Dave's Fiction Warehouse

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Pleasure barges of the open road

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Gotta hate that paint scheme. Like an NFL team bus.
Ready for any contingency. Except poverty.
A study in white.
Could this be any taller? Maybe it's also an observatory.
Oh boy. Personal watercraft! To ruin the lake as well as the road.
Again with the paint. Where's the restraint?
Ugh.
Escalade and matching power boat.
At least this guy has an excuse: He's moving his entire household.

If you want to know what it’s like driving on the interstate in Montana during the summertime, I’ve prepared a little slideshow to convey the experience.

Right after Memorial Day commences the annual Running of the Motor Homes, an annual festival that lasts until Labor Day and challenges participants to outdo each other in sheer ostentation. As you can see, it’s not really enough to have a garishly-painted mobile mansion that costs more than most houses. You should also be towing a new four-wheel-drive or a toy-laden trailer of some sort.

The interstate is the best place to view these gaudy creatures, because if you get behind a couple on a narrow two-lane road your head is likely to explode and you may end up doing something you regret. I can hardly wait to drive around Flathead Lake in a few weeks. There’s a reason I no longer carry a firearm when I travel.

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Comments

  3. I’ve never understood the appeal of these behemoths. People claim they save money over motels and restaurants, or rental cottages. Yeah right. They would have to be doing impossible amounts of travel to be coming out ahead, cost wise.
    Besides, if you take along a dwelling that has to be kept clean, complete with kitchen, it is NOT a vacation. It is a change in work venue.
    The pictures were great. Just think, each of these monstrosities has a home, and when it is parked there, it is usually blocking the neighborhood view of other residents who don’t like the way it makes them feel boxed in. RV owners who have an RV garage behind the house are in the minority, sad to say.

    • Someday, I think, people will look at old pictures of gigantic RVs and just laugh. Such pictures will define a particular era of American history.