“It will be like ‘The Hangover,’ but with three women — and instead of a hotel on the Strip, everyone will sleep in an Airstream.”
Sounds like a pitch for a rom-com, or better yet, a horror flick, but it was my proposal for an atypical girls’ getaway — a long weekend of camping book-ended by two nights in Vegas. I assured my friends we wouldn’t be towing around a classic aluminum Airstream; rather, we’d be renting from Airstream 2 Go, which provides new models kitted out with sleek kitchens (including stove/oven/microwave), central heat/AC, a shower, flat-screen TV, iPod interface stereo and luxe linens. Plus a big SUV to pull it all around.
Our camping adventure started in a downtown Vegas lot, with a detailed demonstration of our Airstream-abode — everything from flushing the toilet to operating the automatic sunshade to (most important) hitching and unhitching the trailer.
Two hours later, we were on the road to our first stop: provisions. We got several thumbs-ups when we pulled into a local Whole Foods with our shiny aluminum toy — and many more stink-eyes after taking up an entire row of parking spots. But when your cargo stretches 28 feet, well, there aren’t a whole lot of options.
Our first destination was Valley of Fire, a state park just an hour outside of Vegas but one that felt a million miles away, with its looming, dinosaur-era sandstone formations and 3,000-year-old petroglyphs. For one night we would be boondocking, also known as “dry camping,” meaning no external electric, sewage or water hookups. But we wouldn’t be left hungry or in the dark — a generator automatically kicks in on the Airstream, powering the lights, furnace and stove/oven; the water (in an onboard storage tank) still runs and the toilet still works, too.
Our assigned site was just as we’d hoped — nothing but Valley of Fire nature all around (and a backup bathroom nearby!). We fired up the portable grill, set up the outdoor chairs and table, popped open the wine, and sat back to watch the sun sink below the blood-red rocks. Dolly Parton warbled on the stereo, and we ate, drank and commiserated about life under an immense, star-filled sky. When it was time to turn in, each nabbed a bed — a proper queen-size mattress was at the back; banquettes at the kitchen table and lounge area flipped around to create two more comfy sleeping spots.
We awoke to a perfect, sunny, 75-degree day, whipped up eggs and home fries — though sadly, no coffee, as the coffeemaker requires electrical power — and spent the morning hiking among the giant boulders and ancient petroglyphs.
But what had started off so well was about to get ugly. After driving several hours through the Nevada desert, we arrived late afternoon in Death Valley to discover the RV park was full. Though we had booked a site — or more accurately, the firm Off the Beaten Path, which partners with Airstream 2 Go, had — it had been given away. Which is a big problem when you’ve got a huge hotel room on wheels and nowhere within 100 miles to put it.
Hours and much haggling later, a manager took pity on us, located a spot and backed in the trailer — something you never want to do without experience. So much for communing with nature — we were wedged between a hulking motorhome and a laundry facility, our view a wall of dusty dryer vents and a dumpster.
Too tired to cook, we wended our way through the crowded RV park to the on-site restaurant and wondered aloud why anyone would choose RVing for a holiday — or a way of life. In this remote, 5,200-square-mile national park, people were packed together as tightly as any New York City apartment block.
Fortunately, there was Death Valley itself, a curiously beautiful geological fantasy of sand dunes, mud-colored mountains, brightly striped canyons, salt flats and of course, Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America. And over the next few weeks, brilliant wildflowers will wake up the barren landscape.
So, I asked my girlfriends — after we’d dropped off the trailer the next day and properly showered in our Bellagio suite — would we do it again? “Definitely … if we could just boondock it,” answered one. “Maybe … but in a place with better camping options,” said the other. As for me, I loved the company, but next time I’ll get a room.
Info: Rates for the smaller, 23-foot Airstream, which sleeps four, start at $3,080 for a four-day trip. Airstreams are also available from Los Angeles and Bozeman, Mont.