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M6 Travel a 2 8 2 0 1 9 the spectacular red mountains all around me, and then calmly climbed back inside and drove off. Arguing had stopped. Peace had been restored. Once you embrace this inevitability, then do it. Because unlike your car, the RV is also your bedroom, your family room, your bathroom, your kitchen, even your patio.

And, whether two, four, six, or eight people, sure to be a lot more memorable than any Comfort Inn. never been to the Southwest. My wife went with a girlfriend 25 years ago. We talked about an RV trip for a few years, but only after friends raved about their experiences were we sold. Our kids are 13 and 11; the timing felt right.

And once we compared the cost of traveling by RV versus traditional hotel rooms, plus a car rental, plus din- ing out for every meal, we realized the RV would actually be cheaper. Bonus! I mapped out an ambitious route pick up the RV in Phoenix, drop it off in Las Vegas, while visiting Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and Zion National Park. I rented a super wide-angle lens for my Nikon to cap- ture the scenery ($90 to rent versus $300 to buy). Now it was time to find me an RV. Two companies surfaced first El Monte and Cruise America.

El vehicles looked nicer, cleaner, bigger, but Cruise America had better hours and locations. Deborah at Cruise America walked me through every question I naively threw at her and added in her valuable opinions. Does it come with pots and pans? No. The kitchen set is $100 to rent pots and pans, plates, bowls, silver- ware, utensils, flashlight, colander, cutting board. What about sheets and towels? Each personal kit costs $55 per person.

But Deborah recommended we bring our own, or buy cheap sets at Walmart. be a lot cheaper than $220, she said. Good tip. What size RV should we get? She said be fine with the 25-foot, but the larger 30-foot has more privacy for adults, a door separating the bedroom from the front cabin. Can you explain how the toilet works? Is emptying it easy? Very easy, she swore.

What about driving it? Do I get any uRV TRIP Continued from Page M1 help? be fine, she insisted. Those last two questions were on my mind leading up to our trip. A few weeks before we left, our family watched the 2006 Robin Williams comedy and the scene that left us cracking up was, naturally, the poop hose exploding like Old Faithful. I was terrified of living that moment. And even though I had rented U- Haul trucks, one thing to drive a load of furniture a few miles between homes.

another to drive your wife and two children 700 miles over strange highways and twisting moun- tain roads, not to mention pulling into tight parking spots and unfamiliar campgrounds. We landed in Phoenix on a Satur- day morning in late June and I was at the counter of Cruise America in an hour. I signed some waivers, then they pointed me to a TV to watch their 30- minute instructional video. Ben and I sat down for some screen time. This would answer all my questions, I was told.

Except the narrator talked so fast, I wish taken notes as he explained all the hookups, hoses, folding beds, propane tanks, and generators. If a quiz was coming, I was in trouble. Mildly concerned, I returned to the desk and asked about driving tips. She looked at me, smiled, and handed over the keys. over she said, pointing to their garage.

can practice a few turns outside. Just circle the block, what everyone OK, then. Everyone piled in. We filled up the refrigerator with groceries bought at a nearby Wal-Mart to stock up for breakfasts, plus a few lunches and dinners. We plugged in the $13 toaster we bought.

Ben staked claim to the loft bed over the seat while Julia happily took the fold-out couch. And we were off. what I learned at the very first stop light about driving a 30-foot vehicle: Paying attention to in front of you while important is not as critical as watching your rear end. Our Subaru Outback is 15 feet long. My RV was twice that.

If I turned too sharply, its side would scrape any signpost, tree, fire hydrant, or (gulp) pedestrian too close to the curb. My sideview mirrors became my new best friends. But, just in case I ner- vous enough, nearly every sharp turn was greeted with a by at least one member of the backseat driv- ing crew. Highway driving was a breeze loud, bumpy, stiff. Yes, I felt a little like Chevy Chase in The kids loved sitting at the table (wearing seatbelts), where they could play cards, stitch bracelets, write a page in the travel journal I insisted they fill up, or play on the battery-pow- ered, 1980s-style miniature games bought at Brookline Booksmith (Pac- Man, Mattel football).

Each stop along our itinerary of- fered us a different experience. And no drive was longer than three hours. We ate breakfast in the RV most morn- ings, toasting waffles and bread, scrambling eggs, adding cold water to Bisquick pancake mix, or hot water to oatmeal packets. Oh, and there were Little Debbie Mini Powdered Donuts because vacation. Deli meats and snacks powered us through most lunches, and we cooked four dinners pasta two nights, a giant salad, and burgers eating out the rest of the week.

We also found ways to stay orga- nized, dangling our sunglasses off of one cubby handle, making sure our backpacks and Camelbacks hung off the same hook, putting dirty laundry into one big cubby, stuffing our shoes into another cubby along the floor. These little things were a big help. In Sedona, we took a Pink Jeep tour through the red rocks (our tour guide was a Patriots fan from Acton) then hiked along a stream, where we found a quiet swimming hole and dove into the cold water for a refreshing dip. At the Grand Canyon, we rented bikes from Bright Angel Bicycles and pedaled 21 hilly miles out and back along the South Rim, stopping to gape at each new canyon view as if it was the first. The next day we hiked miles down the South Kaibab trail (one-third of the way to the bottom of the canyon), and then turned around for the steep climb back.

The trail was narrow in spots, which made it both harrowing and exhilarating. I would frequently yell up to my kids, to the inside, In return, they yelled back at me to stop taking pic- tures and pay attention. Touche. If we would have eliminated one stop from our trip, it would be Lake Powell in Page, Ariz. second largest man-made lake, it was scalding hot and our campground had no shade.

We chose it for the opportunity to swim, but the swimming great. And while our rafting trip through Glen Canyon was beautiful, especially when we spotted foxes in the rocks and blue herons flying past us, it had no rapids and the pace was a little bit sleepy. By the time we reached Zion on Thursday, or day six, everybody was running on empty. We scaled back our hike to a trek up from the base, and retreated back to Zion Pon- derosa Ranch Resort, the heavenly campground booked just outside the park. The pools with slides, the zip- line, the foosball, and Ping-Pong tables all provided a sense of normalcy ex- cept it was tucked into one of the most picturesque places on earth.

My fears about all the hookups and hoses and generator switches were un- necessary. I had one dummy moment our first night when we tried to charge our phones on the outlets inside only to realize the next morning that I nev- er plugged the power cord into the electricity at the Sedona camp- ground. And when the water inside the RV shower drain at the Grand Canyon campground, I had to browse the 300-page manual to under- stand how to drain it. As for that poop hose, my Robin Williams moment never happened no leaks, drips, or explosions all week. I snaked the hose into the hole at each new campsite we stayed at, released one lever to flush out the toilet, then released a second lever that sent a rush of clean water through.

Over eight days, we saw some of most visited, scenic, incredi- ble natural vistas. And we topped off the trip with a night of air-conditioned luxury in Vegas, catching a Cirque Du Soleil show, wandering the shops of the Venetian, and sprawling out in our plush, king-size beds. We laughed like families do, we bickered like families do, but years from now, when we look back at my 1,044 pictures (sorry, kids), my favor- ite shots be of the red rocks of Sedona or the awesome views of the Canyon, or the water slide at Zion, but the ones that capture our gang flipping burgers, stitching friendship bracelets, writing journal entries, all while relax- ing inside our 30-foot hotel room roll- ing along the Arizona highways. Doug Most can be reached at Follow him on Twitter continue the harassing of the interlop- ers he feels are trespassing on his land out past the century-plus-old covered bridge over the Pemigewasset River. The Wolfman is afraid of heights, the story goes, so he will not cross the bridge.

And even more afraid of water, so declines to go under it. Bears, also known as Trading Post, celebrated its 90th birth- day last year as a venerable New Hampshire roadside attraction hard to describe what we says Maureen Clark, one of the two bear trainers along with her brother, Mur- ray and the Wolfman has been part of the lure and the lore for just about half its history. Among the eclectic attractions at Bear and circus shows, bum- per boats complete with water guns, Segway rides, and activities from a climbing wall to mining to candle- making, along with five museums and a photo shop where you can get your- self dolled up as a flapper or Dead or bad dude. In short, something for just about everyone. On one of our most recent visits, we carted along four generations and had a great time and each one of our party of a dozen or so ages 1 to 84 found things to do, from teenagers and a pair of 56-year-olds checking out the Seg- ways to the matriarch enjoying an ice cream and a stroll through the numer- ous artifacts from yesteryear, to the ride on the steam train, to young and old duking it out in the blaster boats that are, well, just a blast.

Late last month, on a gorgeous af- ternoon, I watched Maureen and Mur- ray playfully perform with black bears Echo and Tula to entertain and edu- cate a crowd. A little later, Tavin Fisher and his Connecticut-based family shooed away the Wolfman albeit a newer, young- er Wolfman much like my kids did 30-something years ago. visit Village and can say a Christmas theme or Story- land and you know about story book Maureen Clark says. have steam train rides and bear uCLARK'S Continued from Page M1 shows and a variety of Americana. basically like something you would have seen in the 1950s or 1960s.

But every day a lot of people do come to see the Maureen is a member of the third generation of five generations of Clarks that have worked in the family business since her grandparents Ed and Florence Murray Clark first en- couraged tourists to stop by their place and check things out in 1928. They first set out to promote sled dogs Florence once drove a dog team to the top of Mount Washington to publicize the dogs and soon ac- quired a couple of black bears as a common practice in those days to draw people off the roads and into a business. It was nearly 20 years before the bear shows began. Circus acts have been part of the mix for the last two decades, but the beloved North American black bears steal the show. Ooohs and aaahs and so comments abound as Murray de- livers a lesson on bear life in amongst his one-liners.

The crowd even chuck- les at the oft-corny lines as Murray and Maureen share their ice cream liter- ally share, one bite for you, one for me with Echo and Tula and the bears make basketball shots, dribble giant hockey pucks with their paws, and ride scooters. someday she can play with the Murray says of Tula, and then waits to deliver his kicker. first need a steady diet of maple Get it? After that particular show, a family stopped to talk with Maureen and de- livered a common message: One of their kids loved the train best, one loved the bears, and they have a new dog: Her name, Tula. bet there are 100 dogs have been named after our bear Maureen says. Then the young man who has a rather large face of Pemi, another of bears, tattooed on his leg, and the older couple in Keene who have a bear on a platform, old logo, on their gravestone.

Maureen trained another of the bears to pro- duce a diamond ring as part of a young proposal to his intended. (The man wisely and safely stayed on the platform above the bear performance to complete his share of the proposal.) A newish event at is held just outside the park and only once a year. The for the 5K road race, with proceeds going to the local Linwood Ambulance Service, was held on the last Saturday in June. For their race entrance fee, runners receive a free admission to for any day during the season, and a T-shirt. a BYOB Bring Your Own Bear event.

Participants must carry a ted- dy bear throughout the race. The Wolfman fired his shotgun to start the race. Yes, the Wolfman doing a good deed: not that bad of a guy when you get to know him. Bill Farrand, per- haps the most beloved Wolfman of all, set a good example of that and when he died last year, a decade after he last played the role, Facebook page filled with likes (about 18,000) and comments (11,000) in tribute, Mau- reen says. The Wolfman started out of necessi- ty in the early 1970s, says Anne Clark Englert, cousin of Maureen, and the Anne behind Famous Apple Crisp that is a huge fall seller in the Peppermint Saloon.

Anne, a cousin of Maureen, is one of 20 Clark family members on the payroll of 150 em- ployees. It seems Murray Clark, the bear trainer and father of Murray and Mau- reen, was going to be out for at least a few days, and there was a need to spice things up with the bear show down. Enter Leon Noel, who worked on the White Mountain Central Railroad tracks. He found an old raccoon coat and dressed up and started yelling at the folks on the train, telling them to get off his property. next day, people said they wanted to see the old Anne says.

A legend was born. The day we stopped at in late June, Will Dimas, a 2018 graduate of St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, was in his third day as the Wolfman and having a blast. Dimas said. of it.

working outside. I drive a fast car. I shoot some guns and yell at kids. not to not to love? That might double as a Bears theme. To paraphrase a rather famous young lady who once upon a time had a well-documented run-in with bears: is not too big.

not too far. not too expensive. This place is just right. Allen Lessels can be reached at has everything and something for everyone The Wolfman (above) has been delighting riders on the steam engine at for years. Murray and Maureen Clark (below left) work with the bears at Trading Post.

Seeing the Southwest in a rolling hotel room DOUG MOST FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE The family rented bikes at the Grand Canyon and rode for miles and miles (top) and at night relaxed in their rented RV. It was close quarters but comfortable..