Back in February, we started having problems with ants. It started with a few in the front of the RV, and every time we thought we got rid of them, they would show up somewhere else...in the kitchen, the pantry, the dining area and even the back bedroom. We tried several different things to get rid of them, but it seemed like they just kept coming back. We realized they were coming in for the water source and there was a queen somewhere who just kept the colony going. I told Alan, "There is only room for one Queen in this RV, and it ain't an ant!!!" Finally after battling the ant problem for more than a month, they are gone now!
It seems like critters just follow us, even on the road! (Our St. Louis friends may remember how many animals tried to live in the same house or yard with us...raccoons, birds, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, moles, and possums just to name a few.) Well, one day Alan opened up the hood to the RV and found a big surprise. We had a little birdie make a nest in our engine...
We have traveled on some big, some curvy, and some very long bridges in the RV while towing our mini van. If you know me, then you know this is NOT my favorite thing to do!!!!! Y I K E S!
The photo below is the Bay Bridge from Maryland to Delaware. This bridge is big, long AND curvy! To say I was stressed out is an understatement! Alan drives very well and since he knows I do not like traveling on bridges, he just stayed focused on the road and didn't say a word while I groaned, squirmed, covered my eyes and practically leaned all the way over to his side of the RV! :O
Here is the scary curve...
Did you notice there is practically NO guardrail??? On my side of the RV, there was just the vast, open ocean...gulp!
We have also had several issues with our tow dolly. We have lost three sets of tail-lights, had some strange oil leakage on the tires, problems with the straps coming loose, and a weird burn smell on the van after we tow it. Fortunately, the company that made our tow dolly is located in Winston- Salem, so we dropped off the dolly for repairs while we were there last month. Since then, we have new, strong tail-lights, no leaking problems, new straps and greater confidence:) Also- after we got the repairs done and bought new straps for the van, the burn smell disappeared. We were never certain what caused the smell, but now we think it may have been the old straps rubbing on the van tires. Who knows?! We are just glad the smell is gone!
Another interesting adventure on the road has been finding gas stations that have lanes big enough to fit our rig and van. There are several Flying J Fuel Stations that have RV lanes, which have been so nice. However, sometimes on the road when there are no Flying J Stations available, we just have to find the closest gas station. There have been times where we drove around for 10-20 minutes trying to find one that we can get into and out of safely. We cannot back up while towing our mini-van, so it is very important to find a gas station with enough parking lot space for us to drive all the way around without having to back up.
One day we were really low on fuel and we were driving out in the country where there were no gas stations to be found. We finally came across this little gas station with three pumps...
We circled around twice and Alan decided we just needed to go for it! We ended up blocking traffic in our lane for a couple of minutes while we waiting for the person in front of us to finish fueling up their car. We had the rig in the parking lot with the van sticking out in the road! I am happy to say that no one honked or got upset with us:)
No credit card machines at the pump here! We had to go inside to pay. I think the owners were happy to see how much business they would be getting...ha ha!
Alan was happy we made it and did not run out of gas:)
And the grand total to fill up...$206.61! Whew!
We left our campground and eventually the rain stopped. Alan decided to pull over to the side of the road and check on the tow dolly. When he came back inside the steps on the side of the RV would not come back up. He tried a few things to fix it, but finally he decided to just take the stairs off and fix them when we arrived to our campground.
Alan got pretty muddy from laying on the wet ground, but at least it wasn't raining anymore, right? Well...after a few minutes, the storm clouds rolled in...
Micah was outside holding the umbrella in the pouring rain for Alan while he worked...
We got back on the road and drove on through the mountains of West Virginia. Driving on mountain roads can be interesting while driving in an RV and towing a mini van! There were so many curves, turns, ups and downs that I think we all got a little car sick that day...
We arrived at Babcock State Park and it stopped raining just in time for us to set up camp and for Alan to repair the stairs. Before he did put them back on, we did get a good laugh at my attempts to get out and then back up into the RV! I had to do the splits while Alan pushed me up from behind! We do not have a photo of that lovely moment though. My boys know better than to get a picture of their Mama's backside!! Instead, in the picture below, Caleb is standing on a stool to show how high it was to get into the RV without the stairs...
Just like when we lived in a sticks and bricks house, there are repairs & maintenance jobs to be done. They are just a little different experience when you are living in an RV. We really have been very blessed that there has been nothing major to fix while we have been on the road. Alan is able to change the oil in the RV, and he has fixed almost all of the needed repairs by himself as well. I am grateful he knows how to do it!
The past 7 months have been quite an adventure for many reasons, and not just for the RV repairs, rainy day travels and critters. God has grown our faith in so many ways. We are all learning to be more patient and appreciate each other better. We are learning to laugh more at ourselves and at life. We also appreciate the luxuries we have. This reminds me of a funny story of something that happened to us a few weeks ago:
We arrived at our RV campground and Alan was inside the registration office checking in while I was standing outside the RV. A teenage boy walked by and he took one look at our RV said very sarcastically, " It kind of misses the whole point of camping, doesn't it?!?" I replied back, "Well, we are living full-time in our RV. This is our only home. It may be a big RV, but it is a small house." His eyes got big as he stammered, "Oh...". I think he was in shock! I guess I showed that young whipper snapper! HA HA!:)
Seriously - we are grateful to have a roof over our heads! 350 square feet of living space for 6 people may not sound like a lot. Honestly, there are days where it feels like a lot less than that! But- we have met TWO different families who each had TEN children and they both are traveling full time living in the same amount of space or less than we do now. We have also met families who travel full-time in a pop up camper, and have lived in a tent full-time. I have realized that we really do still live in luxury in our 350 foot square home on wheels. We each have beds, we have running water & electricity, a shower, toilet, refrigerator/freezer, a gas stove and an oven. They may be small, but at least we have them. We are truly blessed indeed!
Even though our life may be crazy at times, I still hope we can have some more adventures on the road to laugh and share about:)
Blessings to you and yours,
Jill and the boys:)
Oh Alan's smile...we miss it! I'm curious about the traveling families - are they doing something siimilar or is it out of need for lack of something permanent?
ReplyDeleteShari- actually for most of the families we have met it is for a similar reason as us. For many of them - they wanted to travel on the road full-time & explore the country/homeschool/simplify their lives and so they found a job that was mobile. For others, their jobs required them to be mobile, so they just decided to travel as a family in an RV so they could be together.
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