After being again in our dwelling state of New Jersey for just a few 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 internet 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 mix of the whole lot occurring inside such a brief time period left each us feeling a bit overwhelmed, nervous, defeated, and properly…. Damaged.
It’s taken me at the least per week to actually sit down and be capable of put all of it collectively, wrap my head round the whole lot that has occurred, and be capable of share it with all of you. You see, as weak as we each felt mentally, we didn’t hand over. We had been largely ready for the whole lot. 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 straightforward, simply that it will be value it in the event you persevered.
So, what occurred precisely? And what are you able to do to be greatest ready for when that worst case state of affairs truly appears to be occurring? Generally there are issues you are able to do to organize, different instances, you want 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 among our slide cables broke. This isn’t the primary time this has occurred to one of many cables, and happily, (or sadly – relying on the way you wish 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 all the preventative upkeep you need, however typically, cables simply put on out. You’ll be able to see Doug engaged on one other cable in our Memphis video right here.
How had been we ready for this? As a result of now we have had one break on us up to now, Doug has a spare substitute cable readily available within the camper always. Should you aren’t useful 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 greatest pal and take a look at his new home. They advised us to park the camper wherever we wished on the property. Doug opted for alongside the tree line and began backing throughout the entrance garden to get there. All the pieces was going effective… after which it wasn’t. The passenger rear tire of the truck all of a sudden dropped into the bottom, and now the truck and camper had 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!
It is a scenario that nobody may have predicted and nobody may have ready for. Grateful for the place we had been on the time it occurred, Doug and Buck (his greatest pal) labored within the hearth division for a number of years collectively. They didn’t panic in any respect and actually simply started working. They had been ready to make use of the entrance jacks on the camper to tug the truck up just a little at a time all of the whereas putting 2×6 planks beneath the truck as they went. Ultimately, little by little, they had been capable of get the camper indifferent from the truck, after which used a winch on Buck’s truck to tug ours out of the opening. Transferring the camper had it’s personal points then since we couldn’t simply again into the pin to hook again up as a result of 4 foot gap in entrance of it. Jen was capable of name her uncle over with a tractor that was capable of transfer the camper over just a bit sufficient for Doug to have the ability to again in beneath 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 pretty big 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 vulnerable 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 would have liked 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 observed 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 search out the components that he wanted to make the restore. We additionally had entry to a number of different member of the family’s autos 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 mandatory restore and obtained us again up and operating earlier than the week was over. I don’t know what we might do if he wasn’t so extremely useful.
Situation #5
Our final night time 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 medicine each different day to maintain the whole lot beneath management, and haven’t had any main points in virtually 2 years. Nicely, guess what… I went 2 nights with out taking my medicine as a result of I wasn’t paying consideration. I went to mattress and awakened just a little after midnight unable to breath. I instantly took Benadryl, however that takes at the least 20 minutes to start out working. So I sat there with my EpiPen in my hand hoping that the whole lot would subside earlier than truly 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 had been completely ready for. I’ve all the medicines that I must preserve 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 massive blue “H” indicators are each time we’re driving round. That doesn’t imply which might be at all times near the hospital, however at the least 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 lavatory 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 at the back of 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 motive force’s facet rear tire. After it broke, it slid out of place, possible from bouncing down the highway, and the nook popped the air bag. So not solely do we have to change 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 had been going to be late, and would wish to remain longer than the scheduled 1 night time. We obtained again on the highway in the precise hand lane and went sluggish and regular till we lastly arrived the 180 extra miles that we wanted to go.
By some means a miracle occurred, whether or not it’s divine intervention, or one thing else, however our hosts on the Boondockers Welcome, Mark and Celia, had been 2 of essentially the most superb folks now we have 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 night time, drove us round to select up components, allowed Doug the usage of their store and all the instruments, introduced us out to a automobile present, confirmed us round their city, allowed us to select our personal candy corn, and really mended our very damaged souls.
Doug was capable of change the leaf spring and between him and Mark, they had been capable of make a short lived restore to the airbag inside a weeks time. Celia had a incredible advice to hook up and do a shake down cruise up and down the freeway for just a little bit to make it possible for the whole lot was holding correctly and as soon as once more…. One other concern…
Situation #8
One of many cross members that’s purported to be welded to the body of the camper to carry up one facet of our black tank was utterly damaged on one facet. Doug pulled out a giant bolt and managed to get that repaired rapidly, 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 night time with Mark and Celia having fun with their firm and really solidifying our new discovered friendship after which we hit the highway once more. After we left New Jersey we had 6 weeks to get out to Yellowstone, we had been 4 1/2 weeks in, and we hadn’t made it previous Illinois.
We made it to Minnesota for the night time. The airbag held properly sufficient and we truly loved an evening of tenting with no extra issues. At that second it type of felt like a miracle in itself.
We headed out of Minnesota and continued on our manner west. And wouldn’t it, that little mini miracle of no points that first night time again on the highway rapidly went away and had been as soon as once more reminded that this portion of our Adventures was nonetheless damaged.
Situation #9
We determined that we had been going to make a giant push all the way in which 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 finances from the numerous “points” we simply saved trucking.
We stopped for gasoline and I observed that our rear passenger tire on the camper had completely no tread on the surface. I had Doug check out it, and I used to be proper… Not good. In fact it was simply late sufficient within the day on a Sunday that nearly each place was closed, however Doug did handle to search out one little fuel station that had the precise 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 precise lane, we continued on to Wall to search 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 prepared to swap the tires for us, and again to the camper we went. Doug obtained the brand new tire on the camper and we gave the impression to be again on observe.
To Yellowstone we go…
We did make it. We made all of it the way in which to West Yellowstone to satisfy up with pals. The substitute airbag arrived on the campground earlier than we did, and Doug was capable of get that changed earlier than we stated our goodbye’s and headed out towards Glacier.
We’ve discovered loads these previous few weeks. I can’t even say months! All of this transpired in lower than 2 months time. This way of life is just not for the weak, we are able to each say that. Doug and I are likely to each be fairly sturdy willed folks and we had been each fairly damaged. Persons are really superb although. By some means each time one thing else occurred, we pulled by means of and had been surrounded by the precise folks that would assist repair it. Generally that repair was nothing greater than a hug on the proper time, or the precise software. In reality, it will probably’t be defined. We saved on retaining on and the whole lot appeared to fall into place.
Right here we’re! Nonetheless doing this loopy journey! It could finish before we hoped, however we nonetheless did it! We don’t remorse it, and we aren’t able to give up but. So guess what, we’re going to carry on retaining on, as a result of that’s what we do. Even with all the strain’s that now we have had pushed on us, we sit up for seeing what tomorrow brings. We had been watching T.V. the opposite night time, and somebody stated, “Strain Makes Diamonds” and I can’t get it out of my head. Possibly we aren’t diamonds but, and possibly now we have extra strain coming, however we each comprehend it’s all value it.
You’ll be able to’t put together for each hiccup alongside the way in which. All you are able to do is one of the best you are able to do, in order that’s what we’re simply going to maintain doing.