The Big Rig

As any visitor, holidayer (vacationer) or resident of the big ol' US of A will know, this country likes to do things BIG. Really BIG. Whether it's giant burgers, 10-lane mega-freeways, uber-buy-anything-ever-in-one-place-malls,  or the ever-expanding waistbands of the populace, the US loves nothing more than to go unashamedly large.

However, having worked at the California State Parks last summer and more recently the occasional weekend shift, I have come to believe that nothing epitomises this mantra more than the 'Big Rig' - the Recreational Vehicle (RV for short).

Now I'm not talking about those cute little Cruise America RVs invariably rented by an assortment of Europeans to trundle up the West Coast of the USA, or the almost-petite caraven-esque trailers. I'm talking the real deal, the behemoths of the well-to-do, temporarily transient population, pictured perfectly below:

A 'Big Rig'

From a modest origin of a simple horse-drawn wagon, the RV has gone through a number of revisions and improvements, but none more revolutionary than the advent of the automobile. With one fell swoop, the crude tool that helped win the West was transformed into a gas-guzzling, continent-spanning, microculture-creating mobile residence of awesomeness.

For sheer brilliance of name, I'm going to highlight the Beaver Patriot Thunder . The name itself evokes everything that is awesome about America: PATRIOTISM, THUNDER and BEAVERS. When combined, the name almost manages to distract you from the eye-watering 'starting price' of $475k, the price of your average 2-bed condo in Santa Barbara, or a 50-acre, 7-bedroom ranch in Montana. But if you're going to be a 'Full-timer' then let's face it, you aren't going to need one of those namby-pamby stationary 'houses' any time soon.

Now no commentary of this superbly-monikered leviathan of the road would be complete without some interior shots courtesy of RoamingTimes.com:

Palatial

You know you are truly King amongst Road-Warriors when your carriage of choice carries a "40-inch flatscreen TV with surround sound". Not since Xzibit's ride pimpin' skills have we seen such a surfeit of 'Xceptional' automobile options available to the paying public.

Impressive

And 'impressive' is the word that comes to mind when describing the fuel capacity of these RVs (along with 'thirsty' and 'bloody hell'). A 45' 'tag-axle' Class A mega-RV will merrily imbibe 100 gallons of diesel before reaching satiety, and at a tree-uprooting 6 mpg your road-trip from LA to Vegas might include a few petroleum-based pit-stops on the way, but at what price the ability to pitch up in a random lay-by and host an impromptu evening soirée for 20 guests?


Having had my eyes opened to the true glory of these mighty monstrosities, the next time I am stuck behind a massive Beaver, or a Gulfstream Bounty Hunter XL sidles up to my window wheezing asthmatically and creaking in perfect synchrony with the driver's joints, rather than mutter obscenities I will instead bask in the magnificence of this truly American way of life, that not only is big, better, but that even bigger is even betterer.