Escapees July-August 2023

camping chair chat

RV Steps Complicate Plans It was early in January, and we were getting ready to take our 30-foot Airbus to Quartzsite, Arizona, for the annual “snowbird migration.” Our Airbus is 25-years old and considered an antique by DMV standards. However, she is still in good shape, drives well and is a comfortable 30-footer. I thought all was well, and we were ready to go, when I discovered the electric steps at the door were not retracting to a closed position. B eing 87 years old, I asked my wife, Gloria, to crawl under the motorhome and fi nd the problem. She responded with a quick: “No way Jose!” I fi nally guessed it had to be the motor that had worn out, so I found the old Kwikee Steps manual that came with the RV. Inside, it showed a part number and a company telephone number in Oregon. I called the number the next day, explaining I needed a new motor. The gentleman with a foreign accent on the other end, said it would cost $50 on a special offer and that it included installation. All I had to do was give him my credit card number! Realizing this could be a scam artist, I hung up the phone and decided to look onAmazon. I had dismantled the old motor from the steps to look at it. Thinking that, with the part number and looking

Finding a mouse in your RV is no fun. Even worse is mice destroying your truck engine’s wiring harness! W e’ve always eliminated mice in our rig easily with baited traps. However, mice and pack-rats are a huge problem in our neighborhood, and despite using the most popular deterrents, our truck engine’s main wiring harness was chewed through twice in one month. Fortunately, my husband, Mark, was able to solder and shrink-wrap the severed wires despite their awkward location under the fuse box. Both of us were frustrated beyond belief. Ina fi t of pique, Mark bought some Tomcat rat poison and put it under the truck. We knew nothing about rat poison. We just wanted the rodents gone ! The next day I saw a green object like a dog treat on our dog’s mat in the back yard. It was a brick of rat poison and about a quarter of it had been eaten! Panic stricken, Mark scoured the yard and found only seven of the eight poison bricks that came in the box. I called Tomcat’s poison hotline, and they told me a brick and a quarter was a lethal dose for a 25 lb. dog, the size of our beloved pup, Buddy. My world keeled over and crashed as I heard these words. Sweet little Buddy was happily prancing around the yard, oblivious. I called his veterinarian and was told to spray hydrogen peroxide in his mouth to induce vomiting and get to the emergency animal hospital, an hour away, immediately. After coughing up pale green phlegm (proving he had eaten at least some of the poison), we drove like wild fi re to the hospital. Buddy was bright eyed and bushy-tailed and looked at us pleadingly as the vet techs took him away. The veterinarian, Dr. Frost, explained that Tomcat’s poison chemical, bromethalin, causes brain swelling and seizures and has no antidote. There is zero chance of survival once a dog has a seizure.

BUDDY A Cautionary Tale of an Accidental Poisoning A Journey in Spirit By EMILY FAGAN #99408 • Photos by EMILY AND MARK FAGAN

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ESCAPEES Magazine March/April 2023

March/April 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine

Keep Your Pets Close The article written to inform folks of the danger regarding rat and mouse poison, such as Tomcat mouse killer, reminded me of an incident many years ago. What I’m suggesting is a tidbit of caution, especially for those that are parked in or frequent areas that have other RVs about. Those other RVers may be using mouse poison. Since cats and dogs are snoopers, if they come across a dead or dying “anything” and eat it, you have the same problem. My daughter lost two of her pets to the hazard of the Tomcat mouse killer, so remember to keep your pets close and don’t let them roam. Steve Judson #12180

at any pictures I found on Amazon, I would recognize an identical motor. The fi rst and second motors I ordered were the wrong size. However, on the third attempt, the motor I received was identical. With so much rain during this time, it was a week before I had a chance to do the instal lation. As I fi nished the job, my Gloria came home and asked how I was managing. I slowly closed the door and watched the steps go all the way in. We both did a little happy dance, then tried them again just to be sure. We thought about leaving for our Quartzite trip, but it was a little late to meet up with our friends. Plus, we had a reservation in Yosem

From West to East In reference to “Staying Weather Aware,” March /April 2023, I would like to add the following: We have traveled from New Hampshire to Arizona and back every year for many years. A little trick we use with the weather; We look for a good window (when time allows). The weather tends to move from west to east. When going west, if we see the weather changing, we look at our several weather APPS, and we plan a day or two for driving through it,

Severe Weather and Springtime RVing STAYING WEATHER AWARE By JOSH ROBERTS , Guest Contributor

ESCAPEES Magazine March/April 2023

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ite for late March. Then, we found out that Yosemite Park was closed due to the excessive snow fall. So, it seemed we were destined to stay home for the winter. But, at least our steps are working! Charlie Bennett #145683

or if it is bad, we hole up. When going east, we get behind the weather by a day or two and follow that space across the country. Over many years this has stood us in good stead. It only sometimes works. Bob Heath #108238

Opinions contained in “Camping Chair Chat” are not necessarily those of the Escapees RV Club, its o ffi cers or the membership in general. This column is for Escapees magazine readers to share thoughts, ideas and helpful hints. Escapees RV Club accepts no responsibility for what is expressed here by any person, group or company. If accepted, submissions will be edited for magazine style and formatting. Submissions that are sent by e-mail can be directed to departmentseditor@escapees.com.

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ESCAPEES Magazine July/August 2023