April 27 – May 3, 2025
Well, our first shakedown trip in the RV is in the books. Here’s how it went.
Last Minute Prep and Departure
We spent Sunday getting our last minute stuff ready and packed up, including that elusive last trip to the store. Finally, at 2:00 in the afternoon, I started tying up the RV, get it ready for travel itself.
I packed up the water hose and its associated hardware that was still in use, I made sure everything was where it was supposed to be inside and I brought the slides in. I then packed up the electrical, then installed the tire pressure monitoring system I’d bought for the trailer, and closed and locked all the under-belly storage doors. I raised the rear stabilizers, then lifted the front end of the RV high enough to get the ball hitch under the pin box.
Meanwhile, Brandy then did her part by getting the Explorer out of the way, taking it to the school across the street. When she came back, she helped guide me into the pin box on the trailer. When I was sufficiently aligned, I lowered the trailer onto the ball and hooked up the 7-way connector and breakaway cable. This was our first chance to test the taillight bulbs I’d replaced as soon as we got her home. I pressed on the brake, and…
Nothing. From either bulb. Same was true for the turn signal and the hazard lights.
I didn’t understand. I’d replaced both bulbs with the same part number that I had taken out, but then, I saw embossed on the plastic taillight housing to only use a specific part number, and it wasn’t the one I’d bought.
I boogied down to Auto Zone to grab a couple new bulbs with the correct part number and made the mad dash home. We were already running late and this wasn’t making things any better.
I installed one bulb and as soon as I had Brandy start the truck, the bulb lit up in its taillight configuration. I installed the other bulb and tested:
Brakes: Check
Left turn signal: Check
Right turn signal: Failed
Even after replacing the bulb, the right turn signal wasn’t working, and the truck was telling me there was a fault in the wiring still so the problem still exists. I will have to take it in to Bowling RV to get it looked at.
In the meantime, we had to get going. Luckily, the closest we got to a highway was highway 63 south from Ottumwa toward Bloomfield. It’s a mainly two lane highway with occasional passing lanes, particularly when climbing hills. We passed by a BP station where we were supposed to meet Craig and Sue, but because we were so late, it was decided we would pass them and they would fall in line behind us. Sure enough, we saw Craig waiting at the exit of the gas station as we passed and he dropped in to traffic after the cars behind me had passed.
Arrival and Setup
We got to the park in short order and made our way to our spot. The camping spots are angled perfectly for backing in so when I got to our spot, Brandy and Sue hopped out and tried their hardest to guide me in to the gravel pad.
I understand the concept of backing a trailer up but haven’t had a ton of practice with it. All things considered though, I think I did a pretty damned good job of it. Especially considering the instructions I was being given. Which is of mutual fault. We did not previously discuss the expectations of what I needed and was being fed information like, “you need to go that way.”
Who, the truck or the trailer?, needs to go which way? Pointing when I can’t see you isn’t doing anything, and, when the information is being relayed from Brandy to Sue to me, something got lost in translation and I heard two people yelling at me while Ash was going batshit in the back seat, whining the whole time.
I’d booked the spots for us and the ol’ in-laws right on the shore of Lake Wapello. Sure enough, through the windows of the camper, an expansive view of the lake.
Finally, I got the trailer situated. I hopped out, ensured it was level, side to side, then raised it off of the ball. I moved the truck out of the way, hooked up the electric, then lowered the front end until the whole rig was level. I lowered the rear jack stands then started on the longest setup task: setting up the fence we got to contain Ash. We wound up with the FXW Rollick Dog Playpen. Setting those up and getting them where I wanted them was the most tedious task of the entire setup process.
Once set up, I hooked up the Starlink, helped Brandy finish up the interior, and I took Ash for a quick stroll up to the facilities building. I got back and before long, I was settled in watching TV while Brandy did the same in the bedroom.
I loved the view I got right out the window of the recliner I sat in. Early in the evening, we were told to look out our window at two geese and their goslings on the shore of the lake, right outside the window.
First Night’s Sleep
As the time approached, I set up my CPAP, took a gummy and finished off my night with an episode of The Mentalist. I then took myself to bed at around 10:00.
As we slept, the winds from an incoming storm swept through the campground, gently swaying the camper and providing the ultimate soundtrack to drift off to, the whistling of the gales as they were broken by the wheeled abode.
At 12:30 or so, I was woken up to the sound of Ash whining at the foot of the bed. I offered to let him out, he didn’t want that. I tried encouraging him onto the bed, he didn’t want that. I eventually gave up and put myself back to sleep. It wasn’t too long before Ash followed me back on to the bed and was asleep between us. I did my morning duties in the kitchen to try to avoid waking Brandy, then made myself a cuppa and started on this blog before logging on to work.
And So We Went
Monday we started our standard trip week, working in our respective makeshift offices with frequent pop-ins from Sue. After work, I took Ash for another stroll around the immediate area then Craig and Sue brought dinner to the RV. Craig had made chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, and corn. Brandy set out the pea salad I’d made before we left and that was had by all except Craig.
After dinner, I headed off to the closest grocery store in Bloomfield, a charming, old-timey grocery store called Brothers’. I picked up the few items we’d left home without and made my way back.
Overall, the drive was close to an hour- about 25 minutes each way. On that drive, out and back, I passed somewhere around 20 or 25 Amish buggies on the road. Being on a two-lane highway, I had to be careful passing them but I made it past without incident. It was very interesting seeing so many out at one time. They were mostly all headed the same direction I was, almost all of them in a single file line on the highway, like an Amish parade.
It was warm, but very windy throughout the day, as had been predicted in the days leading up to our arrival. The weather, though, had been so over-predicted that Brandy had concerns enough to even suggest postponing the trip. “Nonsense,” I said. “This is being overblown just like every other storm warning given to us.”
Every armchair meteorologist on TikTok told her something tErRiBlE was coming on Monday and that we were all going to die if we went camping.
The day came and yes, it was windy. Yes, rain did show up VERY late in the day. Was it the Torn-acolypse that was promised?
Absolutely not.
I woke up Tuesday morning and the RV was upright, our doggy playpen was still up and intact, and we were no worse for the wear. Well, except that my back was killing me, but I doubt that was weather related…
We went through our normal day working, and as we did so, the clouds parted, the winds died down and the sun warmed the campground making for a wonderful opportunity to spend some time outdoors.
After work, I set up the metal table and Blackstone and started getting ready to make dinner. I’d picked up some fajita pre-mix from Fareway so I cooked that up along with some Knorr Spanish rice and the four of us ate outside on the picnic table in our spot, enjoying some alcoholic beverages all the while.
After dinner, I set up our camping chairs and we chilled outside for a while longer before calling it a night and retiring to the RV.
The Return of Cold and A Quick Hike
Tuesday night, the temps dipped pretty good; I woke up Tuesday morning and was compelled to turn on the furnace. When Brandy woke up complaining of the heat, I turned it off, but turned on the fireplace in the living room instead.
The day was gray and rainy all day. The rain never really opened up though, it was mostly a light drizzle all day. I worked at the dining table, looking out the big window right in front of it, watching geese and otters in the lake steps from our door.
At 2:00, I turned on the early Dodger game and split the rest of my work day between working and watching the game then, at 4:00, just as the game was finishing up, I took Ash for a quick walk up the hiking trail that loops the lake.
It’s been a while since I’ve taken a proper hike, the last one of note being our return to the Cedro Creek Nature Trail near Albuquerque in September. I leashed Ash up and we headed out, intending to be back in time for dinner that was to be provided by Craig and Sue. We headed for the spot in the trail that left the campground and proceeded up a grassy path.
The trail hugs the shore of the lake and, after the little moisture we got, was soft and muddy. We forged ahead anyway along the way as it wound through the forest just starting to show its Spring green. It wasn’t long before we encountered a fairly sizeable mud puddle spanning the breadth of the path. As I was in Crocs, I decided against traversing the puddle and we turned back.
We made the walk back in quick time. I went inside, took a gummy and got the laptop out to continue on this post when I spied some movement on my arm. Imagine my dismay when I saw a tick crawling on my skin.
I grabbed it, hopped up and dropped the pest into a nearby burning candle, the creature emitting a satisfying pop as it hit the flame. The problem was, though, where there’s one…
I had felt an itch on the top of my foot since our return. I kicked off my Croc and, sure enough, there was another. I flamed that one too then turned my attention to the rest of me that I could immediately see. I didn’t see any straight away so then I moved on to inspecting Ash.
Ash, too, had a few of the little fuckers running around on him. I took a pair of Brandy’s tweezers, brought the candle closer and eradicated them to the best of my ability.
My desire to hike more of that trail, though, shall not be diminished. I was determined to hike more, if not all, of the trail in the coming days. It will, however, be without Ash…
Rain
The rain came in earnest Tuesday night. I did wake up a couple times that night to the sounds of the rain pattering down on the top of the slide above our heads. When I got up Wednesday morning, the evidence of good rain was all around, including a nice, low, but not very thick, fog over the lake.
I went through the work day as I usually do. During the day, I realized our gray tank number 2 was reading full, and the black tank was reading 2/3 full. With two and a half days remaining, I didn’t want either tank to start backing up into the trailer. I got on Walmart’s website and ordered the Camco Rhino 21 gallon tote tank, or what’s colloquially called a “honey wagon”. I also had to order a ball hitch as I up until that point did not have one.
I headed to the house to grab a couple of empty totes. When I got there, I got an e-mail from Walmart saying that the honey wagon I’d ordered was not in stock. I canceled the order, loaded up the totes I was there to get, and went to Walmart where I went to the shelf location and pulled the Tote Tank off the shelf. It was right next to the section in the store where they sell the hitches so I grabbed one and checked myself out through the self checkout lanes, then headed back to the campsite.
A Real Shit Show… Literally
I did the little bit of assembly that was required on the tank then took it around to the side of the RV where the black and gray tanks empty and that’s where I ran into a problem: the outlet for the tanks was lower than the inlet for the little tank. If you’re not up on the laws of gravity, water (or any sludge that travels with it) will not flow uphill. I conferred with Craig who thought there’d be enough pressure from the tank emptying to push it through the low spot so I gave it a whirl.
It did not work. I was put in the unfortunate position that I had to disconnect the hose from the tank outlet when I saw it was full of sewage waste. It immediately sprayed all over me and the ground, stinking up the immediate area. Making matters worse was the fact that I barely got anything out of the tanks so it wasn’t even worth the hassle.
I hooked the tank up to the back of the truck and towed it to the dump station at the park and dumped about 8 or 10 gallons that I was able to collect.
I then went to hook my flush hose up to the nearby spigot to flush the tank and, sure enough, the hose I had was too short. I had to hook the wagon back up to the truck, drag it back to the site, grab an additional 10 feet of hose, then go back to the dump station to finish the flush.
It was a frustrating experience, to be sure, but I got back, had a couple beers, laid down with Brandy to watch the latest episode of The Righteous Gemstones, then went to sleep.
What Cheer
Friday morning, Craig and Sue took me with them to the town of What Cheer, Iowa, where, three times a year, they have a huge flea market at the Keokuk County Fairgrounds. We had to stop by the house on the way so I could put on real shoes (I thought I’d packed some but I clearly forgot) and while I was there, I took a 10mg gummy. Since Brandy and I started on the THC journey, I’d longed to get high and do something but the responsibility of driving has stopped me. Since Craig was driving, I thought it’d be a perfect opportunity to do just that.
As we approached the town, the gummy started to kick in. I hadn’t eaten so as soon as we got there, we made a bee line to a food hall where we picked up breakfast. We sat and ate and by the time we were done, the peak was well on its way.
We walked around for a couple of hours and, sure enough, it was an ultimate flea market. People cleaning out their garages and trying to make a buck on the junk they’d cleared out. Lots of rusted farm equipment, tools and toys. We came across a lot of tables that held strong nostalgia for me.
There was an antique metal pedal-powered fire truck that was reminiscent of a blue one that I remember riding in as a VERY small child.
There was a stack of old late-80s/early-90s boom boxes that I remember having several versions of in my pre-adolescent into teen years.
There was a table that was selling unopened packs of baseball cards from the heart of my time when I collected.
And there was plenty of bric-a-brac that I remember seeing in my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ houses as I grew up.
The skies were gray and heavy with moisture and threatened rain as we strolled the aisles. Sure enough, right around 11:00 or so, those clouds opened up a bit and it started lightly raining.
Sue had found a few things she was specifically after so, satisfied with her haul, we decided to cut our trip short and we headed back to Craig’s truck and made our way back to camp.
After a quick stop at their house, we pulled in just before 2:00. Almost immediately, Brandy asked me to leave again and get her some vodka in the event she decided she wanted to drink. An adventurous trip (that included me checking for vodka at an Amish-run grocery store…) found me pulling back in to the campground around 4:00 or so. We quickly situated things and once more headed back out, this time to have dinner at a bar in nearby Drakesville.
At less than a quarter square mile and with a population of under 200, there isn’t a lot in Drakesville. The bar is evidently square in the middle of a semi-dry town. The vodka I was in search of an hour earlier was not to be found there, and the bar, Ray’s Longbranch, only sells beer and wine. No liquor.
Brandy and I split an order of corn nuggets (not as good as those at Front Runner’s in Ottumwa) and we each got a pork tenderloin sandwich. Of course, the tenderloins were bigger than our heads. Brandy almost finished half of hers and I didn’t even get through all of mine. Of course, hindsight being 20/20, we should have just ordered one and split it, but it’s fine, Brandy came back with a late-night snack.
Last Night in Camp
As we were preparing to leave for dinner, we watched as pretty much all of the campsites surrounding us filled up. Suddenly, the peace and quiet was no longer and across the road from us, three separate parties converged in the three spots and were enthusiastically socializing by the time we got back.
Craig and Sue locked themselves away in their motorhome and Brandy sacked in to bed. I was going to spend the evening outside with some beers, but then remembered the Dodger game was on at a reasonable hour so I opted to go back in to the RV and settle in to watch that. Not that it would stop me from enjoying some adult beverages.
I sat and watched the game until the sun set on our first week in the RV. The game was delayed in the bottom of the 8th by rain, and by that point, I was about ready for bed anyway so I called it a night.
Departure
Saturday morning, we began the task of packing up. Brandy took care of much of the inside while I worked on the outside. I got the Starlink dish down, lowered the pole, blew off the tops of the slides, packed up everything that was outside and started getting ready to put the slides in. The longest part of packing up was the longest part of setting up: Ash’s fence. I wish it was more of a roll-out or fold-out type of thing; instead, it’s made up of 32 individual panels that have to be staked into the ground. The geometry of the panels does not allow them to fold so they have to be taken completely apart to store them.
Once everything was packed up, I brought the slides in and raised the front end to get the truck under it, and that’s when I saw a pretty major problem.
Attached to each leg of the front landing gear was a spring-loaded quick release pin that allows the legs to simply drop down to the ground. At some point during the setup or breakdown process, the housings got sheared off rending the entire assembly useless. They held well enough to get the camper up and onto the truck, but could not travel in that fashion.
Luckily the three-group mega-group across from us was made up of seasoned RV experts and were able to come and help get us on the road.
We got the RV to the storage place without incident, then Brandy and I spent the next 45 minutes or so arguing while she tried to guide me into the narrow spot reserved for us. We finally got it settled, unloaded the stuff that was to come home with us, and finagled the landing gear to hold the RV up until I could get the replacement spring pins (which, as of the writing of this post, just arrived yesterday.)
The beast has an appointment on May 21 for a full check-up and to get a look at that right turn signal then she should be ready for our next trip to Backbone State Park in June.
Conclusion
The trip wound up being exactly what I was expecting it to be. We learned a lot about our tanks, both for water and waste, and we learned how to manage through some of the hiccups we encountered along the way. I wish I’d had more time to relax and spend a little time outside but the uncooperative weather did nothing to help in that fashion. That’s OK though, we will have plenty of opportunities in the future.
Photos from the trip are, shockingly, on the ol’ Photo Diary page. Stay tuned for my next report, which shouldn’t be too far behind this one.
Until then!
-Phil
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