Here's a bit of comedy relief, away from the renos for a moment.
I'm a relatively new travel trailer tower. My good friends Dan and Janis sold me their 17 foot travel trailer last fall when I relinquished one that was too big for me to pull myself. So along with the sale came some towing lessons.
Dan is a quick teacher. He teaches quick and commented on how quick I picked up the fabulous art of towing . And he's a good patient teacher to boot! He had me first tow a horse trailer, then we moved to the real deal, going up and down what seemed like his 30 mile long radically crazy curvy driveway.
I thought I did 'ok' last fall. But you know what they say, practice makes perfect. Well, I haven't been practicing much. Make that not at all.
So I had to pull my travel trailer into an RV place this past week. Not looking forward to the challenge but encouraged to do it anyway for some evenutal fun in the sun kind of weekends, I went for it. With challenge comes great growth does it not? Or something like that...
I am officially 'one of those drivers.' You know, the kind where 20 or so cars are lined up behind you because you are moseying along when you ought to be whipping along. My excuse: there's a whole lotta trailer for my little truck, so not much past 60 km is where I'm officially at, otherwise the trailer tends to sway more than I'm currently ok with. So 60 it is.
But I'm a courteous 60 km driver. As I watch the lineup forming behind me, I pull close to the side, and light up the turn signal to allow others to pass. At least I'm giving them the chance to 'try', right? Method seems to work well for side roads!
Highways are, well, fast. Appropriately so of course, but then there's me. ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM, they all fly by. That's good! We're all doing what we need to and safely, so all is well!
So my white knuckles and I get to the RV place and I was never so happy as to drop that hitch and fly out of there trailorless! FREEDOM!
But I did eventually have to go back and pick it up. Ahhh, here's where the real fun begins.
I'm grateful they hooked it up for me while I was inside. How the guy did it all on his own with no spotter I'll never figure out. But now it was time to get that thing home. Ho boy...
So I pull out with the intention on going the highway again. But I look down at my braking system and the rv has no brakes.. due to finicky plug the rv guy didn't know about. I think quick and drive straight through rather than turning because once you're ON the highway, you want some brakes, yes?!?
Thinking faster, I now realize I got myself in town. TOWN! NOOOOO! It was suppose to be just highway and side road! Town?!? I look everywhere possible with no spot to pull over to, all those no parking signs littered the side of the road. I'm toast... I look down little side roads but baulk in horror at the thought of trying to turn this thing around.
Here I go through traffic with no brakes on the trailer. It's my lucky day!
Ah!!! I spot a school! I look up above and chant thank-you thank-you thank-you!!! and then I dreamily drive in noting how schools allow flow through traffic, perfect for my kinda towing. I stop, fiddle with the plug until it works, just like Dan had coached me only days prior, (whew!) and off I go again, but this time with a smile on my face.
I went 80 going home to boot!
But back to 60 on the side roads. And as I mosey on down the roads, utilizing my system of letting others shushhh by me, I have to laugh. While I do the curves, I can see that growing lineup form almost instantly behind me.
I'm truely 'one of them.' And, by golly, I've earned it!
