The pandemic really changed our perspective in general. Brandon and I always talked about selling it all and traveling when the girls were out of High School, but why not now? Why not see and do just about anything we want while we still can? So, that's what we did. We sold our home, our first home we bought together or at all, and most of our stuff (because it is just stuff) and bought a fifth wheel toy hauler and a truck. And we are off! We left the Buffalo area on July 30, 2022 and were headed for our first stop in West Virginia to see friends and stay the night. Or at least that was the plan.
The day started off great! Breakfast was French Toast (my favorite) and bacon (also a favorite). We packed up all of our belongings, hooked the truck up to the Fuzion, and pulled up the driveway. That's where the best part of the day ends. As soon as we hooked up the dash display went blank. Ok, don't panic. It's just a hiccup. It was a fuse. We fixed it! Back on track! And away we go!
Team Eleanor switched drivers. I started out driving, and then Alexis took over.
After about an hour I had to go to the bathroom, so we stopped again. We went, we loaded back up, and we headed off to our final stop. Or so we thought. We pulled up to a truck stop and it was completely full. No spot for us at all. Ok, plan B. We were meeting our friends for dinner but didn't decide where yet, so we went to Cracker Barrel. Good food, good prices, and large parking spots for the rig. Those spots were not big enough for our 44ft trailer. The parking lot was connected to a hotel, and we found a spot to park. We had our dinner, which was great as usual, showed our friends the trailer, and decided to stay in a hotel for the night. We were exhausted and there wasn't a great way to get the five of us, plus 3 animals comfortable enough to guarantee a good night's sleep before another long travel day. We were already parked in a hotel parking lot so I went in to ask if they are pet friendly. They were not. I called around to a couple places and found a few that were pet friendly, but I thought maybe a little overpriced considering we needed 2 rooms. So, we went with the cheapest one.
DO NOT GO WITH THE CHEAPEST ONE. We found an Econo Lodge less than 5 miles away that takes pets for $55 a night! Economical Lodging, just what we were looking for! Woo Hoo. Just kidding! This was the most bizarre experience of my life so far. Keep in mind it is almost 11pm now, and we are just ready to shower and crash for the night. The clerk working was very, very elderly and the check in process took almost 40 minutes. So, while I'm getting checked in Brandon is parking the RV. I look out the window and think to myself "that is an odd parking spot" and I text him to ask if it is parked for the night there? Well... the brakes on the RV are locked up. We cannot move it if we wanted to, and the dashboard was blank again. Luckily, we have CoachNet which is an RV service that will send a tech to diagnose the issue and also tow your rig if needed.
I take the girls and pets into the hotel and the first door we open looks like this:
Brandon stayed with the truck and trailer while we got checked into these beautiful clean rooms next to each other. The girls took showers and unwound for the night. I went back to get Brandon and see what was happening. We couldn't get a tech out that night, we were going to have to wait for the morning. We put cones (courtesy of my dad) around the truck and trailer, and we left what was left of our possessions in this parking lot in front of the sketchiest place I have ever seen. We were able to grab our firebox with our important documents and a few articles of clothing, but that was it.
Brandon and I got back to the hotel, said goodnight to the girls and the animals, took showers, and tried to calm our brains. It didn't work well. It was a restless night and a worrisome morning. We did get a call that a tech was going to meet us there to see why our brakes were frozen on the trailer, so we headed back. My head was filled with horrible scenarios that crack-heads broke into our trailer, ransacked it, and now we really have nothing. Luckily, we are in West Virginia where everyone is exceptionally nice and even the "bad areas" aren't all that bad. The truck and trailer were still there, intact.
We meet the tech, and he already knows what the issues is. It's the truck. The dashboard going black is a clear indication, there is something or other that needs to be addressed, blah blah blah. That is why the brakes locked up, it's a safety issue. Ok, great. I call CoachNet back and let them know we need the trailer towed over to where we are staying about 4 miles away. Being able to see the trailer puts us both at ease. Brandon walks around to close up some compartments and sees something on the hitch is off. It doesn't look quite right. The emergency line because detached and that was why the brakes locked up. Yes, a safety feature that works. However, we paid $230 for the tech to tell us it's all the truck and we cannot move it, etc. Brandon puts that piece back on the hitch and the brakes release. We can move it! The tow truck is already on its way, and with the dashboard not working it was safest to still have the rig towed to our location. Plus, the tow was "free" as it is included in our CoachNet membership.
We have an appointment for the truck tomorrow at 2:30 with the hopes of this being a quick fix and getting back on the road again.
Things we learned:
- Things are going to go wrong. Make sure you and your partner are strong enough to get through it. I couldn't have gone through any of this without Brandon.
- Pack an emergency bag on travel days and make sure it is easily accessible!
- Have your important documents easily accessible.
- Cheap isn't always better - it's actually never better!
- And there are no bad days. We woke up today, we are healthy and safe, and we have each other.
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