Travelogue

Lazy Daze camping in Flying JWhile this might be the first time that my name appears on the byline of a trip stop, this is not the first time that I have traveled solo in the RV. That dubious milestone was set this last February, when in an effort to cure a sinus infection, I migrated south for a 3-week stay in Florida. The good news was that it worked!! In a few weeks my infection was cured. The bad news was that I was traveling solo, since Lorry couldn’t leave her 90-year-old mother for such an extended duration.

Despite 10 years of motor home travel across the country, I was still a little anxious about solo travel, and the extended absence from Lolo. I couldn’t do anything about the spousal separation, but before the February solo trip, I did make a few modifications to the RV which included:

• RV Cams 56-CHNV video backup camera and 5.6” monitor
• Six new Michelin LTX M/S tires and a TireTraker tire pressure monitoring system
• Viewsonic 24” HDTV and ASUS 1000he netbook PC
• Android phone for Google Maps navigation and internet connection.

Since everything had performed flawlessly on the 3000-mile solo Florida trip, I was a lot less apprehensive about this trip. I would visit some of our favorite stops on the way out west (same as our 2005 trip), and in less than 5 days be reunited with my family in Boulder, Co. It sounded like a great plan, and spirits were high as I left the driveway and pointed the Lazy Daze west once again.

Morning coffee water with HydroplaneThe Toledo Flying J has been a regular stop for us because it’s the perfect distance from our home for a first nights stay. The 560 miles over 11 hours are not too tough on the first day of a trip when trip fatigue has not yet set in, and the excitement of starting a new adventure is high.

Arriving in time for cocktails I took a spot with a sunset view of the trucks leaving the fuel pumps. My only neighbor was another RV that was trailering a hydroplane boat. I think he was traveling solo too, and I felt somewhat inadequate as I have never trailered anything behind the Lazy Daze. Our 20’ Grady White boat weighs 4000# and sits on a 26’ trailer which would be a bit too much to tow. Perhaps a small car or a motorcycle trailer to carry my Honda ST1100 will be on the hitch on the next trip.

Description

Flying J's are Travel Plazas that cater to truckers and RV's. Their numerous services include gas, a dump stations, propane, fast food restaurant, limited groceries, and even showers and a barber shop. However, the best feature of all is the RV section that allows overnight parking.

They are conveniently located on most of the interstates (except for the East Coast)