What Was It Like The Very First Day?

[Sandersmr]

Ow, even my artificial knees hurt after that description!!!

[BirdbyBird]

After surviving that fall and recovery.....you can get up and go through many many things. Then I began to imagine the "catastrophes" that you have probably seen and been witness to through your work experiences.

I am thinking that you have seen what the human spirit can survive even when their personal belongings and material treasures are damaged and or destroyed....Even when they have lost loved ones. You have more experience with the bumps and detours of lives than many of us.... and know that after the great life changing winds and storms...there is another day and another day....and another day....and for survivors a time to rebuild and journey on.....

[Nasoosie]

After surviving that fall and recovery.....you can get up and go through many many things. Then I began to imagine the "catastrophes" that you have probably seen and been witness to through your work experiences.

I am thinking that you have seen what the human spirit can survive even when their personal belongings and material treasures are damaged and or destroyed....Even when they have lost loved ones. You have more experience with the bumps and detours of lives than many of us.... and know that after the great life changing winds and storms...there is another day and another day....and another day....and for survivors a time to rebuild and journey on.....

Wow, Tina----great observation and philosophy for today. Thanks for reminding us.

[mitch5252]

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Hope you had good insurance!!

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[Roadweaver]

Thanks Tina, that was beautiful. I think I can handle fulltiming and you gave me a little more to confirm that belief. I have raised two children alone with out financial help from my ex because he refused to give me child support, while working full time and going to college full time, and I think they turned out quite well; I took care of my parents financially when the company my father worked for went bankrupt and took all the retirement pensions went with it. Somehow, this is beginning to feel a little easier. I just have to get over that fear of during something I have not done before like dumping and being able to dry camp successfully.

[JudyJB]

Dumping is really a lot easier than it sounds. You get into a routine. The hardest part is driving your rig close enough to the dump station without actually hitting anything. Because I am alone, this usually involves getting out at least once because I somehow cannot manage to estimate very accurately exactly how far I need to pull forward.

Also, because I have two replaced knees and one that I injured a couple of months ago, I keep a folding stool in the compartment next to my utility compartment so I can sit on it while I bend over and reach inside the dump compartment. Stool is about 16" high, which is high enough to get off of, and yet low enough so I can reach everything.

With only three months experinece, I can pull into dump station and dump and put everything away in about 15 minutes--not counting refilling water tank on other side of vehicle, which means I usually have to turn around and pull into opposite side!! I'll bet others on this forum can do it a lot faster.

After all you have done, this will be a piece of cake!!

[cpatinjones]

The day I towed it home, I was a Happy Camper!

The first time I took her for a road trip, I knew I was going to enjoy this new style of traveling and perhaps become a full-timer, or at least a most timer.

[Readytogo]

Wow! Louise, were you here in Alabama after our tornados? Didnt have any damage but lots of people I know did. And the ones in Jan came way too close!

[sunshinecruiserTN]

Dumping is really a lot easier than it sounds. You get into a routine. The hardest part is driving your rig close enough to the dump station without actually hitting anything. Because I am alone, this usually involves getting out at least once because I somehow cannot manage to estimate very accurately exactly how far I need to pull forward.

Also, because I have two replaced knees and one that I injured a couple of months ago, I keep a folding stool in the compartment next to my utility compartment so I can sit on it while I bend over and reach inside the dump compartment. Stool is about 16" high, which is high enough to get off of, and yet low enough so I can reach everything.

With only three months experinece, I can pull into dump station and dump and put everything away in about 15 minutes--not counting refilling water tank on other side of vehicle, which means I usually have to turn around and pull into opposite side!! I'll bet others on this forum can do it a lot faster.

After all you have done, this will be a piece of cake!!

OMG, Judy, that gives me an idea for a competition at the next gtg. We can do like they do in NASCAR pitcrews and see how fast we can all dump, etc. Oh I can just see it now. And who will the judges be?? hum Guess it would be a little like the waitress competition carrying full glasses of water/drinks to the finish line. Oh yea, I think you have triggered something. Oops didn't mean to hijack this thread...

[Sandersmr]

There would be an advantage to only having a 9 gallon black tank then, hmmmm?

[longdog2]

I think I would always go for "quality" of dump not "speed".

[JudyJB]

We would have to agree on a handicapping system. Frankly I think it would be fun to freak out all the "normal" campers. !

Visualize bunch of crazy women at dump station with stop watches and clipboards. Observers would be lined up in lawn chairs--and they're off!!!!!

[Roadweaver]

No, I was not in Alabama for the tornadoes, I was working as an Agent Liaison in Kentucky for a hail storm.

I think that if I saw a timed dump it would help me and I could interview the winner to get some insight on how she developed her technique

[Redetotry]

Dumping is really a lot easier than it sounds. You get into a routine. The hardest part is driving your rig close enough to the dump station without actually hitting anything. Because I am alone, this usually involves getting out at least once because I somehow cannot manage to estimate very accurately exactly how far I need to pull forward.

Also, because I have two replaced knees and one that I injured a couple of months ago, I keep a folding stool in the compartment next to my utility compartment so I can sit on it while I bend over and reach inside the dump compartment. Stool is about 16" high, which is high enough to get off of, and yet low enough so I can reach everything.

With only three months experinece, I can pull into dump station and dump and put everything away in about 15 minutes--not counting refilling water tank on other side of vehicle, which means I usually have to turn around and pull into opposite side!! I'll bet others on this forum can do it a lot faster.

After all you have done, this will be a piece of cake!!

OMG, Judy, that gives me an idea for a competition at the next gtg. We can do like they do in NASCAR pitcrews and see how fast we can all dump, etc. Oh I can just see it now. And who will the judges be?? hum Guess it would be a little like the waitress competition carrying full glasses of water/drinks to the finish line. Oh yea, I think you have triggered something. Oops didn't mean to hijack this thread...

Would the rules in this competition allow one to 'suit up' as in don special dump shoes and rubber gloves before the starting honk! I'm still wishing I had bought those cute pink and white polka dot elbow length rubber gloves I saw one time at a TJ Max store I would be such a distraction I would be sure to win.

[Dawn309]

I think there should be a handicap given for the inexperienced I know it took me awhile to figure it all out the first time I had to deal with the sewer hoses, etc. and of course, I didn't connect it all in the correct order so had my first experience with having to clean up the mess that can make.