Happy Campers Part III
The RV is what the pioneers wish they had. It is a home away from home and a way to enjoy the wilderness in a somewhat civilized fashion.
When they were first married they camped out of a tent then upgraded to a trailer then eventually a motor home. Over the years they have enjoyed camping Cedar Mountain and Duck Creek in Utah. We caught up with them in Spanish Fork en route to Bozeman, Montana to visit their son. They plan to stay at Lake Hylite and watch their son flyfish. “He is a real pro. I fish with a reel and bait, but I like to watch him,” said Warren. They prefer their fifth wheel trailer to to motorhome because they don’t need to tow a second vehicle if they want to explore a town.
For the Lindemann family of Draper, RVing creates happy memories and close bonds with friends and family. Jerry and Collette started camping with a tent trailer when their kids were little. Later they graduated to a hard-side travel trailer, and then a motorhome. Now they go in style with a fifth wheeler, also called an all-season trailer, because it allows them to go off-road. Their 26-foot trailer is more durable than luxury RVs and a semi-hitch allows them to pull a boat or trailer full of four-wheelers behind the RV.
“It’s not fancy,” says Jerry Lindemann, but with a bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen, it’s the family’s rolling hotel room.
There are two kinds of RV camping, rough and hookups,” says Collette Lindemann. “We do ‘rough’ (or dry) camping.” They pack in their own water, use a generator for the lights, microwave
and television, and propane for the stove, fridge, heater, and water heater. “RV camping is comfortable and you have all your amenities,” she says.
Packing is easier, too. They can pack three-to-four days worth of food, which lasts longer in the fridge than a cooler. “After we get back I clean and repack and we’re ready to go for the next time,” says Colette. They can also bring their dog, Shelby.
Negatives include dumping sewage, gas mileage (12-13 mpg with just the trailer and 9 mpg with the boat or extra trailer), and it takes longer to drive. But according to Jerry, “You can’t put a price on a good time.”§
