Our latest adventure, going up to Auburn, CA for driving lessons, has started out well. We got out of the driveway and up our road with no problems at all! Good job Craig!
Traffic out of the Bay Area was not too bad, and after about 75 miles Craig pulled off so I could do the second 75.
We were moving nicely until we got to Sacramento during the evening rush hour. It was a bit scary, but I did OK and except for missing the entrance to the RV park, we got here just fine.
We found our spot, pulled in and got all set up.
The almost "oops"? We walked around outside after dinner and noticed we had missed sliding out our big slide into a pedestal by less than an inch!
Lesson: Make sure the slides have enough room to extend.
We were lucky. No damage and I'm sure we will always look in the future.
From Craig: our new Surge Guard 40240 is conducting the AC from the site we're in, and is displaying the voltage and amperage on each of the two power lines on its little message display. Having been in the business of testing electronic things for years, I would hate to devise a test for whether it's protecting us from anything though!
Craig and Merikay at Avenue of the Giants, California
You'll just have to take it on faith that the Surge Guard works. Mine has saved my bacon more than once.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem to be true that once you have an oops or almost oops, you tend to remember what precautions to take. :)
We never hit a pedastal..but we have unhooked before popping out the slide and then realized that we need to move a bit..rehook and then pop out!..we only did this once..live and learn!..
ReplyDeleteThese are the best lessons. No harm done, but they sure stick with you!
ReplyDeleteMaking a mental note to self..
ReplyDeleteI make Jim stand outside and watch the slides go out to make sure we aren't going to hit anything. We've seen just a couple too many times where people didn't pay attention and did have oops. Love that surge guard.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the Surge Guard is doing its job!
ReplyDeleteAfter more than 3 years of RVing, we still look every time we put out or bring in the slides. Between a bay door that is accidently left open, a tree trunk or branch, an evil power pedestal or any of the other things that can you can find in any given site, there are just too many things that can do too much damage.
Enjoy your driving school!!!
Glad you missed the pedestal. We always have one of us watching as the slides come out even when we're sure we have enough room - just in case!
ReplyDeleteGlad things are going well on your trip. Near misses are always good learning experiences...you won't forget next time. Tell Craig I'm glad the surge guard is installed and working...he will be happy when the time comes that you need it.
ReplyDeleteAlso...Craig: you can tell the Oregon Ducks a lot easier now. They're the ones with the PAC 12 Championship Trophy...you can look for them at the Rose Bowl when you're there! Glad things are well with you.
I took a broom handle and shortened it to about 3 1/2 feet long. The I put one end against the side of the motorhome and measured the distance out to the edge of the slide. I marked this on the broom handle.
ReplyDeleteThen I did the same for a different slide that went out further. Now I can pull into a campsite and easily measure how far the slide outs will go. I can also measure how far the hatch doors will take to open so that I don't get caught not being able to get into a hatch. I then put a screw part way into the side of the handle at one end and it makes a perfect pull for the leveling blocks or even for my window awnings.
I'm the one who pushes the buttons for the slides to go out. Even when I know there is enough room, I make Kevin watch. I just feel better :)
ReplyDeleteGlad no damage was done to the Alpha. Looking forward to a report on driving school. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteWe've heard all kinds of ways people make sure their slides are ok before unhooking. We have a remote control for two of the three slides, so it's easy to watch from outside.
ReplyDeleteOur "oops!" happened after pulling out of the site and seeing branches scrape up near the top of the rig. I was watching the lower half clear some ground obstacles. We got some scratches from that, but they were able to be buffed out. So much to watch out for and think about pulling in and out!
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