Let me embarass myself...

[campingboaters]

Just thought I'd embarrass myself so that YOU could learn from MY mistakes instead of your own!  :book:   :W
 
Our first trip out this season was over Mother's Day weekend.  We were very excited about camping and going to one of our favorite places (Lake in Wood).  The camper was all packed and ready to go a couple days before the trip.  
 
I got home from work on Friday just after 3 PM with BLACK storm clouds approaching.  DH wanted to get out of the driveway and on the road before the worst of it hit, so we start the driveway dance.  DH has to move his work truck and my father has to move his mini-van out of the driveway so we can get the trailer out.  I hopped in the truck and started coming out from beside the garage with the camper.  DH jinxed me by asking if I was alright pulling it out.  I had done it plenty of times before and never had a problem, but something was not right.  I was too worried about getting the camper out fast and I didn't pay close enough attention and... CRASH... I whacked the tree on the side of our driveway with the front of the awning.  I did some pretty yucky damage to where the awning attaches to the camper and put a nice "dent" in one of the support arms -- not to mention the gash in the tree.  Fortunately for me, the awning held on tight to the camper and didn't move on the drive AND seemed to function just fine when we set it up.  Luckily, we didn't have any wind all weekend.  So, my DH wants to replace the one awning arm because of the very visible dent.  I don't want to waste the money and it's a constant reminder for me to pay more attention and NOT do it again!  :banghead:
 
The rest of the weekend went very well until we were packing up to head home on Sunday.  My parents had taken the girls to the playground.  I was cleaning and putting away everything on the inside while DH was flushing out the tanks.  At one point, he came over to inspect the awning for model #'s and for any more damage before we closed it up.  Well, he spent WAY too much time obsessing over the awning that the black tank overflowed out the vent pipe on the ROOF!!!  FORTUNATELY it was the second or third rinse, so there really wasn't much in that black tank, but we had water EVERYWHERE in the camper and out! :yikes:  :swear:  Did you know the vent pipe is just press-fit, not GLUED!?  We found out the HARD WAY!
 
The moral of these stories... Do one thing at a time and pay close attention to THAT task and only THAT task!  :rolleyes:  
 
This PSA (public service announcement) was brought to you by Camping Boaters -- when just one "SPUT" won't do!    :J   :!

[jpreiser]

Sorry about your accidents....

[jawilson]

That certainly doesn't sound like it was a very good start to the camping season.  :eyecrazy:  Hope the rest of your trips are better then that one!  

[campingboaters]

Actaully, the trip was wonderful other than those little mishaps.  I tend to remember the trips that something not so great or something absolutely fabulous happened.  All other camping trips are just warm fuzzy feelings that you can't really put a finger on.  

As I tell my daughter, "You can replace things but you can't replace people, so don't sweat the small stuff".

[griffsmom]

Sounds like you got all your boo-boos out of the way in one trip, so the rest of your trips should be smooth sailing!

[SheBantam]

Natacha,
I did something similar when I was pulling the Bantam into the drive for the first time, after I had bought it.

You have to pull in close to the fence on the right (we had 10' gates at the time) to get around the house (we live on a corner and was blessed with a circle drive that goes behind the house from one street to the other) so as to clear the addition to the house. Well I was a little too close and the gate swung shut as the camper went through it, caught the arm and damaged the roller springs, to the point, it was not worth fixing. They patched the damage where the screws pulled out and I bought a new awning that is easier up and down.

I learned from my mistakes...

I also learned NOT to let Raymond hitch up without double checking his connections, I left for a weekend witout him, and the electric connection came loose, I drug the cord for many miles, noticed I did not have breaks. Went to the campground, in the hills with no trailer breaks and had to make my way home after the trip with lights only on one side and no trailer breaks. I missed my turn and wound through the hills on paved cow paths, as you just cannot find enough room to turn around the F150 and the 21' trailer.

Raymond met me in Gap PA and followed me back home, as the traffic on PA/DE 41 can be a mess and they like to follow close. With limited trailer lights, I wanted him behind me not one of the crazies that too often drive that road...

[dee106]

The only misshap we had on the road was we blew the tranny on the way home with the hybrid from Mass., where we bought it. We didn't know it blew until the state trooper came up behind and hit the siren, that we saw the smoke! the trooper throught we were out running a fire, The cars wouldn't move out of the way for us to get to the right shoulder, the trooper had to move get in the lane so we could get over. once on the shoulder we jumped out and realized it was the tranny, oil all over the road! the trooper was yell for the fire dept. when we realized it wasn't a fire he calm down, and we called good sams club for help, and had great service from them. I was cleaning oil off the front of the camper for days! simple green works well!