Escapees May June 2015 Demo

Photo courtesy of www.rvia.org .

Avoid RV Mishaps With a Day-trip Go-list By Evanne Schmarder #65409

right. It didn’t take long to realize that the awning had succumbed to what must have been a strong gust of wind and was bent up and backward, wrapped over the roof of our RV in a gut-wrenching pose. Oh. My. Gosh. Ask any long-time RVer, and chanc- es are they’ll have a similar story to share, either through personal experi- ence or as an unwilling witness. Since that time so long ago, my husband, Ray, and I have developed an unspoken “go-list” when we take day-trips. In addition to, you guessed it, never leav- ing with the awning open (unless it’s well secured with little or no chance of strong winds, and even then I still worry), I have some other tried-and- true tips for your consideration.

I can still picture it; neophytes only three weeks into our full-time RV adven- ture, we found ourselves at Canyon de Chelly, northeast Arizona’s Navajo country. Still inhabited by Native Americans, the spectacular Canyon de Chelly, considered a mini-Grand Canyon, offers amazing colored cliffs, rock formations, cliff dwellings and, of course, canyons. W e arrived at the campground on a warm and sunny summer af-

water bottles and snacks as good day-trippers would, slathered on the sunscreen, grabbed our hats, locked the door and opened the awning to shade the fridge side from the hot sun. The hike was fabulous, down the canyon, through a canopied grove to look up into ancient and well-pre- served cliff dwellings. Flush with excitement and the climb out of the canyon, we returned home, cooing and admiring our new-to-us RV from a distance. However, as we got closer we noticed something wasn’t quite

ternoon to find it rather busy. Feeling fortunate to have secured one of the last available sites, without shade, we settled in for a couple of days of dry-camping. Eagerly scouring the park brochure, a decision was made to hike to Whitehouse Ruins, one of the only canyons that can be entered with- out a Navajo guide, the next day. That morning the sun was shining bright and the air was still; it was a going to be a beauty of a day. We packed

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