After being again in our house 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 may 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 number of issues breaking on the truck and camper that stopped us lifeless in our tracks for nearly every week. The mixture of every little thing occurring inside such a brief time period left each us feeling a bit overwhelmed, nervous, defeated, and effectively…. Damaged.
It’s taken me at the very least every week to actually sit down and have the ability to put all of it collectively, wrap my head round every little thing 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 surrender. We have been principally ready for every little thing. It was just a bit overwhelming that all of it occurred on the identical time. However that’s life, proper? Nobody mentioned this nomadic life was going to be simple, simply that it could be price 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 arrange, different instances, that you must determine it out as you go… However chronological appears to be one of the simplest ways to go over it…
Challenge #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 need to view that) Doug has turn into knowledgeable 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 generally, cables simply put on out. You’ll be able to 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 got had one break on us up to now, Doug has a spare substitute cable readily available within the camper always. In case 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.
Challenge #2
Simply 2 days later… We arrive down in South Carolina to go to Doug’s greatest buddy 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. Every little thing was going fantastic… 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 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 state of affairs that nobody might have predicted and nobody might have ready for. Grateful for the place we have been on the time it occurred, Doug and Buck (his greatest buddy) labored within the fireplace division for a number of years collectively. They didn’t panic in any respect and actually simply started working. They have been ready to make use of the entrance jacks on the camper to tug the truck up a little bit at a time all of the whereas inserting 2×6 planks beneath 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 tug ours out of the outlet. Shifting 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 beneath the pin and get the camper hooked again up from one other course.
Challenge #3
After spending every 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 might have ready for. I attempted to deal with it alone at house with over-the-counter salves and such, however nothing was working. We would have liked a health care provider. And I wanted antibiotics.
Challenge #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 odor of anti-freeze coming from the truck. He did a fast examination and found that one of many coolant strains had damaged. We spent every 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 autos to get round. As soon as once more, this isn’t one thing we might 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.
Challenge #5
Our final night time in West Virginia… I undergo from continual 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 generally turn into complacent about it, which is a horrible place to be over one thing that might actually kill me. I take treatment each different day to maintain every little thing beneath management, and haven’t had any main points in virtually 2 years. Nicely, 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 awakened a little bit after midnight unable to breath. I instantly took Benadryl, however that takes at the very least 20 minutes to begin working. So I sat there with my EpiPen in my hand hoping that every little thing 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 state of affairs 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 all the medicines 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 at the very least we all know when the final time we handed one was.
Challenge #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 Japanese 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, doubtless from bouncing down the street, 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 quickly and we referred to as our Boondockers Welcome host to allow them to know we have been going to be late, and would wish to remain longer than the scheduled 1 night time. We received again on the street in the suitable hand lane and went gradual and regular till we lastly arrived the 180 further miles that we wanted to go.
In some way 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 folks we’ve got in all probability ever met whereas on the street. Not solely did they inform us that we might keep so long as wanted, however they made us dinner that first night time, drove us round to choose up components, allowed Doug using their store and all the instruments, introduced us out to a automobile present, confirmed us round their city, allowed us to choose our personal candy corn, and really 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 short lived restore to the airbag inside a weeks time. Celia had a improbable advice to hook up and do a shake down cruise up and down the freeway for a little bit bit to ensure that every little thing was holding correctly and as soon as once more…. One other subject…
Challenge #8
One of many cross members that’s presupposed 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 an enormous 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 street once more. After 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 night time. The airbag held effectively sufficient and we truly loved an evening of tenting with no further issues. At that second it type of felt like a miracle in itself.
We headed out of Minnesota and continued on our approach west. And wouldn’t you realize it, that little mini miracle of no points that first night time again on the street rapidly went away and have been as soon as once more reminded that this portion of our Adventures was nonetheless damaged.
Challenge #9
We determined that we have been going to make an enormous 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 to try to offset the intense deficit in our finances from the numerous “points” we simply stored trucking.
We stopped for gas and I observed 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 just about each place was closed, however Doug did handle to seek out one little fuel station that had the suitable measurement tire for us to buy. Draw back…. He didn’t have any techs on responsibility anymore to place the tire on the rim for us. As soon as once more driving slowly in the suitable 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 gave the impression to be again on observe.
To Yellowstone we go…
We did make it. We made all of it the best way to West Yellowstone to satisfy up with buddies. The substitute airbag arrived on the campground earlier than we did, and Doug was in a position to get that changed earlier than we mentioned 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 life-style isn’t for the weak, we will each say that. Doug and I are inclined to each be fairly sturdy willed folks and we have been each fairly damaged. Individuals are really wonderful although. In some way each time one thing else occurred, we pulled via and have been surrounded by the suitable folks that might assist repair it. Generally that repair was nothing greater than a hug on the proper time, or the suitable instrument. In reality, it will probably’t be defined. We stored on preserving on and every little thing appeared to fall into place.
Right here we’re! Nonetheless doing this loopy journey! It might finish earlier than 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 preserving on, as a result of that’s what we do. Even with all the stress’s that we’ve got had pushed on us, we stay up for seeing what tomorrow brings. We have been watching T.V. the opposite night time, and somebody mentioned, “Stress Makes Diamonds” and I can’t get it out of my head. Possibly we aren’t diamonds but, and possibly we’ve got extra stress coming, however we each understand it’s all price it.
You’ll be able to’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.