These local women are building community and getting comfortable in the driver's seat of their own RVs. By Erica Pearson. A flock of hot pink lawn flamingos marked the campsite, flamingo solar lights held the tablecloth pink, of course on the picnic table and hanging on the side of Hagen's foot Ameri-Lite travel trailer was a flamingo-decorated placard that read: "Stand tall and be fabulous.
But as the host for a recent rally of women RV enthusiasts, she wanted to make sure her site at William O'Brien State Park was hard to miss. For the second year in a row, Hagen was hosting the summer rally for the Lyte Hearts, the local chapter of RVing Women.
Hagen, 70 and single, has long been a fan of RV camping. She fondly remembers taking vacations in the family camper when she was a girl. A photo of her parents and their trailer hangs inside the rig she has filled with kitschy camper-themed decor and dubbed "Little Miss MP," short for Money Pit.
So when she retired, she wanted to hit the road. But she was worried about the safety of traveling alone and had no experience pulling, parking or leveling a trailer.
Just towing Little Miss MP for the first time was a nerve-racking experience, she said. It took several of the neighbors to get me back in my driveway. Initially called Women on Wheels, the national organization was founded in to empower women in a pastime that has been long dominated by men.
