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Dogpatch · 09-15-2012, 07:31 AM

I should probably start a blog, cause no matter how I try, there is ALWAYS something when we go on an adventure. Here are a few exerpts of our recent holiday!

Day 1,

Well we made it to Hope. Stayed at the Coquihalla Campground. I set up and plugged in and a few minutes later, the power went out in the campground. Everything was pitch black. Talking with the neighbours, they said "Ya, not sure what's going on". I said, "me either". A couple of minutes later, the power went off again. Black out! Few minutes later came on again. 10 minutes go by and then...Blackout! Me and the neighbour look at each other and he asks me, "You got both your A/C units on? I said "Yup". He said "So you are the guy blowing the power to the campground! These are only 30 Amp sites. Yours takes 50 Amp for two A/C's. Then the park manager shows up. I turned off one unit and everyone's power came back on.

Day 2,

Made it to Everett, Washington. Filled up with gas at a station. Gas is $3.83 a gal. I calculated we pay $5.98 a gal. in Canada at $1.33 per ltr. Theoretically I saved $230. On my fill!
On leaving the station, there was a steep drop to the highway. I was a little worried about bottoming out. Just a little. I get half way down the slope and I hear this grinding noise. I know it's a steel skid under my hitch making a connection with the pavement. Suddenly, we come to an abrupt stop. "This can't be good" I say to myself. Cars are watching, so I booted it. A HUGE screeching and grinding noise ensued as we bucked and moved forward. Finally we broke free and made it out onto the road. I look in the rearview mirror, I didn't see any parts left behind, but I did see a long deep furrow (gouge) in the pavement you could have planted next years corn in!
Day 3,

We are now at Lake Pleasant RV park in Bothel Washington. I was looking up numbers to car rental agencies cause we didn't bring our car, when suddenly the A/C went out along with some lights. I looked around sure enough, many other things were out. I left the RV to check the pedestal, heard the neighbors A/C working and thought maybe I blew a Breaker. Got to the pedestal, saw my surge protector lights were on and breaker was still on. I turned it off and on anyway. Bonnie says "it's still off" so I sat down in my recliner to ponder what to do next. Suddenly the power came back on. My thought was, resetting the breaker must have done it.
A few minutes later, the A/C and lights go off again. [moderator edit], I ask myself.
So I went outside and did the same routine I thought fixed it before. Came back in, waited and nothing. So I get up, start looking at the breaker box. All breakers are on, but I switch them on and off anyway. My wife says "What's going on, I'm dying here in this heat". I tell her "How am I supposed to know I'm not an RV technician"!
So....I go sit down in my recliner to ponder my next move and everything comes back on. This is tooooo weird for me!
I start on my car quest again and ........The A/C goes off again!
I go out to the pedestal, all on, I go in the bedroom check the panel, all on. Some things like the microwave are flashing the time and the TV lights are still on. I ask myself....self, why would some be on and not others? Now, I'm thinking maybe a disconnect. I go over to the inside battery disconnect by the door and hit the button and Voila!!! Everything came on!!!
I sat down and everything went off, so I turned around in my chair, hit the disconnect switch and it came on.

I think I found the culprit.....it was me! Every time I sat in the chair or learned forward or back, the corner of the chair hit the battery disconnect switch for either on or off.

Day 5,

Here we are, all packed up and headed out of the campsite towards Interstate 405 to return the rental car. I drove the RV and Wife drove the car. I had checked the tire pressures on the RV and had a low inside tire so before hitting the freeway I decided to stop at a Shell for air. This kind of started the whole stressful ball rolling.
I pulled up at the tire pump however had to block a car to reach the hose. There was a lady vacuuming her car and I said" I'll just be a minute". I walk up to the air pump and it wants $.75. I go back to the RV and My wife isn't there. (she had all the US change) She is up at the cashier buying something. So I run up, grab some change and get back to the RV. The woman is finished vacuuming and says in a very snotty voice "are you going to be long"???. Politely, I said, "No, I'll only be a minute as I mentioned".
Tire gauge, I need my tire gauge. It's in the RV! So I yell to my daughter to bring me the tire gauge. I look over at the lady. See's not happy. You could see the window steaming up and her nostrils flaring as I try to smile at her and mouth "waiting for the tire gauge" in silence as she has her window up. I finally run around to the RV door and get the tire gauge myself. As I open the door, Bella our Daxie comes flying out of the RV and bolts down the parking lot. Now I'm chasing the dog. Finally, I catch her and get her back in the RV. Apparently when My daughter stood up she almost knocked herself out on the overhead TV. I walk back to the tire pump. The lady is obviously visibly really PO'd by now. I pop the $.75 in and get the air in my tire, jump in the RV and back it up for the lady. She squeals in reverse then squeals out of the parking lot.

Finally we are out on the freeway with DW behind in the car. It's morning rush our. 5 lanes of NASCAR drivers heading in the same direction as us on their morning commute.
Now, the thing about Seattle is that there seems to be an off ramp for everything, in every direction and every few feet it seems. I have the GPS set to the address of the car rental, however, we are going so fast, the GPS (Madge we call her) can't seem to keep up and is spitting directions out faster than an auctioneer selling a storage unit. I'd look at my daughter and ask "What did she say"? No help there, Morgan's plugged into her iPod and didn't hear me.
I look up and there is my exit on the right. 5 Lanes over. So, here I go. I check the side mirror, there's an opening! I swerve into the next lane, then the next and the next, however still, missed my exit. Madge spouts off "Stay on the current route and in 8 miles, take the next left.
What the hell happened to all the off ramps every 30 feet like I just passed??
DW is nowhere in sight now and I realize......"She doesn't have a clue where I am going". No address, no cell phone and then all of a sudden I spot her in the mirror. Finally, I take the next off ramp and Madge takes us to the car rental. I get out to get the keys from DW. I could see she is shaken and not impressed and blurts "That was a bit of a nightmare"! "Ya no kidding" I said.
So I get in to the rental shop and the guy at the desk says did you fill the car with gas? Nope! He says"That will cost you $6.00 per gallon if we do it" and gives me directions to the nearest service station somewhere within 2 blocks. Great! So now I'm on my way back out to tell an already upset wife that I have to leave them to go put gas in the car.
Not sure when the last time was the attendant went to this gas station, but when I pull up, it's now some dog grooming boutique! Off I go! No clue where! Finally hit a busy street and ventured about 5 blocks and spotted a Chevron. I filled up and started back to the car rental. By the grace of a higher power, I found my way back.
Car returned, we set back out on the freeway. Suddenly, we are back in the land of off ramps, lanes converging, lanes splitting and 5 lanes shooting off every which direction. The view ahead looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.
Madge is getting confused again. "Keep left and then turn right" she says. "[moderator edit] does that mean I ask DW"? "I don't know, keep your eyes on the road" she says.
Madge is spitting directions out left right and centre now "keep left and in 300 feet turn turn right" I look up and I see the lane for I-5 so I jog into the next lane. Madge is now spitting me new corrections, DW is yelling at me to "listen to Madge! Why aren't you in the left lane, you're going to get us killed".
Cars are coming from behind in every lane in what seems at NASCAR speed!!!
Worlds are colliding and I finally yell out "Will everybody just shut up for a minute". I was at near breaking point. Obviously missed our off ramp.
Did the same thing about 3 more times before we got through Seattle. That all took about 2 hours longer than it should have.
"Got to see a lot more of Seattle" I jokingly think to myself. (Had I said aloud there probably would have been a 90mph hairbrush zooming toward me)

DW is visibly shaken and says " if you think we are doing this RV thing again, you are sadly mistaken".

However, as the lanes dropped off and the freeway got less busy, the frazzled nerves switched to more calmed ones and we continued happily on our journey towards the ocean!

TxRVMan · 09-15-2012, 08:44 AM

Thank God its not just us who go through "happy times" like that! One word...beer.

monkey · 09-15-2012, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxRVMan

Thank God its not just us who go through "happy times" like that! One word...beer.

MMMM BEER ....

All in all,, and that's quite the story,,, glad no injuries, no damage (?) , No Lost Dog, (a Major concern when we are traveling) and you can look back on it and laugh, or hopefully get a smile that you made it through it ok.

On our first trip to AZ last year in the mh, I was standing in the front yard of DW's Mom's house talking to a neighbor with my "boy" (5 yr old Great Dane, 145lbs of muscle) got spooked by something. He bolted, (never before) and yanked me totally airborne (I'm 6'1") for a few feet, landed in the desert landscape everybody seems to have in AZ. I came up bloody,, a lot,, but he did'nt get loose, as from the time we leave home both kids have harness's on, and his leash was wrapped around my wrist. All was good,, I healed, and he is here in my face as I write, begging another home made "cookie" .... Sure freaked out the neighbor... Me too.

Dogpatch · 09-15-2012, 09:40 AM

I'm sure this thread will have a list of follies by the time it's done. I just can't imagine I'm the only only it happens to!

Chickadee · 09-15-2012, 10:17 AM

So,.....dogpatch:

When ya plannin on revisiting Seattle??

Steve & Lynette

Dogpatch · 09-15-2012, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chickadee

So,.....dogpatch:

When ya plannin on revisiting Seattle??

Steve & Lynette

When I can get my wife to wear blinders, ear-muffs, duct tape and take a prescription for Prozac LOL.

That's gonna hurt! Ouch! Yup.....welt is developing!

mikedes · 09-15-2012, 10:28 AM

I learned on a trip to Alaska that to expect an "Adventure a Day" - some good / some not so good but enjoy all
Mike

monkey · 09-15-2012, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chickadee

So,.....dogpatch:

When ya plannin on revisiting Seattle??

Steve & Lynette

"Madge" should know the roads now,, eh ???

Dogpatch · 09-15-2012, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikedes

I learned on a trip to Alaska that to expect an "Adventure a Day" - some good / some not so good but enjoy all
Mike

Oh trust me. It isn't enough to stop or deter me from RVing. It gives me something to talk about!

I laugh a lot about it cause I (and DW) probably my own worst nightmare and reason for all my calamities.

(Sorry Honey, can't let you off the hook on this one. You can hit me once I'm finished typing! LOL)

99-Am.Star · 09-15-2012, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxRVMan

Thank God its not just us who go through "happy times" like that! One word...beer.

AND A LOT OF THEM

Dogpatch · 09-15-2012, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monkey

"Madge" should know the roads now,, eh ???

Na! On the way home, she took me down a different highway and I missed camping at a spot I wanted to stop at.

Me and Madge aren't speaking right now.

Madge almost got the 90mph hairbrush from DW. Had to hold her back from clobbering her to pieces.

RickO · 09-15-2012, 12:30 PM

Sorry Patch, but that part about the chair hitting the battery cut off switch was about the funniest thing I've read in a long time.

Maybe you should consider blowing right past the Blog idea and getting your own reality TV show?

Here's to less adventure on the next trip.

Rick

RoyM · 09-15-2012, 12:32 PM

We got into Seattle over the Labor Day weekend, after seeing the cruise ship dock three times in one hour all we wanted to do was escape. I stopped at a gas station for directions to the freeway, kid sez I dunno. A customer got us on track, we were only three blocks from the on ramp. We stayed at Lake Pleasant, very nice park.

Dogpatch · 09-15-2012, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickO

Sorry Patch, but that part about the chair hitting the battery cut off switch was about the funniest thing I've read in a long time.

Maybe you should consider blowing right past the Blog idea and getting your own reality TV show?

Here's to less adventure on the next trip.

Rick

I Know!

Man....I was stumped! Here is a picture of what I was doing. I had to take this photo right at the time so I could remember my "less than smart" move.