After being again in our dwelling state of New Jersey for a number of weeks visiting family and friends, Doug and I launched into what we’re calling “Season 2” of our Full Time RV Journey (primarily as a result of this correlates to our YouTube Channel which might be discovered right here (youtube.com/InterstateAdventures). However after we left behind our community of homey comforts this time, we appeared to have discovered ourselves very ‘damaged.’ Inside simply a short while of leaving I had two medical points that I couldn’t simply run to my net of acquainted physician’s to deal with. After which, we had a bunch of issues breaking on the truck and camper that stopped us useless in our tracks for nearly per week. The mixture of all the things occurring inside such a brief time period left each us feeling a bit overwhelmed, nervous, defeated, and nicely…. Damaged.
It’s taken me a minimum of per week to essentially sit down and have the ability to put all of it collectively, wrap my head round all the things that has occurred, and have the ability to share it with all of you. You see, as weak as we each felt mentally, we didn’t quit. We have been principally ready for all the things. It was just a bit overwhelming that all of it occurred on the identical time. However that’s life, proper? Nobody stated this nomadic life was going to be simple, simply that it will be value it when you persevered.
So, what occurred precisely? And what are you able to do to be finest ready for when that worst case state of affairs really appears to be occurring? Typically there are issues you are able to do to arrange, different occasions, it is advisable to determine it out as you go… However chronological appears to be the easiest way to go over it…
Situation #1
This time it was the camper. One in every of our slide cables broke. This isn’t the primary time this has occurred to one of many cables, and thankfully, (or sadly – relying on the way you need to view that) Doug has turn into an expert at altering them. This isn’t one thing you can predict goes to occur. You are able to do the entire preventative upkeep you need, however typically, cables simply put on out. You possibly can see Doug engaged on one other cable in our Memphis video right here.
How have been we ready for this? As a result of we’ve had one break on us prior to now, Doug has a spare alternative cable readily available within the camper always. When you aren’t helpful although, most RV Parks and campgrounds can direct you to a cellular RV Restore firm that may come out to the campground and hopefully get you again up and operating.
Situation #2
Simply 2 days later… We arrive down in South Carolina to go to Doug’s finest good friend and take a look at his new home. They instructed us to park the camper wherever we needed on the property. Doug opted for alongside the tree line and began backing throughout the entrance garden to get there. Every little thing was going advantageous… after which it wasn’t. The passenger rear tire of the truck instantly dropped into the bottom, and now the truck and camper have been caught. Evidently, there was an outdated septic tank on this space of the garden that nobody knew about. We Discovered It! Everybody is aware of about it now!
This can be a scenario that nobody may have predicted and nobody may have ready for. Grateful for the place we have been on the time it occurred, Doug and Buck (his finest good friend) labored within the fireplace division for a number of years collectively. They didn’t panic in any respect and actually simply set to work. They have been ready to make use of the entrance jacks on the camper to drag the truck up a bit at a time all of the whereas inserting 2×6 planks underneath the truck as they went. Finally, little by little, they have been in a position to get the camper indifferent from the truck, after which used a winch on Buck’s truck to drag ours out of the outlet. Transferring the camper had it’s personal points then since we couldn’t simply again into the pin to hook again up because of the 4 foot gap in entrance of it. Jen was in a position to name her uncle over with a tractor that was in a position to transfer the camper over just a bit sufficient for Doug to have the ability to again in underneath the pin and get the camper hooked again up from one other course.
Situation #3
After spending per week with Buck and Jen, we headed as much as the northern a part of South Carolina to go to Doug’s brother and household. I developed a reasonably large abscess that was contaminated out of no the place that wanted to be drained. Grateful this was one thing that might be dealt with at a walk-in clinic, that’s the place we headed.
This too isn’t one thing that may be predicted. I’ve by no means had an abscess earlier than. It isn’t as if I’m liable to them. It isn’t one thing that we may have ready for. I attempted to deal with it by myself at dwelling with over-the-counter salves and such, however nothing was working. We wanted a health care provider. And I wanted antibiotics.
Situation #4
Truck this time… We left northern South Carolina and headed to my household reunion in West Virginia. We arrived with no incidents. After a visit out to the grocery retailer Doug seen the scent of anti-freeze coming from the truck. He did a fast examination and found that one of many coolant strains had damaged. We spent per week in West Virginia which was good as a result of it gave Doug time to seek out the components that he wanted to make the restore. We additionally had entry to a number of different member of the family’s automobiles to get round. As soon as once more, this isn’t one thing we may have ready for. Only one extra damaged piece of touring puzzle. Doug made the required restore and received us again up and operating earlier than the week was over. I don’t know what we’d do if he wasn’t so extremely helpful.
Situation #5
Our final evening in West Virginia… I endure from persistent hives that put my physique into anaphylactic shock. It isn’t enjoyable. However I’ve been managing it for years at this level, so sadly, I typically turn into complacent about it, which is a horrible place to be over one thing that would actually kill me. I take treatment each different day to maintain all the things underneath management, and haven’t had any main points in nearly 2 years. Properly, guess what… I went 2 nights with out taking my treatment as a result of I wasn’t paying consideration. I went to mattress and wakened a bit after midnight unable to breath. I instantly took Benadryl, however that takes a minimum of 20 minutes to begin working. So I sat there with my EpiPen in my hand hoping that all the things would subside earlier than really having to make use of it! All of the whereas, Doug is awake sitting subsequent to me monitoring the entire scenario as a result of a fast Google search revealed that the closest hospital was 45 minutes away. Now this… Yeah, we have been completely ready for. I’ve the entire drugs that I have to hold this ridiculous “allergy” at bay, and I tousled. Along with completely being ready for the flare up, we each take note of the place the large blue “H” indicators are at any time when we’re driving round. That doesn’t imply which can be all the time near the hospital, however a minimum of we all know when the final time we handed one was.
Situation #6 & 7
Solely 2 days after coping with my hives, we’re heading out to Montana. We pull right into a truck cease to make use of the toilet and stretch our legs in Jap Illinois. We get again to the camper and Doug notices that one of many airbags that inflates with the shock and is derived behind the truck isn’t holding air. He pokes his head in there and instantly see’s the issue and it isn’t good. Like actually actually dangerous. In some unspecified time in the future (we’re guessing when the truck fell into the septic) we snapped the leaf spring for the driving force’s facet rear tire. After it broke, it slid out of place, probably from bouncing down the highway, and the nook popped the air bag. So not solely do we have to exchange the leaf spring, however we additionally want to exchange the airbag.
Doug spent 2 1/2 hours banging on the leaf that had slid out to get it again in place. He wrapped a ratchet strap round it to carry it in place briefly and we referred to as our Boondockers Welcome host to allow them to know we have been going to be late, and would want to remain longer than the scheduled 1 evening. We received again on the highway in the appropriate hand lane and went gradual and regular till we lastly arrived the 180 extra miles that we wanted to go.
Someway a miracle occurred, whether or not or not it’s divine intervention, or one thing else, however our hosts on the Boondockers Welcome, Mark and Celia, have been 2 of probably the most wonderful individuals we’ve most likely ever met whereas on the highway. Not solely did they inform us that we may keep so long as wanted, however they made us dinner that first evening, drove us round to choose up components, allowed Doug the usage of their store and the entire instruments, introduced us out to a automotive present, confirmed us round their city, allowed us to choose our personal candy corn, and actually mended our very damaged souls.
Doug was in a position to exchange the leaf spring and between him and Mark, they have been in a position to make a brief restore to the airbag inside a weeks time. Celia had a improbable suggestion to hook up and do a shake down cruise up and down the freeway for a bit bit to make it possible for all the things was holding correctly and as soon as once more…. One other challenge…
Situation #8
One of many cross members that’s alleged to be welded to the body of the camper to carry up one facet of our black tank was fully damaged on one facet. Doug pulled out a giant bolt and managed to get that repaired shortly, and we couldn’t have been in a greater place for it to have occurred, however that solely dulled the sting of extra issues.
We spent one other evening with Mark and Celia having fun with their firm and actually solidifying our new discovered friendship after which we hit the highway once more. Once we left New Jersey we had 6 weeks to get out to Yellowstone, we have been 4 1/2 weeks in, and we hadn’t made it previous Illinois.
We made it to Minnesota for the evening. The airbag held nicely sufficient and we really loved an evening of tenting with no extra issues. At that second it sort of felt like a miracle in itself.
We headed out of Minnesota and continued on our manner west. And wouldn’t you recognize it, that little mini miracle of no points that first evening again on the highway shortly went away and have been as soon as once more reminded that this portion of our Adventures was nonetheless damaged.
Situation #9
We determined that we have been going to make a giant push all the best way to Wall, South Dakota as a result of I had discovered dispersed tenting, which is totally free. So in an try and attempt to offset the intense deficit in our funds from the numerous “points” we simply saved trucking.
We stopped for gas and I seen that our rear passenger tire on the camper had completely no tread on the skin. I had Doug check out it, and I used to be proper… Not good. After all it was simply late sufficient within the day on a Sunday that nearly each place was closed, however Doug did handle to seek out one little fuel station that had the appropriate measurement tire for us to buy. Draw back…. He didn’t have any techs on obligation anymore to place the tire on the rim for us. As soon as once more driving slowly in the appropriate lane, we continued on to Wall to seek out our campsite for the night.
The next morning Doug took the outdated tire off of the camper, and we headed into city. We discovered a store that was keen to swap the tires for us, and again to the camper we went. Doug received the brand new tire on the camper and we appeared to be again on monitor.
To Yellowstone we go…
We did make it. We made all of it the best way to West Yellowstone to fulfill up with pals. The alternative airbag arrived on the campground earlier than we did, and Doug was in a position to get that changed earlier than we stated our goodbye’s and headed out towards Glacier.
We’ve discovered rather a lot these previous few weeks. I can’t even say months! All of this transpired in lower than 2 months time. This way of life just isn’t for the weak, we will each say that. Doug and I are inclined to each be fairly robust willed individuals and we have been each fairly damaged. Persons are actually wonderful although. Someway each time one thing else occurred, we pulled by way of and have been surrounded by the appropriate individuals that would assist repair it. Typically that repair was nothing greater than a hug on the proper time, or the appropriate instrument. In reality, it may possibly’t be defined. We saved on holding on and all the things appeared to fall into place.
Right here we’re! Nonetheless doing this loopy journey! It could finish ahead of we hoped, however we nonetheless did it! We don’t remorse it, and we aren’t able to stop but. So guess what, we’re going to carry on holding on, as a result of that’s what we do. Even with the entire strain’s that we’ve had pushed on us, we look ahead to seeing what tomorrow brings. We have been watching T.V. the opposite evening, and somebody stated, “Strain Makes Diamonds” and I can’t get it out of my head. Possibly we aren’t diamonds but, and possibly we’ve extra strain coming, however we each comprehend it’s all value it.
You possibly can’t put together for each hiccup alongside the best way. All you are able to do is the most effective you are able to do, in order that’s what we’re simply going to maintain doing.
