Six essential truths on the journey to ‘know thy RV self’

It takes a few years to know who you really are in the RV world.

“Know thy RV self,” the philosophers of ancient Greece might have said (if they had trailers and motorhomes back then). It’s this journey to RVer self-awareness we’ve been defining ever since we bought our Thor Gemini in 2018.

What have we learned? Here are our six essential RV truths.

We love adventure: When we got home after this year’s tour of the Southwest, it was nice to finally have some space. Any couple would grow tired of the kitchen mambo (“Behind you!” “Coming through!” “Hey, watch it!”) in a 23-foot RV after several months.

Despite all the comfort, we felt a bit of a letdown. On day three at home, Leslie sat on the couch and gazed out the window, prompting the following conversation.

Leslie: “I’m a little bored.”

John: “Me too.”

We weren’t changing scenery every few days, or walking on the beach at sunset, or riding our bikes to some beautiful view. That’s what RVing gives us — a way to put ourselves in the middle of constantly changing landscapes that feed our souls.

We love simplicity: Over the years, we’ve steadily cut back on unnecessary stuff. We’ve dumped extra gear and clothing of all kinds. We ditched our trailing car, trading the gas guzzler for bicycles.

We’ve embraced the mission of junk removal philosopher Marie Kondo — keep it tight and tidy.

We love national and state parks: Many people we meet on the road stay for a season in a commercial RV park, booking several months in one place and moving on only when they’re ready to go home.

That’s fine for them, but it’s not our scene. Staying in national and state parks stokes our sense of adventure, our love of beautiful places and offers the best kind of camping experiences, especially if there are hookups.

We love our favorite places: After five years, we’ve discovered several destinations that we return to again and again for extended stays. Whether it’s Sedona, Ariz., Palm Springs or Mendocino County, we’ve come to view these communities as our homes on the road.

When you travel a lot, it’s always nice to return “home” even if it’s only for two weeks.

We love discoveries: We also enjoy exploring new territory. One of the best discoveries from last year involved a three-day swing through Pinnacles National Park ,  where we hiked and biked and got to see California condors for the first time.

Next fall, we’re already planning a trip filled with new (for us) destinations. We’re scoping out a tour along the spine of the continental divide, taking us to several new locations in Alberta, Montana and Wyoming.

We love our rig: When we first bought our RV, we never thought we’d keep it for this long.

We’ve talked (a lot!) about buying a new rig — maybe upgrading to something a little fancier or bigger. We’ve also talked about switching from a motorhome to a trailer. Each scenario has its pluses, but …

After 55,000 miles, through countless repairs, we’ve bonded with our RV. Don’t hold us to it — we may eventually get another, but our plan for now is to stick with our trusty Gemini and upgrade it as needed. It’s kind of like those vows we took 37 years ago — for better or worse.

We’re excited to see what the next chapter will bring now that we’ve fully embraced our RV selfs. (Check out our best-of selfies on the road on our Instagram feed { instagram.com/ourgrandtour ).