A No-Fun-Day

I am officially declaring a No-Fun-Day because today is no fun! Besides being personally no fun, it is also a Living-in-a-Motorhome Disaster Day.

To help understand why I am declaring a No-Fun Day, I must give a little history leading up to this No-Fun Day.

First of all, we live in our Motorhome Full-time because we are retired and enjoy traveling the country. However, we schedule a monthly trip back to the Memphis area for doctor’s visits and my husband Joe’s monthly Chemo maintenance treatments. This past Saturday, we opted to return to the Memphis area a little early for treatment before a pending winter storm. Meteorologists were predicting a possible total of eight inches of snowfall. When one lives in a low-slung motorhome with slower-than-average stopping capabilities, driving through the snow was something that we did not want to do.

So, we filled the tank with propane before leaving Natchez Trace RV campground in Hohenwald, TN. Our drive to Mississippi was uneventful. It was rainy, but we did not encounter any significant problems.

Instead of camping at Hernando Point Campground (our original plan), we wisely decided to camp at the Hollywood Casino RV Campground in Tunica, Mississippi, about an hour’s drive from Memphis. We knew the casino sold propane, which was vital because they predicted nighttime low temperatures in the single digits.

Our first night back in the midsouth went well. But the second night did not. We woke up in the middle of the night to find out we had no running water. We thought our water lines were frozen! When morning arrived, we went outside to survey the damage. When we tried to turn the water off at the Campground’s water fixture, we discovered that the valve was frozen open, and we could not close it.

Further investigation showed our heated hose was working well, and it did not seem like our water pipes were frozen in our wet bay (The outside storage area where our water and sewer connections are located). However, when we attempted to use water from our freshwater tank, which is located under our rig, we could not access any water. It meant that we had frozen water either in the water tank, water pump, or the lines connecting the two.

At this point, we decided we might be better off spending a few nights in the Casino Hotel. We had dirty dishes that needed washing, showers that needed taking, and no running water to accomplish either task. So, we spent the night in a smoky-smelling hotel room with the constant hum of slot machines whirring outside our hotel window.

When we checked on our motorhome this morning, we discovered that we were completely out of propane! Joe took a hairdryer to the frozen outdoor water spigot, unfreezing it and disconnecting our hose. He then drained the water from our water heater and collected it into two large pots. We used the hot water he collected to wash our dirty dishes. We pulled in our slides and then carefully drove on the frozen tundra to the propane refill tank, where we purchased a tank full of propane. Half an hour later, we returned to our RV spot and reconnected sans water. Tonight, temperatures are supposed to drop to three degrees Fahrenheit. So, we will spend one more night in the hotel.

Thankfully, tomorrow is supposed to be warmer. So, tomorrow, we will return to our camper, troubleshoot our water situation, and try to make any necessary repairs.

We are supposed to go to FT Myers, Florida, in two weeks. I can’t wait! But, for now, I will spend some time during this No-Fun-Day daydreaming about soft sand, warm sun, seashells, the ocean sound, and the beach’s beauty!