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Hey Ravena! This is Alex, here for a review. When I found this in the Green Room, I thought it'd be the perfect excuse to know more about you with this almost blog and earn some points for my Team Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I'm not sure how helpful this review would be but I'll still try my best to share my thoughts if I find some segment that could use literary modification. If not, I'll just resort to accompanying you on this ride and comment on your adventures. In the spirit of October Review Day 2025, let's begin!

May I say the title fits perfectly to a travel account like this one. Summarising all that the trip entailed in so few words takes insane amounts of skill.

Day 0

It’s always weird seeing the house you’ve been living in, gutted and empty of almost everything that makes it familiar. I would miss this place.

Now that's a dramatic beginning. May I just say, that's such a beautiful scene. It must have been really difficult for you, letting go of your old home </3

I haven't really lived in an RV before but it sure sounds like an experience that you tell all your friends about later. It didn't sound too bad, as you said yourself. But I'm sure it must've been cramped with nine animals. I can't imagine it being comfortable. I'm sorry for all the animals you lost or had to give up. I've never had a pet myself but I can see that hurting like hell.

Omg those are such cute photos of Duchess and Smaug!! I've actually never heard of that name before too, but it really suits the lizard. (I'm not a fan of them up close though, like please stay on the wall. A lizard once jumped on me and I barely dodged so I just appreciate the distance)

Day 1

Wow, the details of the RV are so intricate. I don't think I can describe the house I've lived my entire life in, this well (mind you, I rarely leave home lol). You really have a knack for observing things!

I definitely called that compactness from miles away. It does sound spacious for a vehicle with pretty much all you need but of course it's still bound to be a little congested.

And ohhh, is Kita the husky in the picture? She looks so peaceful while sleeping, aww.

If you don’t know, it’s apparently an inside joke amongst RV repairmen that “RV” stands for “Ruins Vacations.” There’s always at least one thing that will break or stop working, and the newer the RV, the worse it is.

Ouch, that sounds stressful. Let me guess, something broke down? XD

It was kinda nice at first, but then I kept waking up to find myself slipping throughout the night, because of the RV's slant. Like a cartoon, you can imagine me nestling down to sleep, sliding down to the foot of the bed until enough of me threatened to drop into the crack between the desk and bed, and instead of actually doing something about it, I just keep grumpily, groggily crawling back up until I slide again. The only way I could finally make it work was by lying at a specific angle (my genius sleep-deprived solution after dealing with this problem for an hour).

No kidding, that's wilddd! But I can't help but laugh it's like fate set this joke up. Her, at least you have a fun story to tell at dinner parties now. That must have really messed with your sleep though. But I can understand the laziness that overtakes when we're in bed like I'll crawl like a snake to get my phone out of the charger across the room just to avoid getting up.

Yeah, I can't imagine sleeping with vomit around me, may I never see that day. It sounds you couldn't even more without waking the entire family up but you certainly handled it better than anyone could've. All the more strength to you!

And we, the humans, were constantly tripping over them.

Forgive me, I might just be enjoying reading of all this chaos a little more than I should. XD

And my, if Duchess doesn't live up to her name. Screaming just because Her Majesty pleases and having humans carry her like the royalty she is. That sounds like a life I could get used to >.<

The ferrets sound like troublemakers, it's like they want to play hide and seek ulta tough mode. They're basically advanced versions of cats, being able to squeeze through any hole they find. For what it's worth, they at least look adorable. However, it still bewilders me how you manage all these animals.

Smaug, meanwhile, was still just being a lizard. Bless him.

I can feel the relief through the screen haha. Looks like God finally had pity on you folks.

Day 8

It really seems like the entire RV is crashing down but at least the repairman was some help.

Most of these places were not too Celiac-friendly, and I was 90% sure that one of them had just completely ignored the request for their own listed gluten-free alternative. I kept it to myself (DO NOT do this!), and that was a painful decision!

Omg I'm so sorry you had to go through this, Ravena! I'm pretty this is illegal to a degree. If they didn't have a gluten free option, they could've just said so. Sometimes it's about so much more than a mere preference, people can actually be allergic and have a fatal attack from consuming it. This horrible incidence shouldn't have happened to you, or anyone else for that matter.

Ice cream = therapy.

YES.

Day 21

Oh wow, so now Duchess even drinks beer? She's so badass I strive to be her.

Those talkies were, of course, inevitably exploited for the boys, Dad, and me to all troll each other. You can just picture V nodding off, only to be awoken by D yelling into the talkie over nothing. Then V would pick up the talkie, repeatedly call for D, then cut off his response by saying “ur a noob lol.”

Haha ofc the obvious family mischief in every trip! It feels so nice to have an inside view of your life, it may not be going great then but you surely made the most of it.

The mountain landscape and the far stretching forest and fields are soooo mesmerising, they must have looked even better in real life.

Day 22

Believe me or not, I've got a map of the US states pulled up right now as I read. As I'm not from America (not even nearby, our is another world), I do have some difficulty following sometimes. But I really wanted to trace your path. It's rather simple now that I look at it. Starting from the west border of California and travelling east to Nevada, Utah and Colorado (I know this one from a web series lmao). A road trip across the country sounds fun personally, as I've never really done it. My mother's extremely car sick so we stick to trains for distant places. Plus we all have a mind of our own and everyone is extremely picky so we can't agree on a single place to travel, let alone a complete multi-state tour. It's always nice to hear about other's adventures though.

Oh no, poor animals getting sick. I didn't know pigs were so vulnerable, maybe being Duchess isn't that great afterall. She did recover on her though, a fighter through and through.

The lake surrounded by the hills? Splendid! You really got some amazing shots out there. It really feels like I'm travelling with you. Adding them was such a great idea. I know YWS didn't make it easy either, uploading each one seperately and putting the link- that's a lot of effort you put in.

Day 23

I certainly get you about the questionable handrails. We always see them whenever our travels to some hilly region. It's like there just for moral support and assurance but are mere showpieces. I bet they wouldn't even survive my weight, let alone of a car filled with people in the unfortunate event of a crash.

V hopped out on the side of the road, with probably…seven to ten feet between the side of the RV and a long drop, no guardrail. I could see how nervous he was, and honestly, from my perspective, it looked like a strong wind could throw him over the edge. Of course nothing actually happened, but man, was that nerve-wracking!

I'm glad to hear you were being cautious. On such narrow roads, even the simplest of the things can cause trouble. And yes, what your brother experienced definitely sounds dangerous! It's relieving everyone was safe though.

Kansas next, I predicted that! (it's the next east state on the map, am I not a genuis?)
And ohhhh that's a stunning sunset, feels like it's pouring out the screen

There was a fire pit at this site, so we were able to build a little fire and have some s'mores as a treat. It was such a cheap and silly game, but honestly, it was fun! One of the best moments since leaving the house, honestly.

That sounds like a fulfilling and entertaining night! And agreed, the silly moments end up becoming the most cherished later on.

Day 24

Okay I definitely needed the map now lol. So the track shifts south for Oklahoma and then south east for Arkansas (okay why is it named so similar to Kansas like this state almost sounds like a counterfeit), skipping Texas if you would've continued south from Oklahoma. Why not though, it looks like a missed opportunity you guys were so close.

The landscapes are captivating! I'd never get tired of admiring these.

The lady sounds like a pain, like why be so problematic. That image of Duchess is so lovely ahhh I'm bewitched. At least she didn't cause any drama.

Day 25

Good for you, getting out of that place early. I wouldn't risk it either.

We even got to see the "Mighty Mississippi" herself!

Okay why did I think she was a town cultural mascot for tourism? XD
Here you go with my first and probably last suggestion- kindly mention it's a river. We non-native folks get thrown in a state of confusion.

Also agreed, those sceneries are so lush and vivid!

She started running after the huskies on her stubby little legs. And every time one passed her, she would jump and spin excitedly!

Aww, it's heartwarming to see Duchess enjoy herself so excitedly. The little legs don't hold her back! Also fireflies sound magnificent, that scene must have been gorgeous.

Okay the rat chase certainly gave the much needed thrill. It's a miracle the mouse survived, really. Those ferrets don't sound like they'd lose, no matter whatever it took. They must really give you a tough time, it seems. Poor Duchess, hiding away. Safety breach detected, get Her Majesty to a safe spot ASAP vibes lol.

Day 26

We held off since we didn’t know if she was still contagious, but they would stare each other down

Aww let the two cuties meet already. Just kidding, caution is always encouraged! Although that sound torture for the dogs. If friend come, why not mum lemme go play? On a serious note though, playing it safe never hurts!

I must say, those landscapes are absolutely divine! All that greenery can really energize you.

And yes, Smaug was still stuck to my shoulder, so my first interaction with this person was as a crazy lizard-lady, carrying a gecko through this empty house.

Wow, they must have had some really interesting thoughts about you! Way to make a first impression, Ravena XD.

Even though we did not own this property whatsoever, even though we had nine animals, even though we had no serious money invested, he insisted we stay on the property. We were welcome to park our RV in the carport, and better yet, we would be allowed to sleep inside if we wanted, needless to mention use the kitchen and facilities.

This man was so kind and generous to let us stay like that, and we soon learned that this was his reputation around the town. Everybody knew the pastor, and everyone was his friend.

Looks like you really hit the lottery here. He sounds such a generous man. I'm sure it must have felt great not having to sleep in a ball after so long. Even his father likes to fun with your brothers like you really got the cool people, alright. Universe may just be compensating for the karen.

Day 55 (thank god you didn't record every single day of the trip because I'm not sure I could've done this phew)

It took a couple of weeks before we were finally able to get everything in order, but with more help from the pastor, the house was finally ours!

Yayyy, a happy ending!

D, who is deeply afraid of spiders, moved upstairs the minute he saw a wolf spider the size of my palm.

To be completely fair, I'm not even after of spider but that's an alarming size! Looks like you followed suit too. I guess it's not all rainbows but that looks like such a teensy problem compared to what you've faced throughout the trip.

(a group of ferrets is called a “business”)

Who even comes up with these collective nouns like what?

Although, we took some losses in the coming months. One ferret had to be surrendered after some aggression broke out, and two more passed from natural causes. Since Beans was lonely now, we decided to give him to a kind vet-tech who had a business of her own.

This was the most heartbreaking part for me. I'm so sorry you had to give up or less the ferrets. Despite their mischievous tendencies, they seemed to really bring the home alive, you know? It might have been for the best but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt nevertheless. A major reason I could never have pets, I don't have a heart strong enough that could bear losing them.

I do know know who Rogue was but I'm sorry you lost her too. But for what it's worth, she wasn't in pain in her final moments.

To surprise my Mom, we got our fiery red husky, Poppy!

:0 I did not know they came in red. It's like shiny pokemon fr (I apologise that was the closest analogy I found >.<)

We got Kubo—the last little Aussie pup in a litter from a local feed store, and we just couldn’t say no to him. Plus, he helped guard and herd the chickens!

A pup and already doing his part around there? Good boy! I'm sure he is going to be great help.

And that's a wrap! This was an incredible journey, thank you for taking me along with you. Your storytelling skills and attention to detail is so impressive, Ravena. You have a knack for weaving tales and keeping people's attention. Such a long travel monologue and I didn't get bored at all! I'm sure that must take immense skill. Duchess being a diva, RV malfunctioning, the troublesome ferrets, the heavenly sceneries, the fun family memories, the karen- I'll remember all of it. The chaos had been incredibly addicting. I don't think I could render any useful feedback, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Here's to hoping to accompanying you again, perhaps sometime soon.



Signing off
Alex