As you all know, I’m extremely picky, fussy, and anal.  Having my life not only planned but planned for contingencies and the contingencies of those contingencies is how I roll.  My entire experience to date has been in stages.

• Step 1: Get in the RV and drive it around in various speeds and conditions until I was comfortable
• Step 2: Tackle the difficult bits, like tight turns, backing in, and parking on anything that is not and easy-access a street curb
• Step 3: Short practice trips for a few hours to mash buttons and just hang
• Step 4: Sleeping overnight in a park

I think my plan went well, overall.  I’ll tell you now, each step was anxiety-inducing.  I ran through so much panic adrenaline going through those steps I’m sure I’ll be wandering around with the zen of a pot-smoking hippie for the next few months.  It was a huge push.  I had moments where I pulled into a parking lot to fix things and collect myself. I had moments where I was confronted with a tiny area I was sure I’d smash to bits, followed by taking a few minutes to breathe and keep going.  I had moments where I’d be driving along happily and a semi passed me, and the wind shear shoved my RV in directions I didn’t expect.  But I did it all.

Last weekend, I was at Step 4: overnight trip.  This was the do-or-die trip.  I had to make sure I was self-sufficient and could hobble through it without my car for a quick fix, nor running back into my house when I got stressed out.  I booked two nights at a resort 8 miles away.

It seems like it’s not much, but it was.  I was leaving for two days in an RV and whatever I carried, no car, no help, and no house to hide in.  I wasn’t about to waste the reservation money, so I went despite the high anxiety and last minute panic things.

Pre-Trip Panic and Loading

Of course, I had todo lists.  I had so many lists.  I had everything stacked up the day before and loaded in the night before.  The rest was perishables or laundry I hadn’t done yet.  I think my plan was great.  Then I had some unexpected problems with work, so instead of working flex time and leisurely loading up my RV, I was staring at my laptop cursing the world.  It still worked, just with extra stress.

Lesson: the time I allowed for the last-minute load items was a little excessive, and I could have handled the day better than I did.

I Left Spot Home

I have been training Spot to get used to the RV.  The end result is he now sees it as a venue for treats.  He’s used his cat box and has had no problem climbing into places I never expected him to reach.  He’s taken a few quick rides around, and his give-a-crap meter is near zero.  I wanted to take him on this trip.  I knew he’d be fine.  But, I was so frazzled and stressed out I decided to leave him home with Salem (crazy pants cat – she’ll probably get her own blog).

That said, I just couldn’t handle more than one animal on the first trip, so I left Spot home. At the time I left, it made me feel much better.  One less thing to think about.  When I got to the resort, I regretted it.  It wasn’t nearly as big a deal as my brain was telling me.  Spot would have been just fine.

Lesson: I can handle the pets. I just can’t overthink it.

Stuff I Forgot

Thanks to my lists, I didn’t forget much.  I had all the doodads, and that held until I went to cook dinner.  No cooking spoons/spatulas, no oven mitts.  It really was a blessing in disguise.  The next morning I woke up, stashed things, unhooked everything, and then drove to Target to pick up the stuff I forgot.

Lesson: Unhooking the RV and getting supplies is no big deal

So Many Buttons

Holy crap, this RV has a ton of buttons.  The most fascinating thing is nearly every appliance has more than one way to power it.  And there are several power sources available.  Same for the water system.  I pretty much spent my first day with each manual in front of my face trying to figure out how to get things to run.  I’m still sorting it all out.

Lesson: Keep reading the manuals

Appliance Failures

One of my experiences with troublesome RV appliances has been my cooktop.  It’s not working right.  I had grand plans to make a grilled cheese, and my cooktop wasn’t making anything more than a low flame.  I’m still deciding if it’s a failure in the cooktop, or if the propane regulator is pitching fits.  To be determined.  Thank goodness for warranties.  Fortunately, I bought a hot pot and was able to not die of starvation.

Lesson: Have a backup plan for cooking food.

I Lived

Overall, the first trip was a success.  I did it.  I learned.  As I write this, I’m back at the resort for a second tour, and it’s much easier this time.  Go me.