The Morning Show...

Not talking about what's on TV.

Hart Ranch is a very nice RV resort.  It is a membership/owner park, so not open to the public unless you do a "promotional" stay: two nights for $49 and a sales tour is required.  The park also has reciprocal privileges with RPI (Resort Parks International), where you can stay for a week, space available.

Owners can stay 21 nights out of 30.  That means you have to move for 9 days if you are spending more than 3 weeks here.  There is an overflow area that is used for rallies and when the main part of the park is completely full.  Instead of concrete pads and wide sites with full hookups, these sites are gravel and have water and electric, with no sewer.  Frankly, this area is comparable to most campgrounds or RV parks.  As owners, we are allowed to "buy in" our 9 days out in the overflow area, known as the Meadowlands.  We'll be making that move tomorrow... these three weeks have gone really fast.

This morning, while we were having our coffee (hot chocolate for me) and pastries, we heard a crunching sound from the site behind and over from us... we have a view of it from our dining area windows.

A couple here in a new-to-them used Class C was moving out after a two night stay.  How do I know it was "new-to-them"?  Brand spankin' new water hose and leveling blocks.  The crunch?  They had the front tire on one side up on a block and when getting ready to pack up, the first thing they did was back off that block.  With the crank down stabilizers in the back still down.  And their sewer hose on a "Slinky" under the Class C.  Yeah, the stabilizers drug and they crunched down on the "Slinky" (a device that allows your sewer hose to taper down).  Pretty sure they broke one of the stabilizers.  I chose to not go over to offer help because (in spite of the head scratching), they seemed to be doing OK.  They got the stabilizer up, picked up the blocks, pulled the "Slinky" out from under the RV.  They undid the brand new hose and put it in a Rubbermaid bin.  Then, they undid the sewer hose and put it on top of the fresh water hose in that same bin!  Ewwww!

There is a learning curve when RVing.  I made worse mistakes than that when we first rented a motorhome.  Steph still laughs about that... there was an empty "Instructions" binder in the motorhome, so we didn't have a clue how anything on it worked.  I pulled the lever marked "Sewer", thinking a hose would pop out... it didn't.  I found the cap on the sewer pipe and opened it.  It was pretty awful.  I should have known I was doing something wrong when people across from us set up chairs to watch "the show."

We have been doing this for 30 years now, so we kinda have things down.  Because every RV site/park is different, you have to be adaptable.  A checklist will get you in the ballpark, but it isn't always the same.  I believe in karma... I am not making fun of that couple this morning, just relating something that every RVer has been through.  Some people don't get over that newbie stage and don't stay with RVing.

I know after renting a couple times, I was absolutely sure I didn't want one.  Joan changed my mind.  Good thing - the RV lifestyle has allowed us to see/experience so many great places over the years.  Once you get beyond being "the morning show."