Wheel Life: Snow or shine, holidays hold many memories

Wheel Life asked readers to share a favorite holiday memory spent in their recreational vehicle.

From dreaming walks on a snowy beach in Texas to a miserable Christmas dinner, here are their stories.

“Werner Weber of Hayden, Idaho, wrote that his “best RV Christmas ever” took place in Port Aransas, Texas.

“It snowed four inches that day,” he said. “The young locals had never seen snow and older residents faintly remembered the last time 50 or 60 years ago.”

“We just had a blast on the miles-long beach with only a few other snowbirds.”

“One winter, Bud and Jan Trutton of Spokane were on their way to Florida with another couple and found themselves in Monroe, La., on Christmas day.

“We wanted to celebrate the holiday by eating out,” recalled Jan Trutton, “but the only place open was a skuzzy greasy spoon.

“We were the only people in the place and the food was just awful. It was the worst Christmas dinner I’ve ever had,” she said.

“Photographer Stephen Chalmers of Spokane (www.askew-view.com) is spending the holiday in Quartzsite, Ariz., as part of his research project on snowbirds.

“Having always lived in cities where it was cold and snowy during December,” said Chalmers, “celebrating the winter holidays while wearing a T-shirt, shorts and sandals seems anachronistic.

“Walking through the RV park,” he continued, “people greet me in Santa hats, red scarves and Christmas earrings – offering me coffee with Kahlua, mulled cider, fudge and other baked goods.”

At night twinkling lights are everywhere, wrapped around palm trees and encircling the RVs. “It is the rare rig without holiday decorations.”

“Author Jaimie Hall (www.rvhometown.com) spent last Christmas at the Big Bend National Park in Texas where her partner, George Bruzenak, was volunteering in the Castolon Visitor Center.

On Christmas day, Hall and another volunteer, Nancy Bauer of Petaluma, Calif., hiked the six-mile Devil’s Den and four-mile Dog Canyon Trails.

“Even though we were far from family, we were in a beautiful place and shared Christmas with a friend,” said Hall.

“Tom and Sheila Fifield of Elk, Wash.,wrote in about the first trip in their new-to-them RV on New Year’s Eve in 1992.

They drove to Charbonneau Park on the Snake River and although the RV park was closed for the season, the managers allowed them to dry camp for free.

“The trees were covered in frost and it was just beautiful,” said Sheila Fifield. “The snowy conditions made it impossible to see where the road ended and the grounds began.

“We cooked a steak dinner with mushrooms and baked potatoes and served it with champagne that we brought for the occasion. That was indeed a fine trip and a great maiden voyage.”

“Longtime snowbirds Bob and Lynn Difley (www.HealthyRVLifestyle.com) frequently spend Christmas away from their family roaming the Southwest.

One year they decided on Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.

“For our holiday tree,” wrote Bob Difley, “we captured an errant tumbleweed en route through our campsite, propping it up with a cairn of rocks on our RV’s dash.

“With our wrapped presents under our tree and a circle of colored lights around our windshield, our creation was quite festive,” he said.

“Santa surprised us on Christmas morning by leaving a light dusting of fresh snow on the red rocks and cacti in our desert campsite.”

“”Our girls had the ultimate Christmas camping memory in the ‘60s,” said Jeanette Van Riper of Spokane.

Back then the Van Ripers lived in California and loved to camp in their “little cab-over camper that slept four and maybe two dogs.”

At the time Jeanette Van Riper’s brother and his family had recently lost their house to a wildfire and were living in a small trailer.

There “were three little girls between 7 and 9, who were very concerned about Santa finding them and no fireplace chimney for him to come down,” said Van Riper.

“But he came and they say he came through the air vent on top of the campers.”

As gifts for the girls, Van Riper’s brother had hand-sketched color books of fruit and vegetables. “They were wonderful things,” she said. “Everyone was so happy.”

After dinner “with all the trimmings” cooked in two miniature RV ovens, the family planted their live Christmas tree “to start a new forest.”

“Wow. What memories,” said Van Riper. “It doesn’t add up to a lot of gifts, just a lot of very good camping memories.”

“Full-time RVers Hugh and Dianne Finkley spent six week in Spokane last summer while waiting for their new Holiday Rambler diesel pusher, ordered through R ‘n R RV Center.

When reached in Houston, Hugh Finkley said: “The Christmas I remember most is the one we spent in Las Cruses, N.M., at the Hacienda RV Resort.”

The Finkleys were especially taken with Spanish traditions of the region and incredibly beautiful sunsets.

“On Christmas day there was a huge potluck dinner in the community hall,” said Finkley. “We may have started that day as strangers but went home with many new friends.”

“Full-time RVer Malia Lane (www.maliasmiles.com) sent in a story about the first Christmas she spent in her “new rolling home” near Charleston, S.C.

“I was traveling with my best friend,” wrote Lane. “I cooked a full-on Christmas feast in my tiny kitchen and it turned out to be one of the best meals and times ever, complete with a wreath, fragrant candles and wine from plastic glasses.

“We decorated a rather sad looking little tree outside the RVs and laughed about it looking like a real Charlie Brown Christmas tree.”

Lane said she is frequently asked if she is sad about being away from “home” during the holidays.

“From the very beginning,” she said, “my little 350-square-foot space has felt like home and no matter where it’s parked, I celebrate being home for the holidays.”