A LOOK BACK AT THE FIRST YEAR
Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 3:12 pmNow that I have one season of RVing under my belt, it's time to look back on what I have learned, accomplished, and hope to do, after finally making the decision to buy my RV last year. It was a season of challenges, triumphs, some if, and, or buts and what ifs. But it was also a year with a new sense of freedom and confidence in myself.
What have I learned and what have I accomplished? I learned that I can indeed pull a travel trailer and I can hitch and unhitch by myself. I learned how to tow, how to back up, how to get into my campground spots, how to level, set the jacks, dump and flush out the tanks after each trip, how to put out and retract my awning, how to use the different systems on board. I learned how to stay away from lakeshores in windy weather, how to weather the "weather", how to drive in the rain, and that, although you never really get over the fear of something happening, you will overcome it and that some fear is good. For if you become too complacent, things will happen. I learned that I am not the only bumbling idiot out there who is doing this for the first time and that others are doing the same thing and learning too. And with time and practice we will get better. For this will always be a life long learnng process. And at the end of the season, I learned to "Winterize" my rig and hopefully did it right.
I have gained a sense of independence, not that I haven't had it anyway, being a tomboy all my life. But I have become a stronger person for having done this. I had to conquer that feeling of "lonliness", cause all those times with my parents came flooding back on my first couple of trips. And I have opened the doors to my love of the open road even wider. And I also regained some of my old time camping skills and my love for "outdoor cooking" has returned. I remember back in Girl Scouts when we used to make.......
I enjoyed the trips I did take, althought short cause of work schedules. And I enjoyed seeing and talking with different people, whether it be about our dogs, which was a big topic, the places they have been and experiences they have had, their rigs, or just general conversations. I enjoyed returnng to camp at Fayette State park where mom, dad and I enjoyed a number of trips years ago and seeing the ever constant changes in the Fayette Townsite as things are restored. And I revealed in beautiful sunsets at another park I stayed at and returned time and again there. If I am sorry about anythng, it's the fact that the weather in late Sept. was so cold and wet and that I had a cold besides. I would have loved to have taken a week and just roamed the U.P., the first week of October. But it didn't work out this year.
So now with a new year ahead, who knows where the road may lead. I hope to take the trailer out as much as I can and get more and more used to doing things with it. I hope that I can take a couple of small trips to see how I like pulling it on longer drives. This coming year is the second part of my dream of eventually hitting the open road for a while every year and it will be the year that I decide if it will be with this trailer or perhaps another type of RV. And so it will be on to further adventures of Sue and the Furry Crew.
What have I learned and what have I accomplished? I learned that I can indeed pull a travel trailer and I can hitch and unhitch by myself. I learned how to tow, how to back up, how to get into my campground spots, how to level, set the jacks, dump and flush out the tanks after each trip, how to put out and retract my awning, how to use the different systems on board. I learned how to stay away from lakeshores in windy weather, how to weather the "weather", how to drive in the rain, and that, although you never really get over the fear of something happening, you will overcome it and that some fear is good. For if you become too complacent, things will happen. I learned that I am not the only bumbling idiot out there who is doing this for the first time and that others are doing the same thing and learning too. And with time and practice we will get better. For this will always be a life long learnng process. And at the end of the season, I learned to "Winterize" my rig and hopefully did it right.
I have gained a sense of independence, not that I haven't had it anyway, being a tomboy all my life. But I have become a stronger person for having done this. I had to conquer that feeling of "lonliness", cause all those times with my parents came flooding back on my first couple of trips. And I have opened the doors to my love of the open road even wider. And I also regained some of my old time camping skills and my love for "outdoor cooking" has returned. I remember back in Girl Scouts when we used to make.......
I enjoyed the trips I did take, althought short cause of work schedules. And I enjoyed seeing and talking with different people, whether it be about our dogs, which was a big topic, the places they have been and experiences they have had, their rigs, or just general conversations. I enjoyed returnng to camp at Fayette State park where mom, dad and I enjoyed a number of trips years ago and seeing the ever constant changes in the Fayette Townsite as things are restored. And I revealed in beautiful sunsets at another park I stayed at and returned time and again there. If I am sorry about anythng, it's the fact that the weather in late Sept. was so cold and wet and that I had a cold besides. I would have loved to have taken a week and just roamed the U.P., the first week of October. But it didn't work out this year.
So now with a new year ahead, who knows where the road may lead. I hope to take the trailer out as much as I can and get more and more used to doing things with it. I hope that I can take a couple of small trips to see how I like pulling it on longer drives. This coming year is the second part of my dream of eventually hitting the open road for a while every year and it will be the year that I decide if it will be with this trailer or perhaps another type of RV. And so it will be on to further adventures of Sue and the Furry Crew.
No tree limbs got caught this time.....
