All Jacked Up: The Less Magical Side of the Road Trip
Because not every part of the trip is sunshine and roses, these are some of the hidden pain points needling us behind the scenes.
Nov. 18, 2025
from Washington to Arizona
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:12-13
In the past five months, we’ve driven over 15,000 miles and visited 26 national parks (and counting!). We’ve seen friends and family in epic locations, experienced magical moments as a family, and taken beautiful photos at some of the world’s most stunning vistas.
So far, we’ve shared a lot about aspects of the trip that have gone smoothly. But, of course, a journey of this magnitude couldn’t happen without bumps in the road. So, these are some of the more jacked-up parts of the trip that we are working through behind the scenes.
The Trailer: Literally Jacked Up
One of the things we love about our fancier fifth wheel compared to our previous, basic travel trailer is that it has electric jacks and an auto-level function. When we set up at a campground, instead of having to manually level the trailer and extend the trailer jacks with a drill, we can push a button and have this important set-up task completed automatically.
Auto-leveling is amazing—when it works. When we arrived at our 34th stop just north of Vancouver, Washington, we did our usual set-up routine, but when I hit the Auto Level button, we were greeted with our first auto-leveling error message. Something was wrong with the front right jack.
After lots of troubleshooting, Nick determined the jack leg, which raises and lowers the trailer by way of a giant screw, was stripped out and needed to be replaced. We manually leveled the trailer and set up a freestanding jack to support the trailer’s weight. We ordered a new jack leg and motor to our friends’ house just south of us and waited through some drama of delayed shipping.
Nick installed the part the morning we were leaving town, only to discover the box was missing some key pieces. Looking ahead on our travel schedule, we had those parts sent to two campgrounds away in California. Thankfully, Nick MacGyver’d a quick fix to tide us over so we could get on the road.
After the right leg was fully repaired, auto-leveling began to work again—until it didn’t. Two stops later in Bend, Oregon, error messages beeped their annoying beep, informing us that the left jack had given up. Rinse and repeat, we shipped another jack to a friend’s house near Salt Lake City. Limping along for a few more stops, we manually leveled and used the truck’s spare tire jack on a stand until Nick could install the new part.
Since then, every time we set up at a new location, I hold my breath and say a prayer before hitting the Auto Level button. So far so good. But it was not much fun to limp along with broken trailer legs for several weeks. In hindsight, we probably should have replaced both legs at the same time. But RV life seems to prefer teaching lessons the hard way.
Regular Maintenance/Other Stuff Breaking
In addition to the jacks, With 20,000+ pounds of truck and trailer bouncing down the road, Nick is constantly repairing or maintaining something. Here’s a quick list from the last few weeks:
Replaced an air supply hose to the truck’s turbocharger that had developed a small crack
Leaky bathroom faucet; installed a new faucet
Leaky kitchen sink; tightened connections
Warping bathroom counters; caulked the sink rims
Changed the truck’s 3 fuel filters
Installed new wiper blades
Changed the truck’s oil
Chiseled out and adjusted the bedroom door latch so the door closes
Sanitized and flushed the trailer’s freshwater holding tank
Restocking Supplies/Receiving Mail
One very tricky aspect of being on the road for a year is the logistics to restock supplies and receive packages. Whenever a need arises to order something we can’t easily grab at a Walmart or auto parts store, we have to figure out where we’ll be in a week or two, which RV parks allow packages, and the timing to make sure we don’t miss a delivery.
We’ve also figured out that some RV parks don’t receive packages on the weekends because they are considered businesses. It has been endlessly helpful when friends on the way have allowed us to use their home address to ship things to.
I’ve had a few people ask where to send Christmas cards, and I don’t really have a plan for that. Anything you send to our home address in Virginia Beach will be forwarded to my parents’ house, and we’ll get it eventually.
Medical Anything
As I write this, I am thanking that Lord that in five months since we left our home, we’ve had very little need for medical intervention. The kids have been to urgent care three times for two issues, one of which was the only contagious illness a family member has had since we left.
The other issue required a referral for a specialist, which, due to our insurance, had to happen on the East region of the country. The problem was we were already out west. Plus, making an appointment with a specialist weeks out in a random place based on our travel schedule posed more layers of headache than orchestrating packages.
Thankfully, a friend of mine is a physician. She offered to call in the prescription and monitor the condition, which was an absolute godsend over navigating the logistics with healthcare and medical providers.
Nick also tried getting a prescription that he previously had on active duty refilled through the VA. Based on the runaround he got with the VA, which he’s newly navigating, you would think no one has ever needed medicine while traveling.
Needless to say, we’re extremely thankful for your prayers and for our family’s overall strong health during the trip so far.
Attitudes/Emotions
After we left Glacier National Park, I noticed a definite shift in the trip. It no longer felt like we were on a magical three-month summer vacation. It started to sink in that we weren’t returning home and weren’t starting another school year at the kids’ schools.
This was also the point when other kids were suddenly nowhere to be found. RV parks were empty of young families and the spontaneous friends Sadie and Nate connected with throughout the summer.
All of this added up to feel like we were spending a LOT of time together as a family—and in rather close quarters. That plus the shift to the new school routine, and each family member seemed to take a turn having big emotions. One family member fully wanted to go home.
Big emotions combined with weeks of dealing with a broken RV, figuring out road-schooling, all while learning a new place every three to five days was a LOT. Praise the Lord, we’ve worked through much of this. My prayer is that we’ve all learned a thing or two about managing emotions, working through conflict, and choosing contentment—all useful life skills for the long haul.
Blogging
Blogging during our two years in Guam was fairly simple. We’d go on a trip, come home, process it for a few days, and then I’d write up the highlights.
A tricky part of blogging this trip has been that we are still on the trip. So the question becomes, how can I possibly take time out of North Cascades to blog about the Tetons? How can I find a few hours in Moab to write about Glacier?
The blog became even harder to juggle once homeschooling began. Each day I spend an hour or so with the kids going over math, Spanish, language arts, and Bible verses. We let history, science, and social studies happen organically as we learn through the Junior Ranger program, introductory films, and audio-tours of national parks. The hour doing school together is the hour a day I spent blogging during the summer months.
We’re still committed to sharing the stories from all these amazing places—eventually. It’s just odd not having that built-in exhale period after returning home to reflect about a new place before writing about it.
Our Itinerary During the Shut Down
Several people reached out during the shutdown to ask if our trip to national parks had been impacted due to the closure of the government. Overall (and thankfully!) our plans weren’t impacted very much. In October and early November, we happened to be visiting parks mostly in California and Utah, which thankfully kept their national parks open and visitor centers staffed.
There were a few national monuments we passed en route that we would have liked to stop at, but these were mostly closed. One of our favorites, Craters of the Moon National Monument was open, but the visitor center was not (despite the website saying it was). Because no rangers were on site, we weren’t able to tour the caves we’d heard about. Given that we’d just hiked three miles through a lava tube at Mount Saint Helens, we shrugged that one off, grateful for what we were still getting to do.
The frustrating part was that it was nearly impossible to get accurate information about the parks’ statuses online. The National Park Service website for Great Basin National Park in Nevada said the visitor center was open. After we drove two hours to get there, it was closed, no rangers in sight. Thankfully the park was open, so we proceeded with a day of hiking, the kids just didn’t get Junior Ranger badges.
One park that was completely gated and locked during the shutdown was Petrified Forest National Park, our stop after the Grand Canyon. I canceled our RV park reservation and held our plans loosely. After weeks of uncertainty, the timing worked out for us to visit there three days after the government opened up. Understandably, the park is locked to ensure none of the precious stones go missing while the park is unstaffed.
Of course, none of our vacation inconveniences are worth comparing to the furloughing of employees, uncertainty of benefits, under-staffing of government agencies/airports, and delayed paychecks that millions of Americans were facing—including many of you.
If anything, we might have slightly benefited from the shutdown because fewer tourists were visiting the parks, and rangers weren’t collecting fees at entrance stations. For six weeks, we waited in zero lines to enter the parks. But frankly, we would rather have sat in the lines knowing fees were being collected to support the parks.
Everyone’s Hair and Clothes
After five months on the road, we are one scraggly looking bunch. We all need haircuts. Nick’s beard is nearly ready for his Santa audition. One family member who shall not be named has worn the same clothes five days in a row.
The best part is, it doesn’t matter. The social conventions of maintaining clothing and hair styles fall away when you’re not planning to see anyone you know week after week. It’s pretty freeing, and reminds me of the two glorious years we lived in Guam where the OOTD was workout clothes and swimsuits.
Plus, wearing clothes for multiple days cuts way down on laundry—and there’s nothing jacked up about that.
Strong ballcap game underway in Zion :)
Roberts on the Road
Petrified Forest National Park
For those just finding us, hello! Inspired by the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25, our family is on a yearlong RV road trip in 2025-2026 to celebrate my husband’s retirement after 20 years in Naval Special Warfare, as well as our 24 years together during the ups and downs of it all.
With our 12-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son in tow, this trip to explore America’s national parks and beautiful places is intended to help our family reflect and reset as civilian life begins.
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