Tuesday, September 11, 2012

9/11 Rain and People Watching

It has been raining constantly since yesterday early afternoon, and cold outside to boot--high today of 60, low last night of 50 or less.  That means I had to cancel the scenic drive I was supposed to take and the long walk I had planned for today.  Since I have no power for TV or DVDs, I have been amusing myself with my portable radio, reading one of the many books I brought along, and getting my class ready for the fall semester.  My coach batteries are going strong and I have plenty of propane, and a refrigerator full of food, so I am all set for a while.  Only problem is fresh water, which I have used up over the last two days.  I probably still have some water in my fresh water tank, but I am parked at a slant and my water pump just cannot get to it.  First thing tomorrow, I will pull in my slides and head out to refill and dump my waste tanks. 

I have moved my recliner around so it is facing the front of the motorhome, which means I have a broad view of both sides and the front--good for watching the few people who are around. 

Actually, the most interesting activities are people arriving and departing with their RVs.  The campground has asphalt roads and camping sites, but the camping sites are semi-circle "pull-throughs" with two problems: 1)  they are fairly tight circles, and 2) they are not level.  Mostly, you pull in and downhill and then the exit is uphill.  There is also a side-to-side slant to the drives.  The trick is to find a place in the middle which is fairly level.  For me, this means running back and forth to the rear where I have my two levels. You have to manuever so as to make sure you do NOT run off the asphalt, because on my site and others, there is a 10" dropoff, which would not be fun.  It would take a wrecker to get the vehicle back up and possibly damage the dual wheels on that side.

I had to leave once, so that makes two times I have gone through the process of getting out and in and out and in, while the engine is running and the emergency brake is set.  I must have done this 10 times. Once I find a good spot, I get out the leveling blocks and put them behind the rear dual tires on the low side, then start the engine back up and back slowly onto them so the tires are perched evenly. 

The fun is not doing this yourself, but watching everyone else do this.  I just watched a guy pulling a 20' Airstream with a large pickup truck drive through his spot twice from one way and once from the other.  He at least had two other people directing him.  After circling the campground to get another run at it, he gave up and apparently went to find another spot because I saw him parked down farther.  He must have spent well over an hour at this, and his spot was a lot more level than mine is.  I have just figured I would walk slightly uphill to bed at night.  The head of my bed, luckily is also uphill, but not by much.

The reason for all of this leveling is mainly to make sure your refrigerator works right and the water tank sensors show accurate levels.  And in my case, the water pump gets all the water out of the tank so I don't have to keep refilling and dumping every two days!!

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