I thought I would share a true story of a vacation we took last year to the Black Hills of South Dakota. If you feel you are the unluckiest person in the world, this should make you feel better! if you are new to RVing, please don’t let this scare you away!
This was our first camping trip that we took where we went with friends. They have a PUP (Pop-up for you newbies) and we had our Travel Trailer.
The fun began on the highway. One thing I always hated about our setup is the friction sway control. I never felt like it did a good enough job. So, as we were driving we found ourselves swaying more than I would have wanted but still within reason (most of the time). Well, up in Wisconsin on a three way highway, I chose to ride the middle lane. This was a big mistake, and if you don’t think so, ask my wife…she will be brutally honest on this one! Anyway, there I am in that middle lane when two 18 wheelers ride up at the same time on either side of us and that was the worst driving experience I have ever felt. You know how it is (sometimes) when a semi passes you…try to imagine the vortex on both sides. It was like being in a pinball machine and for the life of me; I don’t know how I didn’t hit anything. Our friends were following us and later at a rest area said that from their angle it was pretty amazing to see us get thrown around like that!
The next bit of fun came in Minnesota right when we crossed the Mississippi river. This is on Interstate 90 and when you cross, there is a pretty steep incline. So, there we are, trying to make that hill. People were passing us and my truck was slowing down. I felt like I was in the movie The Long, Long Trailer! If you haven’t seen that movie…it is a must. I will write about movies at a later time. Back to the hill. When we almost got to the top of the hill, my truck sputtered and then the ‘Service Engine Soon’ light came on. We pulled over after we went over the top of that hill. We took a look under the hood everything seemed okay except for the service light. We decided to forge ahead!
We made it to our first stop-over at Blue Mounds State Park. If you haven’t stayed here, you must give it a try! So, the next day, we packed up to finish our drive. It was pretty uneventful until we got to Rapid City. We decided to pull into the tourist information building to get directions to the campground we had booked. Just when we got there, my gauges started going crazy and the battery indicator came on. This, by the way, was a fairly new battery. We took a look under the hood and all looked good. Sure enough, when we started the truck…everything was okay. So we went ahead and got our info and got back on the road.
The next part of the fun is all my fault. You see, living in Northern Illinois, we just don’t have big hills. This was the first time driving on this type of terrain with my trailer. As we were heading out of Rapid City towards Keystone, there is a very long inclining hill. We were worried about this one, but we took our time and all went well. This is where it really got fun! The Black Hills are like driving on a roller coaster. Yep, time for a steep hill down. Well, I hadn’t quite practiced downshifting and I relied on the brakes. By the time we got to Keystone, the smell from the brakes was pretty extreme and that was worrisome, but there was no damage.
We got all setup and I disconnected my truck and then we rested. The next day was Fathers Day and so my son wanted to take me to an indoor black light golf course we had passed on our way to the camp ground. So, he and I went to the golf course. Sure enough, my truck was not done with me! On the way there, the gauges went crazy again and so we turned the AC off and finally got to the place. When we were done, I went to start the truck and there was nothing! No power, no gauges….nothing! I opened the hood and wiggled the battery cable and the truck came to life. We made it back to the camp ground just fine.
I grabbed my laptop and looked up a Chevy dealer in Rapid City. Monday morning, I got up early and drove in to the dealer when they opened. For the record, they were fantastic! So, there I am waiting in the waiting room, and the service manager comes to me to discuss the damages. He starts with “one of the cylinders misfired about 800 miles ago. Yep, that was that hill in Minnesota. They felt they could just put some detergent in the tank to help clean the injectors. Cool….sounds good so far. As for the power problem, they found that one of the battery cables was corroded within the insulation and it needed replacement. Okay…still not sounding bad. Finally, he says that while they were inspecting, they found that the belt idler was worn. If we lose that, we lose the whole shooting match. Okay….fix that too. They did the job and that fixed all those problems.
The truck was great for the rest of the week in the Black Hills. When it came time to leave, we packed up and left early. It was really gloomy out and there was a really strong wind out of the North which reminded me of how much I hated my sway bar! We made our way across South Dakota and then through Minnesota. We wanted to stay at a state park in the Eastern part of Minnesota. We arrived…in tact and setup shop. Well….it had been raining for what must have been weeks and we were inundated with mosquitoes. Not a pleasant stay at all! We were glad to get on the road the next day.
So, this is the final leg of the journey. We drove into Wisconsin and it was raining. As we were driving, my windshield wipers stopped in the up position. I shook my head and just couldn’t believe this was happening. It would work once in a while and that made for some nervous driving.
Somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin, we decided to stop at a rest area. While there, I inspected everything and noticed a strange wear on one of the tires. It was bald on part of the surface. It was clear that by the way it had worn, there was a flaw. We left the rest area and I looked for a truck stop with a service center. I very kind tire specialist came out and agreed it was a flawed tire. We put our spare on and made our way home.
Once home, and after I disconnected the trailer, while running a couple post-vacation errands, my battery light came on. My alternator had bit the dust! SO, to get my truck back up to good working condition, I found myself replacing the windshield motor and the alternator. Oh, I also took my trailer to a tire dealer and had them put on some nice radials.
I should probably let you know that my truck, a 1998 Chevy Tahoe had sat for a year or two prior to me buying it. This goes to show that vehicles are better used than letting them sit!
Whew….I hope you got through this! I also hope you got a smile out of this too. When it was all happening I was angry, but now all I can do is laugh at it! So if you think you are the unluckiest person in the world….come back to this article and that should cheer you up!
Happy Camping and see you next Sunday!