Tena StetlerAuthor of Paranormal Romance/Suspense & Cozy Mysteries With Magic Spark!

Jun 7th Camping Season – The Perils of Getting a Late Start

Can you believe it’s camping season again?  Seems it was just Christmas and winter.  Hey, wait a minute, it was just winter, Colorado had significant snow through April and into the first weeks of May. My daffodils, crocus and tulips did their best even through the snow.

Snow and winter weather made us late de-winterizing (is that even a word?) our fifth wheel trailer and truck.  Uncovering the trailer in the wind was an experience in itself. Imagine a thirty-foot long, thirteen foot high cover billowing in twenty-five mph wind as you try to fold it up. Nearly took me off my feet (Dorthy from OZ swirls through my mine) as my hubby shouts, “Fold it the other way. ”Yeah, right, I could if I could get it on the ground,” I retorted, my words swallowed up by the wind. What’s the use of a good retort when no one hears.  Kinda like that question, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it still make a sound?

Any way I digress. While parking the fifth wheel in the driveway, a strong odor of fuel permeated my nostrils, I looked under the truck and saw a steady stream of liquid puddling below the vehicle.  Peering at my husband I said, “Is that supposed to be happening?” I point under the truck to the leaking fuel.  “#*#? no,” he said.

After a tirade of not nice words from under the truck, my hubby ascertained the fuel pump was leaking.  Okay, so you think, no big deal, just get it fixed.  Right?”  No way!  Because my hubby trusts no one to work on his vehicles, especially brakes and fuel system, he spent Memorial Day Weekend draining a thirty six gallon gas tank. Of course we’d just filled it. He pulled the tank out and replaced the fuel pump. That done, the tank back in place, we took truck and trailer to a tire store for 8 new tires all around. Bank account drained, we brought the vehicles back and parked them in the driveway, much to the chagrin of our homeowners association (that’s a whole different story). People who don’t own an RV should never decide how long it takes to get ready.  Still had to de-winterize the trailer, and get it ready for camping.

Hubby crawls under the trailer only to find a bolt holding the slide-out mechanism sheared off.  What a disaster if we’d been going down the highway. Thank goodness we weren’t. Hubby sprinted downstairs to his ton of important stuff that fills the basement and found exactly the bolt he needed.  Then proceeded to remind me that’s why he keeps all the junk I bitch about.  Okay… enough said. Further inspection and the trailer ground brace is loose, another trip in the basement and taa daa a can of screws and the brace is repaired.

Kayaks loaded, truck full of fuel (not leaking), trailer packed with human, dog, parrot and turtle necessities

Steamboat Lake

we’re ready.  Let the camping adventures begin. On our agenda this year,  Steamboat Lake,  Rocky Mountain National Park, Lake Vallecito, Twin Lakes in San Isabell National Forest, and Cheyenne Mountain State Park.   Note to self: Next year regardless of what Mother Nature throws at us, the fifth wheel comes out of storage in April.

Oh, by the way, I figured you’d rather look at pictures of places we’ve camped, rather than repairs in our driveway made this year.  Was I right?

Where are you going?  Did you have as much trouble getting ready as we did? I’d love to hear from you! Next week, we’ll check out favorite camping spots.

Views: 292