RV Summer

Chapter 2

The first task come morning and after breakfast was getting everything they had taken out of their old RV into the new RV. The two of them passed each other during countless trips. Bed sheets, pillows, blankets, plates, glasses, silverware, pots, pans, kitchen utensils, strainers, small kitchen appliances, cans of food, food that was dry storage, maps, and clothes for every possible instance.

They stopped for lunch and then finally dinner. "We've got a problem, Dad." They didn't need to solve it now since they would be gone, but when they got back they were going to have a problem.

Rick offered his first guess. "One of the tires is flat already?" He was in the what could go wrong mode and wasn't thinking. Alexis shook her head. It wasn't raining, thank God, so there couldn't possibly be a leak already. "We need to do a load of laundry first?" Maybe they could test out the new set on the RV after they plugged the RV into power and water.

Alexis shook her head again. "The new one's too big for the barn." Their old RV fit perfectly. The new one was too long.

"Seriously?" Rick hadn't thought to look or measure. She nodded. "Well crap!" It meant either a new RV barn or remodel the one they had to make the new one fit. "It can wait until we get back. …We need to shut down the house tomorrow." He meant turn off the water and drain the pipes. They were going to leave the power on.

"I know and lock up the house tight. We need to get everything off the roof tomorrow, too." They didn't need for a storm to blast through and blow everything or anything off the roof.

"I'll handle that while you keep loading the RV. We've got one more thing to discuss, though." Rick got up, retrieved the information he'd printed out, and put the three of them on the table. "We need to chose what car to buy. Here are the three options I've cut it down to. They'll all fit in the trailer but each is a slightly different size. Say we want to get quads in the future we can't get this car." Rick put his finger on that one. "We have room for the spare tires that we also need to get along with fill the gas cans, buy oil, oil filters, spark plugs, air filters–" Alexis held up her hand, getting him to stop.

"Why do we need all that stuff?" Tires and gas cans she could see, but why the other stuff?

"We plan on making it to the Grand Canyon this year. That means traveling through the desert. What if we have a dust storm? A flat tire when we stop in the middle of nowhere? The car or maybe our bikes might be all we have to get help." Rick was overthinking it but he wanted to be prepared.

"Dad!" Alexis needed to reel him in before he filled the trailer with all kinds of stuff they didn't need. "Tires and gas only, forget the rest of that stuff."

"But…" Rick watched her shake her head and he groaned. She was destroying his plan.

"Even the smallest town has someone that can change tires, change the oil, and do all that other stuff." Alexis kept shaking her head and moved the pages closer to her so she could look over what had her dad selected as the three to choose from. She was concerned that he had chosen something really stupid.

"A Smart Fourtwo, a Mini, and a Fiat 500." She was actually impressed. She had feared something far worse. A whole lot worse.

Alexis started with the Smart Fourtwo, began reading and looking at the pictures. "No backseat, no place for groceries, no place to put anything but us. We have to use one of our smart phones to get a backup camera or GPS?" She hated it; she pushed it to one side and pulled the next one down to her.

"The Fiat 500." It was barely bigger than the Smart Fourtwo. It had a backseat…sort of. It was even uglier than the Smart Fourtwo and that was saying something. "This one doesn't come with a spare tire, either. You have to call their service for a flat tire let alone a shredded one." She sighed. So far she was seeing problems.

Alexis laid it to the other side. The Smart Fourtwo was dead; this one was still alive for now.

"A Mini." She had seen these on the road before and some of them looked really nice.

"There's a problem with this car." Rick beat her to it. "Unless we buy one that's on the lot it can take months to design our own and have it built."

Alexis looked it over. "It has the same tire problem." All three had the same issue: no spare tire in the car. Not even those tiny emergency donuts. She sat back and thought about it. She was also trying to think of other cars that were also small. She was betting that every small car would come without a spare tire of any kind. She made a decision but she had a question for him. "Can we get a Mini that's a convertible?" If they were going to use the car to go see things, she wanted to be able to see those things.

Rick hadn't expected that question. "It'll have your long hair flying all over the place." Alexis still had beautiful, long, orange-colored hair. A convertible would have it flying all over.

She had one answer for him. "A French braid. I'll let you do the braiding." She smiled. Her dad was really good at it and had been doing it to her hair since she was little.

Rick was actually happy. "One new or used Mini convertible it is then. Just don't be too picky over the color, we may not have much to choose from."

Alexis smiled, her eyes bright with excitement. "I promise. When do we go get it?" What was his plan for all this?

"Tomorrow after we load everything. We stop and get the car, stop and get tires for the car, RV, and trailer, then stop and fill the gas cans. After that we can head for our first destination. Stop on the side somewhere if we have to. …Where are we going?" Rick was beyond curious.

"Uh-uh, Dad. I'm not telling and no peeking! I broke down and am willing to give you an address to plug into the GPS instead of me using the map like usual, but I'm not talking." Rick had let her plan this trip so their primary stops were up to her.

"Promise me. Pinky promise." Alexis held out her pinky for him to link his with. She heard him groan but he started to put his pinky finger out. "Show me your other hand." She'd learned that he would cross his fingers on his other hand and claim that that countered his pinky promise. That had him groaning even louder as Alexis waited impatiently. Finally after seeing both hands he linked his pinky with hers.

"Remember your promise." She would find a way to make him pay if he didn't.

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They ended up in Darien, CT. A whole 34 miles away.

British Racing Green Metallic 2019 MINI Cooper FWD 6-Speed Automatic with Steptronic 1.5L 12V TwinPower Turbo 27/35 City/Highway MPG

Additional Information

Wheels: 15" x 5.5" Heli Spoke Silver, Front Bucket Seats, SensaTec Leatherette Upholstery, AM/FM Stereo, Iconic Trim, LED Fog Lights, MINI Yours Leather Steering Wheel, Chrome Line Exterior, Body Color Mirror Caps, Auto-Dimming Interior & Exterior Mirrors, MINI Excitement Package, Front Center Armrest w/Storage, Exterior Parking Camera Rear, Smart device integration: MINI Connected, 4-Wheel Disc Brakes, 6 Speakers, Air Conditioning, Electronic Stability Control, Rear Parking Sensors, Tachometer, ABS brakes, AM/FM radio, Brake assist, Bumpers: body-color, Convertible roof lining, Delay-off headlights, Driver door bin, Driver vanity mirror, Dual front impact airbags, Dual front side impact airbags, Emergency communication system, Four wheel independent suspension, Front anti-roll bar, Front reading lights, Fully automatic headlights, Glass rear window, Heated door mirrors, Illuminated entry, Integrated roll-over protection, Knee airbag, Leather steering wheel, Low tire pressure warning, Occupant sensing airbag, Outside temperature display, Overhead console, Passenger door bin, Passenger vanity mirror, Power convertible roof, Power door mirrors, Power steering, Power windows, Radio data system, Rain sensing wipers, Rear anti-roll bar, Rear window defroster, Rear window wiper, Remote keyless entry, Speed control, Speed-sensing steering, Split folding rear seat, Sport steering wheel, Steering wheel mounted audio controls, Telescoping steering wheel, Tilt steering wheel, Traction control, Trip computer, Variably intermittent wipers, Speed-Sensitive Wipers

Purchasing car insurance online was easy, however getting a license plate that was going to last all summer was the next problem. Unbeknownst to Rick, Alexis had already taken care of that problem. They just needed to make it to the city that had the P.O. Box she had already arranged for. "That'll work," they were assured.

Now with the Mini Cooper in the trailer with its temporary plate they needed tires for it, the RV, and the trailer. Then gas and they could get moving.

After their salesman was informed of their plan he was jealous. "Maybe I can talk my wife into it." He didn't have the money to get what Rick had but there were smaller trailers that cost a lot less that his truck could pull.

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"Ready for the address?" Alexis was sitting in her chair up front and had her book of everywhere they were going to go in her lap along with a number of spots along the way including a few alternates if she had to use them.

"All set, let's have it." Rick's finger hovered over the GPS's screen.

"74 NY-149, Lake George, New York." It was her first stop on her list.

"One hour thirty-five minutes. You're not taking us very far today." Rick was a little shocked.

"I planed ahead, Dad. We've already spent half the day getting the car and the tires and gas." Alexis had taken all that into account early on.

"So what does this place have?" Rick was curious as he pulled out of the gas station and got ready to turn where the GPS told him to do.

"It has a fitness center, a 2-acre off-leash dog park, indoor and outdoor heated pools, a fishing pond, recreation courses, playgrounds, arcades, movie rooms, and a playhouse that hosts live entertainment," Alexis explained as she read from her book.

"No casino?" Rick was a little disappointed and pouted for effect.

"Not today." That had Rick looking at her; he forgot to turn when he had an opening so he had to wait for the next opening. Was she teasing him or were they really going to stop at a casino along the way?

"Drive, Dad." He had a nice really big opening to turn into.

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"Lake George RV Park." Rick read the sign as he pulled into the area and stopped at the reservations building. "You're sure we haven't been here before?" It was so close to home they had to have come here at least once by now.

"Not unless you came here with someone else. …Gina maybe." Alexis couldn't help but tease him.

"Please don't say her name during this trip. I deal with her enough as it is." Rick was on summer vacation and while he might write some since he couldn't help himself, he didn't want to talk about Gina or hear from Gina. "Let's find our spot."

They came back out with a map of where their space was for the next three days and two nights. He had a brochure about all that was offered there as well as a bundle of firewood for the fire pit that came with their site in addition to a picnic table.

"There." Alexis was counting as they went. "We get a pass through just like the map says."

It allowed Rick to pull right in and went so far in that he was almost sticking out the front and then soon found that the trailer was sticking out by about a foot or so. "Good enough." He didn't see the need to move six inches or more.

Alexis picked up the pad and pressed the buttons to extend the slide outs followed by the canopies. Rick took the time to get out a pair of chairs while Alexis used the pad to level out the RV using the automatic jack system. Then he plugged them into the water and power and the cable TV outlets.

"Are we cooking inside or outside?" Rick asked her after she came outside.

"Outside. If you want to grill instead you need to get out the grill while I look for the propane bottles." Alexis answered his question which was basically, you choose.

"Grill, it is." Rick started opening up doors while Alexis went in search of the tiny propane bottles that went with it. The grill was small since there was only the two of them. They didn't need anything bigger.

Rick was soon grilling simple burgers while Alexis was reading the brochure. "They have a doggie park!" She rubbed it in since he had once offered to get her a pony but refused to get her a dog.

"We talked about this," Rick said mildly as he flipped the burgers.

"We have space, Dad. At home and in the RV now. This one is 20 feet bigger than our old one." Alexis was more than willing to fight that fight again now that things had changed.

"A Chihuahua is not a dog, Alexis." It was a big rat with a big mouth as far as he was concerned.

She huffed an annoyed breath. "I don't want a Chihuahua. I want a real dog. A Labrador or a Collie maybe. Something big." Alexis knew there were tiny breeds but those weren't dogs to her.

Rick countered back. "Too much hair."

"Labradors don't have that much hair so no brushing is involved and Collies come in the smooth hair type so their hair is just as short," Alexis retorted. "A Poodle or Labradoodle maybe."

"A what oodle?" Rick inquired.

"Half Poodle, half Labrador. Labradoodle." What she hadn't told him yet was that they were stopping at a breeder she had found that had puppies for sale. They were getting a puppy, he just didn't know it yet.

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Rick started the fire in the fire pit using the wood they'd bought while Alexis went in search of the marshmallows.

She found the sweet treats and handed the bag to him. He put two on a long skewer, toasting them to a golden brown as he spoke to her. "What's on the list for tomorrow and don't say dog park. We don't have a dog." He didn't want to hear it.

Alexis kept the not yet, Dad to herself. "There's tennis, pools, pool tables, and a fitness center. You're getting a little chubby." He didn't want a dog so she was going to razz him until he caved in.

"Funny." Rick glared at her which Alexis ignored as usual.

"A pond with paddle boats and there are bike trails. We could get the bikes out. Oh and there's a small cafe that probably has sandwiches and chips if you don't want to cook tomorrow." Alexis had done her reading.

"Bike riding to the sandwich shop sounds good." He was willing to do that.

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"'Night, Dad." She watched him open the door to his big bedroom and his big bed.

"Night, pumpkin. Try and keep the sound down." She had the massive 65-inch LED TV down and was watching a movie he really wasn't interested in. Unfortunately he had an idea buzzing around in his head and had plans on pulling out his laptop so he could get it out and into a text document.

Alexis let her movie end then turned it off and put it back up, using the pad to lower all of the curtains and turn off all the lights which she quickly found was not the best idea. They weren't just curtains, they were blackout curtains. Thankfully the pad was backlit so back on came one light until she closed the pocket door behind her. She got dressed for bed then went into the bathroom to start her nightly routine. She was young and had beautiful skin; she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. That and use the toilet.

She found a light control in her bed area after climbing up so used that light for now. She couldn't resist checking out her own personal TV so she turned it on and pulled down the screen. It landed just above her stomach so the screen was nice and close as were the speakers. "This is so cool." It was so much better than sleeping on the dinette in their old RV.

Alexis turned off the TV and the light, fluffed her pillow, and turned over. In just a few minutes she drifted off to sleep.

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After breakfast Rick got down the mountain bikes while Alexis checked the pressure of her tires. Having a trailer was already proving to be a great thing to have. The bikes were easy to access and the pump for low tires was also easier to reach. Hers was a light blue Roadmaster Grainte Peak Mountain Bike with 24-inch wheels. Rick's was a black Mongoose Xr-pro, 29-inch wheels with 24 speeds.

They were located in Circle Drive in space number 304. Just to get to their space they had seen the tennis courts, volley ball court, and the baseball diamond.

"Maybe I should take up baseball; what do you think, Dad?" They peddled past it as they traveled down Circle Drive.

"You'll be great at anything you put your mind to." Rick was totally amazed at just how dedicated she was to school and learning new things. Her most recent addition had been violin classes. He had taken up fencing while she was out of the house.

"More firewood." Alexis pointed out the building that looked like it was holding lots of cords of wood as they turned left and went up Circle Drive.

They rode past the main office and continued the route they had taken to reach their site until they found the start of the bike trail. The trail was heavily wooded and initially was big on S's. Then they hit a T in the trail. "Left or fight?" Rick didn't care which.

Alexis thought for a moment. "Left, it looks like there's a lake that way," she decided and they began peddling.

They quickly saw a large pond to their right and trees to the left. Then they came to another T and a small building that looked like a bus stop, only bigger.

Alexis read what was on the side of the building. "It says it's a trolley stop and that this pond is bass fishing pond. It even has a fountain in the middle. There's a map. There's another pond to the left. It says it has paddle boats."

"Left it is." Not because he wanted out on the water in a paddle boat but because it was a pond.

They ended up going all the way around that pond and back the way they came until they reached the trolley stop and finally saw a trolley that was stopped at it. It went back the way they had just come so they went left and went around the fishing pond.

This route went through trees on both sides and just kept going and going and going until it ended and they were back on a black top road. "I'm lost, Dad." She had no idea where they were.

"Go right first. If we don't see anything we go back the way we came," Rick suggested.

"Children's playground." Alexis saw signs of life. Then she saw RVs that were much smaller than theirs.

"Civilization!" Rick thought they were saved and it had Alexis grinning.

A left turn down a path and they saw the main building in the distance in front of them. They went past it again and went down past the pools.

"I think that's the cafe," Alexis said since it was close enough to lunch.

Soft serve ice cream, a large selection of hard ice cream, milkshakes and sundaes, fresh baked cookies and muffins, nachos, cappuccino and coffee as well as a wide variety of soft drinks and a selection of sandwiches with chips.

"Ooo, ice cream." Both of them smiled since they were both addicted to the stuff.