The desire to travel and live in my camper was something I could no longer resist. It invaded my soul, causing me to endlessly read about the adventures of others and to daydream nonstop. I thought that by purchasing a pop-up camper–training wheels–and camping every day off would be enough. The pastoral emergencies that interrupted, the whip-snorting wind that canceled outings, the annual advent of below freezing weather, and the other geographical limitations were not enough to feed the beast that developed an insatiable passion for being outdoors. Giving in was the easy after I realized that I am old enough for early retirement, I can trade-in my pop-up for a bigger and better equipped RV, and I am more than ready to walk the beaches and deserts in the winter. The hard part was the learning curve. Driving in a straight line was okay, but backing into campsites, hooking up utilities, maintaining the camper, correctly using the waste tanks? Yikes.
I had some experience, thanks to the pop-up, but a 21-foot, double axle camper is another kind of beast. When i drive I cannot see around it or over the top. Double the weight of the pop-up, I hit the max weight limit of my van, and I felt like I was dragging rather than pulling it. I could not drive as fast or accelerate as quickly up the passes. I struggled with the weight distribution system, flooded the bathroom, and stopped up the toilet. A cabinet door fell off when I opened it. Window screens popped out. A fuse or two blew and the refrigerator, sounding more like an imbalanced washing machine, nearly danced off the wall.
Rather than ask for help, sometimes I stubbornly researched the current malfunction online or watched U-Tube videos. This helped me find my way around many problems, including the toilet one. However, nothing is more helpful in the long run than the nice retired guys and gals that I meet in the campgrounds. The RV traveler’s canon is held in the minds and hearts of these folks, who take the time to help even before a problem occurs. Today, for example, the neighbor who helped me back in was outside when Tango and I returned from our walk. “Hi there”, I called out. “Hi back”, he said and we started to chat about RVs, it’s either that or the weather when you rub elbows with snowbirds. After about 5 minutes, he asked me if my camper was new. “Yep, bought it in March” I replied proudly. He then told me about the cheap-a– tires that come on RVs now. No surprise there, but I became concerned when he told me about how they can peel apart. It happened to him and many other RVers he talked to during his travels. Yikes again! Thankfully, my neighbor did not leave me quaking in fear; he told me how to check my tires, how to be alert, how to stay safe. Thanks so much, Mr. Neighbor!
Information sharing is the norm. I have learned nearly everything I know from real people with the same travel bug fever who are also learning everything the hard way. A few full timers are snarky, rude, and impatient when you are backing in and blocking the road or snobby when you walk by. Everyone else is friendly, kind, and informative. Sun and sand seems to have a healthy influence on us old folks!
