This is one of a series of eight life lessons I have learned in my Travels with Betty. What your RV can teach you about life, Lesson #3.
As part of each blog, I share my experience and then the lesson I learned as a result. It seems there is always something to learn!
Unplug the power cord first
Then, there was the incident of snapping the power cord from the power cord plug. I was camped in beautiful Kananaskis Country, among tall pines, nice wide spaces, still with the chill of late spring.
I’d backed up the camper van already and plugged in. Then I realized that I was too close to a tree to open one of the outside storage compartments I needed. Easy fix, right? Hop in and start backing up the van. However, with more attention, I would have remembered I was plugged in. There was about 2 feet of slack in the cord — backing up 5 feet was not going to work. Well, I tell you. There was a loud popping noise along with bright sparks and all appliances stopped working. I could see the problem when I got out of the driver’s seat. The end of the cord in the utility box was still there but the other end was on the ground with only wires showing. The inside plug was still securely fashioned to the van.
A drive about an hour each way to the outskirts of Calgary to an RV dealership and I had a new power cord. Backing up again into the site, this time giving enough room for drawer to open, and I hop out with new cord in hand to hook up. It is then that I realized I had not paid attention. I had bought an extension cord instead of the required camper van cord. Talk about roughing it that night! I had to read in my cushioned bed, topped with memory foam, with a flashlight. I was worried there might not be enough battery power to run the overhead reading light.
Up early the next day, driving myself back to the same RV dealership to return the wrong cord and buy the correct one. Unfortunately, the cord I had separated from the plug was a special order, taking a few days to arrive from Ontario. With plans to depart further south the next day, buying new would not work. The fellow in the Parts area saved the day by repairing the plug I already had in about five minutes.
Lesson learned: Pay attention, pay attention, pay attention! I’m driving a RV now.