The Shake Down Cruise

Last weekend we took our new RV out for its very first camping trip.  We knew we didn't want to be too far from home, in case things went wrong.  We also wanted to be in a familiar place.  We decided that Thunderbird Lake, which is also an Oklahoma State Park would be a great choice.  

As soon as I got home from work, Friday afternoon, we loaded our things into the truck and set off to get the RV from storage and then on to the lake.  We knew we would need to stop and purchase a torque wrench at Harbor Freight.  About 2 miles from home I realized that we had forgotten our bed pillows.  So, we decided a quick stop at Sam's Club would solve that issue.  

One thing we didn't not take into consideration is the terrible Norman traffic on Friday afternoon.  Alas, we finally were able to get to Harbor Freight to pick up the torque wrench and then we were on our way to the RV storage place.  

When we arrived at Floyd's RV, where our trailer is stored, the attendant told us that we had exactly 30 minutes to get hooked up and out.  Not a big deal.  

Since I tow a trailer daily, for work, I have a specific order of doing things when I hook up.  So, that all went very smoothly.  The only added thing with the RV is that we have to hook up the weight distribution anti-sway hitch.  That requires us to first hitch the trailer onto the truck, then raise the hitch up with the tongue jack so that the weight distribution bars can be attached to their saddles, on the tongue.  Then, we lower the hitch back down and raise the jack foot.  It is time consuming simply because we do not have an electric jack on the trailer tongue.  That is absolutely on our list of must haves.  That 550 lb tongue weight will flat wear you out!  

We were hooked up and rolling in under 10 minutes.  Thunderbird lake is about 30 minutes, drive time, from the RV storage lot.  Traffic wasn't too bad on HWY 9.  Soon, we were coming up on the Little River State Park, Clear Bay area of Lake Thunderbird.  

We drove through the park and decided to select a site in area #2.  These sites are referred to as unimproved sites. They have 30 amp electricity hookups as well as water.  No sewer hook up and the sites are not necessarily well defined, or level for that matter.  We decided on site #6 and I backed the trailer into the site and we began to hook up.  Yes, I'm a girl and yes, I can back a trailer!  But, that's another story, for another blog.  

We quickly determined that we didn't have nearly enough water hose to reach the spigot, which was roughly 60 feet away.  We also realized that we would need to level the trailer and didn't remember to pick up leveling blocks, or sections of lumber.  

We also had planned to go to the local grocery store for food items.  So, we hoped to find another water hose there, or at the very least get my brother, who lives about 7 or 8 miles away to bring us some hose.  We were in luck, as the grocery store had some pocket hoses and that got us through the night.  

The next morning my brother, his wife, and youngest son came by to see us.  We hung out with them for a bit and then left to go back to town to get more drinking water safe water hose as well as some leveling blocks.  

When we got back to the campsite, it was time to level the trailer.  So, we hooked onto the trailer with the truck and rolled it forward, placed the leveling blocks on the ground, then backed the trailer back onto them.  Viola!  The trailer was now level.  

Now, here's where it gets interesting.  Sadly, I wish I had a video of this part.  Because words will not do it any justice.  What I'm about to tell you is what we refer to as an adventure.  In our world, adventures are borderline disaster.  So, please keep that in mind as you read this!  

After the trailer was sufficiently leveled, we unhooked the truck, placing the jack foot on a nice thick piece of wood.   Notice, I didn't say anything about chocking the tires on the trailer.  That's because it never happened.  Well, as you can guess, the trailer rolled down off the leveling block, knocking the jack foot off the 6 inch tall piece of wood.  See what I mean about borderline disaster?  

Poor Marc was about freak smooth out, wondering how we were going to get the trailer hooked back up to the truck.  We extended the jack out as far as possible and it was still too low to hook onto the truck.  Our trailer has stabilizer jacks on the four corners.  However, they are not designed to hold the entire weight of the trailer.  I was pretty sure they could handle the weight of the front of the trailer long enough for us to get the jack repositioned, with that chunk of wood under it.  So, that's what we did.  Fortunately, it worked just fine and we were able to get the trailer hooked back up to the truck, pushed back onto the leveling blocks, tires chocked, and truck unhitched.  Lesson learned, make sure the tires are chocked before unhooking.  I thought Marc had chocked the tires, and he thought I had.  So, from now on we will make it a point to communicate better on this important matter.  

Later that evening, my brother, his wife and their youngest son came back for steaks on the grill and a nice camp fire.  

The next day we had to go home.  The wind was blowing really hard and so that made the trip back to the storage facility a little tricky.