Tail Swing

It’s not unusual that we have a countdown the week before camping. Yes, the kids and I are excited. It’s my husband’s giddiness that gets us amped up for the trip. When Friday rolls around I can feel his bridled excitement as soon as we wake up. It’s as if he were Buddy in the movie Elf. If I said “Camping is coming to town!” his response would be “CAMPING! OH MY GOD! CAMPING!” One little nudge and I think I could get that reaction (stay tuned for a future YouTube posting of me indulging in that social experiment).

This particular Friday we were replacing our fifth wheel’s tires from stock to better quality Good Years. Let’s just say we’ve been scared straight. We’ve heard one too many horror stories of rigs being shredded from tire blowouts and decided early this year that preventative maintenance is the way to go given the number of trips we have planned.

With sights set on a fun-filled camping weekend, my husband began to make his way out of the parking lot showing off our fifth wheel’s new kicks. Like a quarterback in a football game he knew his play, but as soon as the ball was hiked the landscape began to shift. The open lane shut down. A car pulled in front of him and parked. What to do? My husband chose to push through on his own, and while he nearly made it, the back end of the fifth wheel nudged the side of another parked truck. Damage report: broken tail light lens and corner trim on the rig, dented side panel on the opposing truck.

You know those Caution: Wide Turn! images you see on the back of semi-trucks? Friendly reminder that when pulling a fifth wheel or other travel trailer you are (or nearly are) the length of a semi! That image applies to YOU recreational camper driver! The extra few beats in turning wide, even in a parking lot, will save you a dent and call to your insurance agent. If you can, stopping to reevaluate, asserting some patience, and observing your surroundings may help prevent dragging your backend across some undesired object like a parked car.

Luckily for us the truck owner was a worker from the tire shop who was very understanding and good to work with under the circumstances.  We all make mistakes. All of us. In that “I’m an idiot!” moment, we are thankful for the understanding guys.

So how did Buddy fair the rest of the camping weekend? I’ll keep it family friendly and say there were some “I’m a cotton headed ninny muggins” references. The remaining trek to the campground was in unrelenting rain – the kind that shows up as yellow or orange on the radar. Our spotless rig with beautiful armor-all tires went axel deep through mud before calling state park camping site #150 home for the weekend. Soaked and dirty my husband still had an ember of camping magic in him. “I just love camping!” he said exhausted but content.

Merry camping to all, and to all a good night!