Those of us that live in urban areas have become accustomed to paying more for a gallon of gasoline than for a gallon of milk. That gallon of milk can be purchased as fat free, 1% , 2% or whole. As of this writing a gallon of gasoline will be closer to $4.00 than $3.00 and a gallon of milk will be somewhere between $2.00 and $3.00. All that changes when you roll through a small town (settlement may be a better word) in the outback of the Mojave Desert. The correlation of milk to gas wasn’t always the same and the costs weren’t even close! It reached its apex when we rolled into Shoshone, California paying over $6.00 for a gallon of milk (2% was as lean as they offered) and $5.10 a gallon for regular gasoline. Fresh produce? Forget it! The fact that the market shares the same name as a famous “loveable loser” Peanuts character should have been a clue, but since they were the only game in town, what choice did we have? At least there was plenty of land on which to boondock nearby! Paying the price, just another adventure in RVing and better than no adventure at all!
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
Leave a Reply