Darwin Award Runners Up

[bsmeaton]

Been some people fessin up in other threads about things they have done RVing that might qualify as a Darwin Award nomination. Thought it might be fun to start a little confessional thread so we can all laugh at you as a group.



Maybe we can come up with enough stuff to write the script for an RV-II movie.

I'll start: - Talkin to the wife while backing up the truck into the campsite in front of the Monty after a long day on the lake. Ran into the Monty smashing the pin box into the tailgate, never even hit the brake.

[Mac]

Brad,

I'm always amazed at those stories, I can hear them all starting with "here, hold my beer and watch this"!! Not that I've never uttered those words.

mac

[sreigle]

Brad, this is an excellent idea. And I agree it's not only fun and interesting but also is a help to those new to this lifestyle. And, I think, it helps newer folks to understand we all make mistakes. Still.

We did this same thing about a year ago. The following link has a bunch of our screwups. If you don't mind, I'll post that link here, to add to those posted in this thread. I'm sure others will have many more to add and I may remember some more of my many screwups.

And just how did you screwup?

[DONnANNIE]

On our maiden cruise, we had spent 4 days at Blackwell Island, Cd'A,ID. On the last day while preparing to leave, I decided to drain the black & grey tanks. I thought to myself, now I can use the black tank "rinser". I turned it on and promptly started talking to a Canadian RVer. When I returned to the Monte, it was raining underneath. I turned the water off and openned the drain valve. I went inside to find the toilet overflowing. We mopped up and cleaned up the mess.

After we got home the DW was helping me back in the Monte along side of the garage. We were using little portable radios. The DW was in the back out of my sight. As I backed up I heard a loud crack. I immediately stopped & got out to see what I had hit. I caught the front corner of the garage roof soffitt on the rear end cap. I used a little silicone to temporarily patch the hole.

Neither incident was funny at the time, but I can laugh now.

[gojodo]

Well they say confession is good for the sole, so I am about to be healed. We have only had our 3075RL since June (setting up my excuse) but in October we had been on vacation with it and on the way home had friends of ours a come stay with us. Well I was hooking up and showing my friend how smart I was by knowing everything to do. I backed the truck into the pin and saw the latch go out and then in. I then checked it from the side to make sure it was all the way in. We put up the jacks and then I proceded to pull forward, when BANG, the Monty slipped off the hitch and slammed down on the rails of the truck. I stopped immediatley and then lowered the jacks. Small dent in the truck rail but otherwise ok, except for my ego. My lesson was never assume all is well until you get out of the truck go around to the back of the hitch and look at it, making sure it is in fact hitched correctly. My real excuse was I was distracted by talking to my friend explaining every step, except of course the one missed.

[refocused]

This is Chuck's favorite "goof" story - happened before I was "in charge"!

"I normally drive no more than 4 hours per day, but on this particular day, I missed my exit to the campground I had planned to stay at - I decided to go ahead and drive on in to Chimican (another 4 hours) - when I got there, there was a sign saying, "pull into dump station" - since I didn't have to dump, I drove straight to the office and parked - the office was closed since it was after 5 and looking straight ahead there was a sign "guest parking to the right" - as I made my right turn, the park had put this big boulder on the corner to protect the flower bed (hence they wanted everyone to go by route of the dump station instead of the office)- my trailer (32 foot Electra) went over the boulder on one side, causing the trailer to almost turn over, the boulder slipped underneath the trailer and the axle came down on the boulder, causin it to bend - everyone came out to help - we had to lift the trailer up, tie some heavy ropes to the boulder and pull it out from underneath the trailer - I could not tow the trailer with a bent axle very far, so they let me park in overnight parking for three months while waiting for a new axle that had to come from Canada - the good part was Chimicum is first in - first out during peak season with a maximum stay of two weeks and I was there for three months saying hi and bye to everybody."