I only hooked up to electricity last night, so leaving wasn't much of a problem except that I was plain tired. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the damage to my rig, will I be able to afford to get it fixed, and more importantly, how can I afford something smaller in its place.
I had planned to drive to Boise and then up the scenic byways through Idaho to the Sawtooth Range, over to West Yellowstone, and into Montana and ND, before going to Madison, SD for a few days. This morning I wrote the insurance agent in Madison to let him know of the damage to the rig, and advise me of how to handle it. I know they won't pay for any water damage, but they should pay for the accidental damage to the rig itself. He probably won't read his email until Monday, and I decided that I should stay off the byways and stay on the interstates so that I could get help if something major falls off the rig. I am driving I-84 to just east of Salt Lake City, and then picking up I-80 as far east as North Platte, NE, where I will turn north to SD.
It hasn't been my best day. Twice I got off to fuel up only to find I couldn't maneuver into the space allotted. In one instance I found myself in a dead-end space where the only way to get out was to back up. I DID IT! I eventually got fuel at a Flying J, and then tried to find an RV park to stay overnight. One was a city park on the Snake River but I just couldn't get into the space, so again, I BACKED UP! Even the KOA I stopped at didn't have the room that KOA's usually have. I ended up in Declo ID at Village of Trees RV Park. What a place! The spaces are all long, pull through, and extra wide. An escort takes you to your space and helps guide you in. They actually have food and a well stocked store - for my dinner I got a pulled pork sandwich and fries, and I feel much better. In a few minutes I'm going to walk the dog down to the Snake River, which is one of the most beautiful rivers I've seem in the West.
I am seriously considering staying an extra night. I do dumb things when I drive while tired, and I obviously can't afford any more dumb things.
So I don't think I could do any major backing up into a tight space, but I won't be paralyzed at the thought of having to go in reverse. What I need to do is to get out of the truck and visually check when I can't tell from the mirror. By the time I feel confident I hope to have something I can feel good about driving, and it won't be a fifth wheel!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
I hope that you got some needed rest last night.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your accident and hope that the damage is something that will be easily fixed.
I found your blog yesterday and have really enjoyed reading it. LOL, I started from the beginning and think I will be caught up to the presence by tomorrow.
Have a great day!!
Tango
I'm so sorry about the damage to your 5th. I know it's only a matter of time until something like that happens to me. Hang in there, we do our best, and that's all we can do. Maybe you are right to think about something more manageable than that big 5th and a crew cab truck. I know I wouldn't want to be trying to manage something as big as you have. I doubt I'd do as well as you have! smile, my friend!
ReplyDeleteI hope that you'll be able to get your fifth wheel fixed.
ReplyDeleteWe had a small accident with ours a couple of years ago in a parking lot where I was turning and not watching the right mirror. I wrote about it on my "other blog," Exit78, in a post called, Swing Wide and Use Your Mirrors
We took two long trips with that 5th wheel camper and, even though we were up-side down in the loan, we traded it in for a small class C a little over a year ago. We are now in our third long trip in the Class C. We probably should have bought something cheaper, except that it would have probably been a lot harder to get a trade... and our trade was before the bottom really fell out of the financial markets.
Anyhow, good luck with the fix.
Mike
on the road in New Mexico heading home to Arkansas
Haw Creek Out 'n About