In this column, we share some of the not-so-brilliant things we, the RVtravel.com staff, and you, our readers, have done while RVing. We hope that in addition to a chuckle or two, we can learn from others’ RVing mistakes and not make them ourselves!
Thanks to everyone who has shared their stories! Every week I wonder if it will be the last week for the column, but you wonderful readers continue to send in your and other’s RVing “oops” stories. Please keep submitting your stories to keep this column going!
German beer fest, parking after dark, train tracks, and plenty of beer
Donny G. found the RV park was full so he found a nice, quiet spot near some grain silos. Well… “I was going to a German beer fest in a small town years ago and arrived after dark. There was only one RV park and it was full, so I looked for a place to park the motorhome off of a side street somewhere. I found a large open area beside some huge grain silos, so I backed the motorhome in and parked right beside them. It seemed to be a nice quiet place, so I walked the few blocks to the festival hall with live bands and had a good time I got back to the RV about 2 a.m., and with plenty of beer, I immediately fell asleep.
“I had probably been asleep about an hour when a freight train blasted its horn! I flew up out of bed (can’t believe I didn’t hit my head on the ceiling) and felt the train shake the entire motorhome as it roared by me. Two hours later I finally quit shaking and fell asleep. The next morning I looked out and saw that I had backed in about 20′ from the tracks and a crossing about 100′ away, hence the reason for the horn blast. Ever since, If I can’t arrive at my destination before dark, I wait until the next day to arrive… haha.”
Water streaming out shower drain down the hallway
Neal D. learned his lesson while doing laundry. He wrote, “We were about 4 or 5 days into a two-week stay at a county park with full utilities. I was doing laundry and did not yet have a clear idea of the volume of water each load put into the gray tank. Somewhere during the second load, while I was enjoying a TV program or YouTube video, I heard DW shriek, ‘There’s a stream of water on the floor [of the main salon]!?!?!’
“I quickly jumped from my very comfortable seat and hurriedly went toward the back of the RV. The stream of water was issuing from the shower drain, so I rushed outside, opened the gray tank valve, and began emptying the tank. I returned inside and noticed that the gray tank reading was 100%. I returned outside to await the sound of the gray tank reaching ’empty’ while vowing to evermore check the gray tank level before and after each load of laundry to prevent this ever happening again. I also learned which cycles use less water but still clean the clothes. Six years later and that remains the only stream we have seen inside our RV.”
Bypass route almost became a no-route
Dennis G. shares his experience with the by-pass road getting narrower and narrower. “Small GPS mishap: Back in 2018 we took our RV to our son’s baseball tournament in the Santa Cruz mountains. The ride there was uneventful, using the major highway. On our trip home, knowing the highway was blocked, we decided to use a bypass route back to the main highway.
“The road began as a normal, wide 2-lane road, and slowly became tighter as we climbed. Eventually, the road became a 1-and-1/2 width road with no safe turnaround. Luckily the road never got narrower, and the trees never got closer.
“After another mile or two, the road widened as we approached the highway on-ramp. No harm, no foul, but it was concerning. Today we plan our trips methodically and use Google Maps Street View extensively to avoid a similar situation.”
GPS: Turn right, turn right, turn right!
Roy B. followed GPS instructions: Turn right, turn right, turn right! He wrote, “Being fairly new to RVing, my wife, daughter and I were on a trip from Missouri to West Virginia. We had a fairly new GPS that we were using, and were on a limited-access toll road, on our way there. After driving for a while and it was nearly lunchtime, we decided to find someplace to eat, using the GPS.
“After looking at our options, we decided to take an exit into a small town to grab some chicken at a fast food chicken place. All was going well. Correct exit, a mile or two into town, GPS said go one block and turn right…then, one block and turn right…then, one block and turn right…THEN, one block and turn right. We found ourselves going completely around a block in a small town, and guess what? No chicken restaurant! Back on the toll road we go and found something else a few miles down the road… lol.”
Speaking of GPS… A reader has this advice
D.G. writes about the importance of a dedicated RV GPS. “RV GPS, RV GPS, RV GPS! Buy one, use it, and forget about using your cellphone except for ETA information. My Garmin RV890 has saved my butt more times than I can count from going under low bridges, dirt roads, construction sites, heavy traffic, propane-ban roads, etc. Don’t cheap out, buy an RV-capable GPS where you can enter your length, width, height, weight, etc., to keep your travels out of trouble. Just saying…”
Backing up? Always get out and LOOK!
Wendy M. learned a hard lesson when they didn’t get out and look when backing up. She wrote, “11 years, 90,000 miles, and many memorable moments. In a park near Delta Junction, AK, on Father’s Day years ago, we found our spot in the woods down a very narrow one-way road and proceeded to back up to the concrete bumper using a camera and mirrors. It was a level spot so I didn’t get out at this dry campsite. Suddenly our whole back end dropped to the frame! What we couldn’t see was the ditch that had been dug just in front of the concrete bumper, thus our back wheels were free-hanging in the ditch and we couldn’t move. In much of Alaska, there’s no cell service. Walking about a mile, I got one bar of service. Our tow driver got us out with no damage to the rig. Lesson: Always get out and look!!!”
Please share your RVing “oops” mistake story
Humor can be the best medicine and mistakes the best lesson! Have you had some unfortunate “oops” mistakes during your RVing adventures? We would love to hear them. Please fill out the form below and include a photo if you have one. Thank you!
Always good to learn from mistakes others make and their recommendations
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Train tracks…avoid at all costs if possible.
Nanci, I love the cartoon picture with the train that you came up with. It pretty much shows the exact scenario I was in when I looked out the window the next morning. Thank-you. It seems pretty humorous now!
Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 These never fail to educate. 🙂 Safe travels! 🙂
the best KOA is in Amarillo. Train tracks nearby, a highway on the other side, aircraft taking off overhead and, oh what’s that smell? A cattle yard.