1 Touring the Colorado Rockies by RV

Our four kids, ages 2 to 10, loved the idea of a motorhome trip, but my husband, TJ, and I were prepared to hate it. For wilderness lovers like us, the idea of camping in a gas-guzzling recreational vehicle--complete with microwave and VCR--held little appeal.

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What we found, on a five-day trip through the Colorado Rockies, was that traveling by RV is a great way for our family to explore the scenic towns and backroads of our home state. Motoring through the spectacular high country of Rocky Mountain National Park, Steamboat Springs, Leadville, and Breckenridge, we always had our home base with us. In between hikes and bike rides, the kids could make a pit stop, grab a snack, or take a nap. It was like car camping with indoor plumbing and a coffeemaker.

What the kids loved: Inviting their friends over to tour the Winnebago Minnie the night before we left. Unrolling the RV's shade awning. Climbing the ladder to the roof. Pushing the button to operate the slideout, expanding walls that zoom out to double the living space. And zooming it in again ... and out again ...

What TJ and I loved: Waking up on a comfy full-size mattress and down pillows, on our first morning in Rocky Mountain National Park, to a jaw-dropping view of the Continental Divide framed in the bedroom window. Firing up the generator to brew a pot of Peet's coffee to sip by the campfire. Being able to serve dinner within minutes when we arrived late at a campground by Turquoise Lake near Leadville--the lasagna had been warming in the oven as we drove.

Memorable moments: Fishing in Rocky Mountain National Park, where 2-year-old Charlie was sure he hooked several trout. Stopping for ice cream in Grand Lake and letting Bonnie, our Bernese mountain dog, cool off with a swim. Tubing down the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs, past bubbling hot sulfur springs. Hopping on bikes to ride into Breckenridge for dinner--and then hightailing it back to the motorhome when a summer thunderstorm struck.

Creature comforts: After an icy plunge in Turquoise Lake with TJ, 10-year-old Lucy and 8-year-old Henry were happy to jump into a hot shower in the camper, parked just steps from the lake.