Daily Excerpt: RV Oopsies (MacDonald) - Introduction
The following excerpt comes from RV Oopsies by Larry MacDonald:
INTRODUCTION
“What’s the dumbest thing you’ve done while
RVing?” That’s the question I’ve
been asking fellow RVers over the past 10 years.
Every
year, adventurous folks like us go camping in our RVs, and every year, we do
some dumb things. Mostly, these are minor mishaps like running out of fuel or leaving
something behind at a campsite, but sometimes they are major blunders,
resulting in damage to our rigs. For the most part, RVers are a pretty smart
bunch! Yet, mishaps do occur not only to newbies but to seasoned roadies as
well. If you’re one of us, you can probably think of at least one dumb thing
that you wish you hadn’t done while RVing. The good news, though, is that all of these mishaps can be avoided.
Each year, I selected ten mishaps reported to
me, ranked them from Dumb to Dumbest, and published an article “RV Oops Awards”
in several RV magazines in the US and Canada. This book presents 101 “awards,” including
some not previously published, and provides helpful hints on how they could
have been avoided in the first place. Whether you camp in a motorhome, fifth-wheel,
truck camper, trailer, or van, learning from the mistakes of others will help
you avoid the same mistakes, making you a more competent and contented RVer.
Some helpful hints in this book have been
deliberately repeated, such as
· always use a spotter; and
· always use a checklist.
If you learn nothing else from the 101 mishaps
presented, doing just these two things will improve your chances of having an oops-free
outing in your RV. Isn’t that why you’re reading this book—to have oops-free
outings?
Let me begin with a confession: My wife, Sandy,
and I been RVing for over 30 years in various-sized motorhomes and fifth-wheel
trailers. During that time—it hurts to say it—I’ve done a few dumb things, some
more serious than others. My earliest oopsies involved departing campgrounds
without checking the site and leaving behind various articles such as a doormat,
dog toys, a tablecloth, a wheel chock, and probably some other things I still haven’t
been able to find! Doing so taught me a valuable lesson: Always check the site
immediately after pulling out. I made up a Departure Checklist, which included
“check site.” Since then, I haven’t left anything behind.
My second mishap involved hooking up our fifth-wheel
trailer and pulling ahead without retracting the front jack stands. That was
dumb! Replacing a bent jack stand was a tad more expensive than replacing a doormat
and other stuff, but I learned two other valuable lessons:
·
Don’t be distracted by a neighboring camper who comes by in the
middle of my departure routine to wish me a safe trip and chat about whatever!
·
Always do a walk-around inspection before moving the rig!
My third major mishap is included among the 101
oopsies I describe in this book. For me, it was the costliest, but you won’t be
able to identify which one it is because all the RVers’ names are fictitious. And
I’m not giving an award for the sleuth who figures out which one it is! I’ve
listed the mishaps as Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest (in my opinion), saving the
“Absolutely Dumbest,” and likely the costliest, for last.
If you’re an impatient sort like I am, you’ll probably
flip directly to the last page and read the Number 1 “Dumbest Thing” that someone
reported to me while RVing. That’s OK, but don’t stop there. It’s important that
you read all of the oopsies so you
won’t repeat any of them and spoil an otherwise great outing. Not incidentally,
you’ll also save some grief and cash!
If you’re an RVer planning to hit the road, you
will definitely want to read this book so you don’t actually “hit the road” as Robert
and Roger did in Numbers 89 and 56. And if you’re that impatient sort, you’re
probably ready to flip to Numbers 89 and 56! But don’t! You’ll get more out of
this book by reading the mishaps sequentially as information about one oopsie sometimes
leads to the next and so on. As I mention throughout, “Patience is a virtue.”
Kops-Fetherling International Book Competition
Legacy Award for Sports and Recreation
For more posts about Larry MacDonald and his books, click HERE.
Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter
Follow MSI Press on X, Face Book, and Instagram.
in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book?
Contact editor@msipress.com.
Want an author-signed copy of this book?
Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25)
and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.
You can!
Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.
Comments
Post a Comment