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My friends, Lyn and Pete, and I were headed to the same location so we set up a caravan. Neither of us has towing ability on our motorhomes. My car had been driven and delivered to our destination the night before by Tom and Don, our mutual friends.
We decided that Lyn would drive their car in the lead, I'd be in the middle and Pete would bring up the rear in their RV. The sun was out, the birds were singing and the weather was about 70 degrees with a slight breeze.
We traveled two miles and I made a very slow left turn. The 27 drawers containing 400 CDs, DVDs and cassettes decided not to follow. They slid to the right. The combined weight toppled all nine cabinets onto the floor and into the stairwell, blocking the door. This would be important very soon.
I cursed under my breath and decided to stay off the walkie-talkie. We traveled another few miles and I noticed the motorhome losing power going uphill. This was unusual because I keep the weight down and she had handled the previous hills well. There was an odd smell coming from the engine compartment but there's always a smell when I'm traveling once the engine warms up.
We pulled into a turnout to let traffic pass us. Lyn asked if I needed to stop for gas in the next town. I didn't and I told her I couldn't shut the engine off. Lyn went to her car and drove on. We followed in our RVs. Lyn thought I couldn't shut off the engine because I wouldn't be able to restart it. What I meant was I could not shut off the engine even by removing the ignition key. The engine continued to run and was starting to smoke a little. So I followed Lyn, hoping to make it to the next city.
We turned right and after a mile down a country road, the smoke became too much and the engine wheezed. I turned the motorhome off the road and she died with her rear about six feet into the right lane. She started to roll back and without brakes, I grabbed the emergency brake to stop her.
I sighed, finished my prayer, got out of the seat and tried to get to the door to unlock it for Pete. He was standing outside with a fire extinguisher. I managed to shove everything out of the way and open the door. He came in and checked the engine. Then he put out orange cones.
Luckily, there was no fire. A passing trucker called the fire department (a mile back where we turned), they arrived two minutes later and checked out the engine. My cell phone worked (another miracle) and I was able to reach an agent at my insurance company. While I was holding for her to find a tow truck in the area large enough for the motorhome, a large tow truck passed and Pete flagged him down. The two men arranged for the driver to dispatch another driver to hitch my motorhome and take us to our destination. Towing it to the nearest repair facility would not be wise since it's my home. Before he left, the driver disconnected the drive train for towing.
The three of us waited in the shade. Judi, a mutual friend where we all worked, happened to drive by, recognized the RV (Judi had worked on her before) and stopped to check out the engine. It had stopped smoking but was too hot to touch, so Judi went home knowing that I wasn't alone.
The tow truck driver arrived and I expected another flatbed truck. Instead, he had a hook and I realized in horror that my RV would be hoisted at an angle. Too late. I climbed into the cab and we drove away with my friends following.
I called Efren, a friend who was going to meet me at the new location, told him what happened and asked if he could loan me the money to pay the tow truck driver. He could and he did. There was nothing else to do so I kept watching my RV in the side mirror, wondering how the driver could travel the twisting, curving country roads at 40 MPH. When we reached the freeway onramp, he stopped at the light and adjusted the angle on the hook. Then we traveled at 55 MPH across the Golden Gate Bridge and down San Francisco city streets in stop-and-go traffic.
After an eternity, we turned at the new location and bounced up the driveway. Lyn and Pete had arrived a few minutes before and had warned the managers that we wouldn't be stopping. We went directly to the space and with the manager's help, put the RV into the site. Efren met me there and paid the driver. I opened the side compartment, hooked up the power and water, took a deep breath and opened the door.
I pushed the drawers and CDs, DVDs and cassettes out of the way to make a path to the cabinet. I pulled out large grocery sacks and piled the loose stuff into them.
The TV had moved an inch but stayed on the counter. The laptop, printer and clock radio had not budged. Neither had anything else on the counter.
The large light bulb over the dinette had broken from the mounting, landed on the sleeping bag and bounced on the floor. The bulb was broken internally but had not shattered. On the floor next to it was the clock. The batteries were out and the plastic door was off but when I replaced the batteries, the clock worked. It had been pushed onto the afghan on the seat because the microwave had shifted a half inch to the right, dislodging the clock.
All the spices had fallen out of the rack and landed on the sleeping bags or cushions. Nothing was broken. The coffeemaker slid forward out of its mounting bracket and landed in the sink on top of the vitamins. The ribbon I had threaded through the handle of the coffee pot held and nothing was broken. The paring knife fell from the wall into the sink but the other dozen knives stayed in the rack. The heavy wooden stove topper moved an inch and stayed on top of the stove. Some baking pans fell from the shelf under the sink and landed on the cabinet floor a foot below. Nothing was broken.
The medicine chest opened in the bathroom and everything landed on the floor. Some Q-tips were wet but nothing was broken. I replaced the bottles, jars and containers.
And the hundreds of CDs, DVDs and cassettes? Four broken plastic cases and one damaged cabinet that can be replaced for $9.99. Nothing was scratched. They are sorted again and I'm creating a new way to transport them when I travel.
So what have I learned? I've learned that it's expensive to tow an RV 50 miles. I've learned that I pack and stow my stuff pretty well overall. I've learned that RVers are awesome people. I've learned that having a sense of humor will get you through some of the worst times in your life. I've learned that true friends will not leave you and won't believe you when you tell them that you're OK really.
My advice is to check your engine before you leave, pack and stow your stuff carefully, be glad you're an RVer, keep a sense of humor and take care of your friends.
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