Another Exciting Episode in Audrey's Great RV Adventure

[REWahoo]

I just had a conversation with my neighbor that made me think of this thread.

We're parked in a campground in South Central Arkansas. A couple of hours ago a tire repair truck pulled up to the motor home next to us. As the tire guy was replacing one of the rear tires I went over and struck up a conversation with the owner. Seems he's having his own "great" RV adventure.

A full-timer, he told me they left Branson, MO yesterday morning in the rain and fog, heading for Hot Springs, AR on Highway 7 - a twisting, snake-like two lane road apparently designed by drunken hillbillies in the late 1800s. After being on the road seven hours and covering less than 200 miles they experienced a blowout on the sidewall of an inner rear tire* as they were turning into the RV park. To add insult to injury, as he was maneuvering into his parking spot he backed into a 20' lamp post, severing his rear bumper, tearing a three foot gash in his rear end cap, knocking out his left tail lights - and downing the pole.

The crowning blow evidently came after they finally got parked and his wife discovered the tree cover prevented their auto-seeking satellite dish getting a signal.

He does NOT appear to be a happy camper...



* The date of manufacture on the tire showed it to be 6 1/2 years old - many in the RV world say 5-6 years is the age limit and this incident reinforced my belief in the wisdom of this time limit.

 

[RonBoyd]

Aaah. Nothing that a heeping helping of Tequila (and a fat wallet) won't cure. Tell him its alright if "happy hour" comes early on some days.

Yeah, the tire thing is important... and not just for RVers- those people driving 80 MPH on the highway should take notice also.

 

[FinanceDude]

OMG! You're breaking me!!!!

Audrey

I hope you got a break on those brakes. Some of those repair facilities are known to break the bank when it comes to brakes. Are your sure your brakes won't break? I am concerned that when it comes to brakes, they are likely to break, and break at the worst time for brakes to break.

Now, I will give you a break!!

 

[W2R]

I just had a conversation with my neighbor that made me think of this thread.

We're parked in a campground in South Central Arkansas. A couple of hours ago a tire repair truck pulled up to the motor home next to us. As the tire guy was replacing one of the rear tires I went over and struck up a conversation with the owner. Seems he's having his own "great" RV adventure.

A full-timer, he told me they left Branson, MO yesterday morning in the rain and fog, heading for Hot Springs, AR on Highway 7 - a twisting, snake-like two lane road apparently designed by drunken hillbillies in the late 1800s. After being on the road seven hours and covering less than 200 miles they experienced a blowout on the sidewall of an inner rear tire* as they were turning into the RV park. To add insult to injury, as he was maneuvering into his parking spot he backed into a 20' lamp post, severing his rear bumper, tearing a three foot gash in his rear end cap, knocking out his left tail lights - and downing the pole.

The crowning blow evidently came after they finally got parked and his wife discovered the tree cover prevented their auto-seeking satellite dish getting a signal.

He does NOT appear to be a happy camper...

How miserable! The more I hear about RV "adventures", the more I realize that RV life is not for ME - - though it may be a dream come true to some others. I am enjoying my cable TV and my high speed cable internet, while watching the rain from inside my cozy home and doing laundry. All this with the comforts of indoor plumbing. And when I checked my bank account, it had the same balance as it did yesterday. What more would one ever want? (happy sigh) Life is good.

 

[FinanceDude]

How miserable! The more I hear about RV "adventures", the more I realize that RV life is not for ME - - though it may be a dream come true to some others. I am enjoying my cabel TV and my high speed cable internet, while watching the rain from inside my cozy home and doing laundry. All this with the comforts of indoor plumbing. What more would one ever want? (happy sigh) Life is good.

Sounds good to me. I could live in an RV, but DW would have no part of it.......

 

[REWahoo]

I am enjoying my cable TV and my high speed cable internet, while watching the rain from inside my cozy home and doing laundry. All this with the comforts of indoor plumbing.

Ahem. With the single exception of cable/satellite TV, I'm enjoying all the above sitting next to a rushing mountain stream in the middle of a beautiful hardwood forest.

And when I checked my bank account, it had the same balance as it did yesterday.

Same here.

What more would one ever want? (happy sigh)

See "...sitting next to a rushing mountain stream middle of a beautiful hardwood forest." above.

Life is good.

Yep, sure is.

 

[brewer12345]

Ah, but the homebody misses out on the freedom of the open road, ever-changing vistas, the chance for adventure, and the world's largest ball of string!

 

[W2R]

Ah, but the homebody misses out on the freedom of the open road, ever-changing vistas, the chance for adventure, and the world's largest ball of string!

In exchange, I get the freedom of being in my own home, where I own every single thing that I see. It's my own domain, where I am the supreme ruler (as tiny as it may be! ). When I look at the rain in my backyard, it's MY backyard even if it isn't a babbling brook and hardwood forest. I get the pleasure of pleasingly predictable vistas that are exactly as I wish them to be (and I get ever changing vistas on my TV if I want them). And life is always an adventure!

 

[RonBoyd]

I get the freedom of being in my own home, where I own every single thing that I see. It's my own domain, where I am the supreme ruler (as tiny as it may be!)

Not to pile on but... that's exactly the words I use to describe the relationship I have with our RV.

(and I get ever changing vistas on my TV if I want them)

For some reason I don't really miss that.

 

[W2R]

Not to pile on but... that's exactly the words I use to describe the relationship I have with our RV.




For some reason I don't really miss that.

Ah... "You say po-tay-to, I say po-tah-to, you say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to".... good thing there is room in the world for differences such as ours! I would hate for the world to be full of little W2R clones, only.

 

[RonBoyd]

Ah... "You say po-tay-to, I say po-tah-to, you say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to".... good thing there is room in the world for differences such as ours! I would hate for the world to be full of little W2R clones, only.

Yes, you are correct again. I should have added a

 

[NW-Bound]

An RV wannabe here. Have dragged my wife out to a couple of RV dealerships. I went home to watch a couple of auctions and was able to sneak in the highest bid at the very last minute. Would have been a steal, except that it was still below the reserve, and the greedy dealer would not let it go. Grrrr...

So, I currently have a cool-off period. Can't travel yet for an indefinite period due to a family matter. Back to studying, surfing the Web, looking for the next "steal".

Hmm... Should I try to get one of those cute Winnebago Rialtas that were built on a VW Eurovan chassis? They have been discontinued, and the used ones command much higher prices than the normal larger class Cs.

 

[Moemg]

I have to say I was a no RV person but I can really see the positives . We recently went to new England on vacation and after touring all day we had to drag ourselves out for dinner . If we had an RV we could have just chilled out in our sweats with a little wine & cheese and in the morning we could have had breakfast while we were still in our PJ's . Okay somebody slap me please before I end up with a huge motor home in my driveway !

 

[CuppaJoe]

Ah, but the homebody misses out on the freedom of the open road, ever-changing vistas, the chance for adventure, and the world's largest ball of string!

Last time I enjoyed "freedom of the open road" a highway patrolman drove the speed limit just ahead of me. Okay, I know it's not the same but I can sit home and re-read Maupassant's "Piece of String" until I get the travel bug. Thanks to an REWahoo thread, I learned I am within commute range of the Pez museum. Does it get better than that? I haven't left the area in over a year but "adventure" is everywhere in the city! Ever changing vistas, just go out on the roof, fog rolls in, presto a changing vista.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I would hate for the world to be full of little W2R clones, only.

It might be kinda purty, though.

 

[W2R]

It might be kinda purty, though.

Aw!! Thank you!

I almost hate to remind you that my avatar is not me, though...

 

[NW-Bound]

Okay somebody slap me please before I end up with a huge motor home in my driveway !

Heh heh heh... I must confess I have measured my driveway. Heh heh heh...

Sadly I can only accomodate up to 26 ft. They do have cute little class As, called "shorty", and they do look cute. Heh heh heh... Might have bought one if it were closer to home instead of in Tennessee.

Up in my 2nd home in the boonies, I would have plenty of room, but to think of the logistics of driving it back and forth...

 

[Moemg]

Heh heh heh... I must confess I have measured my driveway. Heh heh heh...

Sadly I can only accomodate up to 26 ft. They do have cute little class As, called "shorty", and they do look cute. Heh heh heh... Might have bought one if it were closer to home instead of in Tennessee.

Up in my 2nd home in the boonies, I would have plenty of room, but to think of the logistics of driving it back and forth...

I have a garage designed for either a boat or a motor home with a very large side door . Am I in trouble or what ? I need to repeat I do not need a motorhome over & over .

 

[NW-Bound]

I have a garage designed for either a boat or a motor home with a very large side door . Am I in trouble or what?

Yes, you can still be in trouble. You still need to measure the height clearance to make sure.

Okay, I know it's not the same but I can sit home and re-read Maupassant's "Piece of String" until I get the travel bug.

I like Guy de Maupassant's work (in English, have not read any in French), but "Piece of String" does not ring any bell. By the way, I only read short stories for fiction nowadays, getting more impatient with long-winded novels.

 

[audreyh1]

A full-timer, he told me they left Branson, MO yesterday morning in the rain and fog, heading for Hot Springs, AR on Highway 7 - a twisting, snake-like two lane road apparently designed by drunken hillbillies in the late 1800s. After being on the road seven hours and covering less than 200 miles they experienced a blowout on the sidewall of an inner rear tire* as they were turning into the RV park. To add insult to injury, as he was maneuvering into his parking spot he backed into a 20' lamp post, severing his rear bumper, tearing a three foot gash in his rear end cap, knocking out his left tail lights - and downing the pole.

The crowning blow evidently came after they finally got parked and his wife discovered the tree cover prevented their auto-seeking satellite dish getting a signal.

He does NOT appear to be a happy camper...

Oh Wow - and this all happened on ONE DAY!

I hope I never have a day like that!

At least the blow-out occurred at a very slow speed - that is very lucky - and on the dually axle too. A poster on our RV forum posted recently about leaving I-10 near Ozarka (TX) at 75 mph due to a front tire blow out. They made it fine with minimal damage, but ended up in the wide grassy median and had some interesting after-effects like the dog freaking out so much that the key got broke off in the ignition and they couldn't turn off the coach!

The blowout report inspired me to again review the RVIAA movie "The Critical Factor" which instructs how to drive through a blowout. Michelin North America RV Videos and Demos Page I also do not drive the motorhome at 75 mph. In fact, I've gotten into the habit of driving 55-60. It sure helps on the gas mileage. And we replaced our tires as soon as we realized their date codes were 5 years old, and we are careful about keeping our tires properly inflated.

Now, after all this, I have to confess that we are today just returning from north of Dallas where we had an extra support bracket added to our steering box. This is something we had hoped to put off until next year, but other owners started seeing hairline cracks at our current mileage. We checked (again) recently and found what might be the very start of a crack, so we decided to get it addressed immediately, wedging in yet another service visit in the middle of our other plans. We are now hoping, really hoping, that we won't have any more chassis issues to deal with for a good long while (knock on wood!!!!!).

If folks here want to live vicariously and see how RVers talk to each other about their RVs check out the "Owners Corner Forums" at iRV2.com http://www.irv2.com/forums/f8/ . We're in the Alpine Coach group. Alpine owners tend to be "techies" and share a lot of info which is a really good thing since we are now on our own with no manufacturer support. But you'll see forums for several different RV manufacturers (some of which also are out of business).

Where are you in AR? And almost NOWHERE in AR can you expect to get your roof satellite dish to work! There are too many trees in AR! (but it sure makes for pretty campgrounds). In AR campgrounds I have seen people running 200 feet of coax cable from their RV to get their stand-alone satellite dish somewhere where it might just pick up a signal! We give up. Satellite TV - whatever. Internet? Now internet we don't like to be without! Fortunately the cell card works fine tree cover or no!

Audrey

 

[audreyh1]

The more I hear about RV "adventures", the more I realize that RV life is not for ME - - though it may be a dream come true to some others. I am enjoying my cable TV and my high speed cable internet, while watching the rain from inside my cozy home and doing laundry. All this with the comforts of indoor plumbing.

Gee W2R - you obviously have no idea how easy and comfortable our "roughing it" is.

I have satellite TV and internet (often high-speed) almost wherever I go. My plumbing is indoor plumbing too - we just happen to have to hook up a sewer hose now and then. The motorhome is very cozy when it's raining outside, and quite luxurious inside with ultra-leather furniture, maple hardwood cabinetry, and a fine home theater system. And the view changes frequently and can be as pretty as we care to drive to!

OK - I do have to go to another building to do laundry now and then. Which is just fine with me as I can run several loads simultaneously since I can use multiple washers and dryers.

Audrey

 

[calmloki]

Whatcha gotta do is start with an experienced rig that has done had it's problems shook loose. These trailers might be a bit large, but i bet you can make a real good deal - and the video shows how to deal with the tree problem they have in Alabama.

YouTube - Painfully Honest and Epic Mobile Home Commercial

That's Cullman Liquidation, where they don't sell no McMansions.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

And almost NOWHERE in AR can you expect to get your roof satellite dish to work! There are too many trees in AR! (but it sure makes for pretty campgrounds). In AR campgrounds I have seen people running 200 feet of coax cable from their RV to get their stand-alone satellite dish somewhere where it might just pick up a signal! We give up. Satellite TV - whatever. Internet? Now internet we don't like to be without! Fortunately the cell card works fine tree cover or no!

This isn't the Route 66 of my childhood.

 

[NW-Bound]

My plumbing is indoor plumbing too - we just happen to have to hook up a sewer hose now and then.

But, but, but you are talking about someone with a sewer phobia here.

She can't even have a house with a septic tank.

 

[REWahoo]

At least the blow-out occurred at a very slow speed - that is very lucky - and on the dually axle too. A poster on our RV forum posted recently about leaving I-10 near Ozarka (TX) at 75 mph due to a front tire blow out. They made it fine with minimal damage, but ended up in the wide grassy median and had some interesting after-effects like the dog freaking out so much that the key got broke off in the ignition and they couldn't turn off the coach!

The blowout report inspired me to again review the RVIAA movie "The Critical Factor" which instructs how to drive through a blowout. Michelin North America RV Videos and Demos Page I also do not drive the motorhome at 75 mph. In fact, I've gotten into the habit of driving 55-60.

That particular stretch of I-10 near Ozona has an 80 MPH speed limit. No way will I drive my car at that speed, much less "the bus". Like you, I generally cruise around 60. Above that the mileage really suffers.

For those of you not interested in watching the video Audrey linked above, it demonstrates the proper technique for dealing with a blowout at speed while driving a motor home, especially a front tire blowout: the first thing you do is STEP ON THE ACCELERATOR. It sounds counter intuitive, but the explanation and demonstration in the video makes sense. I hope I never have an opportunity to see how well I do in that situation.

.

Where are you in AR? And almost NOWHERE in AR can you expect to get your roof satellite dish to work! There are too many trees in AR! (but it sure makes for pretty campgrounds). In AR campgrounds I have seen people running 200 feet of coax cable from their RV to get their stand-alone satellite dish somewhere where it might just pick up a signal! We give up. Satellite TV - whatever. Internet? Now internet we don't like to be without! Fortunately the cell card works fine tree cover or no!

Audrey

We are at Hot Springs National Park. They upgraded most of the spots to full hookups with 50 AMPs. Very nice place with decent elbow room between sites and the fall colors are beautiful. Our Sprint cell card works great and the over-the-air antenna gets all the broadcast networks so I didn't even attempt to get a satellite signal.

Now if it would just stop raining...