireille is on her pull out couch near the front, and Jenny and I will be sleeping, as much as is possible, in Quinton’s loft area. Poor Zazz is in a cage that is 2 sizes too small for him. We weren’t able to get his water bottle to stay up during the trip, so once we got still and set it up, he drank for about 10 minutes straight! Maybe we should have sent him to grandma and grandpa’s with Heinzy! I’m guessing sleep will be a bit difficult to achieve tonight, but we’ll give it a shot. Tomorrow we get to the RV park where we can plant stakes for a few days and get comfortable.

One strange-ish thing did happen at this rest stop. When I went in to use the bathroom, I walked past these public phones, and one of them was ringing. I was tempted to answer it to get a better story, but I started to think, “Why do they still have pay phones here? And what good would possibly come of me answering that phone?” Needless to say, I resisted the urge to anser it, but imagine the interesting story that could have transpired had I done so… I’m guessing if I would have answered it, it would have been somebody calling to inform me that my extended auto warranty was about to expire…