Truck Camper Road Trip to Utah for Mom's 90th Birthday

Ninety years old, and she still lights up the room faster than the candles. We loaded up the Aerie 8 and drove to Utah for Mom’s 90th birthday.

This one is a family trip first and a camper trip second: cake and candles, and Bobby claiming the red blanket for the entire drive home. It is also a good look at a truck camper as a road trip rig for visiting family, where you bring your own bed and skip the hotel.

What happens in this video

We head out through St. Regis, Montana, one of our favorite stops, for gas, a dog park break for Bobby, and a huckleberry shake at St. Regis Shop, Dine and Play. Lori did not get to pick many huckleberries this year, so the shake had to do. Best shake ever, according to her.

In Utah we park near Hill Air Force Base, where the jets fly right over the park. Christian gets why people complain about the noise. We love it. We also set up our Kangen water machine in the camper and let it run a few minutes before filling the tanks. Bobby mostly wants to go outside and bark at the neighborhood, and he really likes the air conditioner.

Then it is on to Layton and Mom’s house, where Bobby knows exactly where he is: grandma’s home. He makes a new friend in Winston, the family dog, and the two of them take over the bed.

Highlights

• The birthday. Happy birthday singing, a rainbow for Mom’s birthday, and a long debate over whether the 90 candles would ever all be lit. Somebody offered to get the air compressor out.
• Family time. The grandkids, girl photos, and a game night of guessing words that got loud.
• Little Red Riding Bobby. Bobby in his red blanket, which also makes him look a little like an Ewok.
• A rainy morning on full hookups. Power, sewer and water, with the awning out.
• Idaho Sky RV Resort in Rexburg. Right by a church, close to the high school, with a pavilion, a dog park and a market. We counted five chapels on one drive.
• Dillon, Montana. About a week into the trip we stayed at Countryside RV, with a big, spacious yard and lots of room between sites. We spotted a mountain goat on the drive.
• Riley Blueberry Farm. A Harvest Hosts location we like that is not far from home. It was chilly, and Lori would not let Christian turn on the heat to save energy. He points out that is what the propane is for.

What we learned about the camper

Christian used this trip to make a list of things he is learning to live with and things he plans to change in the Aerie 8:

• The air conditioner is too loud. It is getting swapped.
• One light switch is in a bad place. If someone sits in that seat or backs into that corner, all the lights go out. It needs to move.
• The bed is tight. It is a full residential queen with a topper, and it does not fit well against the wardrobe. Bobby takes up most of it anyway. Christian thinks the side storage could become shelves up top and the space could fit a king. Lori would rather have a king, so that is on the list for down the road.

Key moments

• 1:14 Gas, a dog park, and a huckleberry shake in St. Regis, Montana
• 3:51 Running the Kangen water machine before filling the tanks
• 4:11 Parked next to Hill Air Force Base, jets overhead
• 7:02 Arriving at Mom’s in Layton, Utah
• 9:16 Bobby and Winston take over the bed
• 11:56 Cake, candles, and happy birthday at 90
• 14:46 What we would change in the camper
• 16:59 Idaho Sky RV Resort in Rexburg
• 21:05 Countryside RV in Dillon, Montana
• 23:08 Riley Blueberry Farm, a Harvest Hosts stop

New to the rig? Start with the Aerie 8 full tour. For more on the camper’s power and internet, see our Starlink Mini mount review.