Embarrassing moments happen to the best of us, and RV travelers aren’t exempt. See whether you can relate to these stories shared by motorhomers in response to this month’s question:
Do you have an “RV blooper” that you’d like to share?
Where do we begin? Here goes: (1) The time we put the towing hitch on the trailer upside down; that didn’t work! (2) The time we forgot to unplug from the electric box; yanked that puppy right out of the socket! (3) The time while driving down the interstate, a trucker blew his horn and pointed to our coach; the sewer hose was dragging on the ground! (4) The time we took a corner a little short and put a pole right into the side of the coach. Not to worry; the pole isn’t a concern any longer, thanks to the use of saws, hatchets, and tow chains, all while providing the day’s entertainment to all those people who set their chairs out in the RV park to watch us. We’ve had our share of mishaps and are still enjoying RVing. (Yes, these are all true!)
Dwayne & Karen McAbee, F452416
Fort Worth, Texas
We were work camping at a campground near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and also working as wranglers for an outfitter that provided horseback rides from the campground into the national forest. So, one day my husband, Buddy, was quite busy with trail rides and attempted to multitask between them by emptying our motorhome’s black-water tank. (Definition of multitasking: messing up two things at once!) The tank was quite full, and the pressure on the system was great. As he turned away from that task, he heard a noise that made his heart sink. He looked back to see the end of the sewer hose “striking” like a rattlesnake as it spit the unspeakable contents everywhere but into the sewer drain. He leaped back to the drain and grabbed a rock to place over the offending hose end, redirecting the contents into their proper place. An immediate hose-down and scattered lime cleaned things up. To any folks new to RVing, Buddy always says, ”Don’t be embarrassed if you mess up. Trust me; someone got there before you!”
Elaine Overby, F447845
St. Johns, Florida
We have manual steps and, more than once, we have forgotten to fold them up. We were in Death Valley National Park headed for the Racetrack, a playa, or dry lake bed known for its strange, moving rocks. The road had just been plowed,so it was rocky, but somewhat smooth. We kept hearing rocks bang into our 22-foot Type C Tiger motorhome. Next, after slowing down and still hearing the racket, we stopped and went outside. That’s when we discovered the steps were down. We put them in but decided that the road to the Racetrack was too risky and turned around.
Another “blooper” was when we installed the outside thermometer of our indoor-outdoor set over the porch light, only to discover that after a few trips, the wind had blown the outside sending unit into the great beyond. So, we have since relocated the sending unit to a protected spot on the back of our RV.
We stopped in Durango, Colorado, for a ride on the railroad to Silverton. Then, while we were gone, a giant storm with wind, rain, and hail occurred. It flooded the Animas River and the railroad tracks, and also knocked off the reflector that covered one of our running lights. When we got back to our RV, we found that a kind citizen had rescued the reflector, placed it in a plastic bag, and left a note with an explanation of the events.
Dan & Betsy St. John, F421001
Nevada City, California
Future questions:
1.Tell about a great bakery you’ve discovered in your motorhome travels and describe your favorite treats from there.
2. Describe a nickname you’ve given your motorhome.