Watch those trees!

[lushy]

I just wanted to share a story with a lesson:

We went camping to a private campground (KOA) last week. I had a reservation for site #14, but the night before we left I noticed online that they had a special going on, 1 free night with a 2 night stay. After arriving the clerk said the special was for certain sites only and did not include site #14. No problem for me, so I took a campsite that was part of the "special", good ole' #68. We set up camp and the sky opened up! It rain, thundered, and blew for about an hour....BIG storm! After the storm we decided to go into town. As we drove out of the campground we passed site #14 and the tree adjacent to the site was across the spot where our camper "would have" been!  :eyecrazy: WE GOT LUCKY! Someone was looking down on us that day!

Be sure to inspect those trees for broken or loose branches. I know I will from now on.  :W

[amannas]

I know what your talking about looking up at the trees for dead limbs and trees. I know story of Boy Scouts were kill by a tree many years ago when I was a Boy Scout. You need to up and down (possible flooding) to make sure it is safe camp site.

[hoppy]

Yep,  I know this story well.

 Many topics are started asking just how well do Pu's hold up during high wind and bad thunder storms.

 My reply is always, "much better than the trees and limps in the area of my campsite". During our fifteen years of PU camping, we have had absolutely no problem with the PU.... but the trees and limbs around the campsite are another story. I always check the condition of the limps hanging over the site and the PU before setting up. Since we always get heavy thunder storms down here in GA just about every afteernoon, this is one of the priorities before setting up.

 The good Lord was certainly looking down on you.

[doonoak]

Ha! I can realate.  Earlier this spring my wife and I were at Pickwick Landing State Park In TN.  We had the whole eastern half of the campground to our selves:) .  The weather was perfect the first night we were there.  The morning of our second day I woke up early and goofed around the campground scrounging up wood,etc..I walked around the other side of our camper and noticed a crow swooping over-head which then led me to notice the HUGE broken limb just barely dangling some 40 feet above our setup!! I must have stood at 80 differn't spots around the trailer scoping out, trying to figure a trajectory the limb would take if the thing dislodged it's self.  I became so consumed in my rationalizing that at some point my wife had woke up and sat watching me and giggling at how odd I looked.  In my head I had come to the conclusion that it was a safe distance to the left of our trailer and I needn't  bother to worry her about what I noticed.Then, I quickly dismissed my fear as an irrational thought.  I was in no mood to move to a nother spot and the weather forcast called for just hot dry conditions.  Little did I know my info about the weather was convaluted. The only tv channel we could get in was Memphis some 75 miles away.  But off we went to go to Shilo Nat. Battelfeild Park.  Some 4 hours later we returned  after a Hellish storm swept in to the are. But it was clear by the time we returned to our camp. When we did not a grass blade was disturbed.  About an hour later we had a knock on our door some lady had driven up from Memphis to set up a small pup tent in our site just so she could have that spot over the weekend!:eyecrazy: .  After a while I realized what she intended and I remember in the past doing similar things at my favorite spot. So even though out of 80 spots in this part of the campground she was out there in the 90 degree muggy heat seting up a silly 5 $ pup tent in the corner of OUR site! She was happy to be succesful in her 3 hour trek to get her perfect site. She got back in her van and thanked me as she left.  I guess she had a 5th Wheel trailer she would be back fri morning.  No sooner had she left the sky turned a redish brown and I knew something bad was brewing up over head.  The wind picked up in gusts and the trees were swaying and limbs creeking.  I again took one last look over head and saw that limb was now just dangeling in a Kudzu vine and swinging back and forth like a pendulem.  Well it was too late to do anything because the sky opend up in buckets of rain pouring down almost sideways.  We were snug inside! We had been in a really bad wind storm the fall before so I knew the tent-top would hold up to the wind no problem, but a gigantic sweetgum branch was another thing! As we played UNO weathering out the storm I thought it was finally time to tell my wife what I noticed over head and suggested we stay out of the bunkends to the end of the storm!.. If looks could kill:yikes: .  Within seconds a flesh stripping thud hit our roof and tent end and then the storm just ended! We got out to look. That Branch must a come down at an angle and bounced off the roof ,but a little branch sticking of the side of the bigger one landed straight into the vinyal tent:mad: .  I kept the little part of the stick that stayed in the tent in there like a plug untill the rain and leaf rinsing ceased. I patched the hole no problem after I took out the little peice of branch that was stuck into the viynal tent.  When the plastic rehaped it's self the hole was only a few millameters big. the patch took care of it!  What could have been disater or worse death or impailment was spared by a random trajectory and a strong roof.  So I chalk this one up to a learning experince! Next time I will WATCH THOSE TREES!

[lushy]

I wonder how often that this happens (trees or branches falling on campers). It's something I never really thought of when setting up camp until now. It's nice to be by trees for shade and for the outdoor "atomosphere", but be careful!

Glad to hear your damage was somewhat minor, but it's enough to make you mad!  :swear: ........and nobody was hurt.

[towrod]

I wonder how often that this happens (trees or branches falling on campers). It's something I never really thought of when setting up camp until now. ......

We had a close call on our maiden voyage in our new rig last October.  
We went to Van Damme State Park, just South of Mendocino, CA.  There was a light rain when we set up but the next few days were clear and dry with little wind.  Early on the third day a 50 ft pine tree in our campsite came crashing down.  It had been standing about 6 feet behind our chairs set up at the campfire ring.  Luckily it fell parallel to the parking spur and didn't hit anything but brush.   Funny thing was.... I saw it fall in slow motion and it sounded like someone had dumped about 2 cords of wood from a dump truck; the park ranger came from the other end of the campground when he heard the crash and the other campers nearby all came to look...I when in our trailer and Debbie asked why all these people were in our campsite..... SHE NEVER HEARD A THING!   Must be good insulation in our trailer, eh?