PHEW! I made it through my first RV trip away from home. And by that, I mean across the Canadian border and into the USA. It has been very… interesting. Even after researching and planning, I have had a few issues. I am sitting in Las Vegas as I write this post. Recounting the last seven days of my adventures…
Leaving behind the freezing cold weather feels fantastic. I am watching the weather app every day to see what the temperature is that I left behind. Smiling as I see what warmth is ahead of me. However, it is important to point out that as I left Canada, the RV is winterized.
I didn’t fully understood what that meant. The dealership did if for me after I had some warranty work done. They said it would prevent the pipes from freezing. Freezing can lead to cracking and pipes bursting. Keeping it winterized sounded like a very good thing. What I didn’t know? Winterized means I currently have no water. Basically, I have a type of antifreeze in the pipes. This makes me feel like a bit of an idiot. It wasn’t until after I brought Freya back to the RV park that I took the time to googled it. Fuck.
RV NEWBIE MISTAKE #1 – Don’t say yes to something if you don’t know what it means. This community is helpful and supportive. Just ask. All RVers were new at one point, too.
Thankfully, I am parked at a full service RV park. My heat runs off gas and I have full power for lights and appliances. Going inside the shared washrooms sucks. And it costs $2 for seven minutes of a hot shower.
Knowing that my destination is as simple as ‘some place warm’ – fuck it – I just leave it. I will flush it when I get to a temperature that is above freezing. This is going to suck royally. At this point I don’t fully understand the extent of the ‘sucky ness’
My thoughts are on Mexico. However, getting an RV and truck across the US border into Mexico is more work. For now, just heading from Canada into the USA and driving towards 20 degree weather (70F) is making my heart happy.
I have ZERO issues crossing the border. After hours and hours of research, I show up with all my paperwork organized and ready to go. No raw dog food, no lamb, ties proving I will not be staying in the USA, bank statements proving I won’t need to work while I am in the USA etc. Stopping at the window the guard asks where I am going and for how long. She looks at the paper work in my hand but says nothing. “Final destination, Mexico. Possibly as long as four months.” She passes me back my Nexus and passport and tells me to have a good day. That is it. No further questions. My first RV trip over the border is a success!
RV NEWBIE TIP #1 – Be over prepared when crossing international borders! You don’t know what will happen.
Easy to find, well lit parking.
My very first night boondocking is at the Snowqualmie Casino. Also known as dry camping, this basically means camping without any hook ups. No power or water. The best part, is that it is free! Since the trailer is still winterized, the lack of water wont effect me anyways.
Check out this blog for more info boondocking and etiquette here is a great read
The RV parking lot was almost empty.
: www.campendium.com/camping/boondocking-101/
They have designated RV parking in the back of the Casino. A security guard drives around the parking lots 24/7. It takes me a couple of tries but I back in to a spot and keep the RV connected to the truck. The RV parking lot is pretty much empty.
Still winterized means I have to go into the casino to use the washroom. Ugh. This is not enjoyable. Bringing my toiletries into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Not one person looks at me strangely. Maybe they are used to the random people camping out in the parking lot. I feel awkward but grateful to have clean teeth.
Windy as hell and the temperature dips below zero while I sleep. On one had this experience is terrifying. But on the other, I feel very independent. Jasper will bark if he hears anything. Despite the wind, I sleep quite soundly.
6am comes and the only water I have is in a large 5 gallon jug for drinking and making coffee. Before I left I bought an (expensive) insulated French press. No electricity, but I have gas for the stove. Boil my water and let the coffee brew. FAWK. No more food. The plan was to stop at a grocery store after I passed the border but I forgot.
RV NEWBIE MISTAKE #2 – Always have some sort of food with you. I am traveling with my refrigerator; there is not excuse for messing this up.
I stop at another ‘rest stop’ in Idaho to boondock again. Several large trucks have pulled in for the night and I am the only RV when I stop. For my own safety and security I am not driving after dark.
It seems as each state has different rules on over night camping in rest areas. The length of time you can stay is different. Most parking lots or rest stops state very clearly if they do NOT allow overnight parking. For the most part I had to look on google to make sure I was
RV NEWBIE TIP #2 – Dry camping aka boondocking is a very different in the USA vs Canada. I have no experience with this in Canada. Make sure you do your own research before risking it. It would suck to have someone banging on your door in the middle of the night telling you that it is time to move on.
When I knew I would be arriving into Las Vegas the next day, I call ahead to make sure the RV park has room for me for a week. Since this is first rv trip going such a far distance, I didn’t want to book anything too far ahead. Pulling into the Hitching Post RV Park in Las Vegas, the temperature on my phone says that it 17C. I MADE IT!!
Setting up camp and staying for a few days also makes me giddy like a school girl. Unhooking the truck, lowering the stabilizer jack, popping the slide and organizing everything inside take a lot of work. Being able to decompress for a few days is very much needed. 
The instructions to flush the system and de-winterize my trailer is taped to the cupboard under the kitchen sink. I follow the process to makesure that none of the chemicals are left running out of the lines. Check the shower, the bathroom sink and last, the kitchen sink. FUCK ME! There is huge amount of water under the sink. On further investigation, and grabbing a bunch of rags to soak up the water, I see that the trap under the kitchen sink is not connected. They must have broken from the bouncing around on the roads.
All of the water I had flushed through the taps has ran down the drain, out of the pipe, down the shelf, onto the floor and finally, to a puddle OUTSIDE OF MY UNIT! Tired and frustrated – I cry. This has been so much more work than I had anticipated. Sitting on the floor of my kitchen I think I made a mistake.
RV NEWBIE MISTAKE #3 – Before dewinterizing your unit, run a small amount of water through system and check for leaks. This way, you can stop if any pipes are broken and cracked BEFORE you run litres of water into your rig.
I call Grand Design Customer service and they help me out quickly. I have mentioned this before but one of the reasons I bought this brand is the great feedback I go about service and warranty. After phoning two RVs authorized to work on my travel trailer, neither of them can get me in for repairs until January. That is not going to help.
A second call to Grand Design and they help me find a mobile repair shop. THe next day a guy name Neil shows up and fixes my pipes. About $250CAD that I have to pay out of pocket. Scan the receipt and send it to Grand Design who said they will send my cheque out on Monday.
It is hot out. I am in Las Vegas. There is a large, heated salt water pool. My comfortable queen size bed is with me. My house has wheels and I don’t have to stay here if I don’t want to.
I see the fun side of this lifestyle. But as I sit here in this crowded RV park with Jasper and sip on my wine, I don’t know that I am love it. There are a few things I am looking forward to. Mexico is still on my mind. Doing what I can to enjoy this moment. I know that I can always go back home – I can always sell this RV. Right now I am worried that I have made a wrong choice. This has been more work than I had thought.
