Ten of us from The Venue Report team were confirmed: we’re going to the Grand Canyon! Amidst the excitement buzzing in the air about reporting on the newest Under Canvas glamping experience near the Grand Canyon, we had no means of getting there. Sure, we could caravan it and pile into a few cars, but where’s the fun in that? And since it’s the Grand Canyon, flying was out of the question. A commuter van wouldn’t do either once you consider what 10 people’s luggage looks like. That left one option… we were going to RV it. Almost immediately, visions of Family Vacation started bouncing around as the thought of all ten of us (and a dog) – together – in a RV for ten hours became a reality. Don’t get us wrong, RV’s are magical vessels but still, ten hours.
How does one (or ten) go about renting a RV? Where do you look? Is there a site for that now? We quickly came across Outdoorsy, a RV rental marketplace that connects RV owners with RV seekers to answer this question. The average RV sits unused 350 days a year so what better way to give them the love they deserve than to rent them out peer-to-peer? Using Outdoorsy is a breeze too, operating like similar rental property sites, all rates, bookings and transactions are done right on Outdoorsy.
Call time: 6:30am, Carlsbad, California.
We rolled up groggy but excited for the adventure ahead of us. We packed up the RV, named Minnie Winnie, reviewed our rules of the road trip, took one final headcount and got on our way. Bagels and coffee were passed around as we left sleepy Carlsbad.
First stop: 9:30am, Palm Springs, California.
First fuel-up and bathroom break. We piled out of the RV (feeling quite like a clown car as people stared) and embraced that dry, hot Palm Springs air. Us being us, we also turned this quick stop into a photo shoot with our dear Minnie Winnie. Her white and tan facade perfectly complemented the desert surroundings, and we may have dressed the part too, what can we say?
Photo stop: 11:30am, Route 66.
When you’re the only RV (or vehicle for that matter) on the road, that empty highway starts to tell you things like: “Pull over and take photos,” or “No one is on the road, you can finally pose on the double yellow line.” We succumbed to the call of road and did just that.
Lunch stop: 1:00pm. Havasu, Arizona.
As we crossed over the Arizona border said our goodbyes to California, we found a diner on the water that was made for road trip lunches. We stopped, braced ourselves for the 100 degree heat and piled back out of Minnie Winnie. Of course, we over ordered and took down as many nachos, onion rings and fried pickles we could.
Snack stop: 4:30pm, somewhere in the desert.
We watched the landscape and sky change from barren desert to alpine to almost other worldly – the sky had interesting and beautiful clouds scattered across while a downpour was visible in the distance while the landscape went in between desert and alpine as we drove along. We came across a charming souvenir shop and eagerly ran in. Handmade Native American jewelry, Christmas ornaments and small goods filled the shop – a few of us picked up ornaments for ourselves and gifts. 
Arrival: 5:30pm, Valle, Arizona.
Sweet, sweet arrival. We pulled up to Under Canvas in our trustworthy chariot and disembarked from our long, fun-filled, card game-playing, music singing road trip. Minnie Winnie took care of us and got all ten of us (and a dog) there safely and soundly.
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