Not very bright on my part :(

[johnwen]

A very fast developing storm had us departing our campsite in minutes tonight.  So many things done wrong...  60 mph winds, 1+ inch hailstones, and a tornado in the mix had us running to beat the storm.  We took only what was necessary and left everything else behind.  We took long enough to see that there was a clear path out of the storm's path so we decided to go.  The storm was 2 counties away and we felt we could escape safely.  Wendy was busy on her tablet and phone plotting out our path and watching the storm.  We have talked about what we would do in a situation like this but never considered an immediate departure at night.  I think we did the best we could under the circumstances but realize there is room for improvement.  We full time and are many states away from familiar surroundings.  Well, we safely evaded the storm.  No hail or heavy rain was encountered.  So, all went pretty well.  Until we came back to the campground.....  It's my first time driving at night with the camper and setting up.  I pulled a real dumb-dumb.  I figured to use the dump site on the way back into camp to save a trip later.  I thought all was going well until I saw a recoil of some sort in the side view mirror as I pulled away.  I just knew I returned the septic hose to it's place but I wasn't 101% sure so I stopped and looked around.  The septic hose was all locked up safely in its compartment.  But I had driven off with the water hose still attached to the black tank rinse spigot.  The water hose stretched until it could stretch no more.  I bent the water main over to a 45 degree angle and popped the campground hose end off.  I had the water shut off and the water stand pipe, although bent, did not leak.  I'll own up to the campground admin folks in the AM.

The connection on the Oliver was bent sideways, but I was able to take off the water hose end that remained on the fitting.  After hooking back up at our site, I straightened the trailer's hose hookup somewhat to make it a little easier to get my water hose end on and tested with water pressure.  All seemed ok.  No leaks that I could see and water was going into the black tank.  The outside attachment point seemed ok.  No cracks or leaks externally.

If anyone has any experience with this sort of mishap, please let me know what else to check out.  I plan to call OTT service tomorrow as a follow-up and give them a good laugh.  First time in the dark made me realize I need to triple check everything I do.  I think I'll stick to daylight ops!

[Mike and Carol]

Wow, a frightening experience for sure.  Dumping at night while deprived of sleep would be a challenge for anyone, but adding in the stress of the storm increases the challenge!  Don’t beat yourself up too much!

A few years ago we were camping on the Missouri River north of Kansas City (Leavenworth, Kansas side) in a city campground.  There had been quite a bit of rain north and the river was rising.  We knew there was a chance for flooding and possible quick evacuation.  I had disconnected the fresh water hose and hitched to the truck.  Sure enough, at about 3am the city police drove through the campground, lights flashing and announcing that everyone had to evacuate, immediately!  We got up, dressed, disconnected power and were the first ones out of the campground.  We watched others fumbling with things and a tent camper just left his tent and drove off.  The campground was under 4 feet of water when the sun came up.  Mike

[hobo]

Ironic that you bring this up at this time.  A couple of weeks ago we were camping in the mountains of VA with some friends and enjoyed a really nice fire each day as did several folks in the near vicinity.  One evening, the wind picked up tremendously while I was laying in bed and I started to wonder about all the hot coals from all the campfires being blown about.  That got me to thinking about the chance of a fire breaking out in the surrounding forested areas.  I was pondering the need for an immediate escape plan.  Nothing came of the wind but the potential is always there in every camping situation that an emergency departure might become a reality.  To that end, we're going to develop and execute a quick escape procedure.  

 

[topgun2]

johnwen- 

Let me see if I understand - 

Bad storm coming with potential for very serious issues.  You decide that it will be safer to make a run for it.  Result is that no one was injured (in your family) and only minor damage was incurred in doing it.  You took care of the important things and the rest will sort themselves out.  Sure does sound like a success story to me! 

Bill

[ScottyGS]

Interesting topic... having to depart in a hurry.  There could be a variety of reasons for that.   Yet another reason to keep a tidy campsite.   Division of Labor between spouses would be a plus.  Donna usually handles everything inside while I take care of the outside. 

And... no matter how tempting to save an extra minute or two...   Do a thorough walk around before pulling out.   Could save a lot of heartache.    

Thanks for sharing the story. 

[johnwen]

Follow up...after sunrise I inspected the side of the trailer and the bent hose end.  Everything looks ok.  In retrospect, we discussed events this morning and decided communication between us could have be better.  We seemed to lose too much time hooking up to the trailer.  With the wind blowing pretty hard and being dark, the backup truck's camera wasn't entirely useless, but pretty close.  We might look into a wireless headset, since verbal communication is somewhat hampered anyway while trying to line up the hitch and connect it.  We have tasks we perform each time we travel and we know what each other does.  Under normal circumstances, we check each other's tasks over to some degree.  The decision to leave was good, I think, with a clear path away from the storm and several directions to use as an escape route.  Had it been rush hour or even normal daytime traffic we may have elected to stay put.  Our safety is of utmost importance, but we would also not like to be stuck across country with broken windows and solar panels, along with a totaled vehicle from the hail.  As for the campground, it looks as if nothing really happened.  Yay!  Hope to see ya'll at the rally 🙂 

[Frank C]

Things can be fixed/replaced.  You kept your family safe, that’s what matters.   And after time has passed you’ll eventually reach the phase of joking about “Hey, remember that time we drive off with the hose still connected?”